Li-Ion Power Tool cells work great for RC!

[cart213]

Yep, that's the guy I'll buy an eighth cell from if he get's his act together. I went ahead and bought the V28 pack because I'd like to take a look at the internals of the pack.

[BrianG]

Well, the DeWalt 36v systems using A123 Systems M1 cells are out now. No information about the individual cells though (like Ah rating). A little pricey, but not bad if they work well:

One 36v battery pack: $180
One 36v charger: $100

http://www.toolup.com/CategorySearch...exbx27851.html

I thought about getting a general purpose Li-Ion charger, but the DeWalt one isn't too bad and probably has balancer circuitry built-in. Since I plan on running 18v, I'd have to wait until both packs need charging and then charge them both in series on the stock charger.

So, does someone here have deep pockets and wouldn't mind picking up a pack to test? :)

[BrianG]

OK, I did a bit more research about the M1 cells and found this bit of information from here (scroll to about 2/3 the way down under the heading "A123 Systems - DeWalt 36v"):

nominal voltage                3.35v 
max voltage                    3.6v 
capacity                       2.2ah 
internal resistance            10-12mohm 
power density at 5 sec pulse   3500w/kg 
Continuous discharge           30, 189W, 2,700 W/kg 
Long pulse                     80, 240W, 3,480 W/kg 
Instant pulse                  100, 344W, 4,990 W/kg 
energy density                 110wh/kg 
weight                         70g/cell

Reading a little further, it seems these are the "EV" sized cells, whatever that means.