Battery idea!

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by Zurc

Hey Everyone me again:I was going thru all sorts of forums on this wonderful hobby and came across an article where someone used 8 AA battaries to power up there fishfinder. Now since I don't have a kayak yet i can't try this on my own but has anyone ever thought of using a pair of R/C battery packs to power up there fishfinder?

I do it.

Been using a 12v 10ah RC/Scooter battery (they market them for different things) for about three years now. No issues, works fantastic!!



12v 10Ah (10,000mAh) NiMH built from 10 NiMH D cells

It's much smaller and lighter weight then even a seven amp hour battery




What most people do not realize is that a Lead acid battery drops voltage in a curve so when you run a finder on one it usually stops working when the battery is about 2/3 through it's discharge, because by then the voltage output is too low for the finder.

In contrast NiMH batteries hold their voltage flat until completely discharged, so you actually get more time as you can use the full capacity (ah) of the battery.

Like I said works for me wouldn't even consider using a lead acid (sla) for my finder at this point. I use a lead acid for my bait tank 6v 12 ah, but I have had to replace those twice since I switched to the NiMH for my finder.

It just lasts and lasts and lasts.....

Jim

[peguinpower]

You forgot to mention that that is a 50 dollar (min) pack, with 5 bucks of HD shrink wrap, another 5 for a tube of goop, and that you need a 100 dollar charger (10 cell chargers arent cheap)and a 12 v power supply

25 bucks for an sla, 5 bucks for a float charger from harbor freight, is reasonably cost effective.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by peguinpower

You forgot to mention that that is a 50 dollar (min) pack, with 5 bucks of HD shrink wrap, another 5 for a tube of goop, and that you need a 100 dollar charger (10 cell chargers arent cheap)and a 12 v power supply...25 bucks for an sla, 5 bucks for a float charger from harbor freight, is reasonably cost effective.

Yeah it's not cheap. I got mine as a packaged deal with a multi voltage float charger set up specifically for it, and the package was $75.

The charger alone was around forty, and the batteries alone would of been over sixty.

My take is it's already outlived two SLAs so it's pretty much getting to the point it paid for itself, and the performance is superior. It's supposed to be good for a thousand charges we'll see how long it lasts.

Jim

[dsafety]

Originally Posted by Jim Day

What most people do not realize is that a Lead acid battery drops voltage in a curve so when you run a finder on one it usually stops working when the battery is about 2/3 through it's discharge, because by then the voltage output is too low for the finder.

In contrast NiMH batteries hold their voltage flat until completely discharged, so you actually get more time as you can use the full capacity (ah) of the battery.

Like I said works for me wouldn't even consider using a lead acid (sla) for my finder at this point. I use a lead acid for my bait tank 6v 12 ah, but I have had to replace those twice since I switched to the NiMH for my finder.

It just lasts and lasts and lasts.....

Jim

This is great information Jim. I never thought of the discharge rate curve before.

You are absolutely right about the lead acid batteries voltage dropping to a point where the FF will not work. At this point there is still plenty of juice left to run a bait tank pump but not the electronics.

I can usually get about 8 hrs out of my 7ah battery before the screen goes dark. Leaving the unit off for a while will coax a bit more life out of the battery but not a lot.

Do you have a reasonably priced source for the scooter batteries that you use? What is the typical cost?

Bob