Quote:
Originally Posted by Clouddancer
I want to put my battery (for instance Odyssey PC680 planned) in the originally foreseen location by Vans, i.e. behind the firewall, between the rudder pedals. For those who have that location for the battery: how have you attached the battery? Have you reinforced the floor, if the battery sits on it? The plans are not very specific on this.
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Andreas,
I flew my RV4 for nearly 1500 hours. The original Concorde (heavy) Aircraft battery was mounted per the plans in the center "tunnel". I used a 2" thick rubber pad between the battery and the .040 floor doubler and aluminum strap around the battery to the sides of the tunnel.
After 500 hours I disliked this location due to poor access, difficulty in charging and removal. I began re-engineering several things for my 2000' Conditional Inspection/re-fit.
1. Forward firewall mounted Odyssey Battery.
2. Forward and rear
additional baggage area.
3. Rear passenger foot-wells.
First, like you I discarded the standard aircraft battery in lieu of an Odyssey battery, a fairly new device when I originally did this in 2000. There are smaller, lighter Lithium batteries available now. Re-locating the battery helped
two things, it moved my CG forward and shortened the electrical wires to my new Lexus starter,
less resistance, weight and cost. I built a battery box for the Odyssey (now available from Vans) and attached it to right side of the "shelf" (rudder pedal well) and the firewall. The empty space between your legs formerly occupied by the battery could now be a forward baggage area, or "glove box". Install a forward hinge on the cover and voila': forward baggage!
My "Bandit's" flight qualities would now be delightful and I could carry my items up front yielding the
entire rear baggage compartment to my wife. Charging, easier cold starting and utilizing jumper cables through the oil door were now a reality. Win win!
FYI: I would reconsider the full Christen inverted system unless you plan extended negative G acro to save weight and complexity. I used an Ellison TBI and Air/Oil separator for many fun hours of "sportsman" aerobatics, the RV's forte'.
Here are photos of the completed installation. Good luck!
V/R
Smokey
Battery on "shelf"
Why put battery on firewall? One reason is the forward "baggage" area!