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Build Battery Packs

Cells

  • DIY500AMP.COM
  • Order #1584 2025-09-25
    • Ampace JP40 "LT Wrap" 21700 4000mah 70A Battery - Tabless Cell × 120
    • Subtotal $474.00 Shipping $22.99 Total $496.99 USD
  • Order #3924 2026-09-09
    • Ampace JP40 "LT Wrap" 21700 4000mah 70A Battery - Tabless Cell × 1 $5.99
    • FEB 21700 Battery Cell – 6500mAh 13A Ultra High Capacity Energy Cell × 30 $224.70
    • Subtotal $230.69 Shipping $10.80 Total $241.49

Welder

  • Heltec HT-SW02H
  • Manual
  • Order #114-4340207-9060214 2025-10-30
  • Spot Welder & Milliohm Meter
  • 42 KW 7000A Capacitor Energy Storage Pulse Welding Machine
  • Subtotal $729.90 Tax: $43.79 Total: $773.69

Battery Case

Cost

  • Me: $497+$774+$390=$1660
  • Milwaukee (with worse cells): $279*8=$2232

Extra

Assembly

DIY Charger

Cell Information for Packs

  • 5 Key Data Points to Gather
Parameter Why It Matters Target Variance
1. Discharge Capacity ($\text{mAh}$ / $\text{Wh}$) Sets the total energy reservoir. The weakest P-group determines when the entire pack's BMS cuts off. $\le 1%$ variance across parallel groups
2. Internal Resistance ($m\Omega$) Governs voltage sag under load and heat generation. In parallel, low-IR cells do more work; in series, high-IR cells heat up faster. $\le 5%$ variance across parallel groups
3. Self-Discharge Rate ($\Delta V / \Delta t$) Cells that bleed voltage while idle will constantly pull down their parallel group, overworking the BMS balance circuits. Eliminate outliers (reject self-discharge $> 0.01\text{V}$ / week)
4. Voltage Recovery Curve How fast voltage bounces back after a load is removed. Indicates internal chemical health and degradation. Reject cells that lag significantly behind the group recovery slope
5. Thermal Delta under Load ($\Delta T$) Temperature rise during a sustained high-current discharge. Reject cells that run $> 5^\circ\text{C}$ hotter than the batch average
Metric / Parameter Primary Tool Recommendation Secondary / Alternative Tool Primary Function
1. Discharge Capacity ($\text{mAh}$ / $\text{Wh}$) SkyRC MC3000 ZKETECH EBD-A20H Automated C–D–C (Charge-Discharge-Charge) cycling with custom voltage cutoffs ($2.5\text{V}$–$2.8\text{V}$).
2. Internal Resistance ($m\Omega$) YAOREA YR1035+ RC3563 Milliohm Meter $1\text{kHz}$ AC 4-wire Kelvin resistance measurement, bypassing contact resistance noise.
3. Self-Discharge ($\Delta V / \Delta t$) Fluke 87V (or precision DMM) Benchtop 5.5 / 6.5 digit DMM High-resolution voltage tracking across a 7- to 14-day resting phase to catch micro-shorts.
4. Voltage Recovery Curve ZKETECH EBD-A20H West Mountain Radio CBA V High-rate real-time logging of voltage rebound immediately after removing discharge load.
5. Thermal Delta ($\Delta T$) K-Type Thermocouple Data Logger FLIR Thermal Camera Direct surface temperature tracking during high-amp continuous discharge ($10\text{A}$–$20\text{A}$).

Software & Drivers for Linux Setup

  • Serial Communication Interface: Integrated CH340 / PL2303 USB-to-UART bridge mapped natively to /dev/ttyUSB0.
  • Open-Source Controller: Community Python scripts (pyserial) or ebc-battery-tester (Rust/WebUSB).
  • Legacy Windows GUI: Official ZKETECH EB Tester software running under Wine with a com1 symlink (~/.wine/dosdevices/com1 -> /dev/ttyUSB0).