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To: lml@lancaironline.net
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 13:13:47 -0500
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From: "Tom Gourley" <tom.gourley@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [LML] Re: Batteries
Reply-to: "Tom Gourley" <tom.gourley@verizon.net>
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References: <list-983120@logan.com>

Another series of batteries worth a close look is from Odyssey
(www.odysseybatteries.com).  Odyssey refers to these batteries as "dry
cell", but if you read through their FAQs you'll find they are in fact
recombinant gas.  Based on the specs their batteries have more cranking
power in a smaller, lighter package than the Concorde RG series, at about
the same price.  Their PC680 is very popular with the RV crowd (Van's
Aircraft sells them).  It's in a 7-1/16" x 2-15/16" x 6-9/16" package that
weighs 14.5 lbs.  It can deliver 680 cranking amps for 5 seconds or 525
cranking amps for 20 seconds.  The next step up is the PC925.  It's 6-1/2" x
6-7/8" x 4-7/8", weighs 23 lbs, delivers 926 cranking amps for 5 seconds or
765 amps for 20 seconds.  I would be more interested in the PC925, not so
much for its cranking power but because it has 28 amp-hr capacity where the
PC680 is only 17 amp-hr.  Our Lancairs, on average, tend to have more
electronic goodies than RVs so the extra capacity would be a good thing.
Odyssey has even bigger batteries if you need more power.

Odyssey has quite a bit of detail on charge and discharge characteristics.
One thing worth noting is their comment that a battery tender type charger
is excellent for maintaining a maximum charge on one of their batteries but
doesn't have enough current output to recharge one that has been deeply
discharged.

One more note.  In an earlier mail I said that, in general, Concorde
recommends charging their RG batteries at a constant voltage of 14.1V.
Specifically they say charge at 14.0 - 14.2V when the battery temperature is
50 - 90 degree F.  If the battery temperature is 90 F or higher you should
charge at 13.75V.    I suspect that when flying the battery temperature will
be somewhat higher than ambient so it's likely that the battery itself
frequently will be 90 degrees or higher when being charged by your
airplane's electrical system.  In this case your voltage regulator should be
set closer to 13.75V than to 14.1V.  This is consistent with anecdotal
information from a couple of friends who, early on, had problems getting
decent service life out of Concorde batteries in their Lancairs.  Adjusting
their voltage regulators down from 14.2V to 13.8V seems to have fixed the
problem.

Tom Gourley

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Schroeder" <jschroeder@perigee.net>
To: "Lancair Mailing List" <lml@lancaironline.net>
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2006 10:48 AM
Subject: [LML] Re: Batteries


> Mike -
>
> I've seen this product indorsed in a couple of other places. I have one
> and it is a very nice piece of equipment. Bob Nuckolls uses one to
> maintain and charge two batteries. If one is not in a big hurry, the
> Battery Tender Junior will charge (slowly) and maintain the charged state
> very well.
>
> John
>
>
> On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 10:01:39 -0500, <MikeEasley@aol.com> wrote:
>
> >  They recommended the Battery Tender Plus, available at
> > www.batterymart.com for $44.  The article has extensive information on
> > the features of various aircraft battery chargers.
>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> --
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