What kind of battery do I have?

[Offgridiot]

Stupid (idiotic, even) question, I know. What I'm really wondering about is terminology for different form factors of LiFePo4 batteries. I'm pretty sure I know what server rack batteries are (usually 48 volt units that have 3.2v cells and pre-installed BMS contained within a relatively shallow, wide enclosure, built to slide into special shelving units) but I don't have those. I have Power Queen 12.8 volt 300 Ah units. They're among the multitude of relatively cheap Chinese 'clone' batteries that have flooded the market over the last few years, and are very much like what Battle Born and Renogy would sell (but apparently you wouldn't call them clones). So what is this form factor that includes all those brands referred to as? Ready made? Pre-built? 'Regular' LiFePo4 batteries? It's just that when I go to do research online, I'm always getting lots of hits on the DIY batteries that people (braver than me) are building, and it's often not necessarily relevant to my situation (for instance with balancing issues, which I have relatively little control over). And the DIY banks that people are building out of raw (?) cells? Are we calling them 'open rack' banks, or what?
Thanks

 

[Sennen]

Personally, I'd call it a shelf battery as you have to put it and its friends on shelves.

 

[Rednecktek]

Pre-built and Read Made both work as it brings to mind a different mental image than a rackmount or vertical battery. When it comes to internet searches, if you DON'T specify rackmount or vertical, you tend to get hits on regular shaped batteries.

 

[quanfu]

based on your description of Power Queen 12.8 volt 300 Ah units, i assume it is four lifepo4 cells in series with a BMS right?

while shopping in AliExpress, these are usually classified under the category of "4S 12.8V Battery" or "12.8V Battery Pack"

 

[littleharbor2]

I've always called the 12.8 volt, 100 ah. batteries Drop In Replacement batteries. As in 12 volt automotive batteries. Seems that was the intended market in the beginning.

 

[Offgridiot]

Personally, I'd call it a shelf battery as you have to put it and its friends on shelves.

I thought I’d have mine on the floor but if you say I’m required to put them on shelves, I’m gonna have to rethink my plan….

 

[Sennen]

I mean.. you don't HAVE to... can balance them on sticks if that's your thing.

 

[Offgridiot]

Pre-built and Read Made both work as it brings to mind a different mental image than a rackmount or vertical battery. When it comes to internet searches, if you DON'T specify rackmount or vertical, you tend to get hits on regular shaped batteries.

Prebuilt works pretty good in a search. Readymade not quite as well (going by the images results….a lot of server-rack units included with the ones I’m thinking of). Rack mount seems to give the same results as server rack, which makes sense. Vertical seems to give Powerwall types of images hits.
Prebuilt seems to be the front runner….

 

[Offgridiot]

based on your description of Power Queen 12.8 volt 300 Ah units, i assume it is four lifepo4 cells in series with a BMS right?

while shopping in AliExpress, these are usually classified under the category of "4S 12.8V Battery" or "12.8V Battery Pack"

IIRC, a breakdown video I saw showed there’s 8 cells inside, so 4s2p I think but I get your drift. I’ve never used AliExpress but a regular web search of ‘12.8 v battery pack’ gets pretty mixed results (lots of shrink wrapped bundles of cells as well as others)

 

[Offgridiot]

I've always called the 12.8 volt, 100 ah. batteries Drop In Replacement batteries. As in 12 volt automotive batteries. Seems that was the intended market in the beginning.

Yes, they do have the same form factor as automotive batteries (although I think most of them say that they are not to be deployed for engine starting). I’d say that the marine battery industry was the intended market. Lots of people were (are) buying them for trolling motors, and they definitely work as a drop in replacement there.
My point is that lots of people seem to have different terms for this type of unit, and it kinda slows things down a bit. It would be great for instance if everyone (in the off grid world) would call them TM (trolling motor) batteries. Or DIR (drop in replacement) batteries. Or prebuilt batteries. Whatever works to immediately evoke a clear knowledge of what’s being talked about. We have that for clarity for ‘LiFePo4 cells’, and for ‘server rack’ but not yet (as far as I can tell) for other very popular-use form factors.

 

[Offgridiot]

I mean.. you don't HAVE to... can balance them on sticks if that's your thing.

I’m thinking they could be hung by their cables, side by side like a Newton’s Cradle pendulum LOL

 

[Sennen]

I’m thinking they could be hung by their cables, side by side like a Newton’s Cradle pendulum LOL

Properly crimped and overgauged, that would be a sight...