AA's for fishfinder

[forefrazier]

Anyone using AA Batteries to run their fishfinder? I noticed that Hobie makes a fishfinder install kit that comes with a AA battery holder (8 AA's) and looks like it would be much lighter, smaller to use than the larger 12v batts. How long do the AA's last?

[prowlerdude]

I bought that kit and the AA's work fine for my piranaMax 215.

[forefrazier]

How long do they last?? All day?? More than one outing?? Wondering if I need to buy two sets of rechargeables and carry a spare or not.

[Flatinfifth]

Here is what I know. Alkaline AA's put out 1.5 volts per cell. NiCd AA's put out 1.2 volts per cell. Assuming you are using NiCd batteries you will need 10 cells in order to have 12 volts. With alkaline batteries you only need 8 cells to arrive at 12 volts. I have not experimented with these cells yet but I can tell you that I tried a smaller sealed led acid battery of 800 mA rating and I can only get one 8 hr day out of it before it quits....that kinda sucks as I thought it would last a lot longer.

You can get more time out of the battery pack if you go to higher capacity batteries.....say C or D sized cells. They range in amp rating of 1200 to 2000 mA and that is big enough to get plenty of time out of the battery pack. You can find these battery packs at Radio Control Car outlets....try Hobby People/Hobby Shack to get an idea of cost, etc.

I think the added complexity of charging a NiCd or NiMh/LiPo pack is not worth it. Try to stay with a nice sealed lead acid battery and you will have unlimited, stress free voltage every day you go out on the water at a slight penalty in weight...about 2 lbs worth.

Flat

[forefrazier]

Exactly what I wanted to know....Thanks very much.

[prowlerdude]

Sorry the first post was limited, a "client" came in.

With the AA's, they have lasted all day no problem. I always recharge them the night before. I also keep spare regular AA's in my Plano box if needed.

flatinfifth hit some good points. When I upgrade to a larger FF with gps or color, I will also upgrade to a sealed lead battery.

[forefrazier]

I have the Humminbird 383c Color/GPS so will stick with the sealed lead.

[gcsasher]

I have the hobie kit and I find that the batteries don't last all day, and yes I've tried both kinds. they also don't fit snug enough to stay in the holder so if you hit a good wake they will loose the connection and you have to push them back in.(a rubber band works ok for this problem) the dry bag that you get with the kit aslo gets soaked and with the wire running in it tends to get a bit of water inside. On that note I will be going to a battery box.

[speedydk]

I use a Humminbird 383c as well. I went with the sealed lead acid battery since I was planning on a kayatank install and wanted a single power source I haven't run it dead in a single day but generally my days run 4-6 hr.s. My battery generally lasts 3 trips (figure a min. of 12hr.s) before I recharge, running the livewell has not proven to be a problem thanks to the timer I'm sure. I am also considering running a solar charging system so I will always have ample battery power. Has anyone else tried this I have heard of someone else doing it but woul like to know more?
tia
Darren

[PescadorPete]

You want to use high capacity NiMH AA cells. You'll need 10 cells to get 12 volts. Here is how I do it. The batteries are 2.6 amp hours so they last a long time.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?page=19

http://www.all-battery.com/t-698810c...ries--new.aspx

[bluesquids]

You don't have to have 10 AA's. 8 works fine. I've gotten 20 hours out of a charge on a 3 day trip. I have the 2300 maH. rechargeables. They won't hold the charge over many days or weeks like regular batteries will. I keep reg. batteries as a back up and they seem to last pretty long too.

Heres's the info on it....
"The operating voltage of an NiMH cell is 1.2. Eight obviously gets you 10.6v when connected in series. Since most FF's are designed to run on 12 volt boat batteries will this work? Not to worry. The literature says the operating range is 10 to 15 volts. Most will probably work slightly outside of this range but 10.6 works just fine. Incidentally, I emailed Humminbird on this and they said you need 12v to operate properly and my Matrix 10 will draw 1/4 amp. When I questioned them further they said they will operate on 8 volts. Society's litigiousness makes most companies err very much on the safe side when speaking in public. We all know we don't need the full 12v and I estimate the average draw on my Matrix 10 at 165mah."
http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/art...ak_Articles=23
http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/art...ak_Articles=39