House of Batteries is a custom battery pack designer & assembler and a master distributor for every major battery manufacturer in every battery chemistry for every electronic application.
Contact us to learn more!

 

Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

Lithium Ion Rechargeable Battery Packs

Lithium Ion (Li-ion) is a increasingly popular technology for rechargeable battery packs that offers better energy density over nickel and lead based chemistries at a price premium. Lithium ion can have up to twice the energy density of NiCd, is capable fairly high discharge currents, and has relatively low self-discharge.

As the technology has advanced many variations of rechargeable lithium ion batteries have been introduced that optimize higher energy, high rate discharge, increased safety, lower cost, or some combination of these attributes. 

Due to lithium ion’s generally high energy density and lithium’s inherent volatility, each battery, and even cell, needs a battery management circuit to monitor and control the battery or cell’s upper and lower voltage thresholds during charge and discharge.  House of batteries take great care in designing and testing the battery management systems for each rechargeable lithium ion battery pack we assemble to ensure optimal safety and performance. 

All lithium primary, lithium ion, and lithium polymer cells and batteries are regulated for transportation which adds to the cost of working with these technologies.

Other Rechargeable Battery Pack Chemistries

Lithium Polymer Rechargeable Battery Packs

Lithium Polymer rechargeable battery technology is in many respects like Li-ion. The main difference is the packaging.  Instead of a steel or aluminum can lithium polymer cells are typically housed is a foil type pouch.   This difference allows for very flexible packaging, can provide lower cost, and safer operation. Cells as thin as credit card are possible.  

Lithium Polymer cells are also available in different configurations that are custom tailored to deliver longer run times or higher rate discharge. 

Due to lithium polymer’s generally high energy density and lithium’s inherent volatility, each battery, and even cells, need a battery management circuit to monitor and control the battery or cell’s upper and lower voltage thresholds during charge and discharge.  House of batteries take great care in designing and testing the battery management systems for each lithium polymer battery pack we assemble to ensure optimal safety and performance. 

Lithium polymer cells are popular for small one or two cell consumer electronics applications such as cells phones and tablet computers and re-readers. 

All lithium primary, lithium ion, and lithium polymer cells and batteries are regulated for transportation which adds to the cost of working with these technologies. 

Like lithium ion, lithium polymer cells are in a constant state of improvement and smaller lighter and more powerful cells are sure to emerge in the future.

Sealed Lead Acid Rechargeable Battery Packs

Low initial cost and easy maintenance are good reasons to choose sealed lead acid batteries for your rechargeable battery needs. SLA batteries do not require the sophisticated battery management circuitry of other chemistries such as lithium ion/lithium polymer. SLA rechargeable batteries are also not as heavily regulated for transportation as lithium batteries.

There are some down sides to SLA. Bedsides the size and weight disadvantage, most SLA won’t take a fast charge well, and doesn’t perform well at low temperatures. SLA loses its charge quickly if stored at higher temperatures.

An exception is "pure lead" technology such as Enersys Cyclon which is capable of fast charging and will perform well at lower temperatures. Pure lead batteries also have much better charge retention and recovery characteristics after long periods of storage (one or two years) and better calendar life (5-8 years).  These batteries are a popular choice for medical and defense application.

SLA has the lowest energy density of the rechargeable batteries. There are many instances, however, when SLA is an excellent choice. SLA is a good choice when size and weight aren’t critical factors and cost must be kept  to a minimum.

This chemistry is an excellent choice for stationary and stand by applications like uninterruptible power supplies and emergency lighting where long calendar life and reliability are a must. Because SLA is predictable and easy to maintain, it’s also a popular choice for medical devices or electric wheelchairs that require higher power.

 

Nickel Cadmium Rechargeable Battery Packs

Nickel cadmium (NiCd) is a well-established chemistry. Although newer chemistries have taken the spotlight in recent years, NiCd remains a viable technology for rechargeable batteries even today. Properly maintained NiCd batteries can deliver thousands of cycles.

Because cadmium is a heavy metal, the use of NiCd batteries is restricted in the EU and these batteries must be recycled properly. 

Most NiCds for portable application are either spiral wound cylindrical cells or button cells. There are larger plate NiCd wet cells used in aircraft and long term stationary applications.

 

Nickel Metal Hydride Rechargeable Battery Packs

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) cells have gained in popularity since the late 1980s. Steady increases in performance have made this chemistry an excellent choice for small, lightweight, portable, and handheld rechargeable battery applications. In the last few years lithium technologies have steadily worn away at the market share for NiMh.

NiMh batteries do not require the sophisticated battery management circuitry of other chemistries such as lithium ion/lithium polymer. NiMh rechargeable batteries are also not as heavily regulated for transportation as lithium batteries.

Among the advantages of NiMH are 30% to 50% more capacity than a NiCd cell the same size, less prone to memory effect than NiCd, and competitively priced (especially compared to lithium-ion/lithium polymer).

NiMH, however, does have some down sides. NiMHs only yield about 500 cycles, charging is more complex than NiCd, they may require passive safety devices for protection against short circuits and overheating, and NiMH loses its charge about twice as fast as NiCd.

Contact House of Batteries for more information about custom rechargeable battery pack manufacturing.