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SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: DIY Battery Box  (Read 101893 times)

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Dray

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That is a great find...hope it's as good as it seems.  I'm ready to order on myself, but figured I would wait and see if you guys think the quality is up to par.

From the description is seems that the battery has a built in charging circuit and comes with an AC adapter for charging.  Is that correct?

When I make my battery box I am planning on incorporating a small low power LCD display that will show battery voltage.  Not sure if anyone else is interested in this...if so let me know and I will see about making more.
Dave


Lee

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From the description is seems that the battery has a built in charging circuit and comes with an AC adapter for charging.  Is that correct?

That's what it sounded like to me.  I'll let you know Saturday morning.

When I make my battery box I am planning on incorporating a small low power LCD display that will show battery voltage.  Not sure if anyone else is interested in this...if so let me know and I will see about making more.

Nah, fishfinder has that on it
 


WayneWhit

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Hey guys.  As a retired electrical engineer who worked with a lot of batteries, I would like to caution you against sealing them in a watertight box.  "Sealed" batteries are actually not sealed.  They are standard lead-acid batteries with gelled or absorbed electrolyte.  The gasses produced while charging or dischargine typically recombine in the battery but under severe charging and dischargine modes, they can release some hydrogen gas which is highly flamable.  It might be very rare, but I sure wouldn't want all that plastic shrapnell rattling around in my boat.
I would also caution against leaving out the fuse since a shorted wire can draw a lot of current from the battery.  Not only could this cause a fire, but it could cause a battery explosion.


Lee

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They are typically only 'sealed' in the watertight box for a few hours.  You gotta open it up to recharge.  Still see a danger there?
 


CraigVM62

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The "blue brick" Li-ion batters do have a charge / discharge regulator built in to prevent damage to the cells.
This is nice as it gives you greater options regarding charging sources "transformers" .   Many common rechargeable Li-ion batteries depend on that regulator to be built into the charger. 

I had thought of using a LED voltage display as they can be found cheap for RC hobby use.  Problem is I could not find any that are designed for the voltage range of these batteries.   

Lee,   which FF do you have ?    I know there are screens I still have yet to see on my Lowrance and would tickled if it can give input voltage readings.   



 
« Last Edit: April 05, 2012, 08:12:17 PM by CraigVM62 »
I used to think that Bigfoot might exist. Then I saw the reality shows where they are looking for them.  Now I am certain they don't


WayneWhit

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Lee,  opening the case for recharging would be fine.  The most serious gassing happens when the battery is overcharged or equalized with a higher than recommended voltage


Lee

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Lee,   which FF do you have ?    I know there are screens I still have yet to see on my Lowrance and would tickled if it can give input voltage readings.   

Humminbird 365i I think
 


demonick

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I believe some of the Hummers have a low voltage warning and user adjustable set point.

The blue-brick Li-ion battery and charger showed up yesterday.  It came in charged to 11.9v and a few hours on the charger has brought it up to 12.2V.  I believe the maximum these batteries should be taken to is 12.6v (three 4.2v cells in series).  The battery has an on/off switch and a red LED.  The charger has two LEDs a red and a green.  No instructions were included.  The red LED on the battery goes on when the switch is on or when the charger is plugged in.  The red LED on the charger goes on when the charger is plugged into the wall.  The green LED on the charger goes on when the charger is connected to the battery AND the battery switch is ON. 

From what Craig posted and from what I have read online I am also assuming that I can leave the battery and charger plugged in for extended periods, such as overnight, without harm.  This is the same technology as used on most cell/smart/laptop batteries.

Li-ion batteries are NOT like lead-acid batteries and have many advantages and a few gotchas.  See Battery University:

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

Still waiting on the CCTV connectors.

Question for the electricians and/or engineers: If it takes 4 hours to charge one cell of a battery, does it take 12 hours to charge 3 cells in series?
« Last Edit: April 07, 2012, 08:28:29 AM by demonick »
demonick
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WayneWhit

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Demonick, Since the batteries are in series, the exact same amount of current will flow through each of them.  Charging time is related to the charging current (the higher the current, the shorter the charging time).   Battery chargers are typically designed for a certain voltage per cell (or maximum current) so all else being equal, three batteries in series will take the same amount of time to charge as one battery.


demonick

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Lee

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Demonick, did you ever get your female adapters in?  My battery showed up almost a week ago, and still no female adapters.

Argh, I gotta build a new battery box, the one I made got um... ruined.
 


demonick

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Lee, still no CCTV connectors.  I'm thinking of cutting the male plug (power out) off the battery and using the waterproof 2-pin connectors.  A little shrink wrap and some sealant and the splices will be waterproof.  After looking at the female CCTV connector, it looks like waterproofing the connections will be messy.  Also I'll need a waterproof "cap" for the female plug (charge in). 

As I've mentioned before I am also likely to replace the marine power plug with a waterproof 2-pin connector.  While the marine power plug may be waterproof in the cockpit of a boat, not so much on a kayak.  On occasion I've not pushed the plug all the way into the receptacle, or like the other day, the wind paddle sail banged against it and loosened it.  The result is serious corrosion in very short order. 
demonick
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CraigVM62

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For me, the use of the CCTV Female Power Connector was just for convenience should I want to replace the battery.  I have the battery attached to thein side of the box via velcro for this reason.  If I should somehow run a battery low and do not have time to charge, I can grab one I have that is charged and it is a Plug-n-Play process.    I had no concerns of making that connection water tight since the battery itself can not be made water tight.  I am counting on the water proof box to keep all within dry.  I did brush on a light coating of dielectric grease on all exposed metal of the connectors to be on the safe side.   Seems like anything I get near salt water pays the price over time.

Demonick,  I am curious as to the output of the transformer that came with yours.   Those I purchased for work did not come with one, so I have charged them with a low amperage variable power supply dialed in around 12.75 volts.   I just received a 6800 mAh version that I purchased on ebay which came with a transformer labeled as 12.6 V and 350 mA output though it meters just under 13 volts on it's own.   Wondering what they provide for the larger battery such as yours.

Something else that I found out "by accident" is if you completely short these,  the circuitry within shuts off the output.  Turn off, then back on with the short removed and it's good to go.   I don't know if this could be counted on as sort of a built in breaker as I don't want to push my luck repeating the experiment.

Kinda of disappointed that the Eagle Cuda 350s Map I have does not provide a power voltage reading like it's Lowrance brother model.   Wondering if anyone knows if the new Lowrance Mark 4 has that feature as it was next on my "To ME, From ME" present list.
I used to think that Bigfoot might exist. Then I saw the reality shows where they are looking for them.  Now I am certain they don't


demonick

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Quote from: CraigVM62
... Demonick,  I am curious as to the output of the transformer that came with yours.    ...   Wondering what they provide for the larger battery such as yours.

My transformer is 12.6 VDC and 350mA - just like yours - it'll just take a little longer to charge.  The integral breaker is cool.

The 9.8 Ah Li-ion is going to replace the 7 Ah SLA in the Revo's rear hatch gear bucket.  The SLA has never gotten wet, but I am still a little worried, so I'm thinking of vacuum sealing the battery.  Poke holes for the wires, seal wire holes with Goop, let dry, then vacuum seal. 
« Last Edit: April 09, 2012, 07:08:19 PM by demonick »
demonick
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threecreeks

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I've been intently following this thread and am thankful for all the input and options. I've opted away from boxing my 12v lead sealed battery. I have a small hatch on the front of my Cobra F-n-D that goes unused and is in close proximity to the mounting point of my fish finder making it the natural spot to keep the battery. I'll probably dry bag it for surf launches.

Great ideas here and I appreciate all the spins on the subject!
Cobra F-n-Dive / Hobie Pro Angler 14


 

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