WattCycle 12V 300Ah Mini inside look

[flatsolar]

I received my 3 12V 300Ah Mini's and unfortunately one arrived with the top popped off. I contacted WattCycle with a picture and description of what happened and got a reply within 12 hours or so (over night... I assume they are on a different time zone) saying they will send me a new one, just need another picture that shows the serial number of the broken battery and that I won't have to return the broken one.

I still have not seen any video looking inside the 12 V 300 Ah Mini battery so if you are interested in pictures or have specific questions let me know and I can see if I can find out / provide additional pictures. Keep in mind that I have none of the fancy equipment to do special measurements or load tests or anything like that.

So far WattCycle customer service seems very responsive and quick to make things right which is another thing I have not really found any info about. So far so good...

 

[Dagoth Ur Does Solar]

Wow, is having actual wiring to connect cells instead of bus bars common at all? Not what I was expecting based off watching some of Will's videos.

 

[pcmm]

Wow, is having actual wiring to connect cells instead of bus bars common at all? Not what I was expecting based off watching some of Will's videos.

From what I can see in the picture the wiring isn't connecting the cells its connecting the positive end of the pack to the positive post and the negative from the cells to the BMS

 

[Dagoth Ur Does Solar]

From what I can see in the picture the wiring isn't connecting the cells its connecting the positive end of the pack to the positive post and the negative from the cells to the BMS

Ah okay I see now. I was on mobile looking at first.

Pretty nice they just let you keep the old one, I guess the shipping back isn't worth it for them given the price point of the battery.

Are you going to just glue it shut and use it? That's probably what I'd do.

 

[pcmm]

Would be interesting to get more info on the BMS. From what I see so far on the Wattcycle 300ah mini I like, but would like to have either bluetooth or RS485/modbus connectivity

 

[defeedme]

i would buy that from you , wanna make a deal?

 

[defeedme]

I received my 3 12V 300Ah Mini's and unfortunately one arrived with the top popped off. I contacted WattCycle with a picture and description of what happened and got a reply within 12 hours or so (over night... I assume they are on a different time zone) saying they will send me a new one, just need another picture that shows the serial number of the broken battery and that I won't have to return the broken one.

I still have not seen any video looking inside the 12 V 300 Ah Mini battery so if you are interested in pictures or have specific questions let me know and I can see if I can find out / provide additional pictures. Keep in mind that I have none of the fancy equipment to do special measurements or load tests or anything like that.

So far WattCycle customer service seems very responsive and quick to make things right which is another thing I have not really found any info about. So far so good...

i'm still waiting for mine.. they are on backorder now. there's other copycat brands out there now much cheaper.. can't wait to put two of these new bad boys (wattcycle mini 300ah lifepo4) batteries in parralellel (replacing the two 6v lead acid) and get some serious wattage on my new 3200 onswi inverter

 

[Tadsher]

I received my 3 12V 300Ah Mini's and unfortunately one arrived with the top popped off. I contacted WattCycle with a picture and description of what happened and got a reply within 12 hours or so (over night... I assume they are on a different time zone) saying they will send me a new one, just need another picture that shows the serial number of the broken battery and that I won't have to return the broken one.

I still have not seen any video looking inside the 12 V 300 Ah Mini battery so if you are interested in pictures or have specific questions let me know and I can see if I can find out / provide additional pictures. Keep in mind that I have none of the fancy equipment to do special measurements or load tests or anything like that.

So far WattCycle customer service seems very responsive and quick to make things right which is another thing I have not really found any info about. So far so good...

I wish I was so lucky . . . . . as said above glue it up and use it. Now you have 4

 

[flatsolar]

Hi, sorry it got a bit busy for me. Here are some more pictures of the inside once it is removed from the housing (see attached to this post). The wooden stick looking things are exactly this, wooden sticks I just used to keep the lid open while taking pictures. I also removed the serial number from the stickers so those are the white spots (there is no info about the BMS or anything else other than the bar code and serial number below on that sticker).

From what I can tell the inside of the battery is perfectly fine and I have since put the lid back on like it is supposed to (it even snaps into place) and just taped around the seem with electrical tape for good measure. When charging the battery it behaved exactly like the other two, same charge state (about little over half full when they arrived) and same time to charge it up. So I really think it literally just popped the top open (the wires going to the battery terminals are a bit of a tight fit with the lid).

As for what I am gonna do, I am still contemplating if I just add it to the van or if that's gonna be a bit much as 3 of them is already a pretty good amount.

As for customer service, I have since received my replacement so no complaints there with WattCycle, responsive and fixed the problem in a timely manner, can't really ask for more.

I hope being able to see the inside and hearing about my customer service experience helps people a bit to make a buy or not buy decision which was my original goal when I started the post and was the info I would like to have had before ordering.

 

[flatsolar]

i would buy that from you , wanna make a deal?

I am not fully decided yet what I am going to do with the extra battery but I am also at the west coast and those batteries are heavy so I would imagine shipping those to Florida is gonna be quite pricey.

 

[BrunoTPM]

I'm new to all of this so perhaps looking at this wrong, but it doesn't look like these cells are compressed like in their 100AH builds or like the 280ah / 310ah compact XZNY builds. Am I missing something here?

 

[yabert]

but it doesn't look like these cells are compressed

Look good to me. In blue, steel plate under and each side + channel on top.
To me it look well build and I really like they don't add foam on every side to fill useless space. Compact 300Ah

 

[pcmm]

I'm new to all of this so perhaps looking at this wrong, but it doesn't look like these cells are compressed like in their 100AH builds or like the 280ah / 310ah compact XZNY builds. Am I missing something here?

From what I've researched, compression is questionable anyway, I'm not convinced most setups can produce the required clamping pressure. Securing them makes sense and They have a good system here. Now if only the 300ah had bluetooth and delivered to my location!

 

[defeedme]

I wish I was so lucky . . . . . as said above glue it up and use it. Now you have 4

LUCK is where Opportunity meets Preparation

 

[BrunoTPM]

Look good to me. In blue, steel plate under and each side + channel on top.
To me it look well build and I really like they don't add foam on every side to fill useless space. Compact 300Ah
View attachment 264404

Thank you for the clarification - didn't see the channel on top (hidden under the BMS), thought those side brackets were reinforcement for the handles to pick the thing up.

 

[pcmm]

Interesting developement... the Wattcycle 300ah battery is actually a 280ah battery ( 280ah cells) as Will discovered in a very recent tear-down. Wattcycle is ponying up to the mis-labelling and offering discounts, relabelling and money back to those that already purchased

WattCycle Deep Cycle LiFePO4 Battery | Power Your RV & Boat

Unleash peak performance with WattCycle, your one-stop shop for the most reliable and powerful Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery solutions.

www.wattcycle.com

 

[balbie]

I received my 3 12V 300Ah Mini's and unfortunately one arrived with the top popped off. I contacted WattCycle with a picture and description of what happened and got a reply within 12 hours or so (over night... I assume they are on a different time zone) saying they will send me a new one, just need another picture that shows the serial number of the broken battery and that I won't have to return the broken one.

I still have not seen any video looking inside the 12 V 300 Ah Mini battery so if you are interested in pictures or have specific questions let me know and I can see if I can find out / provide additional pictures. Keep in mind that I have none of the fancy equipment to do special measurements or load tests or anything like that.

So far WattCycle customer service seems very responsive and quick to make things right which is another thing I have not really found any info about. So far so good...

My first two...the tops were off. I just received the replacement two and one of those was already off when I opened the undamage box.

 

[balbie]

i'm still waiting for mine.. they are on backorder now. there's other copycat brands out there now much cheaper.. can't wait to put two of these new bad boys (wattcycle mini 300ah lifepo4) batteries in parralellel (replacing the two 6v lead acid) and get some serious wattage on my new 3200 onswi inverter

Yes my first two showed up with the tops opening as soon as I charged them...My replacement two showed up and one top was off in the box. The other one seems to be holding on!! I received lots of offers, but my problem is that I won't fix a battery. I noticed they sent the first two all the way back to mainland china rather than fixing in Walnut Ca, so how easy would it have been???
Just saw Will's review and received a letter from Watt Cycle re it being 280 ah, but they don't mention over current protection being fixed. I can put my own fuse, but it should be just fixed by Watt Cycle.

 

[balbie]

I wish I was so lucky . . . . . as said above glue it up and use it. Now you have 4

Me too-My first two were back ordered and they showed up with tops opening almost immediately when charged and warmed up. Will should have gotten mine, he would not have had to cut open. Then I sent them back after delivering them to Fed Ex high risk location in the next town over. I tracked them going all the way back through Walnut CA to Mainland China. If fixing these by gluing was so easy...they probably would have done that in Walnut. Now I have received my two replacement batteries and one of the tops was open in the box...who checked this??Quality control or just send out batteries, serial number looks older, i suspect it was a return just resent. In any case one more to go back and the second one's top seems to be staying on and is now fully charged. Sure hope they get this fixed. Received the memo from the top guy saying they were offering lots of options to people who purchased the 300, but did not discuss those who have been on a treadmill returning them. Time, distance and nervous energy repackaging and getting them back to Watt Cycle was more than a little amount of work.

I like their 100 Ah and I have two of those also (one a mini) and I want to like their 300, but their quality control when it comes to accuracy of descriptions,, not having the proper over current protection needs to be reprogrammed. I can add a fuse, but not my job.

 

[underdog5004]

Those curled cables between batteries and terminals and bms seem to be pressing up against the lid. Maybe when loaded, the bms heats up and loosens the glue, leading to the top popping? Maybe there is no glue?

 

[Bmkracer]

I too ordered a “300ah” mini that was received with the top popped off. I emailed customer service and got the reply below. Is that consistent with what others have received ?

“Option 1: Repair: The item features a clock design with a snap-fit mechanism, allowing you to easily reinstall the cover and secure it with adhesive. This is a simple fix that won't affect the product's functionality. You'll also receive a 2-year extended warranty and a free 12V 100Ah Group 24 Lithium battery.
Option 2: Return & Refund: We'll provide a prepaid return label. Upon receiving the returned item, you'll receive a full refund and a free 12V 50Ah Lithium battery.
Please reply to this email indicating your preferred solution (Option 1 or Option 2). We appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.
By the way, would you please help us take a picture for the serial number at the battery?
We need it to apply for a solution to you with our leader.Wait for your reply.“

 

[Nef003]

I too ordered a “300ah” mini that was received with the top popped off. I emailed customer service and got the reply below. Is that consistent with what others have received ?

“Option 1: Repair: The item features a clock design with a snap-fit mechanism, allowing you to easily reinstall the cover and secure it with adhesive. This is a simple fix that won't affect the product's functionality. You'll also receive a 2-year extended warranty and a free 12V 100Ah Group 24 Lithium battery.
Option 2: Return & Refund: We'll provide a prepaid return label. Upon receiving the returned item, you'll receive a full refund and a free 12V 50Ah Lithium battery.
Please reply to this email indicating your preferred solution (Option 1 or Option 2). We appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.
By the way, would you please help us take a picture for the serial number at the battery?
We need it to apply for a solution to you with our leader.Wait for your reply.“

First of all; I think their 300mah is falsely advertised since it's really a 280mah. ?

Second; I'd tell them that you'd keep the batt if they discount it at 50% save both parties time and money. Given that their 300mah Is really 280.?

 

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

once you get over the fact that the 300 mini is a 280 mini . These are pretty well built for the money. let's face it all the 280 cells have been testing over 300. so, we can assume these are good grade A eve cells. I was going to build my own but I can't buy the cells for what I paid for the battery.

 

[F29DCB]

Received my two 12V 300ah mini's with similar issues.
One battery had the lid popped off and the other seemed fine at first.
After further inspection during my install I noticed that the top had a large bulge in it. I believe due to the BMS contacting the lid.
This is obviously the reason for the lids piping off in shipping.
And will most likely have the same problem when they are bouncing down the road in my motorhome.
I agreed with customer service to reattach the lid of the first one. but after doing that it is obvious that that battery has the same issue.
Contacted Wattcycle again with pictures of the issue. Hope we can fix this. these are the perfect size and spec's for my application.

 

[F29DCB]

Mystery solved and found new problem.

Top pop-off issue:
The cross bar that the BMS is attached to is too tall of a U shaped section.
This increases the overall stack up height of cells and BMS.
The top six wires and screws are impacting the bottom of the lid forcing it up.

New Issue found:

Screw heads on main terminals are impacting the top of the end cell.
Not sure what that will do over time in a vibrating motorhome or trailer.