I am now seriously thinking about converting the ALTAIR robots over to LiFePO4 (Lithium polymer) batteries they are expensive but the advantages are so great that I just have to do the conversion!
LiFePO4 are far safer that LiPo and less prone to catching fire, they also last for many more charging cycles before wearing out (up to 10 times as many!) other advantages
Less that 1/4 of the weight and a 1/3 of the size of lead acid batteries.
3 hour charge time.
Over 5 year shelf life
This is the batt pack and charger that would be a great fit for the ALTAIR's - 12volt 16Ah and it only weights 2.2kg!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LITHIUM-TROLLEY-POWAKADDY-HILLBILLY-REPLACES/dp/B00J4S1EQI
I am going to have to rebuild the locomotion bases to now house this battery, but it is well worth it!
Tony
@Tony.
I don't know if you saw it, but I created a thread tonget a discussion going about using different battery types with the focus on using the LiFe batteries. I hadn't heard of them until a few days ago and conciddering making the conversion myself.
I was hoping to get some feedback from any of the members here who maybe using them, but haven't had any responses so far so I don't know if there are many people here are actually using them, if any. It will be interesting to hear your experiences in using them. They do sound like a better option than LiPo batteries IMHO.
Steve G, I missed your thread which now I have checked is very informative.
This is incredible battery technology - they are really heavy duty and are being used in golf trolleys motability scooters etc so perfect for larger robots.
To my mind they have have big advantages over SLA, NiMH and Lipo and they can take misuse. I know they are expensive, but if you take into account their extended life the cost over lifetime ratio looks quite good.
I think they would be a good choice for your K9 you probably do not need 16Ah - here is a nice 12v 7Ah that comes complete with a charger.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LI7-12-12v-7Ah-Ultra-Max-LITHIUM-LiFePO4-Rechargeable-Battery-NP9-12-NP7-12-/131403486989?_trksid=p2054897.l4275
Tony
@Tony.
Yeah, I may change K-9's current battery to a LiFe one, but I'm thinking of using these for a future project which will have a docking feature so the EZ-B can still be powered while charging and run on a low power mode doing periodic security checks. Anyway that's a few months down the line. If you do decide to take the leap, keep us informed and let us know what you think. :)
Hey Tony,
Have you given the LiFePo4 batteries a shot yet? I am interested in your experience with these.
In doing some research, it looks like you can run up to 4 of these in parallel. With the weight being what it is, it looks like this would be a good option for my current build.