Discussion Better Quality A123s available than those in DeWalt Packs?

[RD Blakeslee]

In his newsletter, a prospective retailer says:

"Some of you are buying the drill packs and ripping them out. Which can be less costly but more laborious. Our cells would be factory fresh and according to A123 a higher quality cell then those found in drill packs."

Anybody know anything about this?

- RD

[everydayflyer]

Sure do RD ,I just read the same E Mail and came over here to make the same post.

However the price is very high. The selling price is 16.50 per cell. We wanted to know how many of you would consider buying this product from us, in loose form or packs at 16.50 per cell? We are not looking for a lot of general questions about the A123 cell just if you would buy it if we carried it. Some of you are buying the drill packs and ripping them out. Which can be less costly but more laborious. Our cells would be factory fresh and according to A123 a higher quality cell then those found in drill packs

Now if A123 Racing is indeed grading the cells and supplying us with the cream and DeWalt / B&D with the lower grade cells that would be interesting news to them I am sure.

Now if A123 is saying the cells from them have better soldering tabs on them ,then perhaps,fresher ,perhaps.

Would I pay $16.50 per cell at CBP, no not when they are available here for $13.75



http://www.modelelectronicscorp.com/...t.html#sptkits

Battery Cells - A123
For easy assembly, cells come without soldered tabs.
Dimensions: 135mm length x 28mm diameter
Weight: 155g
Output: Up to 30C Continuous, 60C pulses $13.75/cell

<Edit> correct cell weight is 70 grams not 155

Full spec. sheet in PDF

http://www.a123systems.com/html/a123...evkitspecs.pdf





Charles

[Ken Myers]

It appears that Pete has the weight listed incorrectly.

[armengol]

A local distributor here (Spain) told me he was looking to distribute A123 cells, and was working on it and told me the good news all of us here using them know well, but told me also the prices were high, higher than equivalent lipos. $16'50 per cell looks to be in line with what he told me (he is paying less than a quarter this for equivalent lipos from China).
To me, one of the good things A123 cells have is price (when buying deWalt packs at under 100$ as actually we are doing). Specially to fly big planes (say over 46 or 60 equivalent size) lipo energy starts to be too expensive for some, and A123 will too at $16'50/cell.
Just my 2ç
Regards
Josep

[bjpaul]

A123 Racing supposedly based their priced on what the RC car guys would be willing to pay for a pack.

The fact that they cannot get us RC plane guys to bite on $16.50 a cell is not surprising to me.

Brad

[armengol]

I know RC car guys well, I was one of them (that was on "another life past").

If A123 was to put prices thinking on RC cars, the cells would have had a different price scheme, say something like...

-bare cell $16'50
-selected cell $25'50 (3'32V/cell guaranteed)
-team cell $29'90 (3'34V/cell guaranteed)
-world team cell $34'90 (3'36V/cell guaranteed)

Sorry for this small off-topic fun guys ;-)

[Ace in the hole]

I would be interested in seeing test data on the two cells, side by side to see if there really are different grades of a123's. I suspect there is no difference or not enough to warrent the cost difference.

[armengol]

Correct me if wrong Charles/Brad et al, but WE ALL suspect this (no difference). Plastic nicer outer instead of ugly paper, that is, no more.

[everydayflyer]

All A123 cells I have seen have the paper tubes except the bare ones marketed for use in the SPT.

See first link post #2

I have seen eMoli cells with both paper and plastic sleeves.

I do not believe there are different grades of A123 cells. Us hobbyist are not a large enough market to place an account such as DeWalt / Black & Decker in jeopardy by selling them culled cells.


Charles

[birdie_in_texas]

What Is The Black/decker Part Number?

[Giz]

Originally Posted by birdie_in_texas

What Is The Black/decker Part Number?

dc9360

[everydayflyer]

First of I do not know that Black & Becker has any cordless tools wit A123 cells in them. I referenced R&D merely due to the fact that my understanding is they are collectivly owned. B&D owns DeWalt or vice versa.

It appears that some Bosh cordless tools use eMoli cells in a 6S2P configuration I believe.

<Edit> perhaps not eMoli but cylinder Li-Ion cells of some form.



Looks like Giz has the answer.Hold the presses!
dc9360 is the DeWalt 36V pack number.



Charles

[birdie_in_texas]

i did not know that they owned DeWalt..

thanks!

[armengol]

As far as I know, B&D is not using (yet) 36V packs, nor A123 cells in any of their packs.
And yes, this side of the sea it is well known Bosch uses "saphion", "konion", or whatever you call cells in their 36V packs.
They are 10s2p packs, so you get 20 cells to play with. Those are the 1100-1200mAh cells, 40grams each, lower discharging capacities than A123s (paralleled, I mean).
Those packs looks like this...

[dalbert02]

For info on tool manufactureres and cells used, look http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...highlight=tool

-dave