 |
|
 |
HOME > AIRWIRE > Battery Sources - Protected |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Protected Li-Ion Batteries and Sources | |||||
|
Li-Ion Batteries With Protection This type of battery includes the protection feature. A protected lithium-Ion battery includes an internal circuit board for protection. This internal circuit board protects the battery from an over voltage charge, excessive charge level, excessive discharge, and under voltage operation. When the battery reaches a predetermined voltage, it is declared "discharged" and the battery voltage goes to 0 and stays there until the battery is recharged. Available Voltages 
The Li-Ion batteries are available in 3.7V, 7.4V, 11.1V or higher voltages. Voltages higher than 3.7V are created by placing single cells in series. The protection circuit protects all of the batteries in the pack. There are many different physical sizes and capacities available. The button below links to a list of some 3.7V batteries that are easy to get and relatively low cost. When putting three 3.7V batteries in series, the bottom cell's black wire is the battery pack's negative wire. The bottom cell's red wire connects to the middle cell's black wire. The middle cell's red wire connects to the top cell's black wire. The top cell's red wire becomes the battery pack plus wire. The picture shows this arrangement. The individual cells are available from CVP Products. Boost Modules A boost module can be used to boost a low voltage battery to a higher voltage. Click on the link to the left to go to the boost module section. Charging Li-Ion Batteries A protected battery is very safe and protects itself from improper charging or use. Use only a charger with the same voltage rating as the battery pack. A single battery needs a charger with a 3.7V output. If there are two batteries in series, get a 7.4V charger. If your locomotive fleet uses different voltages, get the charger that has a selectable output voltage. Always use a charger designed for Li-Ion rechargeable batteries. Because of the protection circuit, you can charge this type of battery without any worries. A protected battery typically has a much longer lifetime compared to a LiPo battery. The button below links to a list which includes the CVP smart charger with automatic voltage detection. It will automatically set itself to the proper battery pack voltage and has the same Li-Ion charging algorithm as our larger fixed voltage charger. Details about the smart charger can be found by clicking here. The Li-Ion Battery List This list was compiled from a few hours spent searching various online suppliers of Li-Ion batteries. Their websites are listed at the bottom of the list. The green highlighted items were purchased and evaluated. All were found to be satisfactory for powering small scale locomotives. Since space is important, some representative HO locomotives and cars were measured. The measurement conversion from millimeters to inches is included for reference. You should measure your own equipment to determine how much space is available.
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
