new to kayaking....power for my fish finder, blue? lithium or sla battery help?

yes, i am clueless...i have the lowrance 68c s/map fish finder, could someone help with power supply?should i go with this blue lithium or sla have been reading about? to save on weight am thinking the lithium, would that be same as what remote control cars run on?  am really hesitant about doing this myself, is there a place or someone to build a unit for me or buy  a completed box from?  in portland area or online? am wondering about a hobby store maybe? for run time of course would like the longest charge i could get, camping, etc.....two sla `s in line? as u can tell i have no idea what am doing. on u tube there is a guy that builds a two sla in line with cigarette adapter that i would really like to have ....and even sent him message regarding building me one, hope to hear from him soon. but then i started hearing about lithium...should or could i go to hobby store for lithium batteries? am a plug and play and don`t like the idea of messing with wires and such, sure wish this power thing was easy,  i`m a dampainter ya know? :-)

input power:10 to 17 volts dc
current drain:170 ma lights off, 240 ma lights on 

Just type battery into the search field and you'll get a ton of info.

Here is a recent one that is a short read.
http://NorthWestKayakAnglers.com/index.php?topic=10029

If you really want to read until your eyes hurt,  this thread covers them a great deal.  It is on page 3 where the subject of the "Blue Brick" Lithium Ion batteries come into play:

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=7606.0

I don't think I have found any real cons of using the BB batteries other than a longer charge time using the supplied charger.  The weight / space savings and run time easily make up for that. 


If you like,  I can build a complete set up for you.  I deal with several dozen of the BB Batteries at my work as we use them in CCTV applications.  I also have an ample supply of all the connectors.   You would only need to make the water proof connection of a 2 conductor wire lead to the supply cable of your FF which I can supply water proof connectors for you to utilize.  Cost would only be that of materials and shipping .... and providing your own review after you have field tested it     

I would only need to know what mAh rating you want and size of container to give you a turn key price.


 

Get one of these bad boys.

http://www.amazon.com/Multi-voltage-Recorders-Lightning-Sensation-Blackberry/dp/B005NGKR54/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1366489493&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=anker+Astro3

I love mine so much, I bought another.
 
No need to buy all kinds of components.  All you need is a water tight box and a connector for your FF.

I put mine in one of these Plano 3440's ($4.96) with a little foam to keep it from moving around.


Finished product:

Nice setup!  That looks great!  It's funny, I got one of the EZO Power batteries and it looks identical to the actual picture of yours, except the logo on the face.     Looks like some company(probably in china based on the way the instruction manual looked) is just cranking these things out and then selling them to other companies that market them and slap their own logo on them.  I LOVE mine btw!

Nice setup!  That looks great!

Thanks.  Hot glue to hold the wires where I want them, solder, liquid electrical tape, electrical tape and Marine Goop.

It's funny, I got one of the EZO Power batteries and it looks identical to the actual picture of yours, except the logo on the face.     Looks like some company(probably in china based on the way the instruction manual looked) is just cranking these things out and then selling them to other companies that market them and slap their own logo on them.  I LOVE mine btw!

That is exactly what I figured so i went with the Anker because it was cheaper. It has an 18 month warranty, too.

I think your posted link is for the Astro3E  which only provides ports for and is charged by a USB input.  Looks like yours is the Astro3 that provides and is charged by a 12 V source as well. 

http://www.amazon.com/Multi-voltage-Recorders-Lightning-Sensation-Blackberry/dp/B005NGKR54/ref=sr_1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1366488020&sr=1-1&keywords=anker+astro+3

I see they provide a short 2.1mm connector cable you can steal the connector off of, other than that the same components look to be needed.   I do like that it gives an indication of remaining power levels and can provide charging for other electronics.   Have you put their claimed full charge time of 3 hours to the test yet?   If true, that may be a big improvement over the BB even with additional  smart chargers.   I noticed they also have a $55 package that  includes a 12 car cigarette lighter plug to charge it with included. 

I think your posted link is for the Astro3E  which only provides ports for and is charged by a USB input.  Looks like yours is the Astro3 that provides and is charged by a 12 V source. 

I see they provide a short 2.1mm connector cable you can steal the connector off of, other than that the same components look to be needed.   I do like that it gives an indication of remaining power levels and can provide charging for other electronics.   Have you put their claimed full charge time of 3 hours to the test yet?   If true, that may be a big improvement over the BB even with additional  smart chargers.

Thanks, I corrected that in the original post.  I used an output cable that came with it and cut it so I could attach it to some flat trailer connectors.  The first one I built, I had an old dc charger for a device that no longer functions that was the right size and used that.  The one pictured I cannibalized one of the cables that came with it.

I bought a couple of these since shipping was free.

I just cut them to get two per package. These were the only other components I purchased separately for the project. I already had the tape, solder, and glue gun. 
http://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-47965-2-Pole-Flat-Extension/dp/B0002Q80RW/ref=pd_sim_e_6

It charges fast, but I haven't timed it. 

any feedback regarding run times with your FF would be great.   They rate it at 10000 mAh at 3.7 volts.   I don't see any specs regarding what it's rating would be at 12 volts. 

I have a few packs that also provide a 5 volt USB port rated at 9800mAh at 12 volts and 130000 at 5 volts but they are Li-Ion.  Not certain if by knowing the rating at one voltage, you can determine what it would be at others and if it is calculated differently with Li-Po batteries. 
If it works to be even 6800 at 12 volts,  I know that runs my runs my fish finders all day
   
 

any feedback regarding run times with your FF would be great.   They rate it at 10000 mAh at 3.7 volts.   I don't see any specs regarding what it's rating would be at 12 volts. 

I have a few packs that also provide a 5 volt USB port rated at 9800mAh at 12 volts and 130000 at 5 volts but they are Li-Ion.  Not certain if by knowing the rating at one voltage, you can determine what it would be at others and if it is calculated differently with Li-Po batteries. 
If it works to be even 6800 at 12 volts,  I know that runs my runs my fish finders all day
   
 

I ran mine in Depoe Bay for about 6 straight hours.  Then, I used it on two Springer outings of 4 plus hours and it still had juice to run my Eagle Fishmark 320.  It's an older B&W unit I had on my boat.  I like it on the Adventure since it is up by the front hatch and my old eyes can see it. Specs here:  http://www.eaglenav.com/Products/Fishfinders/FishMark-320/

I just fully charged it.  I will try to remember to see how long it lasts by not charging it til it gets real low.  I will bring the spare in case I drain it on an outing.

If you don't want to spend $50 on each battery then just buy one of these with free shipping for about$19. Stuff it in a dry bag or even a heavy plastic bag, call it good. Go fishing, don't waste your days drilling holes in little plastic boxes and filling them with silicone.

It will probably last about 40 hours on your FF between charges. I use a big screen FF that pulls 650 mah with the screen dim. I burn the juice - but hey, mine's bigger than yours. I have 3 batteries, usually bring 2 for the long days.

Go catch some fish!

I run my Lowrance Mark 4 all day on one 12v NiCad (2000mah) or NiMh(3000mah) battery from my Dewalt 12v drill.  I already have the batteries and chargers so there is nothing else to buy.

I run my Lowrance Mark 4 all day on one 12v NiCad (2000mah) or NiMh(3000mah) battery from my Dewalt 12v drill.  I already have the batteries and chargers so there is nothing else to buy.

Genius. I'd like to see how you rigged that up if you're up for taking some pictures.

If you don't want to spend $50 on each battery then just buy one of these with free shipping for about$19. Stuff it in a dry bag or even a heavy plastic bag, call it good. Go fishing, don't waste your days drilling holes in little plastic boxes and filling them with silicone.

It will probably last about 40 hours on your FF between charges. I use a big screen FF that pulls 650 mah with the screen dim. I burn the juice - but hey, mine's bigger than yours. I have 3 batteries, usually bring 2 for the long days.

Go catch some fish!

I think the goal of using current day battery technology is the significant weight and space savings for many of us.   Many of us would love to have cell phones that only needed to be charged once a month, but rather not go back to the old brick sized phones to have that ability.   This may be a case where LESS size matters  ...  Though I guess it would be nice to always have what could be used as a back up anchor if needed   


With your Dewalt battery system. Guessing in your kayak you have a gutted out charger for use as a base to plug your charged battery packs into ??   
 

Something I want to mention about lithium batteries is that you should avoid deep discharges if you can and keep them charged up.  Here's a good paragraph from Batteryuniversity.com:

Similar to a mechanical device that wears out faster with heavy use, so also does the depth of discharge (DoD) determine the cycle count. The shorter the discharge (low DoD), the longer the battery will last. If at all possible, avoid full discharges and charge the battery more often between uses. Partial discharge on Li-ion is fine; there is no memory and the battery does not need periodic full discharge cycles to prolong life, other than to calibrate the fuel gauge on a smart battery once in a while.

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