Building a UPS with LiFePO4 Cells (opens in new tab)

(treehouse.org.za)

5 pointsragtagtag5y ago4 comments

4 comments

Wow! I got depressed when I was speccing out a UPS a few years ago because they all suck (use Lead Acid batteries) but there are many practical reasons that they don't use better tech.

Nextgrid5y ago

That wooden box looks like a major fire hazard if a component fails which will then set fire to the box and thus the batteries contained within.

ragtagtagOP5y ago

You raise a good point! I spent some time thinking about this. Ultimately, it wasn't clear to me that any plastic I could reasonably work with would be more fire-retarding than the dense wood that I ended up using, and of course a metal enclosure would be a far greater fire hazard due to the increased risk of short circuits.

Nextgrid5y ago

I would disagree regarding the metal box. Sure, it can cause short circuits, but that’s relatively easy to guard against with proper insulation. Even if shorts do occur, it will blow a fuse or trip the overcurrent protection. Even if it doesn’t, it won’t provide a supply of combustible material to sustain a fire for long enough to ignite the nearby batteries.

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4 comments

PaulHoule5y ago

Wow! I got depressed when I was speccing out a UPS a few years ago because they all suck (use Lead Acid batteries) but there are many practical reasons that they don't use better tech.

Nextgrid5y ago

That wooden box looks like a major fire hazard if a component fails which will then set fire to the box and thus the batteries contained within.

ragtagtagOP5y ago

Nextgrid5y ago

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