View Full Version : What are 123 Batteries?
All the sudden I have been hearing about these 123 Batteries and the technology. People are selling thier lipos left and right. What is all the hype? How are they different from normal lipos? Do you need a special charger? Are they cheaper then regular lipos? Do you get longer flight times out of them? Quicker to charge up? Any other info would be well appriciated...Thanks....Zen
Do a search for them. They are safer & cheaper; lower flight times.
K
Pinecone
12-31-2007, 03:30 PM
A123 are LiFePO4 chemistry. Less likley to blown up with flames, but it can happen.
Only come in 1100 mAH and 2300 mAH packaging. Look more like NiCd, round metal cased.
Very fast to charge. Moderate discharge rates.
Lower voltage per cell, so you normally need to add 1 - 2 cells to the pack.
Heavier for the power, so don't work extremely well on smaller helis, but do nicely on the bigger ones.
Main source is buying and disassembling deWalt 36 volt tool power packs. They can be bought on eBay for about $100 per pack, 10 cells per pack, so $10 per cell. Other sources for individual cells can run as high as $18 each.
charlieh
01-06-2008, 09:05 PM
A123 is Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) (also known as lithium iron or LiFe) battery make known by A123 system for their patented technology. This is a newer form of Li-ion battery, which is very stable and a flat discharge curve compared to the lipo. The battery itself is 3.3V and max out at 3.6V, it can accept charge current up to 10A. It use the same algorithm as lipo for charging and most new charger are LiFe capable.