I’m considering using my 300A bms that I was using with my Li-ion pack for the LiPo batteries that i’m switching to. The bms says it works for li-ion and Lifepo4, since lifepo4 and LiPo are very similar i’m thinking that this should work just fine, thoughts?
Is there anyone using bms or any monitoring of cell voltages for lipo setups yet?
lipo and lifepo4 are completely different technologies. lipo 3.7 V / 4.2 V. Lifepo 4 3.3 V / 3.6 V. each nominal voltage and final charge voltage. if you can set it on bms basically ok. But what you have to consider is that the lipo has a slightly higher drift of the volt when discharging. that means the bms has more work with balancing. with li-ion it divides evenly between the cells and there are many more individual cells which then mix again. With a li-ion pack it is usually like this: 3.65 V, 3.67 V, 3.63 V etc. with lipo it can even be: 3.65 V, 3.76 V, 3.59 V. just as an example. this has to do with the fact that the inner cells have a different temperature when discharging due to the construction. therefore the possible discharge is different. Another good factor is that the voltage at lipo remains high for a longer period of time, therefore the bms is less stressed by the amps, since the wattage results from high voltage and less current. in any case I would consider that the lipo has a much smaller number of cycles and would also break much faster due to the age. in comparison: li-ion can easily hold up to 400 cycles and 5-6 years. lipo only about 100 to maxiaml 150 cycles and 2-3 years. lifepo 4 to 1000 cycles and 10 years. I started flying myself in 2011 with A123 20 Ah lifepo 4 (16 S). hence the experience with it. I still use the pack in my e-boat today. lifepo 4 has too little “pressure” to fly. you can fly but it is much more fun with li-ion because you have a lot more power.
If it says it will work for Li-ion it should work. Many of the BMS out there are built to run either Li-ion or LiFePo4 but there should be a way of setting on the BMS which one it is.
Bratwurst is correct. Because of different chemistries you can only charge and discharge different types of batteries to specific levels without the risk of dendrite formations and internal short circuiting. So in the end you can’t just take a BMS specifically for LiFePo4 and use it on a Li-ion battery. But many BMS are designed to take either types.
Check this out if you’re still looking for a BMS:
I’ve had a good experience with the company and the support they’ve provided.
I had a Daly BMS that overheated followed by a curiously ignored string of emails to China.