Li-Ion Battery suppliers in Canada...

[Wilock]

Just about to attempt my first build and ordered my parts only to find out that TCSS can't ship Li-Ion batt packs internationally.

For all the Canadian forum members out there, where is the best place to purchase Li-Ion battery packs in The Great White North? I was specifically looking for something like this (http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/74v-Li-ion-800mAh-14500-Battery-Pack-P698.aspx).

Thanks!

[A Pieroway]

Old thread, still needing an answer. Anyone reading this from Canada have the answer?

http://www.batterybuyer.com/volt-2200-liion-18650-rechargeable-battery-with-tabs-p-8347.html

http://www.batterybuyer.com/volt-lithium-liion-lipolymer-battery-pack-intelligent-charger-p-8385.html

I found these, above, for my ANH Graflex conversion, but the battery doesn't have the PCB. I would prefer not to hack it with one. I'll keep searching before I resort to extremes.

[Wilock]

Thanks Alan,
I had found those as well and disregarded them for the same reason.

[A Pieroway]

Have you found a source yet? Or, like me, are you still in the early stages?


And, I see that was a recent post. I keep getting the Join Date mixed up with the posted date above the username. :)

I understand from reading here that the reason they don't internationally is because li-ion batteries can explode when flown due to air pressure changes.
I wonder if Tim can provide a shipping by 'ground only' to the North American continent. :)

[Wilock]

I just found out about this community after Christmas...trust me, if I knew it was around, I would have been here long before now! So, yes, I'm still in the early stages of this. I actually just bought a battery off of eBay from a seller in China (7.4v 2200mAh 18650 with PCM - side by side). The price with shipping was approximately same as TCSS, so it was worth the risk. I'll let you know how it works when I get it...in a month or so. Those container ships aren't exactly fast.

I'm still looking for a more local source and will visit a few hobby shops here in Ottawa this week. There's a fairly large RC airplane and helicopter community here, so I'm sure they'll be able to find some solution for me. Their batteries tend to be much higher in mAh (for obvious reasons) and therefore more expensive, but I'll see what they have to say.

[A Pieroway]

I'm in Ottawa as well, Barrhaven area.
I started a new thread, you may notice, which isn't intended to override this one. Hopefully it will 'stick' around, once it's big enough to warrant it. It should serve to avoid having to order from China. :) I tried that for my laptop battery replacement... it was cheap enough, and took 6-8 weeks to arrive, and died even faster than the trip by cargo ship to me. :) Almost...
I'll go to China as a last resort, although, they all probably come from there originally. :)

[Wilock]

Small world! I'm in the west end. Live in Constance Bay (20 minutes north-west of Kanata) and work in Kanata.

Yeah, you're always throwing the dice on these kinds of purchases. But, what're you gonna do? I'll be sure to pass along any info I find.

[Wilock]

We should ping Madcow. He's a fellow Canuck from Calgary...and an awesome, awesome sabersmith (Genesis Custom Sabers).

[A Pieroway]

We can start our own little club. :)
Yes, quite the sabersmith'ing Madcow. Very nice work. I have a ways to go to get to that level :) (ok, who am i kidding, my wife will catch on to the cost of this hobby long before then, and attempt to cut off my death stars with my own saber)
I'll probably sign up for his video membership. Every little bit of passed on knowledge will help earlier on in the game.

[Wilock]

Oh, I hear you on the "death stars" removal. My wife has been pretty understanding up to this point with buying various tools, etc..., but I just ordered my first supplies and there's still more to go for my first build. She IS going to kill me eventually. :)

For the record, Madcow's video tutorials are very worth the $7/year. I learned quite a bit from them already.

[A Pieroway]

What sound board are you using?

[Wilock]

I ordered a Petit Crouton. I also foolishly ordered a LED engin (RGBW)...which are supposed to be very difficult to solder. Given I have zero soldering experience this should be interesting. I'm jumping in the deep end here, for sure. I'll be doing some practicing before I attempt the real thing though, so hopefully I won't wreck anything.

[Silver Serpent]

Get an inexpensive electric coffee cup warmer, and set the LED star on that before you try to solder to it. LEDEngins are a pain to solder if you don't prewarm the star first.

Also, read this if you haven't already: http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?13703-LEDengin-5w-and-10W-info-and-wiring-guide-for-noobs

[Wilock]

Thanks SS, that's a great idea. I have seen and read that link several times. Also watched several vids from Madcow, Erv and some others. It won't be from lack of research that I wreck anything, but lack of experience and perhaps having hands about as steady as a coked-out Chihuahua.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I used to get the AW batteries from Lighthound, but they stopped shipping to Canada. All-battery.com will ship to Canada. I ordered from them last year, but the shipping cost was crazy. They also hit me with a COD customs charge on top. I think the total shipping and fees came to over $60. I made it a big order just to make it worth while.

I'm going to look into that batterybuyer site. Wiring the PCB isn't hard. Thanks for the link.

[Symbiant]

I used to get the AW batteries from Lighthound, but they stopped shipping to Canada. All-battery.com will ship to Canada. I ordered from them last year, but the shipping cost was crazy. They also hit me with a COD customs charge on top. I think the total shipping and fees came to over $60. I made it a big order just to make it worth while.

I'm going to look into that batterybuyer site. Wiring the PCB isn't hard. Thanks for the link.

72 bucks shipping. just checked it. ridiculous

[Strydur]

We can ship via FedEx but as mentioned it is very expensive.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I would prefer to buy from you, Tim. What is your cost to ship to Canada?

[Strydur]

For example a 2lb 4x4x4 inch box is about $45 to ship FedEx ground. On top of that FedEx is more likely to charge you import and other fees.

[A Pieroway]

Oddly, so is shipping anything to Canada. It seems $39/$40 is the minimum shipping estimate I can pay for anything from the TCSS to Canada.
A micro switch, if that were all I bought here, would cost $40 to ship to me using USPS. I assume that is by air.
So, if i paid for FedEx ground, for my last order (wanna look it up?) how much would that cost? And, I was charged import duties (an additional $23 CDN) so that would probably be the same either way, I hope.
If the cost for the same order was close for shipping cost I'd go by ground and pay the difference to allow me to get the batteries I wish I could get from TCSS.
As it is, I am delaying placing my next order until I'm sure it has all the things I want (but not necessarily need) in order to better my shipping cost to product cost ratio.
Al

[Strydur]

If it is small items then we do offer other cheaper options internationally. I just cannot offer them on the store because even if I put "DO NOT USE THIS OPTION FOR LARGE PACKAGES!!" with neon letters that flash across the screen people would still select it. If you just need a few small items you just put a note on the order to "ship as cheap as possible" and we will refund the difference. Some of the cheaper methods do not have tracking though. That same 2lb package I quoted for fedex with a blade in it would be over $80 due to dimensional weight.

[A Pieroway]

If it is small items then we do offer other cheaper options internationally. I just cannot offer them on the store because even if I put "DO NOT USE THIS OPTION FOR LARGE PACKAGES!!" with neon letters that flash across the screen people would still select it. If you just need a few small items you just put a note on the order to "ship as cheap as possible" and we will refund the difference. Some of the cheaper methods do not have tracking though. That same 2lb package I quoted for fedex with a blade in it would be over $80 due to dimensional weight.

Sorry to belabor the topic :) but when you say cheaper, you're referring to non-fedex ground of some kind? And, to confirm, it be applicable for li-ion batteries. If so, I would probably order a selection of li-ion batteries, pay whatever the ground shipping and just stock up on a few types of batteries in one shipment so I never have to worry about making due with less perfect options available locally in Canada.

[if the answer is positive, i promise not to respond to your next reply except with an online order with such a note when I'm ready to go that route for batteries only]

[Strydur]

Cheaper methods of USPS.. small flat rate, etc..

No USPS with li-ion, FedEx only.

So yes if you want to stock up on a few batteries just select the most expensive USPS option and then put a note to ship via FedEx and we can square up on shipping cost after I box it and calculate the shipping. This is only for batteries though as it is a bit more work for me to ship via FedEx as the system is not setup to handle it and the nearest drop box is 10 minutes away.

[Danz409]

For example a 2lb 4x4x4 inch box is about $45 to ship FedEx ground. On top of that FedEx is more likely to charge you import and other fees.

yea. international shipping is workers... we have a specialized road survey vehicle and when our alternator fried up in canada. (none of the local repair shops had anything NEAR the magantude of this thing) we had to resort
to purchasing the thing online. we payed for expedited shipping (fastest possible) in the end. the $900 alternator costed an extra ~$400 to have shipped

[Wilock]

Thanks for the info on shipping, Tim. I also was waiting until I had a larger list of stuff before I ordered. My last order had $50 tacked on by Canadian Customs. But, what really ticked me off was the $11 fee they added to collect the money from me. No foreplay, nuthin'. Just a terse "brace yourself, sir, we're comin' in hot."

[A Pieroway]

Thanks for the info on shipping, Tim. I also was waiting until I had a larger list of stuff before I ordered. My last order had $50 tacked on by Canadian Customs. But, what really ticked me off was the $11 fee they added to collect the money from me. No foreplay, nuthin'. Just a terse "brace yourself, sir, we're comin' in hot."


Where's the LIKE button?

[Silver Serpent]

Wait, there's an $11 fee just for them to collect the money from you?

"Oh, you want to pay us? That'll cost an additional $11!"

[Wilock]

Well, to be accurate, it was Canada Post that charged the $11 to collect the Duty fee for Customs. I'm assuming they rationalize it as an admin fee of some sort. Regardless, It was still a kick in the twig and berries.

[Wilock]

Hey Silver Serpent? I bought a coffee cup warmer as you recommended. How long (ballpark) do you leave the LEDengin on there before soldering?

[Silver Serpent]

Oh, a minute or two is sufficient. Just keep it there until you've finished soldering, and use some needlenose pliers to pick it up afterwards. It'll be HOT.

Or just unplug the warmer, and wait for everything to cool down.

[Wilock]

Excellent! Thanks!

[nickpro]

I am also from ottawa! If you guys find a good local option or a good website to purchase batteries at, please post!

[DireWolf]

Hey guys! Thought I'd register finally after lurking for years... I'm in Calgary, and actually asked Mr. Madcow (he and his work are freaking awesome!) if he had any suggestions... since most places charge an arm and a leg for shipping or else don't ship to the great Kanuckistan. Amazingly enough, he mentioned dx.com (dealextreme)... while they aren't local, shipping is still free regardless of content. I ordered some 18650 and 14650 cells about a month ago, and haven't received them yet... but i've received a few other things (laser pointers) I ordered at the same time, and all seems to be in order :)

I'll come back and update when I get my batteries :)

[Martyn]

Second that DW, I'm in Calgary also and went the DX route after chatting to Madcow - took about a month but my 18650s showed up and they work as expected.