I just assumed the "scooter battery company" would have BMS built into their batteries. However, since you mention it Jeff, I see no reference anywhere on their webpage or any related links that references anything to do with a battery maintenance system - something to equalize the charge between cells when charging and that protects the cells from over-discharge when the battery is being drained.
Yet they are offering a 1 year warranty? You know those scooter kids are going to squeeze the last amp out of their batteries so without a protection system built-in I can't imagine their batteries lasting more than a couple months. There may be more to the story with these batteries (after all, no need to confuse the scooter kids even further). It's possible too that the outfit selling the scooter batteries may not know enough about their own products to even be aware of the need for a BMS with LiFePO4 batteries. The company's ad (MONSTER SCOOTER PARTS) covers several battery suppliers - the ones on their website are not all made by the same company. So . . . I think this outfit is just a battery reseller sourcing their batteries from wherever they can get them cheapest. After a year of scooter customers claiming defective batteries the place will just go bankrupt, change their name and do it all over again. But what do I know . . . ? I think I know that scooter riders aren't going to know the slightest thing about Battery Management Systems and are going to treat their scooters just like they treat their cellphones. After the fourth or fifth time they've drained their scooters down to 0 and then wondered why they aren't getting the performance or mileage as they did when the battery was new . . . . A lot of them will probably just buy a new scooter and not even send the battery back for warranty claim. The business plan of Monster Scooter Parts is probably based upon this presumption. ****************** I've learned quite a bit about lithium-based batteries in the last few days and I apologize for involving innocent netters in my educational dead-ends. As usual with Jeff, his initial battery info was the correct info. Knowing what I've learned, I would not go looking around for any "deals" from scooter battery sellers. A lot of investigatory work is underway having to do with differing electrodes - Iron, Cobalt (conventional Li-Ion), plus all sorts of "coatings" designed to speed up and slow down the flow of electrons. When they go too fast they sometimes overheat and cause the fires we read about. Much work is going on in this area of extremely interesting technology. For now, were I to part with my NEPO M44L as I lay dying and were it finally pried from my lifeless hands, I would without a doubt replace it with an EarthX ETX680 as Jeff recommends. Hard to imagine, I know . . . but there still remains a gap or two in my mastery of this subject. For instance, are these lithium batteries exempt from the usual "starter vs deep-cycle" distinction that is built by design into conventional lead-acid batteries? Whether ventilated or completely sealed, glass mat or flooded cell, Gel or whatever . . . they're all just lead-acid batteries designed for either starting an engine or sustaining a constant load for an extended period of time such as a wheelchair (or scooter) would do. Plates and gaps are built thicker or thinner, variations in metals plus other tweaks are made depending upon the service the battery is designed for. The lithiums give the impression they're good to go for whatever use one has in mind . . . but that's just my initial impression and we know how reliable my initial impressions are. These lithiums are a whole new ball game. Can LiFePO4 batteries be treated equally, no matter the application? As airplane people we are only interested in how well they'll start our engines and - at least in my case - how deep a reserve my battery has. Just how long it will sustain the entire electrical loads of the aircraft without help from an alternator? That's been my primary criteria, and still is. At some point, when we eventually exchange our noisy recips for quiet, relatively light and far more efficient Siemens or some such competitor . . . it will be the endurance of our batteries and how quickly they can be charged that will be far more important than our current concern over CCA's and reserve capacity. Our KR's will have sophisticated Battery Management Systems, flexible solar cells covering all surfaces exposed to sunlight and enough range with power set at cruise to go 500 miles or more. Some KR-sized planes already have this stuff but they cost a lot more than a KR, they look funny, and besides, who wants hear a "whirr" instead of the throaty ground-shaking growl of four powerful VW cylinders? ****************** Thanks ML for another mention of how pleased you are with your new Revmaster heads. It will be a relief to read for a fellow up in Edmonton (the new owner of my Prince prop) who has ordered the Revmaster heads from Joe. Following your experiences I've no doubt he'll be very happy with them. Anyone thinking of UL or Rotax or (god forbid) Jibaru or any of the other experimental conconcoctions some guys are working on, please don't forget Joe's new R-2300 that has been designed to return it's optimum power just where KR's need it - 3000 RPM. It's a little under 9K I think but even a self-built Corvair (another dream engine) will cost that much before the story is over. Another reminder . . . Revmaster uses magnesium engine cases and are more likely to crack if oil temps are incorrectly reading low. An incorrectly reading oil temp gauge can cause a ton of heartbreak (and money). I've seen this happen. I like GP's aluminum, but for all I know Revmaster may offer aluminum as an option. Mike Stirewalt KSEE ____________________________________________________________ Do This if You Have Toenail Fungus (Try Tonight) funguseliminator.com http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/5e2267cad56b967ca7804st02vuc _______________________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/. Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html. see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change options. To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@list.krnet.org
