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What is the best value battery right now?

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nuckolls.bob(at)cox.net
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 2:49 pm Post subject: What is the best value battery right now?

At 09:30 AM 10/3/2008 -0700, you wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  



I have an RV-8 with an IO-360 180 hp engine and need to replace the 

current battery. I think it is a RG-25XC. In past topics I've seen the 

Odessey PC-680 mentioned along with the Powersonic (?) PS-12180, Panasonic 

LC-X1220P and a LC-RD1217P.



Is there a current favorite that can be found for a reasonable price? If 

so, please post name, model, and a good source.



Thanks,



John


	




   How do you quantify "value"? Lacking data beyond statements

   like "My brand Z battery has been in the airplane 5 years

   and it still starts my engine" what qualities in a battery

   are most important to you. Further, how much $time$ are you

   willing to spend to acquire, maintain and monitor that battery

   for ability to meet your design goals?



   If you're a day vfr airplane, don't care about alternator-out

   endurance and will accept a risk of having to hand-prop the engine

   or replace a battery off the home field, then anecdotal offerings

   of 5-year service life may be useful to you.



   On the other hand, if you have a design goal of x.x hours alternator-

   out operation of the endurance bus then meeting the design goal

   is driven not only by the demonstrated robustness of the battery

   but your willingness to do periodic capacity tests to make sure

   the design goals are not violated.



   Right now, periodic capacity testing involves either running

   your e-bus from the battery and seeing how long it takes to

   get down to 11.0 volts -or- doing on-purpose capacity measurements

   with some device like . .



http://westmountainradio.com/CBA.htm



   that will allow you to do a precise evaluation of your

   battery's ability to perform.



   Here's where you have to make a judgement of value based

   on the economics of $time$. You buy a battery for $time$,

   buy a piece of test equipment for $time$ and then invest

   $time$ at each determination for continued airworthiness

   against your design goals. Nobody can advise you as to

   the trade offs without knowing your personal quantification

   on $time$.



   I've often suggested that the highest value batter is that

   which meets all design goals with a minimum expenditure

   of $time$. Consider that if you buy the least expensive battery

   you can find, say  . . .



http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail?name=522-1014-ND



http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail?name=P231-ND



http://www.batteryuniverse.com/Sealed-Lead-Acid/CSB/GH12170/GZ12180NB_CSB_GH12170_Sealed-Lead-Acid



   and divide the cost of acquisition by hours flown per year

   and simply replace it every annual, you now have a hard data

   number for the cost of meeting your design goals.



   Periodic replacement of an inexpensive battery eliminates

   the $time$ one is tempted to invest in a $high-quality$ battery,

   $test-equipment$ and the $time$ to exercise that equipment

   until the battery finally shows that it's no longer airworthy.



   That's a decision that nobody can make for you. Further,

   lacking that detail in a value-study, your choice of product

   made from the anecdotal influences here on the List are

   not much better than basing it on a television advertisement.

   You will find a host of experiences ranging from "that's a

   piece of trash" to "best battery since they started slicing

   bread". Nobody is lying to you. Maybe nobody is trying to

   persuade you. But if you NEED for the battery to perform

   to some expectations for alternator-out endurance, none of

   this will be useful data for getting the most return on

   expenditure of your flying dollars.



   Bob . . .

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simon(at)synchronousdesig
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 12:39 pm Post subject: What is the best value battery right now?

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