Question: This will be my first LiPo experience (but I've done a lot of studying). I'm unfamiliar with XT90 connectors.
How would we connect these to, say, and EM3EV/Infineon controller/kit? What type of battery connectors do those kits use (I think it's Anderson Power Pole, but not sure)?
What best parts at HobbyKing can I MOST EASILY rig up the XT90 connectors to my future controller? Care to post some links? Since most connectors are in HK's "West" warehouse, I mostly just went and bought the cells, so still need to order more connectors separately. I saw some handy-dandy looking serial connection helpers. Seems very preferable to accident-prone 4mm bullets. I also want to be able to hook these up to a 36-48V cheapie eBike which takes SLA (same kind of harness connector BatteryMinderPlus uses: 2-wire pull-type single connector which exposes 1 conductor--not sure what it's called?).
docnjoj, Beware the 16Ah packs, they are actually parallel/serial packs using many small cells. However, they are about tied in cost per Watt-Hour with the famous/cheapest Turnigy "Hard Case" 5Ah 4S packs, and provide the overall largest watt-hour packs you can buy from HobbyKing. Personally, I don't need parallel complexifying my world. It's complex enough. The price premium did hurt, though.
I wonder if the cells these are made from are the same as the bare 10Ah LiPo cells that BMSBattery sells for 15 bucks a pop:
http://www.bmsbattery.com/battery-cell/640-high-c-rate-10ah-lifepo4-cells.html
http://www.bmsbattery.com/lifepo4-cell/314-lifepo4-7070260-polymer-cell.html
(Note the first URL says "lifepo4" in the address, but it's polymer. But they do sell identical-looking rectangular cells in LiFePO4 too.)
I also considered these neat-looking LiFePO4 cylindrical cells with integrated screws,
http://www.bmsbattery.com/lifepo4-cell/392-headway-40152s-lifepo4-battery-cell.html
but in the end decided with all the work I've done on research, I didn't want to now have to figure out how to fabricate a complete battery pack from scratch on my first build. The Multistar seemed like a breakthrough--had the capacity and size I wanted, in a more easily (and safely) modular format, respectable cells (touch wood), in a price same as buying bare cells, but already in a pack! 3 packs of the 6s gives you beyond the sweet spot of 500-ish Wh, and luxurious voltage. Being able to remove a pack and use for 48V applications is versatile.
I think bigger LiPo packs will become a trend as apparently HobbyKing lets you purchase one LiPo battery per order, or you have to make multiple LiPo purchases in separate orders. The problem is THEY DON'T TELL YOU this when you have 2 or more in your shopping cart and try to check out and get an error:
Unable to ship this parcel to your country due to size/weight.
Your order is either too large, or too heavy for shipment to your country.
Please see the table below to understand what's permitted by your countries postal system.
...which makes no sense, for multiple reasons.
So, bottom line, you can order as big of a LiPo as you want, with as many cells in it, as long as it's all sold as ONE battery. So, it is more economical to order larger battery packs.
TIA for links to how to connect these to Cel-Man/Infineon controllers.
BTW, this is my first post. I've lurked so intensely, so much info here I didn't need to ask questions till now. Special thanks to wesnewell, neptronix, dogman, d8veh, spinningmagnets, 1boris, scorpion, dnmun, and all y'all.
I almost didn't include this, I made this for myself, but it may or may not be of help to someone. It's a simple text comparison of multiple Multistar cells. This is on assumption of 20Wh/mile (not sure how accurate), and wanting a 48V and/or a 72V pack, and wanting at least around 500 watt-hours.
MULTISTAR
10Ah x 3.8V x 6s = 228Wh x 3 = 684Wh (7.9Lbs /34mi)
$98 x 3 = $294
43c/Wh
1200g
24.6V/2x=49.2V/3x=74V
Configuration: 6S1P / 22.2V / 6Cell
6.6Ah x 3.8V x 6s = 150Wh x 3 = 451Wh (5.2Lbs /22mi)
$68 x 3 = $204
45c/Wh
794g
24.6V/2x=49.2V/3x=74V
Configuration: 6S1P / 22.2V / 4Cell
16Ah X 3.8V X 6s = 365Wh x 3 = 1095Wh (12.7Lbs /55mi)
$123 x 3 = $369
34c/Wh
1920g
24.6V/2x=49.2V/3x=74V
Configuration:
**6S2P** / 22.2V / 6Cell
16Ah x 3.8v x 4s = 243Wh x 3 = 730Wh
$86 x 3 = $258/$344
35c/Wh
1290g
16.4V/2x=32.8V/3x=49.2V/4x=66V/5x=82V
Configuration:
**4S2P** / 14.8V / 4Cell