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battery recommendations
- Thread starter Dmadd
- Start date
PlaneBuilderBill
Well Known Member
Odyssey
Dennis,
I use an Odyssey "AGM" PWC/snowmobile battery. Light weight, totally sealed, half the size of the typical lead/acid.
Here's some info:
AGM, or Absorbed Glass Mat Batteries
A newer type of sealed battery uses "Absorbed Glass Mats", or AGM between the plates. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat. These type of batteries have all the advantages of gelled, but can take much more abuse. We sell the Concorde (and Lifeline, made by Concorde) AGM batteries. These are also called "starved electrolyte", as the mat is about 95% saturated rather than fully soaked. That also means that they will not leak acid even if broken.
AGM batteries have several advantages over both gelled and flooded, at about the same cost as gelled:
Since all the electrolyte (acid) is contained in the glass mats, they cannot spill, even if broken. This also means that since they are non-hazardous, the shipping costs are lower. In addition, since there is no liquid to freeze and expand, they are practically immune from freezing damage.
Nearly all AGM batteries are "recombinant" - what that means is that the Oxygen and Hydrogen recombine INSIDE the battery. These use gas phase transfer of oxygen to the negative plates to recombine them back into water while charging and prevent the loss of water through electrolysis. The recombining is typically 99+% efficient, so almost no water is lost.
The charging voltages are the same as for any standard battery - no need for any special adjustments or problems with incompatible chargers or charge controls. And, since the internal resistance is extremely low, there is almost no heating of the battery even under heavy charge and discharge currents. The Concorde (and most AGM) batteries have no charge or discharge current limits.
AGM's have a very low self-discharge - from 1% to 3% per month is usual. This means that they can sit in storage for much longer periods without charging than standard batteries. The Concorde batteries can be almost fully recharged (95% or better) even after 30 days of being totally discharged.
AGM's do not have any liquid to spill, and even under severe overcharge conditions hydrogen emission is far below the 4% max specified for aircraft and enclosed spaces. The plates in AGM's are tightly packed and rigidly mounted, and will withstand shock and vibration better than any standard battery.
BatteryMINDer 12 Volt 2/4/8 Amp Wet/Gel/AGM Battery Charger
12-Volt 2, 4, or 8 Amp Charger-Maintainer-Desulphator-Conditioner
Model 12248 is a 3-stage Constant Current - Constant voltage - Float mode charger ?maintainer-desulphator (conditioner) that extends both the performance and life of all type / size/ brands of 12-Volt batteries. These include all maintenance-free, marine-RV deep cycle, Gel, AGM "dry" types, as well as "spiral wound" constructed sealed types such as Optima, Odyssey, Exide, Interstate brands. Push-button selector for AGM, Gel and Flooded (filler caps) types ensures 100% compliance with all leading battery manufacturer's specifications.
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This is the charger that I use....great for all other batteries as well.
Good Luck!
Dennis,
I use an Odyssey "AGM" PWC/snowmobile battery. Light weight, totally sealed, half the size of the typical lead/acid.
Here's some info:
AGM, or Absorbed Glass Mat Batteries
A newer type of sealed battery uses "Absorbed Glass Mats", or AGM between the plates. This is a very fine fiber Boron-Silicate glass mat. These type of batteries have all the advantages of gelled, but can take much more abuse. We sell the Concorde (and Lifeline, made by Concorde) AGM batteries. These are also called "starved electrolyte", as the mat is about 95% saturated rather than fully soaked. That also means that they will not leak acid even if broken.
AGM batteries have several advantages over both gelled and flooded, at about the same cost as gelled:
Since all the electrolyte (acid) is contained in the glass mats, they cannot spill, even if broken. This also means that since they are non-hazardous, the shipping costs are lower. In addition, since there is no liquid to freeze and expand, they are practically immune from freezing damage.
Nearly all AGM batteries are "recombinant" - what that means is that the Oxygen and Hydrogen recombine INSIDE the battery. These use gas phase transfer of oxygen to the negative plates to recombine them back into water while charging and prevent the loss of water through electrolysis. The recombining is typically 99+% efficient, so almost no water is lost.
The charging voltages are the same as for any standard battery - no need for any special adjustments or problems with incompatible chargers or charge controls. And, since the internal resistance is extremely low, there is almost no heating of the battery even under heavy charge and discharge currents. The Concorde (and most AGM) batteries have no charge or discharge current limits.
AGM's have a very low self-discharge - from 1% to 3% per month is usual. This means that they can sit in storage for much longer periods without charging than standard batteries. The Concorde batteries can be almost fully recharged (95% or better) even after 30 days of being totally discharged.
AGM's do not have any liquid to spill, and even under severe overcharge conditions hydrogen emission is far below the 4% max specified for aircraft and enclosed spaces. The plates in AGM's are tightly packed and rigidly mounted, and will withstand shock and vibration better than any standard battery.
BatteryMINDer 12 Volt 2/4/8 Amp Wet/Gel/AGM Battery Charger
12-Volt 2, 4, or 8 Amp Charger-Maintainer-Desulphator-Conditioner
Model 12248 is a 3-stage Constant Current - Constant voltage - Float mode charger ?maintainer-desulphator (conditioner) that extends both the performance and life of all type / size/ brands of 12-Volt batteries. These include all maintenance-free, marine-RV deep cycle, Gel, AGM "dry" types, as well as "spiral wound" constructed sealed types such as Optima, Odyssey, Exide, Interstate brands. Push-button selector for AGM, Gel and Flooded (filler caps) types ensures 100% compliance with all leading battery manufacturer's specifications.
This is the charger that I use....great for all other batteries as well.
Good Luck!
Battery supplier
Try these folks. I'm very satisfied,especially about the price.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/12-Volt-Motorcycle-Battery-PC-680-replacement-Harley_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35557QQihZ010QQitemZ200326497011
Try these folks. I'm very satisfied,especially about the price.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/12-Volt-Motorcycle-Battery-PC-680-replacement-Harley_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35557QQihZ010QQitemZ200326497011
PlaneBuilderBill
Well Known Member
Battery Supplier
Dennis,
I have used www.batteries4everything.com for some time now. They have all versions of the Odyssey batteries as well as the "Battery Minder" charger.
They have always done right by me.
As far as the cables are concerned, yes the posts are smaller. I found lugs with an almost appropriate diameter mounting hole and made up the cables.
Here's a shot just to make sense of the typical size.
Good Luck!
Dennis,
I have used www.batteries4everything.com for some time now. They have all versions of the Odyssey batteries as well as the "Battery Minder" charger.
They have always done right by me.
As far as the cables are concerned, yes the posts are smaller. I found lugs with an almost appropriate diameter mounting hole and made up the cables.
Here's a shot just to make sense of the typical size.
Good Luck!
