[Elecraft] LiIon types, and safety (was: Fire in the house li-ion)

[Terje Elde]

> On 24 May 2017, at 23:01, Wayne Burdick <n6kr at elecraft.com> wrote:
> 
> 
>> On May 24, 2017, at 1:31 PM, Terje Elde <terje at elde.net> wrote:
>> 
>> There are LiIons out there (18650 and maybe also 14500) that have built-in protections against all sorts of things, including both under- and overvoltage.  That can significantly reduce various risks associated with them.
> 
> 
> The custom battery pack for the KX2 (KXBT2) is one of these. Our pack includes the protection module inside the shrink-wrap. We allowed for this in dimensioning the radio. 
> 
> We extensively tested 20 prototypes of the battery and charger, and were very thorough in ensuring they were safe to use. That said, we also provide a comprehensive list of guidelines for battery pack charging, storage and use, in the documentation that comes with the pack.

Hi list,

When I did the quick writeup on battery chemistries etc, I was thinking mostly about situations where you pick batteries yourself, for external batteries.

While I came out recommending LiFePo4 for that, I didn’t really have internal batteries like in the KX2 in mind.  Internal batteries are a different ballgame, for the reasons Wayne mentioned.  They’re often matched to a unit, provided with a lot of safety features, and then finally protected by a hard shell securing the physical package.

Also, LiFePo4s wouldn’t make sense in such a miniaturised setup, due to the lower energy density.  You’d trade up in size and weight, or down in runtime.

Such packages as in the KX2, with internal safety features are commonly used by a lot of makers with comparatively little knowledge compared to HAMs, and they are fairly safe.


LiIon is scary enough to be cautions, but so is lead acid, gasoline, and any other high energy density thing.  Stay on the safe side, make good choices and buy from reputable brands and vendors, protect things and be careful, and you should be just fine.

Terje