[richo77]

Hi,

i'm buildiong up a tri-cree bike light and currently being foiled by the huge shipping costs to the UK of Batteryforce... can any of the UK folk here recommend a uk supplier? I can't seem to find any source of li-ion packs...

cheers,

Rich

 

[brum]

I'm currently building my own pack, it consist of 4x18650 (i've got both 1800mA and 2400mA ones) li-ion cells, wired in series. The cells are unprotected, but the pack as a whole has got a protection circuit.
If I was to build another 14,8V 1800mA the estimated cost would be:
- 4x 18650 cells: $15 shipped (http://www.dealextreme.com)
- 1x 14,8V protection PCB: $5
I got the PCB at http://stores.ebay.de/LEDSEE-electronics, he also has 2400mA 18650 cells and cheap li-ion chargers. You could build a Li-ion pack yourself with charger for $50 or so.

 

[chrism]

Personally for LiIon batteries I just buy one of these Dell batteries off ebay and strip the cells out - one of those gives you a 14.4V, 4460mAh battery. I'd recommend getting a protection circuit and a charging balancer for that though, rather than just using it on it's own.

 

[Low_Rider]

Sorry I don't really have any recommendations for you close to home.

As mentioned, a quality protection circuit designed for the number of cells you are using, and a dedicated Lithium Ion charger is an absolute must. This is regardless of if it's a purchased or home made pack. Any purchased Lithium Ion pack should have a decent protection circuit built in, although unfortunately there are a few manufacturers who don't.

Dave.