Hey Dan,
Yes, LiFePO4 batteries can be deep-discharged to nearly 0% SoC - but be
careful about doing so habitually. Getting down there means you're
really close to over-discharging. If you then leave the battery in that
state, the normal self-discharging that takes place can take it down
past 0%, and at that point you're doing permanent damage to the cells.
Oh, I'll go ahead and add that you don't need to worry about "charging
to 80%" to maximize longevity like with NMC or NCA batteries. Charge to
100% every time and don't look back.
Comparing that batt to your 12V AGM Pb-H2SO4: no contest. Aside from
being much lighter weight per unit capacity, The LFP delivers a much
flatter discharge curve; the higher, more consistent voltage it delivers
as you use up the charge makes radios a lot happier. And this has kind
of a double-whammy effect as well, since at 50% DoD, that AGM battery is
only delivering around 12VDC. LFP doesn't drop that low until it's at
around 90% DoD. So in a sense, a lead-acid battery that's rated at say
8 AH can really only deliver maybe 4 or 5 AH of that /at a usable voltage/.
I've ditched pretty much all of my lead-acid batteries since LFPs
matured and prices dropped. They're still more expensive than
lead-acid, but the upgrades have been well worth the cost to me.
73 de Ravi, N5OL
On 6/2/2025 5:49 PM, Daniel Poirot via BVARC wrote:
Is a LiFePO4 battery a LiFePO4 battery? Deep discharge to almost flat, right?
I have a uSDR uSDX+ play toy that I want to take out to the park. The
specs claim 13.8 @ 500mA.
If I go with an 8Ah battery, does the simple math mean I get 16 hours
out of a full charge? I will fall asleep way before that!
I am also wondering about just a 12v AGM golf cart battery... Works
for my Miata!
Thoughts?
Best regards,
Dan KJ5IZK
________________________________________________
Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
BVARC mailing list
[email protected]
http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
Publicly available archives are available here:https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
________________________________________________
Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
BVARC mailing list
[email protected]
http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
Publicly available archives are available here:
https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
