Any Lithium Battery Savants Here?

[RNajarian]

Quick Question: Is 0.17 volts a normal amount of discharge for a small 12v lithium battery during a 12 hour period?

Background I’m in the process of a complete dash makeover of my golf cart. Once completed I’ll post photos of the project.

I’ve already installed a traditional speedometer, wired to a switched 12v accessory. I will be installing an outside temperature gauge and a marine radio, also wired to a switched 12v wire.

Finally I have a 52mm (2 inch) VDO style analog clock I will be installing. It works great and keeps accurate time. I’ve decided to have a small 12v battery in the front trunk to power this accessory. The type used as backup batteries for security systems. I thought that on the first of every month when I check my water levels I can recharge the battery. This way I don’t have to deal with the cart’s 48 volt main battery pack.

I hooked up my clock to one of these batteries and I noticed over a three day period maybe the battery lost 0.01 volts during this time. I decided to use a similar sized lithium battery for this purpose, obviously wanting to reap the benefits of lithium. The traditional sealed lead acid battery weighs 6 pounds and the lithium battery weighs one pound.

I charged up the lithium battery and upon completion of that charge it registered 13.50 volts. I hooked up my battery and 12 hours later the battery registered 13.33 volts, a loss of 0.17 volts over a 12 hour period.

Is this normal? Obviously I will monitor the set up over the next week or so but it seemed strange to lose 0.17 volts in such a short time, especially when the sealed lead acid battery seemed to lose none of its charge.

Thanks for your thoughts.





Here is a photo of the lithium battery


Here is a photo of the traditional sealed lead acid battery