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Good info.
Thanks for posting.
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So, here's my question regarding the EarthX or other LiFePO4 batteries. I fly a -9A and the current 680 battery is mounted on the firewall. There are 2 1/2" hoses bringing cool ram air from the baffles to the battery. I have hoses going to the starter, alternator as well, all are sealed at the baffles and work nicely. Does anyone have any data on the temperature at the firewall where the battery would mount? I really like the EarthX and am fast approaching replacement time figuring I would do that during my January annual. Thoughts?
Thanks, Dave |
Not really an answer. I monitor the temperature of the air exiting the bottom of the cowl. It is usually between 150-170 F but can reach 200 F for a brief time during climb. The battery may be in a slightly cooler environment than where the the probe is due to the proximity of the exhaust pipes, not sure how much. After shut down (and the engine monitor turned off so no data available), the whole cowl interior temp will go up for a brief time as there is lots of heat and pretty much zero airflow. I don't know if this brief temp increase will be hard on the battery but I doubt it. I am currently using a Shorai 18Ah battery at less than 3 pounds. 35 hours so far and no ill effects.
Bevan |
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Over a year of operation and no termperature issues. Widget may have actual data and when he sees this next, hopefully he will respond. |
....I thought this thread a good place to share some information on our experiences with batteries, and what we are currently using. We, as most people originally started with the Odyssey PC680 batteries. After some alternator issues we thought it prudent to move up to a battery with more reserve power in case of another alternator failure. We elected to install an Odyssey PC-925 battery and were for the most part satisfied with it as it cranked the engine pretty well and had the extra reserve power. On our 9-A the battery is located low on the firewall, pilot side. The heat in flight was fine but the radiated heat from the exhaust has always been an issue and had distorted the case on a couple on batteries. The other issue with this larger battery was the weight at over 27lb. When researching what was available we started looking at the lithium iron batteries and decided to give them a go. We chose the Shorai Lithium Battery LFX36A3-BS12. This is a case of overkill and as we later found out we could have gotten by with half this size and half the expense as well. This little sub 5 lb battery cranks the engine better than the 27 plus lb battery we took out. It holds a charge, unattended for extended periods of time as well. I must admit we were all very skeptical at the beginning of our tests and couldn't imagine this tiny little thing doing the job it does. We now have over 450 hrs on this battery and it has performed flawlessly in every respect. I have monitored the individual cells to see if they would ever achieve an unbalanced condition, needing to be balanced with the special charger. They have not! We were so impressed with the performance, we decided to become a dealer for this product and have many out there in service. Every report back to us is overwhelmingly positive and we have not even one unhappy with their purchase. We are not posting this to sell batteries, but rather to inform others of our experience with the product. These lithium batteries have a wide price variation from brand to brand. It appears they are all made in China and come from the same town or region, and all have wild claims of performance, safety, warranty, etc. One needs to evaluate all this carefully to make their own decision as to what is real or perceived. I hope this information will help others with their battery decisions and help relieve some of the battery anxiety connected with the lithium iron batteries. Thanks, Allan...:D
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I have 2 EarthX 36D batteries on my firewall with a temp monitor. They are on the lower right side where most batteries on 8's are mounted. IO370 with 4 into 4 exhaust, horizontal sump, no snout on cowling. My temps between the batteries are. OAT 50 BATT 83 OAT 70 BATT 93 OAT 80 BATT 100-110 OAT 90 BATT 120-130 Never seen hotter that 135 between that BATT's even during airshow with temps in the high 90's and the engine oil temp 210, low airflow. Of course this is just my set up. Hope this helps. |
Battery Temps
Originally Posted by vluvelin
2) how does it perform when installed FFWD where temperature exceeding 140F ??? How higher temperatures affect performance In my Cummins Diesel truck, the batteries are insulated with a 1/4 inch thick blanket of sorts. This could easily be done on the firewall of the plane to guard against the shut-down, refuel-heat up,-restart scenario. Would help a lot on en-route temperature protection too. The battery box could be insulated in many ways. Just a thought. |
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sure seems like a lot of problem solving for a problem that doesn't exist. |
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I think that if all one wants is cranking then a smaller battery may be just fine. But with the increasing number of totally "electrically dependent" planes out there, the higher capacity choice may be a good decision even though there is some more cost. It is for this reason, over a year ago, when Widget and I discussed what he was going to use he ended up choosing (dual actually) 36 Ahr (at least) batteries of the "lithium variety". Second point, regarding "made in America" (or elsewhere), according to the EarthX website: All our products are engineered in the USA We use American battery technology, the most advanced lithium battery technology in the world Our batteries are assembled, engineered and designed in the USA using US and foreign components. Not a debate of Shorai v EarthX, just wanted to put that out there for those who care as I seem to recall that someone had brought this up before. DISCLAIMER: I assisted with an EarthX install (Widget's) over a year ago. |
Small earthx
I have a io-360 200hp with thick and short cables. What is the smallest size earthx that will start the engine?
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