22 Years' Battery Customization
Jul 07, 2020 Pageview：818
Lithium batteries are one of the most reliable batteries. Regardless, they get progressively more expensive once you go the bigger the battery you are looking for, and not everyone is able to afford that much.?
Lucky for us, we can build a lithium battery pack right at home. Here is everything you need to know about DIY lithium battery packs, their needs, methods to create, and general life cycle:
When do you want to DIY a lithium battery pack?
Lithium-ion batteries are one of the best available. Not only are they generally easier to make, but last longer than most other batteries, and their rechargeable variants last more for more charges than most other battery versions.?
A DIY lithium battery pack is – as the name suggests – a home-made version of a lithium battery pack that can help you run an electronic or charge it right up without having to buy expensive lithium-ion products.?
When to Diy it?
Because a lithium ion battery generally lasts longer than any other battery, they are highly sought after by companies, and are generally used in most electronics. All smartphones you use nowadays, laptops and even small everyday electronics like electric razors use lithium battery packs.?
The reason for a DIY lithium battery pack might depend on what you want to do. For example, if you are running low on funds and do not have the luxury to spend money on a brand, you can make your own lithium battery pack. In other cases, generally making your own DIY lithium battery pack will increase your knowledge about these things – which is a valuable experience.?
How do you DIY lithium battery pack?
There are various methods available to make DIY lithium battery packs, depending on the size, and nature of the battery that you are making. For example, if you are making a simple power bank, you can just combine a few cells in combination with a small controller and pack the battery up to make a lithium battery pack.?
In other cases, where you need a generally more complex battery – like the 18650 battery – you will need more materials as well as the stamina needed to invest the time needed to craft such a battery.?
How to make an 18650-lithium battery pack
An 18650-battery pack is used in various areas, but most importantly powers a great deal of small electronics, or a single big electronic. 18650 battery cells are generally 18 mm in diameter and 65 mm in length – which is the standard for most devices.?
Nonetheless, in order to craft such a complex battery, here are some ingredients that you will need:
BMS
Ni Strips
DC Jack/Output nodes
Welder
Wire Cutter
Small battery cells
Some screws and an air blower
A Li-ion charger if you are going for a rechargeable battery
A complete Guide on how to make the battery pack:
Now, in order to make an 18650-battery, assemble the given ingredients and choose battery strips that are comfortable with your battery. Some people choose Nickel strips over iron strips because they are way less likely to warm up or spark. Sparking is very dangerous for a cell as it can lead to fire and explosions.?
Weld or solder the iron strips over the battery cells to ensure that they are all connected in some sort of a circuit. In our opinion, aligning the batteries in a cube shape helps retain their shape, and make them generally easier to carry.?
How to connect cells:
Connect a few of the cells in a parallel combination so you can get minimal resistance when current is passing through these cells. Then, connect this parallel combination in series combination with another parallel combination. Rinse and repeat until all your cells are a part of your new product.?
A very important step here is to consider is that all battery cells that are connected are from the same brand, and the same output. Choosing different brand batteries can lead to devastating outcomes – something you might not want to mess around with.?
After welding and combining the batteries in a cube shape, it is now the turn to add a battery management system (BMS). A BMS monitors and ensures that the battery that you have made is properly working and will warn or stop charging if there is something wrong with any of the cells. Be sure to properly solder the different pads of the BMS with the various terminals of your new product.?
Your DIY lithium pack is more or less done now, and all you need is a proper case so you can safely put the batteries in – and protect them from outside damage and moisture.?
Can you expand lithium battery pack life?
In short, you can expand lithium battery pack life by reconditioning the cells and using chargers that can jumpstart and fully charge a lithium-ion cell.?
The life cycle of DIY lithium battery packs depends on the cells used to make these kind of battery packs. Here is a list of lifecycles for various rechargeable cells that you can use to make DIY lithium battery packs:
18650 cells life cycle
The 18650 cells degrade quite a lot over time, but their degradation depends on the voltage that is supplied to them. Usually, an 18650 cell – if discharged at 15A – will degrade over 25% of its battery over 300 cycles. This means that, if you charge the cell around once a day, sparing the weekends, you can make the cell last for 4 years.?
This is a considerable lifetime for a normal cell.?
Alkaline AA battery
Alkaline AA batteries usually last less longer than normal 18650 batteries and are more expensive to build. Alkaline AA batteries – however – have a better lifecycle with rechargeable variants as they can last for several years without losing much efficiency. Because of the overall cost and overall efficiency of these days, we would definitely not recommend you build a DIY lithium battery pack with this material.
Final Thoughts:
We hope that we covered everything that you need to know about lithium-ion battery packs that you can build at home. Even though it might cost more during your first time to build this battery type, it will eventually get cheaper to build and you will start saving up more.?
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