Wanted: Battery like this one but a tenth of the price - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: 8086
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 04:43:25 pm
content: http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=2077885165mAh LiPo battery£10.72!!!!I am looking for a battery with the same (or very similar) dimensions, but for much less cost. So, I turn to eevblog forums. Any ideas?

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 05:54:41 pm
content: See Hobbyking.comThey're cheaper but most lack the protection circuitry, so you have to be careful how you charge them.

author: auxie22
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2014, 07:14:28 am
content: try amainhobbies.com aswell much better prices and they have 600mah ones there too. Would this happen to be for an RC helicopter? I have a micro heli that uses this battery also

author: 8086
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2014, 12:12:46 pm
content: It's actually for this:http://imgur.com/a/egguWIt has to fit on top of the PCB, under the lid. I'm very interested in a 600mAh version with similar size - can you maybe link me directly?

author: 8086
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 05:21:55 pm
content: In case anyone else is interested, I found some similar batteries on aliexpress:http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3-7V-lithium-polymer-battery-402025-042025-3-7V-150mah-MP3-MP4-small-toys/1718420072.htmlWorks out to about £1.50 per battery if VAT is included.I've yet to find out whether the seller is legit though, we'll have to see if any batteries end up at my door...

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 05:42:33 pm
content: Can take some time since these are not allowed to go with air transport anymore.

author: 8086
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 06:01:06 pm
content: Quote from: Kjelt on April 13, 2014, 05:42:33 pmI believe they can but there are limitations, such as requiring them to be fitted to the device they power, and less than 2 cells, etc.I'm still figuring out how to ship these, and I'm a little worried since I may need to plan to have around a hundred shipped to me, and then I need to figure out how I can properly ship them to other people (attached to a device).

author: iloveelectronics
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 06:14:26 pm
content: Quote from: 8086 on April 13, 2014, 06:01:06 pmDefinitely not from Hong Kong, and as far as I know not from China either. The kind of limitations you mentioned only apply to couriers like DHL, Fedex, etc. The post office is VERY strict here against lithium batteries being shipped by air. They x-ray scan everything and return anything semi-suspicious. I've had stuff returned to me which didn't even contain normal non-lithium batteries!People from this part of the world still selling lithium batteries or devices containing them are either taking their chances or shipping them by sea, which takes ages, unless they have enough sales volume to negotiate a reasonable deal from one of those courier services.

author: 8086
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 06:20:56 pm
content: Hmm.So how does someone ship these batteries in bulk? Is sea/freight the only option?I mean, I guess bulk shipments do happen, so there must be a way.

author: iloveelectronics
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 06:26:01 pm
content: Quote from: 8086 on April 13, 2014, 06:20:56 pmYes, there are certainly ways if you get the proper paperwork and use the courier services with the permit, etc. I was only referring to shipping via the post office, which is how most smaller quantity orders are handled by smaller sellers.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 06:35:57 pm
content: If you want air then it goes in a hazardous cargo container, that is designed to contain the fire if it occurs. That, along with the paperwork, is going to be very expensive. Was a pain sending 10ml cans via air years ago, hate to think of now and the cost. Luckily the customer was willing to pay.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 07:23:09 pm
content: Perhaps that is the reason why those batteries are so much more expensive at Farnell's.

author: Zbig
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 08:51:10 pm
content: +1 for Hobbyking, as advised in the first reply. They have a UK warehouse as well and got the Li-Po shipping restrictions all sorted out according to their newsletter. Just search for the micro RC helicopter batteries or use their dedicated Li-Po search engine. Plus, if you linger on a product page for a while, a pop-up often shows up with a discount offer.

author: 8086
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 09:01:16 pm
content: The problem with hobbyking is that they don't have the battery I need. I want one with the protection circuit, and since hobbyking is geared towards high current applications they don't have cells with the protection on them.

author: Zepnat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2014, 11:00:07 pm
content: I don't know how they do it but im still getting lithium rechargeables from china, they seem to come via swiss post, china post banned them so they now come via another route. Take about 15-20 days.

author: GiskardReventlov
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2014, 04:53:52 am
content: Quote from: 8086 on April 13, 2014, 09:01:16 pmThe protection circuit is to limit current? How much time/money to make a protection circuit?I'm curious because I notice you're concerned about the lack of protection circuit in the hobbyking but then relying on aliexpress products to have the right protection circuit.All just for the sake of discussion of course not giving advice.

author: 8086
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2014, 12:54:14 pm
content: Quote from: GiskardReventlov on April 14, 2014, 04:53:52 amThe protection circuit should limit current to the safe limit of the battery, but also it prevents over-charging and over-discharging, which are the main ones I'm interested in.The circuits can be bought, but then I would be spending time attaching them to the batteries, etc.I could build the circuit as part of my design but that would add quite a bit more cost due to the low quantity involved. And by that time (taking into account time and cost) I might as well have bought the battery from Farnell.

author: GiskardReventlov
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2014, 02:45:56 am
content: Quote from: 8086 on April 14, 2014, 12:54:14 pmOk, I get it now. I will do a little research as I'm curious how they are implemented. I guess everything comes out of china so maybe the farnell are no different than the aliexpress.Maybe you can share your impressions when you get them.

author: joeT123
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 11, 2014, 04:14:05 pm
content: So.... anybody find out any more on sourcing low volumes of these batteries with the protection circuit (not at Farnell prices) ??Cheers,Joe