Samsung 30q 18650 3000mah 20a High Drain Battery Review

This is LG's new chocolate-brown bombardment - the LG HG2

Overview

A post on the HG2 is long overdue.

While the original release of the LG HG2 was in 2014, product has go available in Summer 2015. A twenty amp, 3000 mAh milestone is, in some style a holy grail of stats. A battery that can both be loftier-drain, and high-capacity is only what everyone wants. The LG HG2 can be seen equally a 500mAh capacity upgrade from its predecessors the HE2/HE4 which besides accept a 20A discharge limit.

LG Chem is on a rolling schedule of releases and research, all planned years in accelerate. An average of between half dozen% and 10% increase in battery performance is expected, compounding yearly. That means, taking into business relationship the battery specs and LG Chem's release schedule, theLG HG2 will likely be a skillful contender for one of the best 18650 batteries for some months to come for high-drain applications.

That said, there are many cases where the newest 18650 bombardment with the latest specs never gains mass adoption. That can be due to a number of reasons including a quick upgraded release, unforeseen safety problems, supply chain insecurity, market ignorance, and then forth. It's for that reason I am non crowning the HG2 as the new king on specs alone.

To test that claim, I'll exercise the standard Battery Bro review:

1. Take a look at the HG2 specification sail
2. Visually inspect the battery
3. Do 3 discharge tests
4. Unwrap the battery
5. Decide whether the HG2 deserves a noble title

HG2 Spec Canvas

My comments on the HG2 specification canvass:

2.ane Capacity

3,000 milliamp hours is the highest capacity ever for a true loftier-drain (20A+) jail cell. If you lot are interested in maximizing both amperage and capacity you lot should consider this cell because information technology doesn't get better at the moment.

2.two Nominal Voltage

This is the standard voltage for all 18650 batteries. (three.7V 18650 batteries are older, a standard of measurement was changed but actual voltage remains the same.)

2.3.1 Standard Accuse

A 1.5A standard charge is good.

2.three.two Fast Charge

A 4A fast charge is besides good. Notwithstanding keep in mind that fast charging will decrease the cycle life of the HG2.

2.4 Max. Accuse Voltage

Standard, no comment

2.5 Max. Change Current

Due north/A

two.6.i Standard Belch

These are normal standard discharge values. The nominal capacity of the HG2 is determined while discharging at these values. When discharging at its max. continuous discharge rating the capacity will be slightly reduced (watt hours more so).

This has probable led to the claims that the HG2 under performs. However many of these tests neither distinguished betwixt the standard discharge vs. max. discharge testing conditions, nor did they take into business relationship fast discharging atmospheric condition outlined by LG Chem in the spec canvas (meet next section).

ii.6.two Fast Discharge

The Fast discharge has been tested at both 10A and 20A. What is important to note is the cut-off voltage of ii.0V. LG Chem's testing atmospheric condition for rating Fast and Max. discharge values are equally follows:

Cells shall be charged at constant electric current of 4000mA to iv.2V with end current of 100mA. Cells shall be discharged at constant electric current of 10000mA and 20000mA to two.0V. Cells are to rest 10 minutes later charge and 30 minutes after discharge.

2.0V is considered the lowest possible safety cut-off voltage for discharging whatsoever 18650 cell.  Well-nigh 18650 cells cut-off at ii.5V. This 0.5V difference translates to a higher milliamp hr rating, but at expense of utility. (We see a like parallel between the LG HE2 and HE4 fast belch conditions).

Virtually people do not want to go below 2.5V for safety concerns, and if they do the low voltage surround does non provide ideal performance.

2.seven Max. Discharge Current

A 20 amp prison cell - very skilful.

Annotation that this is the cell's maximum continuous discharge rating. Some people seek pulse ratings, which are often fabricated.

Remember: a pulse is defined equally current over time. Without stating time, pulse lacks meaning. An case of a proper pulse rating would be xxx amps for two seconds. A cell rated at annihilation above 30A, without an fastened unit of fourth dimension is, in essence meaningless. None of the large three (Panasonic, LG, Samsung) make an 18650 battery rated at over 30A.

2.vii Weight

(Maximum weight)

2.9 Operating Temperature

Standard, no comment

two.10 Storage Temperature

Standard, no comment

• Never charge below freezing (of import for the solar readers: always go along your batteries in a temperature controlled environment.)

Visual Inspection & Bones Measurements

Here is the superlative-cap, or positive terminal of the HG2. Note there are iv top-cap connection points on LG 18650 batteries.

There should exist no rust, discoloration, spots, burn-marks, excessive scratch marks, or annihilation else out of the ordinary. Every bit this cell has been recently produced (Summertime 2015 batch), they are new and the steel will reflect that. If your new HG2 has whatever of the abnormalities listed in a higher place, request a render with your vendor and suspect a counterfeit battery.

This is the negative terminal, or bottom of the LG HG2. Nothing aberrant here. In that location are a few scratch marks (normally circular) on the bottom even on brand new cells. This is normal and from production, as the cells are tested and charged and the steel scratches easily.

Height: 65.1mm - check. (Exercise non exercise this with metal calipers as yous may short-circuit the prison cell.)

Width: 18.5mm - no bug here. If yous are making a pack, note they are a little bigger than 18mm.

Weight: 44.86g. Allow'southward call it 45g from measurement mistake. Where does that leave us? With a max. specified weight of 48g - information technology leaves us simply fine. Albeit I will weigh a few more later only to ostend, a three gram discrepancy from maximum value does non cause alarm.

Discharging the LG HG2

Bookkeeping for the examination's environmental temperature. This is 5 points off an platonic temperature (LG Chem'south test opted for 25 degrees C), simply at this difference the efficiency loss is negligible and I will go ahead.

I enjoy charging my 18650 batteries on the VC2. The big display but makes my life better.

This is our 18650 discharging unit. The readout is volts (that last digit is a Five and not a U if you were wondering). As you can run across this battery is running out of juice, and the belch test is about consummate. This unit runs off of USB power and as such it has an unfortunate current limit of 3A.

For the commencement discharge test I used a 2.50 amp electric current with a cutting-off voltage of 2.50V. The chapters is 40mAh hours brusk of the rated chapters of 3000mAh. Does this hateful the battery is not coming together its rated stats?

Yeah and no.

Here's what I mean.

The Yeah

For 1, the jail cell in this test is a few months old. A lithium-ion battery will lose some capacity every month it sits in storage. When we are concerned near 40mAh, some of that is attributed to its age.

I could also tweak my testing environs to fit LG's testing weather past:

• bring downward cut-off voltage
• modify the environmental temperature
• alter amp discharge rate
• reduce the charging rate
• friction match finish current

The No

Having said that, calling this a true 3000mAh battery is stretching the truth. It is more than accurately stated every bit a 2960mAh battery.

Discharge examination 2 confirms the HG2 chapters at ~2960mAh.

For discharge test three I changed the current to 0.50A. As you lot can encounter, at lower amperage discharges, the capacity goes up. (In this case, about 6 mAh were gained).

In this image I overlapped the 2nd (ii.5A) and 3rd (0.50A) discharge test so you tin can run into what is really going on.

If you look at the bottom-correct of the chart, the difference along the X-axis (mAh) is modest.

However the Y-axis of Voltage shows a bigger deviation. You can remember of this equally the batteries lasting about the aforementioned corporeality of time, but the low amperage one gaining more working power. A college voltage for longer results in more than watt hours. The watt-hour rating can be argued as but equally important equally the capacity (mAh) rating.

Unwrapping the PVC

At that place are three markings to be found on this item LG HG2 battery.

• b
• A
• 1

These are quality control markings and likely batch identification codes. If y'all unwrap your HG2 and find it has very dissimilar markings please leave a annotate describing them.

Here is another expect at the top-cap in all its glory, this fourth dimension without the heat-shrink PVC or washer.

Determination

In the kickoff I claimed the HG2 may be the best high-drain battery available correct at present. Unfortunately the cell I tested does not quite come across its marking at 3000mAh. It all the same does clock in at 2960mAh.

Even if we call it a 2900mAh, or a 2800mAh battery - it still surpasses the Samsung 25R (2500mAh) and the LG HE2 (2500mAh).

At that place are cases which this can be shown incorrect, in particular in high-drain tests at 20A which I did non perform. Information technology is notwithstanding, highly unlikely that the capacity will exist effected enough then that it can not exceed 2500mAh.

It is for that reason I am fairly comfortable claiming the HG2 is quite a beast, and I crown it as the current king of loftier-drain.

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Source: https://batterybro.com/blogs/18650-wholesale-battery-reviews/57179459-lg-hg2-review-20a-3000mah