"At no extra cost."
Those four words came from Bioenno Power when I asked for the tracking number for a 12V 9AH battery I'd ordered several days earlier. They said that it was back-ordered and wouldn't ship for some time.
Before I could say "Cancel the order, I'll go with Dakota Lithium" they said I could have a 12V 12AH battery and they could ship it immediately "at no extra cost."
12 AH for the price of 9.....I'll take it.
The four-cell LiFePO4 battery arrived two days later via UPS. I charged it, discharged it and charged it again.
Then I hooked it up to my battery analyzer and set it to discharge at a 3 amp rate.
With many battery types of various sizes and chemistries over the years, this is the first time I've ever tested a battery at a sizeable discharge rate and gotten more capacity than advertised. Usually, a battery only meets its advertised capacity when discharged at a rate that wouldn't even power a wristwatch.
A few hours later, I charged the battery again, then discharged it into the analyzer at a 6 amp rate:
Needless to say, I'm happy with the battery's performance, though if I had it to do over again, I might wait until the 9AH version was back in stock.
12AH will power my IC-705 and Hardrock-50 amp for 10+ hours - more time than I'll ever use it for a park activation.
About the chemistry: this is the first LiFePO4 battery I've ever had and it seems to hit the sweet spot in regards to voltage provided under a load - about 13 volts.
Three-cell LiIon and LiPo batteries under a load typical of the IC-705 provide about 11.8V. Four-cell versions would provide 15.7V. Too little and too much, respectively, for radios designed for 13.8 volts.
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Hi John, Thanks for publishing your test results! They agree with ours at: https://proaudioeng.com/portable-battery-performance/
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Howie / WA4PSC
Good morning Howie - that's a lot of good info on your site, especially under the tab labelled "Summary Table".
DeleteThanks and 73,
John AE5X
I just received my Bioenno 12Ah and also discharged and then charged (relying on the built in BMS to cutoff). At a 1.2Ah discharge rate I found 13.4Ah using a Rigol DL3021 DC load instrument. This is also the first time I have tested a commercially available LiFePO4 battery that exceeded it's specs. Expensive? Yes, but quality costs. Mitch, w2msk
ReplyDeleteYep, this one is definitely a keeper. And as good as they are, I can't help wonder what the next new chemistry will bring.
Delete73,
John
I have had great luck with both the Bioenno batteries and the company. I have a total of four now, 3Ah, 9Ah, 12Ah, and now a 30Ah. All outperform their specs. The 9Ah still outperforms its specs after 4 years. I had a similar experience to yours. I ordered a 20Ah and they called and said some parts were out of stock and it would be a month or more. They offered the 30Ah in its place and included an adapter cable for the large output connector it normally has. Great people to work with.
ReplyDeleteYes, awesome service. I'm glad now I went with them instead of one of the other companies offering comparable products. That's quite a collection of batteries you have - I'm glad to see that the performance of mine wasn't a fluke and that they still perform well after several years.
Delete73,
John
I picked up a 12V 6Ah Bioenno battery and charger at their booth at the last non-virtual Hamvention, a couple of years ago, now. They threw in a nice power pole to 2.5mm power cable at no charge. It is my go-to battery for all things QRP, and I've never run it down during a single session. It holds its charge in storage seemingly forever, so I know it's ready when I need it.
ReplyDelete