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SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: Waterproof fish finder battery box ideas?  (Read 7675 times)

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  • Location: Edmonds
  • Date Registered: Oct 2017
  • Posts: 58
I'm using a LiFePo 9AH (BioEnno) due to the fire hazard and iffy performance of regular lithiums.  Was a bit expensive but for the number of cycles it'll do, I doubt I'll ever buy another battery. 

I got mine stuck in one of those Outdoor Products boxes mentioned earlier with these waterproof connectors and grease stuck over anything else. 

https://www.amazon.com/Dannemann-Waterproof-Electrical-Connector-Marine/dp/B01F54PFLE/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1516231288&sr=1-3&keywords=2+pin+waterproof+connector


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
My struggle was upgrading to a larger fish finder with a touch screen.  I've owned Lowrance Elite 7's and never had a problem running a 12V 7ah SLA battery.  Upgrading to the Elite 7 HDI, it sucks a bit more power.  I was only getting 4- 5 hours on a charge.  I upgraded to a bigger SLA/Deep Cycle that weighed 8 lbs.  It did the trick for a day of fishing.

I've been working with a local (Seattle) company making Lithium Ion Batteries.  https://www.dakotalithiumbattery.com.  They have been making Lithium Ion Batteries for years for Electric Bikes.  They have also been popular for ice fishing.  Their Lithium Ion Batteries are $69 with a $20 charger.  Completely sealed and they work fine inside a dry bag in my hull.  I'm getting 12 hours or more on one charge and they weigh about 2lb ea. I'm working with them on a quick connector.

I'll have them at my seminars at the Seattle Boat Show and the Washington Sportsman's Show.  Dakota Lithium will also have a booth at the Washington Sportsman's Show.  Check them out.

~Brad

Where's the $69 version battery?  Is that the price for a qty of 50?? 

Looks like one battery says "LiFeP04 Upgrade" -- so is that Lithium Ion or Lithium Phosphate?

I recall the fire incident thread, vividly!!  Still don't really know if that applies to the blue brick battery that I currently own if I run the risk of the same fire occurring.  Would be good to know.  I only use the "manufacturer supplied charger" and it does take forever to recharge.

Yep, that's the price per unit for 50+.  The price for one battery is $99.  More interesting to me is that it is 'assembled in the USA" not "made in the USA" so it's still a Chinese battery in a fancy case.

There was a recent news story about a battery in a Tesla catching fire and totaling the car.  I don't know what lithium technology they're using, but if the batteries can ignite in airplanes, cars, laptops, cell phones, hoverboards, electronic cigarettes, etcetera, I'm not convinced the risks of current lithium-based battery technologies are worth saving the weight of six loaves of bread.  YOMV.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


dampainter

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: the dalles, oregon
  • Date Registered: Mar 2013
  • Posts: 726
i`ve had zero issues with "anker" li-po  batteries for 4-5 years now. knock on wood.


Matt M

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Tigard
  • Date Registered: Mar 2016
  • Posts: 1236

Yep, that's the price per unit for 50+.  The price for one battery is $99.  More interesting to me is that it is 'assembled in the USA" not "made in the USA" so it's still a Chinese battery in a fancy case.

There was a recent news story about a battery in a Tesla catching fire and totaling the car.  I don't know what lithium technology they're using, but if the batteries can ignite in airplanes, cars, laptops, cell phones, hoverboards, electronic cigarettes, etcetera, I'm not convinced the risks of current lithium-based battery technologies are worth saving the weight of six loaves of bread.  YOMV.

I am not sure where you're getting the $99 price for the unit Brad mentions, the 7ah is $69 for one... https://www.dakotalithiumbattery.com/12-v-7-ah-lithium-battery.

Also this technology is not new. Nearly everyone will not think twice about placing a lithium battery in their pocket or purse (cell phone,)  every laptop, and essentially every rechargeable device on the planet uses lithium batteries in one way, shape or form. Sure there's fires here and there relating to lithium batteries, but considering the quite literal billions of them in existence today the risk is still fairly low for a low power draw usage like this. All this being said I still use SLA batteries, but not due to the risk, but because at the price/performance they're hard to beat.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2018, 10:40:26 AM by Matt M »
-Matt

Old Town Sportsman 120 PDL


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
Got it by following the link Brad provided and checked the tab for 10aH battery, which is priced at $99 each (https://www.dakotalithiumbattery.com/12-v-10-ah-lithium-battery) because Brad had mentioned that a 7aH battery was not sufficient for a full day using his larger finder.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


ballardbrad

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Kayak Fishing Washington
  • Location: Ballard, WA
  • Date Registered: Aug 2010
  • Posts: 626
Actually, both the 7ah and the 10ah worked great with my Lowrance 7 HDI.  It's great to have choices out there.  Sure you could run a few SLA batteries and change them out on the water.  My experience is this is an affordable solution with less hassle of changing mid fishing.  I've asked one of the guys from Dakota Lithium to jump in here to dispel some of the myths.


INSAYN

  • ORC_Safety
  • Sturgeon
  • *
  • **RIP...Ron, Ro, AMB, Stephen**
  • Location: Forest Grove, OR
  • Date Registered: Aug 2008
  • Posts: 5411
Harbor Freight now has some very good quality Pelican style cases that are much less expensive along with the cubed foam tear outs. I think I saw three or four sizes available.
 

"If I was ever stranded on a beach with only hand lotion...You're the guy I'd want with me!"   Polyangler, 2/27/15


craig

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Tualatin, OR
  • Date Registered: Jul 2008
  • Posts: 3814
I used to use lithium batteries in a fancy drybox I made because I wanted "light weight."  I had two 10000 mah set-ups and would go through both in about 6 hours with my Lowrance 5 inch elite plus with gps.  I then switched back to a 9 AH SLA (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FA33GR6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) which would easily last all day and into the next.  I do multiday trips for fall salmon on the Columbia so last year I upped it to  12AH  and this baby lasts and lasts https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A82A2ZS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 .  They are definitely heavier than a LiPoh, but when you are out on the water, you will never notice.   Hence, the reason ships are used to transport bulk cargo.  I put mine in a dry bag with my sandwiches and roll the top shut with the cord hanging out.  I have never had a problem.  I have often seen people with problems that use a fancy dry box when their multiple connections start developing shorts.


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
That's an interesting observation, Craig.  Most of the corrosion problems I've read about here and in NCKA are by people who don't use some kind of a container for the battery.  Dry bag, OK's hanging battery bag, or something else, but I guess those folks may not have sealed or otherwise protected the connectors.

I was planning to use the OK battery bag but the problem I had was the two-lead SAE plug wouldn't fit through the wiring grommet and I wanted to seal the battery terminals with GOOP and still remove the battery for charging.

I use a three-year old 8aH SLA and it lasts me well into the second day connected to a HOOK-5 with all the toys and options turned on, so I can't confirm the suggestion that we'd need to carry multiple SLA batteries to equal the run time on a single LiFePO4 battery.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2018, 06:43:31 AM by Tinker »
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


pmmpete

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Missoula, Montana
  • Date Registered: Jul 2013
  • Posts: 1989
I have often seen people with problems that use a fancy dry box when their multiple connections start developing shorts.
Before I made my current battery boxes, I had a couple of problems with shorts in my fish finder wiring system which blew fuses.  These shorts occurred because I tried to protect solder connections in the wiring inside my kayak just with electrical tape.  After exposure to water and rattling around inside my kayak, the tape would come loose, the wires would touch, and ZZZZT!  My fuse would blow, and I'd be without a fish finder for the day. This was irritating and inconvenient, but because I had a fuse in my system, I never burned up any wiring.

But I got religious about protecting all of the wiring connections in my kayak with both heat shrink tubing and Marine Goop or Aquaseal, and I haven't had any further problems with the wiring in my kayak.  Here's what I do:  (1) I split the individual wires about three inches back from the connection point on one side, and slide a piece of small heat shrink tubing over each wire and slide it back from the connection point. (2)  I slide a bigger piece of heat shrink tubing over the combined wires, and slide it back from the connection point.  (3)  I solder the wires together securely. (4)  I put some Goop or Aquaseal on each solder connection, and slide the pieces of small heat shrink tubing over the connection points.  (5) I use a heat gun to shrink the pieces of small heat shrink tubing.  (6) I put some Goop or Aquaseal over the two small pieces of heat shrink tubing, and slide the bigger piece of heat shrink tubing over the two small pieces of heat shrink tubing.  (7) I use a heat gun to shrink the bigger piece of heat shrink tubing.  This results in a connection which is both electrically and mechanically secure.

I also got religious about putting dielectric grease on all plugs and other connectors in my kayak and on my trailer on a regular basis, which eliminated any intermittent connection problems caused by corrosion on the connectors.  Buy a big tube of dielectric grease and use it regularly.

I've never had any water or dampness get into my Outdoor Products battery boxes.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2018, 07:06:58 AM by pmmpete »


 

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