The Xiaomi Mi Power Bank (10400 mAh) Teardown
The Xiaomi Mi 10400 mAh power bank is one of the most popular power banks in town, and why not? For only RM 36 (~US$ 11.50), you get a really slick and well-made power bank with four high-quality 18650 lithium-ion cells. That's DIRT CHEAP, especially when it comes with the following quality components :
-
Texas Instrument BQ24195 lithium cell charger (92% charge efficiency at 2 A)
-
ABOV 8-bit microcontroller with a 12-bit analogue-to-digital converter
-
Four units of LG or Samsung 18650 lithium ion battery cells (each with a capacity of 2600 mAh)
So how does it look like inside? That's what we intend to show today with this teardown of the Mi Power Bank. Take a look!
The lithium cell model used in this unit is LGEBB41865. There's no official information on this cell, but it should be similar, if not identical, to the LGABB41865. Officially, Mi uses four LG or Samsung 2,600 mAh cells arranged in parallel to deliver a maximum capacity of 10,400 mAh.
These LG lithium ion cells are ranked at the top along with brands like Sanyo, Panasonic and Sony. They are way better than Chinese-made lithium ion cells which usually have half the stated capacity, and probably half the lifespan as well.
Just buying the four lithium ion cells alone costs more than the Mi Power Bank, so even if you just need the lithium ion cells, it's cheaper to buy and tear down a Mi Power Bank for them.
There's also a thermistor which measures the battery cell's temperature to avoid it overheating when it recharges. Overheating during the recharging process can damage the battery cell or severely degrade its lifespan.
The Tech ARP 2014 Mega Giveaway Contest
If you like this article, please share it! -> |
The Official Teardown
Mi isn't particularly shy about the design of their power banks though and has even provided their own teardown. Check it out :
If you like this article, please share it! -> |
Support Tech ARP!
If you like our work, you can help support out work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Support us by buying from Amazon.com! |
|
Grab a FREE 30-day trial of Amazon Prime for free shipping, instant access to 40,000 movies and TV episodes and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library! |
Questions & Comments
If you have a question or comment on this editorial, please feel free to post them here!
Date |
Revision |
Revision History |
29-09-2014 | 1.0 |
Initial Release. |
09-10-2014 | 2.0 |
Added new photos and details of the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank. |