Li-ion 18650 Battery Build Help

ESK8 Electronics
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#1

I’ve just got hold of 12 x 18650 3.7v 5000mah Li-ion batteries.

I currently run 2 x 5000mah 11.1v Li-po’s in series so, 22.2v 10000mah. I get a reasonable distance out of one charge with an SK3 230kv motor.

Speed really isn’t a big thing for me and I’ve had my setup (at one point) running off just one 11.1v Li-po, which was fine for top end (for me). What is important though is the distance I get out of one charge.

Would the following configuration with the Li-ion cells be OK for me?

4s3p

I’m thinking 14.8v is enough, and the fact that there’s 3 in parallel should mean I get a good distance?

20170517_143616.jpg4032×2268 2.65 MB

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#2

If you run 2x5000mah batteries in series you have 1x5000mah battery and not 1x10000mah.

What motor and ESC do you have? I think 6s is minimum to use for almost all setups.

#3

You can’t have gotten 5000mah 18650s - there aren’t any on the market with that capacity!

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#4

So they’re probably fakes?

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#5

Yes, you’re quite right, my mistake, if they were parallel they’d be 10000mah

#6

@Print3r:

http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/GTL%2018650%205000mAh%20(Blue)%20UK.html

Conclusion

The batteries is as expected: Not very useful and with the low capacity they are not even good value for the money. With unknown and obvious low quality cells in a unprotected battery I will rate these batteries bad.

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#7

Discharge current and voltage are too low. You’d have the same watt hours no matter the configuration.

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#8

Oh bollox! :frowning:

#9

Avoid all ebay sellers who quote absurd ratings! Check their pictures against what the real ones should look like and check lygte! If you are in the EU, nkon sells cells for very cheap.

#10

Would suggest carefully testing them. U cannot.even be sure.they are the same capacity, some might be 1500mah while others 2000mah.

From power perspective they might also be super weak but for flashlight use.might be.enough by delivering up to.maybe 5amps, maybe 2-3A (?) More likely

#11

OK I’ll test them. To be honest, sounds like I should just bin them! Bit of a waste of time otherwise…

#12

well… yeh I would definately be careful with them… someone actually mentioned that some of the shine brighter than their brand made cells… even though their capacity is 1200mah or so…

But he got his chinese cell from power bank… not in a ‘bin/bulk’’ buy

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u might use them elsewhere with careful monitoring or just one cell at a time… otherwise you might really get into some funky business if something goes south