Test / Review: EnerPower+ 18650 3100mAh (Blue)

EnerPower+ 18650 3100mAh (Blue)



Official specifications:

  • Panasonic NCR18650A 3100 mAh
  • Minimum capacity: 2950mAh
  • Standard charging current: 620mAh for 5.5 hours to 4.2 V
  • Maximum charge current 1550mA
  • Protection circuit: 7 A
  • Deep discharge protection: at 3V
  • Raised positive nipple
  • Nickel base plate for added durability
  • Diameter: 18 mm
  • Length: 69 mm
  • Weight: 45g
  • CE certification





This battery has a different plus pole than most other high capacity LiIon batteries, it uses the small diameter button.
The cell used can be discharged down to 2.5 volt, in my test I only discharges to 2.8 volt, i.e. I do not measure the full capacity. But then, not all lights will be able to use the full capacity.



Shipping was in a plastic box within a sealed plastic bag.























Conclusion

This battery uses a good cell, this secures many things:

  • The batteries does match in capacity, i.e. they can be used in series.
  • The battery is very safe.
  • The battery has the specified capacity.


The use of a small button top makes this battery interesting for some application, but the price for this top is that the battery is one of the longer 3100 mAh batteries.
All in all a very good battery.

Note: ENERDan has improved the welding process, this might reduce the internal resistance.



Notes and links

The batteries was supplied by ENERDan for review.

How is the test done and how to read the charts
How is a protected LiIon battery constructed
More about button top and flat top batteries

Are they for sale anywhere and at what price?

Thanks!

If the protection kicks in at 3v how are your graphs going to 2.8v?

Thanks for the tests.

In German you can get them from this shop, I do not know if there are other sellers.

The "Official specifications" are the sellers specifications and they may contain errors.

I understand that, but it’s worth noting that it is incorrect. It would be nice to know what the real low voltage protection is.

I did not include that in my test, but might do it at a later date. That would also be safer, because I can sort the batteries after minimum cell voltage, before testing and then use different limits.

It is very easy to explain. The PCB has a range of +/- 0,2V. Do not forget that the tests are not really imitating a normal consumption.

How can the PCB be that inaccurate?

Imitating.. maybe not, but a pretty good approximation.

I took a look again at the technical description and the PCB will kick at 2,3V ± 0,25V. It would be recomended from Panasonic not to discharge the battery under 3.0V.

Panasonic gives a list of different conditions, in order to reach a certain level of cycle life.

Did you know btw that if you chrage your battery with consequenceless only to 4.18V you would lose around 15% of the rated capacity, but you can win up to 20% –30% more cycle life (depends on the cell).

In some assembly projects with the Panasonic CGR18650CG we could reach up to 800 cycles…

I know that it is not much, since Ultrafire advertise their batteries sometimes with 1000 cycles >)