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Odyssey PC680 Battery Dealers

ArVeeNiner

ArVeeNiner

Well Known Member
Hi:

I'm shopping for a PC680 battery. I want to make sure that the batteries that are available out there from places other than Van's have the same dimensions as the Van's PC680 so that it will fit into the box that I bought from Van's. I just talked to Van's today and they said that a PC680 is a PC680 no matter where you buy it. After doing a little research on it, they come either with or without a metal jacket. The metal jacket is there to protect it from heat. Is the metal jacket required in our flying machines? I'm thinking that the metal jacket will make it not fit into its' battery box. Plus, I'm thinking that the metal battery box does the same job in protecting it from heat as the metal battery jacket.

Thanks
 
Kelley-

The metal jacket is totally removable from the PC680 -- it's not part of the battery. I used the metal jacket version and made my own battery box with it, avoiding buying Van's for $50. If you go with the Van's battery kit, they supply a metal jacket that the PC680 slides into.

Here's how I made mine:

http://rvplane.com/?categoryid=6&dayid=570
 
PC680

Kelly,

I went to EBay and bought a PC680 from a distributor in Florida for under $90 with FREE shipping and no handling fees.
Came out way ahead of Van's price when you add all that in.
 
DOH! Too late. They got me!

Wow, that metal jacket in your pictures, except for the color, looks very much like the Vans box that I already bought and installed. So, it looks like they duplicated the metal jacket and sold it back to us for $50! Shame shame!

OK, but that answers my question. I'll be buying a battery without a metal jacket.

What about the posts? I see that there are a couple of different options. Any ideas?

And, what about the battery charger for it? Odyssey sells their own but it looks like I can only use it on Odyssey batteries. If I'm going to spend that kind of money on a charger I want to be able to use it on my regular lead acid batteries in my cars as well. A cheaper charger would be ideal.

I bet that once I'm flying, the alternator will keep it plenty charged but I won't be flying until next year. Until then I'll be playing with it in my garage for a while. Up until now I've used a car battery and then a motorcycle battery on the floor.
 
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PC 680--

If you are replacing your pc680, get the battery without the metal jacket. Otherwise you will have to remove it.(I think you pay more for it with the metal jacket)
 
ArVeeNiner said:
And, what about the battery charger for it? Odyssey sells their own but it looks like I can only use it on Odyssey batteries. If I'm going to spend that kind of money on a charger I want to be able to use it on my regular lead acid batteries in my cars as well. A cheaper charger would be ideal.

I bet that once I'm flying, the alternator will keep it plenty charged but I won't be flying until next year. Until then I'll be playing with it in my garage for a while. Up until now I've used a car battery and then a motorcycle battery on the floor.
Click to expand...

Here is the charger I use for maintaining an Odyssey (or any other 12v battery):

http://batterytender.com/product_info.php?products_id=4&osCsid=1158c7c89a54e9ce491360db432f1b5d

The Battery Tender is a smart charger and you can leave it on the battery indefinitely. It comes with a pigtail you can attach to your battery so you don't have to mess with clamps.
 
Van's isnt cheating...

Van's buys the battery and box separate. Most builders are not ready for the battery when they want to install the mount....Years ago, Van's bought them together and builders were installing the mount(box) then by the time they were actually ready for 12V, their battery was dead and out of warranty. The way the sell it now, you can install the mount and then buy the (fresh) battery when YOU are ready. The additional cost for the mount kit is for the brackets, hardware and drawings Van's supplies....:)
 
mrreddick said:
Kelly,

I went to EBay and bought a PC680 from a distributor in Florida for under $90 with FREE shipping and no handling fees.
Came out way ahead of Van's price when you add all that in.
Click to expand...

Vans is showing $128 on their web store for the PC680. I haven't found a better price anywhere today. I bought a PC680 for $59 + shipping three years ago but guess those days are gone...
 
Prices sure took off

Sam Buchanan said:
Vans is showing $128 on their web store for the PC680. I haven't found a better price anywhere today. I bought a PC680 for $59 + shipping three years ago but guess those days are gone...
Click to expand...

Yea Sam, I remember when I decided on an Odyssey, I'm thinking not more than 2 years ago, that the price was cheaper than a Concord and I'm remembering about $80. Like EVERYTHING, I bet oil is somewhere in the supply chain. :(

The best price that I found was $119 shipped. Ouch!
 
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ArVeeNiner said:
Yea Sam, I remember when I decided on an Odyssey, I'm thinking not more than 2 years ago, that the price was cheaper than a Concord and I'm remembering about $80. Like EVERYTHING, I bet oil is somewhere in the supply chain. :(

The best price that I found was $119 shipped. Ouch!
Click to expand...

Well.....if you want a lower cost alternative to an Odyssey, here is food for thought:

http://www.thervjournal.com/battery.htm

If you don't live in a cold clime this would probably work fine for you.
 
PC-680

If anyone is considering NOT using a PC-680 in their RV, consider this; I bought mine in early 2004. It sat for a few months before I started using it to power the pannel. I bought one of the good chargers and played with the instruments and radios for a couple of years before I flew. Here it is 2008 and I'v been flying 2 years and 200 hrs. and it still spins my 200hp IO-360 like a top.

Sam B. will appreciate this: It has the lowest internal resistance of any AGM battery in common use and that is why this "motorcycle battery" is able to perform as well or better than any of the larger "old school" flooded wet cell lead cell still in common use.
 
Sam Buchanan said:
Here is the charger I use for maintaining an Odyssey (or any other 12v battery):

http://batterytender.com/product_info.php?products_id=4&osCsid=1158c7c89a54e9ce491360db432f1b5d

The Battery Tender is a smart charger and you can leave it on the battery indefinitely. It comes with a pigtail you can attach to your battery so you don't have to mess with clamps.
Click to expand...

Sam, I've been using the Plus version on my motorcycle for a long time, with the pigtail permanently installed under the seat. Short hops around town don't let the battery recover sufficiently from starting. When I first got my PC-680s, I took one look and headed for my bike shop to get another Battery Tender Plus for my hangar. I've been running my panel off my battery for a short while now (noted in a milestones thread) and the BTP keeps it juiced up very nicely. Anyway, the reason I mention it is I intend to attach the pigtail to the main battery and mount it near the oil filler door so I don't have to remove the cowl to charge my battery. Have you done a similar mount and, if so, do you have pictures?
 
Here's a PC-680 battery, but not an Odyssey, $89.95;
http://www.oops

It's listed as a motorcycle battery from Gruber Power Services; website lists it as a PC-680 but the actual label on the unit appears to be different. Looks pretty similar to the Odyssey; AGM, dry, non-spill and all that. From the specs listed, what do you electric gurus think of this one?
 
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A Rose is a Rose

jbDC9 said:
Here's a PC-680 battery, but not an Odyssey, $89.95;
http://www.gruberpower.com/gruberpower/advertising/batteries/cutsheets/58-pc-680.asp

It's listed as a motorcycle battery from Gruber Power Services; website lists it as a PC-680 but the actual label on the unit appears to be different. Looks pretty similar to the Odyssey; AGM, dry, non-spill and all that. From the specs listed, what do you electric gurus think of this one?
Click to expand...
While the battery shown in your link is not packaged and sold as a familiar orange jacketed "Odyssey" I am inclined to think it is manufactured either directly or under license by the very same company....EnerSys...http://www.enersys.com/. My example, also jacketed in black is called a "Genesis."
 
PC680

Wow! After reading all the posts I checked Ebay!
Last year I paid $89 with FREE shipping.
Now, the cheapest price is $129.95, still with FREE shipping. :eek:
 
flion said:
Anyway, the reason I mention it is I intend to attach the pigtail to the main battery and mount it near the oil filler door so I don't have to remove the cowl to charge my battery. Have you done a similar mount and, if so, do you have pictures?
Click to expand...

My 6A Oddessy battery is mounted in the older cockpit style installation. I have left and right 12 volt (cigarette lighter type) outlets for head phones, GPS, etc. The right outlet is wired directly to the battery with it's own fuse. My battery charger plugs directly into this outlet for charging.

L.Adamson --- RV6A
 
flion said:
Sam, I've been using the Plus version on my motorcycle for a long time, with the pigtail permanently installed under the seat. Short hops around town don't let the battery recover sufficiently from starting. When I first got my PC-680s, I took one look and headed for my bike shop to get another Battery Tender Plus for my hangar. I've been running my panel off my battery for a short while now (noted in a milestones thread) and the BTP keeps it juiced up very nicely. Anyway, the reason I mention it is I intend to attach the pigtail to the main battery and mount it near the oil filler door so I don't have to remove the cowl to charge my battery. Have you done a similar mount and, if so, do you have pictures?
Click to expand...


Patrick, that is precisely what I did. The pigtail isn't "mounted" just zip-tied so I can reach it through the door.

However, I don't find a need for the pigtail any more. I originally installed it when I was using AnywhereMap with an iPaq PDA. The PDA would dump the software if its battery was allowed to run down so I used the Battery Tender to make sure the Odyssey didn't get low during the winter months while maintaining the PDA. But since I no longer use AnywhereMap, the Odyssey is fine for extended periods without charging.
 
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Thanks, Sam. I have to maintain my bike's battery even in the summer, but the winter seems especially hard on it. And I was worried about how the plane would fare. Winters are cold and snowy here in Arizona (no, I'm not kidding; Flagstaff isn't Phoenix. We even have a ski resort.)

Mr. Adamson, thanks for the input. Unfortunately, the Battery Tender doesn't work that way; it has a special (and very nice, I might add) polarized connector. Even the battery clip pigtail uses this connector, which is nice because you can connect the clips and then plug in the charger - or unplug it if, for instance, you want to take your project out of the hangar to test the GPS. What would be really awesome is an external connection, like a ground power socket but much smaller. But I think I can put it in easy reach of the oil filler door and that'll do just fine.
 
TNRBatteries.com

Just wanted to let people who need a PC-680 battery that TNRBatteries is having a special on them currently. On their site you click on the add to cart button to see their reduced price. I received mine yesterday. They are including free shipping for batteries over $50. Eveyone else seems to be $30 to $35 higher on these.
 
After much internet searching I ordered mine from TNR two weeks ago. Arrived next day. $105.00 free shipping but since they have presence in California I had to pay additional $10.76 sales tax. Total $115.76. Still cheaper than the rest. As a side note my battery was 3 yrs old and still working fine but figured it was ready to be replaced and will be changed out next week as part of my annual condition inspection.
YMMV
 
Good timing as I went out to buy one today.

I found a place that sells PC680 clones for $60. "They are the same except for the stickers." the guy said.

Only they didn't have an orange top, like the real deal. I'm thinking I'll pass on the cheap Chinese knockoff unless I knew with 100% certainty that those batteries were exactly the same at the PC608.
 
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