Battery Questions

Satoshi Deguchi

New Member
Hello,

I have some battery related questions.

According to this website, connecting batteries in series increases the voltage and connecting them in parallel increases current. Does this mean if I connect two AA sized batteries in parallel, with a maximum discharge rate of 5amps, the maximum discharge rate will be 10amps?

Context:
I plan to modify one of my flywheel Nerf blasters using AA sized LiFePo4 batteries from the OutOfDarts shop. The biggest roadblock is finding AA sized (or any that aren't Li-Po) batteries that have 10+ amps of discharge to meet the demands of the Honey Badger motors (22amps for a pair according to a modder). I've made the decision to not use Li-Po due to my concerns about it's safety/stability.
 
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The low power LiFeP04 AA size batteries are too weak to power his high current motors:
 

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Good quality protected 18650 cells are easy to find.

eg. A few seconds on google:

Samsung 35E 18650 3500mAh 8A -Protected Button Top Battery

Get the Samsung 35E 18650 3500mAh 8A protected button top battery for reliable power. Perfect for flashlights, doorbells, and more. Ensure safety and compatibility.
www.18650batterystore.com

Use cell holders and a separate cell charger; that avoids the other common problems due to trying to incorporate charge circuits in a device.
 
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Is this a capacitor? I theorized that using one to discharge enough current to get the motors up to speed could work but am unsure of how to wire it.
 
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Satoshi Deguchi said:
Is this a capacitor? I theorized that using one to discharge enough current to get the motors up to speed could work but am unsure of how to wire it.
Click to expand...
In parallel with the batteries.

You must not exceed the rated voltage or the capacitor will be damaged and may explode. The capacitors are 5.4 V like the ones in the link, you should connect the capacitor in parallel with one cell, or cells that are in parallel. Do not connect a 5.4 V capacitor across any series combination of Lithium cells.
 
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Satoshi Deguchi said:
Is this a capacitor?
Click to expand...
It's "Supercapacitor", an electrochemical device that acts like a massive capacitor - Five FARADS for the one in the link;

ie. five million microfarads.

Two or three of those, in parallel with a 4.2V battery pack, would boost the peak current to the type of range you need.

Basic electrical definition:
One farad with 1A current (= one coulomb of charge per second) will change voltage (charging or discharging) at 1V per second.


With 5F and 5A load per device(shared over as many as needed), if the motors start in 1/10th of a second, the voltage would only drop 100mV during startup & the battery would top up the supercap while the motor idled.
 
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One caution, at battery end of discharge, hence its DC ESR rises, would turnoff
of motor create HV transient and blow the supercap ? One might think of adding a
TVS diode also in parallel across motor winding or battery to protect cap.


Regards, Dana.
 
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How do I trigger the release of the super capacitor when the motors start up?

How would I wire this up?
 
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Why disconnect, leave them electrically attached to recharge. But you
would have to insure the back EMF does not rise above super cap
ratings.


Regards, Dana.
 
Last edited:
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How do I calculate the maximum discharge rate of a battery? The battery linked below doesn't have any specified discharge rate in amps. I need to figure this out in for motor selection.

12v Ni-MH
Ni-MH Battery Charger

Charging Rate: 500mA
Battery Capacity 2400mA

Also, would there be any issue in replacing the battery charger's connector with an XT-30 or XT-60 and doing the same to the battery?
 
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Just a thought but one would think if a part does not have a spec of
concern find one that does .....? Battery construction, chemistry, all factors
in this. Point is spec has underlying (hopefully) support for desired performance.


Regards, Dana.
 
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