Power Panel Battery?

[Mogs]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, I did a seach to no avail.

 

I'm putting together my field kit and I'm thinking about purchasing the Ripmax Power with Pump.

 

My question is which battery should I use. I have a 12v motorcycle battery, which if I could use would be great as I already have an Optimate Trickle Charger and the fused connectors. etc.?

[Bob Cotsford]

I've been using 12-14Ahr motorcycle batteries for years, when I replace the one in the bike it goes into the flightbox and usually lasts two or three years with the lighter loads it gets starting model engines, by which time the bike will benefit from a new battery again.

[Eck]

The average battery in use at our club for this purpose seems to be a 12v 7A/Hr lead /acid. This gives sufficient power to operate the fuel pump/starter/glow start for a full days flying. If your bike battery is about this rating, you're in luck!

[Mogs]

Brilliant

It's a 12v 10Ah sealed yuasa

Thanks Guys

[flytilbroke]

An excellent choice Mogs.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Mogs]

Thanks Eric for the Heads-up.

I've charged motorcycle batteries for years using the optimate system, The devise is - so say 'intelligent', you can leave the charger on for months at a time, it monitors the state of the battery and only kicks in when the charge is low and switches off again when fully charged. There's a fused connector that you can use, normally fitted between the battery and an easy access point on the bike, to save you dismantling. This will all fit nicely in my flight box.

As mentioned in another thread I will fit an isolating switch to give me the Charge / Off / Active options.

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Optimate is a great piece of kit for keeping your motorcycle battery in good condition during the long winter months...I DO think they should have called it Cell-mate however (groan!!)

 

Motorcycle batteries are pretty expensive for this hobby though.....a typical 12v 7AH lead acid battery can be bought quite cheaply from here

[Peter Beeney]

   If I might just to chip in here, and to add this, if it’s of any use, you can leave lead-acid cells permanently connected to a constant voltage charger, set to 2.3 volts/cell, or 13.8V for a 12 volt battery. In fact, this is the best way to keep them. It will simply just replace the loss of charge over time of the cells. Alternatively, lead acid cells need to be kept in a good state of charge charge if you operate a charge/discharge cycle, as per most modellers, I’d guess. Here you can raise the voltage to around 2.6 volts/cell, but it’s advisable not to leave them at this voltage too long, the acid will be active and the cell might some become damaged.
   The in-line fuse close to the battery is also an excellent idea, perhaps the most important item in the flight box; simply as a safety feature. Hopefully it will never be needed, but this is provided to break the circuit in the event of there being a short-circuit in the charger; if this break doesn’t happen a fire can easily happen soon after.

   Like all batteries, the SLA is not infallible. In my experience if the battery has stood for a while and the open circuit voltage is below say, 11 volts it’s pretty well irrecoverable.                Certainly for the heavier duty of the flight box.                      PB                                         

                                                                                                             

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Ah.. Peter we are forever destined to meet over charging batteries!!! A pint would be so much more convivial!!

 

The Optimate is a special battery charger/monitor used by "fairweather" bikers (ie the sensible ones ) to make sure the bikes battery stays in good health over the winter months...you leave it permanantly connected & it montors the voltage, only switching itself on when required.....see here

[Mogs]

Agreed the m/c battery would not be my first choice of battery - had I not already got one, and I am trying to save a little. However if the battery I have turns out to be useless, do you think the optimate would be okay to charge the 12v 7Ah ?

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

The bike battery will be fine Mogs as long as its in reasonable nick....its a little bit bigger than you need but that just means its physically bigger & heavier than you need but no problems....especially if you are saving money...!!! Lets face it a little glow motor will take less turning than a 500cc (or whatever) bike engine

 

Optimate should  be fine for the 7Ah (you link doesn't appear to work by the way)...it works on a constant voltage basis limiting itself to (I think) 13.8volts & adjusting the current proportionately......

[Mogs]

Thanks Steve - link works ok for me, never mind it was only to show you the battery.

 

[Peter Beeney]

   Yes, Steve, I would agree, the OptiMate seems to be a nice piece of kit. With a good advertising blurb as well. As you say, it’s a constant voltage charger with current limit. Together with a microprocessor to do the battery analysis checks.
   However, I would be just a trifle cautious about some of the claims made here, the sulphation recovery, for instance. As I said before, SLA’s are predicable, if they go wrong, they tend to stay wrong! I don’t know what type a modern motor cycle battery is, I suspect that it’s most likely the SLA type, but they might still be wet lead-acid. Wet lead-acid can be recovered, in some cases. With some careful care. But I don’t think I’ve every managed to bring a SLA back from the brink. I realise they are only talking about light sulphation, but it’s not long before before you can poke more than the 22 volts that the charger is capable of at it, and still not be able to drive any current through it.
   Like all battery types, these little beasties come in a whole variety of qualities. I have mentioned before, but the Gates version does stand out. One description might be that it’s performance is phe-nom-e-nal! These are a bit bigger than the little 7Ah one’s, but you can even use it on your car. I did. For 5 years, on a 2 litre Peugeot diesel.
   This should indeed be more than suitable for keeping any 12V flight box battery in fine fettle. A good point, I think that some engine starting problems go all the way back to the flight box battery! Too often, maybe, it’s just left to it’s own devices.

   For me, I would consider that if you’ve got a good battery, any old constant voltage charger will keep it in good order, as long as it’s operating parameters are accurate. If you’ve got a bad one, then no amount of cajoling, cycling, turbo boosting, or even beating with a big stick will bring it back to life again.

   Just for interest, or otherwise,‘cos batteries are not very interesting, the make-up current is considered to be about 1% of the capacity. That’s for larger cells though, in our case with the smaller size maybe half that would be suffice, so for 7Ah around 35 mA could be the order.                                              PB
                                   

[Phil Claridge]

i use the hill billy golf cart batteries and their charger, you can leave them on charge allthe time they are not in use. they are 17amp and can be used for lipo charging as well as the flight box demands, ihave three of these and alternate them on the charger. they will also start a car, i picked mine up at car boot sales for a couple of quid each

[Peter Beeney]

   Another little trick you can do, Phil, and I’m sure you’ve already thought of this anyway, is to use four short jumper leads to connect the three in parallel and then you can leave all three on charge all the time. I’d be inclined to check the voltage of the far end one after a while, anywhere between 13.8 and 14V is a yes and then you can forget them.

   Your buy’s sound like an actual real aeromodelling bargain, 17Ah for a couple of quid! Too often I feel the the energy in some of the smaller flight box batteries is taken to the limit. Ok if it’s in good order, and the internal wiring is adequate, but occasionally some pilots struggle a bit.

   Some times no problems at all seem to be as much as I can handle, a half flat starter battery is certainly one that I can do without!                    PB                                                 

                                                                                            

[Gaz Elliott]

I use an old bike battery i had in my Honda. i charge it using the optimate . then use it to start my planes glow starter/starter motor, charge the rx batteryat the patch, recharge the tx if low, even recharge lipos. I have not had any prolem in the last 4 years of flying. The battery was a bike outcast and is starting to show signs of requiring replacing but hey it has served two purposes!!!

 

Gaz.