Why a Written Plan Beats an Informal Trial
A battery sample that simply gets plugged in tells the buyer whether the pack works today. A battery sample evaluation run against a written plan tells the buyer whether the model can be sold. The difference is the plan: acceptance criteria agreed before the samples ship, tests that map to the datasheet claims, and a report that the production order can reference. This page describes that plan in the order a buyer actually runs it.
Before the Samples Ship
- Define the acceptance criteria: the capacity, the behavior and the documents the sample must show to pass
- Fix the configuration: model, capacity, terminals, firmware and protocol, so the sample matches the production intent
- Request the documents in advance: datasheet, BMS protection list, communication protocol and pinout
- Agree how the samples will be marked, with serial numbers that can be quoted in the report
On Arrival: Receiving Checks
Before any test, record what arrived: the packaging condition, the model and serial numbers against the shipping papers, the open-circuit voltage and the state of charge the pack arrived at, and the weight against the datasheet. A pack that arrives low on charge after a long shipment is normal; a pack that arrives with the wrong terminal or a swollen housing is a finding that ends the evaluation early.
Electrical Tests
- Capacity: discharge a fully charged pack at a defined rate and temperature to the BMS cut-off, logging current with a shunt, and compare the result with the rated capacity under its stated condition
- Usable energy: integrate the same discharge to see what the system will actually receive between cut-offs
- Charge behavior: recharge at the recommended current and record the time and the pack temperature through the cycle
- Efficiency: compare energy in and energy out over a full cycle, which shows what the BMS and internal resistance cost
Compatibility Tests
The tests that predict field experience are the ones with your own equipment. Run the pack with the charger profile you will ship, connect it to the inverter you sell, and confirm the communication handshake over the protocol you specified. Then track the reported state of charge across a full cycle against the shunt measurement, because a flat LiFePO4 voltage curve is exactly where voltage-based estimates drift. Finally, step the load up in stages and watch for alarms, so the protection thresholds are observed rather than assumed.
Safety Boundaries During Evaluation
Evaluation is not abuse testing. Deliberate short circuits, overcharge beyond the profile, crushing, heating or disassembly belong in equipped laboratories with the right enclosures, not on a workbench. The BMS protection list should be verified only as far as the manual permits, for example by observing normal alarms, and any test that produces heat, odor or swelling ends immediately with the pack isolated outdoors on non-flammable ground. A sample damaged by out-of-envelope testing also voids the basis of the evaluation, because the supplier cannot interpret a result from a pack that was driven outside its design.
Mechanical and Fit Checks
- Dimensions and terminal positions against the enclosure or tray drawing, with the cables and connectors fitted
- Mounting hardware and torque values as the manual states, checked with the tool that will be used in production installation
- Where the application moves, vibration exposure representative of the use, at a level the pack design is rated for
The Evaluation Report
A useful report fits on two pages: the configuration and serial numbers, the test conditions, the results against each acceptance criterion, photographs of the installed fit, and a verdict. The verdict should be written for someone who was not present, because its job is to be referenced in the purchase order. Where a criterion fails, the report records the number, not an impression, so the supplier can respond with a correction rather than a defense.
From Samples to Pilot Order
Samples prove the design; a pilot proves the supply. A small pilot batch in real use, across the hardest duty the product will see, is the last gate before volume. The pilot should run long enough to cover a full season, and its findings close the evaluation file. Only then does the production order reference the report, the datasheet revision and the agreed criteria together.
Where YueQi Fits
YueQi New Energy, based in Zhongshan, Guangdong, supplies LiFePO4 samples per project with a defined configuration, and provides the datasheet, BMS protection list and protocol documents that the plan above needs. Sample configuration, cost and lead time are to be confirmed in writing with the sample order, so the evaluation starts with the same written basis that the production order will inherit.
Next step
Send your application, target specification and estimated quantity with your inquiry, and we will confirm matching products, samples and document requirements in writing. See the product lines or request a quote.