LiFePO4 36v15amp Battery problem

[robertozm]

Hi:
Here I am again.  I am still with the bike against the wall.  Since I don´t know if the problem is with the battery, the bms or the conections of the sense wires to the bms, I decided to buy a new battery exactly the same as the old one.  Expensive desicion, but since the comunication with Goldenmotor is so slow and sometimes with null interest of the engineers ( you have to recall them all the time of the same things, or give you an already aborted solution, etc..), I decided to buy a new battery, and look if the conections of the sense wires match wiht the ones I made, and to try to get my bike in motion...

But after 10 days, yesterday I recieved the battery.  Everything looks allright, the box did not have hits, or damage, in the inside there was plenty of protection such us styrofoam of 1.5cm in the six wall of the box and the battery was wrapped in air bubbles plastic film.

But the battery looks like this.
What do you think?
Can I use it without doing anything?
Do I repack the cells with new duct tape?

Golden Motors answer is in their line:  "Don't worry,please use it,this battery has one year warrant." 
But why did they send it like this in first place?  Obviously, the battery must be like this when they packed it?
Am I under any danger if I use it and recharge it as normal?  Can get fire or explode?

I hope someone can explain me why and what is happening to my "new" battery.

Thanks
Roberto

[muzza.au]

G'day Roberto,

Yes it does look a bit poorly put together, however it is probably still alright. I seriously doubt it would it explode. Use your nose and give it a sniff around the bms and if you smell an acrid burnt smell, then something is wrong, if not then it should be fine. Try and measure the voltage of the battery, it sould be anywhere from about 29v - 42v, ie uncharged to charged. If the voltage checks out it should be right to use, but make sure you don't short the positive and negative. If you really wont you can repack it, but in doing so something might go wrong, so it would be better to just patch it up.

Muzza.

[robertozm]

Thank you Muzza , very much.

I have have not other answer to this than from you.  I have written to goldenmotor, and again the comunication problem with them.
I waited to open this post until they reply to my first complaint, I don't want to make blood with their weakness, but it doesn't matter.  They have not solve their mayor problem of comunication with "their bussiness life motive", the client.
I really think this is not an answer:

Hello Roberto
We have sent out all your goods.
Your tracking number:
Please links:
http://www.ems.com.cn/english-main.jsp
http://www.correos.es/20/10/2010_c1.asp

Don't worry,please use it,this battery has one year warrant.
Best Regards
Tom  
----- Original Message -----
From: Roberto
To: 'Tom'
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 11:11 PM
Subject: Battery recieved but with problems
Hi Tom:
I have just closed he door to the postman, and I have open the perfectly packed parcel.  It appears not to be damage, and inside was very well protected in Styrofoam, and airbubbles plastic wrap.  BUT
The battery is really strange, is like if it is inflated or something.  Herewith I send you pictures with a ruler as reference so you can see it is not a rectangular  box.
What do I do?
How it is possible for the person how has packed the battery not to notice this inflated thing?
Please tell me what to do.?
Do I try to repacked the cells with new duct tape,?
Waiting your replys,
Roberto

I am going to repack the battery and I am going to inspect and measure the voltage of the cells.  
I will take pictures of the procedure and post them.

Again Thank you very much to Zebedi, and Muzza.au.

[e-lmer]

By the way, from everything that I have
read, one of the major advantages of the
LiFePO4 chemistry is that is not subject to
explosive failure like other Lithium packs.

[robertozm]

Well finally I decided to repack the cell and, replace the new bms for the old one in order to know if the problem is with the Bms board or the battery.   I went for a ride late at night and the bike stoped at about 1 km from home and with two 10% uphill slopes...  I thought it might be that the battery was not fully charge so I left the batery recharging overnight with the old bms board coneccted. 
Next day when I went for a ride the bike stopped 15 meters away of my front yard (luckely).  So I decided to change the bms board for the new one and give it a try.
I managed to do 25 km, with a top speed of 30km/h and a few uphill slopes, and the cycle analyst said I only consumed 10.8amp.  Why if my battery is rated to give 16 amp, I could only spend 10.8 amp before it shutted down?  It is maybe because the old bms board was used while recharging?
How do I conect the new bms board to recharge?  Because with the old one the green wire was the - pole of the recharger , but now do I just conect a wire to the - pole wire coming in the bms?


By the way, the new Magic Pie is really a good improvement in the Goldenmotor range of products.  It is fast, very quiet, and with torqe enough to take me an my bike (95+23kg) in a 10% uphill without pedalling.  The only thing I have to check out when I solve the battery capacity and recharge problem, it is that my first impressions is that consumes much more current than  the old ones...  But I have to check out.
The instructions, the look of the motor the performance and the new conectors I think are a great improvements.  Well done to the staff involved in this project.

[robertozm]

I managed to do 25 km, with a top speed of 30km/h and a few uphill slopes, and the cycle analyst said I only consumed 10.8amp.  Why if my battery is rated to give 16 amp, I could only spend 10.8 amp before it shutted down? 
By the way, the new Magic Pie is really a good improvement in the Goldenmotor range of products.  It is fast, very quiet, and with torqe enough to take me an my bike (95+23kg) in a 10% uphill without pedalling.  The only thing I have to check out when I solve the battery capacity and recharge problem, it is that my first impressions is that consumes much more current than  the old ones...  But I have to check out.

Again when cicle analyst tells me that 10.8amp has been consumed when the motor stops!!! This has been after 29.5km at a 23km/h.  The old Hbs36r Hub motor had a range of nearly 60km, at more or less the same speed, with the same battery..

Why can´t I get the rated 16amp of my battery?  What can I do?