A year later and the 96AH battery pack I built using 6 x 16AH Miady Lipo4 batteries is still working well with some mechanical packaging and charging exceptions causing a few issues. I now have over a 100 recharges on the battery pack and continue to use this battery for a number of applications to include running a 55 pound thrust trolling motor (draws 45AH at full throttle), powering up my ham radio gear, and providing emergency power for LED lighting and two C-Pap machines during power outages.
Mechanical issues: The spade connections are a significant weak point with solid battery connections. With outdoor use the battery containment box I used gets bounced around in the back of the truck and boat and the battery has taken a few drops and tumbles when the plastic handle fails during hot weather. Last week I had my first battery failure while motoring up a river at full throttle...after about 20 minutes the motor cut out. I stopped the motor then full throttled back up only to have the battery cut power after another 5 minutes. I started the motor and used approximately 1/5 to 3/4 throttle with no cutoff issues. I suspected one or more of the batteries had mechanically disconnected and the remaining batteries individual BMS modules had shut down output. The next morning I opened the box to find two batteries had mechanically been disconnected at the spade lug connection point. I inspected all of the female spade connectors and used a pair of pliers to squeeze the spades for a tighter connection. The battery worked well for the rest of the week with no further cutoff issues. I will need to address the spade connection issue and may opt for soldering the fused connectors direct to the batteries and do away with the crimped female spade connectors. Another option will be to take the batteries apart and and install some proper bolt down battery posts.
Charging: Early on during this project I found charging a discharged battery with more than 10amps causes the individual Miady BMS modules to disconnect after 2-3 hours of charging. 6 amps would charge for 4-6 hours before disconnect. 3-4 amp charging seems to be the optimum charge current on the batter pack. I suspect the the cheap Miady BMS boards get too hot when charging with more than 3-4 amps and are disconnecting.
Conclusion: For the invested $350 this battery still continues to work very well as a trolling motor battery, emergency power outage use (LED lighting, CPAPs, internet modem) at home, Ham radio and other 12V equipment. I have additional wiring cables in the battery box to add two more 16AH Miady for additional AH capacity. I also have the versatility to remove individual 16AH batteries and use for powering up other devices. Will Prowse's U-Tube review of the Miady 16AH battery is spot on...these are cheaply made batteries and my next battery project will be to replace camp trailer lead acid batteries with two 120AH Lipo4 batteries using high quality components.
Mechanical issues: The spade connections are a significant weak point with solid battery connections. With outdoor use the battery containment box I used gets bounced around in the back of the truck and boat and the battery has taken a few drops and tumbles when the plastic handle fails during hot weather. Last week I had my first battery failure while motoring up a river at full throttle...after about 20 minutes the motor cut out. I stopped the motor then full throttled back up only to have the battery cut power after another 5 minutes. I started the motor and used approximately 1/5 to 3/4 throttle with no cutoff issues. I suspected one or more of the batteries had mechanically disconnected and the remaining batteries individual BMS modules had shut down output. The next morning I opened the box to find two batteries had mechanically been disconnected at the spade lug connection point. I inspected all of the female spade connectors and used a pair of pliers to squeeze the spades for a tighter connection. The battery worked well for the rest of the week with no further cutoff issues. I will need to address the spade connection issue and may opt for soldering the fused connectors direct to the batteries and do away with the crimped female spade connectors. Another option will be to take the batteries apart and and install some proper bolt down battery posts.
Charging: Early on during this project I found charging a discharged battery with more than 10amps causes the individual Miady BMS modules to disconnect after 2-3 hours of charging. 6 amps would charge for 4-6 hours before disconnect. 3-4 amp charging seems to be the optimum charge current on the batter pack. I suspect the the cheap Miady BMS boards get too hot when charging with more than 3-4 amps and are disconnecting.
Conclusion: For the invested $350 this battery still continues to work very well as a trolling motor battery, emergency power outage use (LED lighting, CPAPs, internet modem) at home, Ham radio and other 12V equipment. I have additional wiring cables in the battery box to add two more 16AH Miady for additional AH capacity. I also have the versatility to remove individual 16AH batteries and use for powering up other devices. Will Prowse's U-Tube review of the Miady 16AH battery is spot on...these are cheaply made batteries and my next battery project will be to replace camp trailer lead acid batteries with two 120AH Lipo4 batteries using high quality components.
