FLUX POWER LiFT Pack Instruction Manual

















Contents
LiFTPACK™BATTERYCONSTRUCTION...............................................................2
TEMPERATUREPERFORMANCE..........................................................................3
CHARGER/CHARGING.......................................................................................3
CELLCHEMISTRYANDCONSTRUCTION..............................................................5
SHIPPING&RECYCLING......................................................................................6
SAFETY................................................................................................................7
MISCELLANEOUS................................................................................................8

FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
LiFTPack™AdvancedLithiumBattery



2FAQ
FA
Q
LiFTPACK™BATTERYCONSTRUCTION

WhatistheFluxLiFTPackBatterymadefrom?
TheLiFT‐24Vpackisbuiltfromeitherlargeformatprismaticor
pouchlithium‐ioncells.Thecellsareconstrainedagainstshockand
vibrationina10gaugeA36steelenclosure.Battery
interconnectionsaremadewithflexiblebusbarsandAWG2high
strandcabling.Theschematictotherightillustratesallofthe
integralpartsofaLiFTPack.








WhatdoestheLEDpaneltellme?
1) WhentheLightsarestatictheLEDactsasabatterydischargeindicator(BDI).
2) IfthereisasingleflashinglightitisaDeviceTroubleCode(DTC).
3) Ifthelightsarelightinginseriesitconfirmsthepackischarging.

IsthereaBatteryDischargeIndicator(BDI)onthepack?
Yes,thereisaBDIorStateofCharge(SOC)indicatoronthepack.AseriesofLEDsindicatethebatteriesstateofchargefrom
0‐100%.Whenthepackisat5%theredLEDwillbelitasindicatedbelow,inadditionabuzzerwillsoundindicatingthepack
shouldbepluggedinforcharging.Tomaintainbatteryperformancewestronglyrecommendthepackbepluggedinatthis
point.




WhatAreDeviceTroubleCodes(DTC)?
Ifthepackisoperatingoutsideofoperationalparameters,theBMSwillcutpowertothe
pack,andblinkasinglespecificLEDrelatedtoaDTC.Thediagramtotherightdetailsthe
DTCsassociatedwitheachlight.




3FAQ
FA
Q
TEMPERATUREPERFORMANCE

Whataretheeffectsoftemperatureoncapacityandoperationforbothhigh(120‐
140˚F)andlowtemperatures(0‐20˚F)?
Thesupporteddischargetemperaturerangeis‐4˚Fto140˚Fandsupportedchargerangeis32˚Fto140˚F.At140˚Fthe
availablecapacityis100%,at32˚Fthereis75%availablecapacity,andat‐4˚Fthereis41%availablecapacity.Constant
operationat140˚Fmayreducethebatterycyclelifetimeby10‐20%.

Isthetemperaturerangeof‐20Cto60C(‐4Fto140F)theoperatinginternal
temperatureofthepackortheambienttemperature?
Thisistheinternaloperatingtemperature.Therearetemperaturesensorsinsidethepackwhichmonitortheoperating
temperature.Ifthetemperaturerangeisexceeded,thebuzzerwillsoundandthepackwillautomaticallyshutoffuntilthe
packisallowedtocool/heattowithinoperationalparameters.

WhatisthetemperatureincreaseduringuseofFluxLiFTPackscomparedtoLead‐Acid?
FluxLiFTPacksexperienceminimaltemperatureincreaseduringcharginganddischarging.TestsrunbyFluxPowerindicate
floodedlead‐acidtemperaturesincrease27%moreandAGMincrease47%morethanFluxLiFTpacksduringa1hour
completedischarge.Thisisduetothelowerinternalresistanceoflithium‐ionvs.lead‐acid,andmeansthebatterywastes
lessenergywhencharginganddischarging.
CHARGER/CHARGING

CanFluxLiFTPacks
TM
beopportunitycharged?
Yes,FluxLiFTPackscanbepluggedinatanystateofchargewithabsolutelynonegativeeffects.Infact,opportunitycharging
canactuallyincreasethelifetimeamp‐houroutputofthebattery.Thepackdoesneedperiodicbalancinghowever,andwe
recommendleavingitpluggedinovernightorovertheweekendonceeveryweekortwo.

Whathappenswhenthepackrunsoutofcharge?
Whenthebatteryreaches5%SOCabeeperwillsoundnotifyingtheoperatorthatthebatterymustbecharged.Oncethe
batteryreaches1%SOCthebeeperwillsoundagain,notifyingtheoperatoragain.Finallyitwillcutpowerintermittentlyand
allowthepalletjacktobeslowlydriventoachargingpoint.Werecommendpluggingthepackinassoonastheinitialbuzzer
soundstoprolongthelifeofthebattery.Ifthepackisnotpluggedinandleftsittinginanunchargedstate,itispossiblethe
lithiumcellswillbepermanentlydamagedandnolongerfunction.

DoIneedtodisconnecttheLiFTPackfromthewalkie/palletjacktochargeit?
IftheLiFTPackhasaninternalchargeritdoesnotneedtobedisconnectedfromthewalkietochargeit.However,pleasebe
awarethatthepalletjackwillbeoperationalwhilechargingsoit’srecommendedtheAndersonpowerconnectorbe
disconnected.





4FAQ
FA
Q
Ifthepackispluggedinforcharging,isthewalkie/palletjackoperational?
Yesthewalkieisoperational;unpluggingthemainAndersonpowerconnectorisrecommended.

AtwhattemperaturescanIchargeaFluxLiFTPack?
FluxLiFTPacksshouldonlybechargedbetween32˚F‐140˚F.

IsitOKtoleavetheLiFTPackpluggedin?
Yes,theBatteryManagementSystem(BMS)monitorschargingsothebatterywillneverovercharge.Fluxactually
recommendsleavingthechargerpluggedinatalltimeswhenthebatteryisnotinuse.

Canyouoverchargeoroverdischargethepacks?
FluxPower’spatentedBatteryManagementSystem(BMS)monitorschargingsothatthepackcannotbeoverchargedor
discharged.Theonlypossibleriskisifsomeonefullydischargesthebatterypackandthendoesnotplugitin.Inthiscase,
becauseofthesmallparasiticdrawfromtheelectronics,itispossibletocompletelykillthepack.Thisiswhywerecommend
thepacksremainpluggedinwhenevernotinuseformorethanafewdays.Thereisnoharminleavingthepackspluggedin,
butgreatharmiftheyareleftdischargedforextendedperiodsoftime.

WhattypeofchargerandchargingprofileisusedintheLiFTPack?
TheonboardchargerisahighfrequencyBMScontrolleddevice.Itwillchargeatconstantcurrentuntilthepackvoltage
reaches28.55Vandthenuseafloatvoltageof28.55Vtofinishchargingandbalancing.

Canalead‐acidchargerbeusedtochargetheFluxbattery?
FluxLiFTPacksrequireahigherchargingvoltagethanlead‐acidandcomewithanonboardcharger.Howeverinsome
instancesalead‐acidchargercanbeusedtopartiallychargetheLiFTPack–butforoptimalperformance,alwaysusethe
onboardcharger.

IsthechargerCEC(CaliforniaEnergyCommission)approved/rated?
InternalchargersareexemptfromneedingCECapproval(mobileplatform)andtheexternalchargerisexemptuntilFeb.1
st

2017.

HowmuchcurrentdoestheLiFTPackonboardchargerdraw?
Itisa775Wcharger,sothecurrentdrawisdependentonthesuppliedvoltage.Ifthesocketsupplies130V,thechargerwill
draw5.9A.Ifthewallsocketsupplies110V,thechargerwilldrawapproximately7A.StandardUSelectricaloutletssupplya
rangeofvoltagesdependingonthedistancefromthetransformer.

Whattypeofcordisusedforcharging?
Aregular120VACextensioncordisusedforcharging.TheLiFTPackshipswitha10ftcord.Thechargerrequires105‐130Vto
functionproperly,souseawiresizingguideifyouwishtousealongerextensioncord.







5FAQ
FA
Q
Atwhatdepthofdischarge(DOD)doesthebatteryexperience1cycle?
Thereisnopointatwhichadischargecountsas1cycle.Eachcycleputswearonthebatteryproportionaltoitsdepthof
discharge.Ifthebatteryisdischargedto80%everycycle,itwilllast~2000cycles.Ifthebatteryiscycledat70%DOD,the
batterywilllast~3,000cycles.

Thishasanonlineareffectonthetotalamp‐houroutputofthebatteryoveritslifetime.ThesmallertheDODis,thelarger
thetotalAhoutputofthebatteryis.Comparingthelifetimeoutputoftwo100Ahbatteriesat80%and70%DOD,thetotal
Ahoutputcanbeidealizedbythefollowing:

100Ah*0.8DOD*2000=160,000Ahtotaloutput,
100Ah*0.7DOD*3000=210,000Ahtotaloutput.

Inrealitythetotallifetimeoutputnumberswillbeclosertogether,asfactorssuchasbatteryagingarenotbeingconsidered,
howeverthe70%DODbatterywillstilloutputmoreAhoveritslifetime.Thisisthemainreasonwhyopportunitychargingis
aperfectfitforLiFTPacks.
CELLCHEMISTRYANDCONSTRUCTION

WhattypesofLithium‐ionchemistriesareavailable,andwhydoweuseLiFePO
4
?
Thereareanumberofdifferentchemistriesavailable.FluxusesLiFePO
4
duetoitslongcyclelife,lowcostofownership,
thermalstability,andhighpoweroutput.BelowisachartwhichprovidessomeinformationonalternativeLithium‐ion
chemistries.

SpecificationsLi‐cobalt
LiCoO
2
(LCO)
Li‐manganese
LiMn
2
O
4
(LMO)
Li‐phosphate
LiFePO
4
(LFP)
NMC
1

LiNiMnCoO
2

Voltage3.60V3.80V3.30V3.60/3.70V
Chargelimit4.20V4.20V3.60V4.20V
Cyclelife5005002,0002,000
Operating
temperature
AverageAverageGoodGood
Specificenergy150–190Wh/kg100–135Wh/kg90–120Wh/kg140‐180Wh/kg
Loading1C10C,40Cpulse35Ccontinuous10C
SafetyAverage.AverageVerysafeSaferthanLi‐cobalt.
Thermal.runaway150°C
(302°F)
250°C
(482°F)
270°C
(518°F)
210°C
(410°F)
*BatteryUniversity









6FAQ
FA
Q
What“wearsout”inLithium‐ionbatteries?
Aslithiumironphosphatecellscycle,thechargeiscarriedbetweentheanodeandcathodeusinglithiumions.Asthepack
cyclesaverysmallpercentageofthemobilelithiumionsarecaughtinirreversiblesidereactions.Thisreducestheamountof
chargetransferpossiblebetweentheelectrodes.Inlead‐acidthisissomewhatanalogoustosulfation,wherethesulfur
becomeslockedinstableleadsulfitecrystalsandcannolongerintercalateintotheleadplates.Sulfationisworsehowever
asitoccursduringuseandduringstorage,thecrystalscangrowandcracktheplates,andblockelectrolyteaccesstothe
plates.

Whatistheelectrolyteinthesebatteries?
Fluxlithiumbatteriesuseanelectrolyticsaltdissolvedinorganicsolvents.

WhatisthespecificgravityofFluxlithiumbatteries?
Specificgravityisnotrelevantforlithiumbatteries.Generally,specificgravityisusedtomeasurethedensityoflead‐acid
electrolyteagainstwater.Lithiumbatteriesaresealedandmaintenancefree,sothereisnowaytomeasuretheelectrolyte
andnowaterisused.

Whatarethepositiveandnegativeactivematerials?
Thecathode(positiveelectrode)islithiumironphosphatewithacopperchargecollector,andtheanode(negativeelectrode)
isgraphitewithintercalatedmetalliclithium,andanaluminumchargecollector.

WhatdoesIntercalatemean?
Intercalationistheinsertionoflithiumionsintotheanodeandcathodematerial.

WhatarethechemicalreactionsoccurringwithinaFluxlithiumbattery?
Whenthebatterycharges,thelithiumionsareinthecarbon/graphiteanode,andwhendischargingthelithiumionsmoveto
thecathode.Thechemicalreactionsareasfollows:
•Charge:LixC6=6C+xLi+xe
•Discharge:Li(1‐x)FePO4+xLi+xe=LiFePO
4


Doesthelithiumbatterypackhaveapositiveandnegativegridlikelead‐acidbatteries?
Lead‐acidusesaleadplate,andaleaddioxidepastethatmustbesupportedbyastructuralgridastheiranodeandcathode.
Fluxlithiumbatterieshaveananodeandcathode,butnogridisusedasthereisnoleaddioxidepaste.
SHIPPING&RECYCLING

WhatdoIneedtoknowtoshipaLiFTPack?
Similartolead‐acid,therearepackaginginstructionswhichmustbefollowedwhenshipping.ALiFTPackmustbeshippedin
accordancewithUN3480,HazardClass9,packaginggroupII,instruction965.Ifthepackisshippedinequipment,use
packaginginstructions967.IfyouneedfurtherassistancepleasecontactyourFLUXPowerrepresentative.




7FAQ
FA
Q
Whatdoyoudowiththebatteriesattheendoftheirlife?Istherearecycling
program?
Recyclingmethodsarecurrentlybeingdeveloped,withreportsof60%recyclabilityatthecelllevel.Lithiumbatteriesarethe
futureofenergystorage,andrecyclingefficienciesarepredictedtoclimbto>90%asthemarketsscaleandadditional
recyclingmethodsaredeveloped.Untilamaturerecyclingprogramisavailable,FluxPoweragreestotakebackanybattery
attheendofitsusablelifeforeitherrecyclingorrepurposing.Alsonote,becauselithiumbatterieshaveamuchlongerlife‐
timevs.lead‐acid,therewillbedramaticallyfewerbatteriessubjecttorecyclingovertime.Ifyourequiremoredetailed
informationregardingrecycling,pleasecontactyourFLUXPowerrepresentative.
SAFETY

Whathaveyoudonetoverifythepackwillphysicallylast5years?
ThepackisdesignedtomeetUL583.WehavedonethemoreabusiveshocktestingrequiredforUL2580andpassed.

AreFluxlithiumbatteriessafe?
ThereareanumberoffactorsresponsiblefortheremarkablesafetyofFluxlithiumbatteries.
1) Theselectionofbatterychemistryisimportant.ThereareanumberofLithium‐ionchemistriestochoosefrom,and
eachhasuniqueproperties.Fluxhaschosenlithiumironphosphate(LiFePO
4
)foranumberofreasons.Most
importantlyLiFePO
4
ischemicallystableandhasthehighestthermalrunawaytemperatureofanylithium‐ion
chemistryat518˚F.Thenewsstoriesofcellphoneandlaptopbatteriescatchingfirewereacobaltbasedchemistry
thatislesschemicallystable.Thesebatteriesarealsoinasmallcylindricalcellformat.
2) Thelithiumcellsusedareintheformoflargepouchandprismaticcelltechnologyversuscylindricalcell.Thepouch
andprismaticcellscontain>20Ahversusthe2.5Ahincylindrical,meaningLiFTPackbatterieshaveupto10times
fewerpowerconnections.Inadditionthecellsareconnectedwithflexiblebusbars,meaningtheyareextremely
vibrationresistant.
3) TheuseofLargeFormatCellsmeanstherearefarfewercelltapsandtemperaturesensors.Thissystemisless
complexandinherentlysafer.
4) TheBMSmonitorsthecelltemperatureandcurrentandshutsthesystemdownifitdetectsanythingwhichmay
causeharmtothebattery.Thisistomaintainbatteryperformanceandexpectedlifetime.

Whathappensifthepackisbreached,whatleaksoutandisitdangerous?
Thelithiumcellsarefirstencasedinhardplastic,andthenanindustrial10gaugeA36powdercoatedsteelcase.Ifauser
puncturesthroughallofthesematerialsandexposesthelithiumcellelectrodesandelectrolyte,becautiouswhenhandling.
Theelectrolyteconsistsoforganicsolvents(EC,PC,DEC)andadissolvedelectrolyticsalt(LiPF
6
).Theyareskinandeye
irritants,andfumescancausemucusmembraneirritation.Thesolventsareflammablesodonotexposetoanopenflame.
Userubbergloves,eyeprotection,ventilationandpositivepressurebreathingprotectionwhenremovingthedamaged
batteryandelectrolyte.Inaddition,LiPF
6
ishydrophilicandreactswithwaterreleasinghydrogenfluoride,acorrosive
flammablegas.Ifafiredoesoccur,useaCO2orchemicalfireextinguisher.

Willthebatteriescatchfire?
FluxPoweruseslithiumironphosphateinitsproductsasitisthemoststablechemistry.Theburntemperatureisover500˚F,
muchhigherthanotherchemistriessuchaslithiumcobaltat300˚F.Thechemicalstabilityalsoprovideslongcyclelifetimes



8FAQ
FA
Q
(2000at80%DOD).Inadditiontherearesafetymeasuresbuiltintothepackwhichpreventoverchargingandrapid
discharging.Finallythebatterycaseismadeofhighgradesteel,protectingthecellsfromdamage,andcontainingthem
shouldacellbreachoccur.Alloftheseprotectionsmeanthatundernormalusagethereisnodangerofafire.Thedangers
ofspillsandexplosivegasbuildupfromlead‐acidbatteriesaremuchmorecommonthanaLiFTPackcatchingfire.
MISCELLANEOUS

Whathappenswhenasinglecellfailsinalead‐acidbatteryvs.aFluxlithiumbattery?
Lead‐acid:
Whenasinglecellfails,thereisnoBMStomanagethecharging.Thereforethefailingcellwillheatup,butnotfullycharge.
Thefailingcellwillaccelerateitsdeclineasitisusedimproperlyandcausetheentirepacktodrainrapidlywheninuse.Asan
example,ifafailinglead‐acidcellisat50%capacity,thechargerwillnotattempttochargeittoitsfull(diminished)capacity,
thismeansthatoncethepackisused,thevoltagedropwillbesignificantinthiscell,andtheentirepackwillseeadrastic
dropinrun‐timeduetothelowvoltageinthiscell.

Fluxlithiumbattery:
Whenasinglecellbeingstofail,theentirepackwillexperienceareductionofrun‐timeproportionaltothesinglefailingcell’s
reductioninruntime.TheBMSwillstillchargeandbalancethecells,butthepackwillcutoffwhenthefailingcellvoltage
dropsto2.8Volts.Asanexample,ifthefailingcellisat50%capacity,thechargerwillstillchargethecelltofull(diminished)
capacityandthecellwillproducetheexpectedvoltage,justfor50%shorterrun‐time.Thepackwillthenrunasifithas50%
capacity.TheBMSwillprotecttheothercellsfromharmduetoalowcell.Inessence,theBMSavoidsthelowvoltage
scenariowhichisproblematicinlead‐acid.

Howdoesadealerdiagnoseabatteryshouldanissuearise?
TheStateofChargeindicatorlightsalsodisplayDiagnosticTroubleCodes(DTCs)whicharedetailedintheQuickStartGuide
andthisFAQ.IfforsomereasontheproblemcannotbedeterminedusingtheDTCs,Fluxwillprovidecommunicationcables
andsoftwaretoconnecttothepackforamoredetailedinspectionoftheissue.Theonboardfirmwareprovidesdetailed
reportsofallcellandpackbehavior,makingdiagnosisofaproblemquickandeasy.

WhydoestheFluxproductspecificationsheetshowavoltagehigherthan24V?
Lithiumcellshaveahighernominalvoltagethanlead‐acid.TheFluxLiFTpackiscomprisedof8Lithiumcellsconnectedin
series,eachwithanominalvoltageof3.2V.Thepacknominalvoltageistherefore25.6V.Thereisminimalvoltagedropas
thepackdischarges,andundernormaluse,thepackwillindicateitneedstobechargedwhenitdropsto~23‐24V.

DoLiFTPacksrequireperiodicmaintenance?
No,butanannualinspectionisrecommendedbyanauthorizeddealertoensuremaximumbatterylife.

Howcanweoffera5‐yearwarranty?
BasedonaverageusageprofilesandFluxlithiumbatterypackslasting2000cycles,FluxexpectstheLiFTPackstolast7years
beforetheyareat80%oftheiroriginalcapacity.Ifanenduserisrunningthepack24/7andcyclingthepack3timesina24
hourperiod,theremaybeadditionaldecreasedcapacityafterthe5yearmark,butthepackwillstillfunctionasintended.

FLUXPowerInc.
985PoinsettiaAve. www.FLUXpwr.com 
VistaCA,92081
877‐505‐3589
FluxPowerisaregisteredtrademarkofFluxPowerInc.990821v1.1