I am over whelmed with options for LiPo battery protection circuits.

I am over whelmed with options for LiPo battery protection circuits. I need something for 3 cell LiPo units and NOT, I repeat, NOT the buzzer alert type circuits that you plug into the battery’s balance cable. What have you used that is reliable, based upon hands-on use? Thank you!

Are you building your own battery pack? Have you looked at http://www.batteryspace.com/pcbfor108v111vpack.aspx

I personally ordered from http://www.batteryjunction.com/pcb.html but they don’t have 3 cell ones

@Chase_McGriff I recently came upon 15 - 11.1v LiPo RC style batteries. They lack protection by design, however I want to make a more-safe wearable battery pack. Thanks for the link!

Do the connections on them already have leads for each cell? If so it should be simple to solder them to one of those circuits.

More safe is a relative term…if you’re looking for safe and are willing to give up a little power density check out LiFePO4. They are a lot safer than than other LiPo batteries and don’t have that exothermic excitement feature.

@Herb_Smith True, tiz the season for semantics. More safe, to me, means not catching fire from under voltage conditions, while it’s mounted to a person. That’s what PCM’s do.

Power density is important, especially when running LED’s. The price difference in battery chemistry vs safety is nowhere comparable to just buying a PCM.

That I know of catching fire is due to over charging not over discharge; a reason to have some type of cell balancing circuit/charger. Over discharge just destroys the cell/battery, a reason for some type of under voltage detection/disconnect circuit.

I’m interested in your findings @Jon_Burroughs . All of the prebuilt protection circuits I’ve seen top out at 4A draw or so, which misses the point of the high current draw LiPos entirely.

Overdischarge is a potential unsafe condition… the pack will get hot and puff. If it bursts, it could ignite.

Jon, have you considered the possibility of creating a monitor system routine that will open a safety relay when one cell is detected below 3.3v? Thus shutting down the power entirely.