Hello all. I have a project that currently runs off a 12v 5A SLA battery. Unfortunately the capacity isn't meeting my demands. To solve this, I could install a second battery in parallel, but then I'd be dealing with the weight of two SLA batteries. I've looked into building a battery pack using 18650 batteries (4S4P), but in researching materials (battery holder, PCM, charger, and of course the batteries themselves), it seems to be cost-prohibitive for the project.

My question is this: are there any other practical options for achieving 12-14v 8-10A? Thank you in advance.

 

You could switch to a battery with a higher energy density. There's a reason why EV's have moved away from lead acid.

 

First, we need to define the terms. I think you are talking about amp-hours.
Practical...in terms of money, pounds per amp-hour rating?
One battery that does the job is always better than 2 or 3 batteries that need to be synchronized about their charging.
This is the place to do this kind of sorting:

http://batteryuniversity.com/

 

You could switch to a battery with a higher energy density.

I've looked up Li-Ion battery packs and they all seem to run $50+ (and that's lowballing it). To be honest, I'd rather deal with the extra weight of an additional SLA. It seems like those are pretty much my only options, yeah?

 

First, we need to define the terms. I think you are talking about amp-hours.
Practical...in terms of money, pounds per amp-hour rating?
One battery that does the job is always better than 2 or 3 batteries that need to be synchronized about their charging.
This is the place to do this kind of sorting:

http://batteryuniversity.com/

Yes, 5Ah dies too quickly. Practical in terms of money, weight, and size. 2x UB1250 is pushing the limits of size. I could get 1x UB1280 and call it a day, but I was being idealistic in thinking that a low-cost, low-weight, high-Ah solution existed.

 

If I remember correctly, Batteryuniversity has charts about best power to weight ratios. Maybe even best power per cubic inch, too.
It's pretty much useless about power per dollar.