| April 2024
In the last couple of years, a lot has changed with both availability of the various types of Lithium-ion cylindrical batteries, in the size I am using, on both the supplier and manufacturer sides. I prefer to use Lithium Iron Phosphate, LiFePO4, LiFe/IFR batteries because of their safer cathode chemistry. (See my article: "Lithium-based Batteries - What YOU Need to Know") Originally, I was using 10440 (AAA) size battery boxes to create my battery packs. I ordered my first Soshine 10440 LiFe 280mAh batteries through Amazon. Unfortunately, these batteries, the Soshine LiFePO4 10440 size 280mAh batteries, are only available, at this time, directly from China. No other brand of LiFePO4 10440 (AAA) size batteries are acceptable!!! See my warning here. It appeared, at first, that an alternate LiFe 10440 (AAA) size battery was available from Only Batteries. Update: Nov. 10, 2023
At first, I did not believe that it was possible to use a 4 slot AA (14500) size battery box in my trailing battery cars. 4 slots were necessary to use the LiFe 14500 (AA) size batteries required to power my Walthers EMD GP15-1 diesels. Other, relatively safe Lithium-ion chemistry batteries, in the 10440 size, were tried. Three Efest 10440 (AAA) size Lithium Manganese Oxide (LMO, IMR), the 2nd safest type, proved very successful. Again, unfortunately, the Efest IMR 10440 size, Lithium Manganese Oxide (LMO) cannot be sourced in the USA at this time, March of 2024. It appears that Efest is no longer producing the Lithium Manganese Oxide, (LMO,IMR), 10440 size batteries. Efest appears to still be producing the 14500 size (AA) of these batteries. I thought that the 14500 (AA) size could only be used with a 3 AA end-to-end battery box and be able to fit in my trailing battery cars. (This later proved not to be true.) They provided up to 2 hours of prototypical run time with my equipment and layout. They are available from illumn, although they are the button top, not flat top, and the flat top would be a better fit for a 3 AA end-to-end battery box. Since the Soshine LiFe 10440 (AAA) size are difficult to obtain, and the LMO 10440 (AAA) no longer appear to be produced, an alternate 10440 (AAA) size was tried. 10440 (AAA) size Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide, LiNiMnCoO2, NMC, INR 350mAh can be found at an online battery store and on ebay. These are generally considered almost as safe as Lithium Manganese Oxide. I found two sources for Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide, NMC, INR 10440 size batteries. ILLMUN has both button top and flat top 10440 size INR 320mAh batteries. They are located in California.
On December 31, 2023 I ordered 3 of the 10440 Vapcell INR10440 320mAh 3A High Discharge Button Top batteries from ILLUMN. They arrived on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. They have been tested for several months at this time and seem to be working well. My review of the Vapcell 10440 (AAA) size batteries is found here. This is the Ebay EBL Website in California for their INR 10440 size 350mAh batteries. I have not purchased or tested these batteries, but I expect them to be fine, since EBL seems to be one of the larger producers of batteries and battery chargers. In February of 2024, I found out that I can actually use four 14500 (AA) size LiFe batteries in a 4 slot, side-by-side AA battery box in the trailing battery cars for my diesels. I also found out, that because of the lower top speed of my 2-8-0 Consolidation steam engine, I can use three of the Soshine 10440 (AAA) LiFe batteries in a 3 slot AAA size battery holder in the tender. The article titled, "Selecting the Battery for the Trailing Battery Car" lists the exact batteries and holders that I am using now. The 14500 (AA) size LiFe batteries, the Henreepow 14500, that I'm using now, are reviewed here, and recommended.
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