I have been looking into Lithium Ion batteries, things such as the 18650 lithium ion battery; however, the details are confusing me.
I am attempting to extract 5V 4.4 Amps (Peltier element powered runs at 5V4A, Fan at 5V .4 Amps) from the smallest Lithium-Ion battery (or batteries) possible.
Before I go into Parallel, I was wondering if someone could help me out on how to find a battery with these specifications, either a single battery, or putting 2 smaller batteries in Parallel.
What I know:
- Parallel is less than desireable
- You can discharge batteries at whatever rate you want, but it becomes more efficient to draw 4A from different batteries, say, not 18650s.
- Different temperatures affect discharge.
- Nominal voltages don't come at 5V, so getting to 5V is a challenge.
Follow Up:
- Is it better to try to find a battery whose nominal voltage is at 12V, so that I can discharge at a lower amperage? Where would I find a 12v/7.6V battery that's small as a 18650 but can kick out the power needed?
Thank you
Time to Run:
I would hope that the setup lasts for around 1.5 hours of run time, and 1 hour is fine but no less. I am willing to run the batteries in parallel, but i'm trying to keep costs down and size small.
If the 18650 battery a must? Are there other batteries that may be better suited?
Best Answer
If you want a battery-powered 5v, then your best bet is to get a 5v 'power pack', which contains both a built-in conversion to 5v, and a charger for the internal batteries.
Make sure its capacity is rated at the 5v output, when deciding whether it will power your load for sufficient time. Some naughty ones rate the charge capacity of their internal 3.7v battery, which will be less by the time it's been converted to 5v.