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rv12iS-builder

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In the 9A, we have a choice of the Concorde battery or the Odyssey battery. I like the idea of saving 8 lbs of weight with the Odyssey battery, but the Concorde has more amp hours. I think it's 24 for the Concorde vs. 17 for the Odyssey. Anybody have any thoughts on which one to go with?
Thanks,

Mark
 
Pleased with Odyssey!

After 20+ years with my certified Grumman, putting in a new (certified) battery every couple of years, I was overjoyed with having a choice of batteries for the RV-8! I had used Odysseys in my jet skis, and they really were bullet-proof. With so many folks choosing them for their planes, I decided itwas the way to go.

I've been very happy so far, with not a single starting problem. It cranks the O-360 "fast enough to taxi" - better than any G-25 or G-35 certified battery I've ever seen.

One caveat - I live in the south, and don't have to deal with cold temperatures, so take that into consideration. But I am more than satisfied with the choice.

Paul
 
Ironflight said:
One caveat - I live in the south, and don't have to deal with cold temperatures, so take that into consideration.
Click to expand...
I live in the north, so I'll address that. My Odyssey starts my O-360 with no problem, and I routinely fly in temps down in the teens and single digits in the winter (with proper pre-heat, of course.)
 
Odyssey Battery Rules!!! Forget the lead acid. Another cold weather Wisconsin pilot happy with Odyssey.

Roberta
 
I agree the Odyssey rules. On the coldest day in Seattle my 0360 starts just fine. I was skeptical at first but it's been bullet proof for almost 2 years.

chuck
 
How many of you with Oddessy batteries have them installed behind the baggage area ?

Which model are you using ?
 
I like the idea of saving 8 lbs of weight with the Odyssey battery, but the Concorde has more amp hours. I think it's 24 for the Concorde vs. 17 for the Odyssey. Anybody have any thoughts on which one to go with?
Click to expand...

With the PC680 now available on Ebay for less than $60, it is a great value. Since the prices have dropped so much, I replaced my little Panasonic (which replaced the original Concorde) with a PC680.

Sam Buchanan (RV-6 Classic)
http://thervjournal.com/battery.htm
 
battery tray

we also have a choice of locations, I (didn't know better) installed the left side larger mount and then got the smaller mount with the fwf kit, so now I have
two choices, can the 680 be installed in the larger
batt tray or maybe two of them for a backup ?
or should I just cut off the larger tray and put the
smaller one on the right side ?

does this make any sense at all ?
Danny..
 
Impressive

rv9builder said:
In the 9A, we have a choice of the Concorde battery or the Odyssey battery. I like the idea of saving 8 lbs of weight with the Odyssey battery, but the Concorde has more amp hours. I think it's 24 for the Concorde vs. 17 for the Odyssey. Anybody have any thoughts on which one to go with? Thanks, Mark
Click to expand...
My experience with the Odyssey battery in my RV: When the first copy I purchased from Vans catalog at an early cost of $160 shot craps I bought a replacement on a Sunday afernoon from a local "Batteries Plus" outlet for $80. I was only down 2 hours...the time it took me to drive to the strip mall and back and removal and replacement time. When I asked the store manager what type of customer usually buys the Odyssey, he said it is very popular in jet skis. Needless to say this is a battery technology I am well pleased with. It gets pretty cold here in St. Louis too and the Odyssey's cranking power is nothing short of amazing.

Rick Galati RV-6A "Darla"
 
I'm going with the Odyssey withouth question. I want to save the 8 pounds.

Donald
RV-8 Empennage underway
N-284DP Reserved
 
Sam Buchanan said:
With the PC680 now available on Ebay for less than $60, it is a great value. Since the prices have dropped so much, I replaced my little Panasonic (which replaced the original Concorde) with a PC680.

Sam Buchanan (RV-6 Classic)
http://thervjournal.com/battery.htm
Click to expand...

OK Sam,
I did google searches and ebay searches and I can't the $60 PC680 you mention. The best I can find is ~$79 + $15 shipping. Where should I be looking?
 
I did google searches and ebay searches and I can't the $60 PC680 you mention. The best I can find is ~$79 + $15 shipping. Where should I be looking?
Click to expand...

Bill, it appears there has been some pretty dramatic inflation of PC680 prices since I bought my battery a couple of months ago. I paid $57.00 + $14.00 shipping but what I see on Ebay today is $93.75 including shipping. Wonder if the escalating cost of shipping and petro products is having an impact?

Guess I bought mine at the right time........

Sam Buchanan
 
Rick6a said:
When I asked the store manager what type of customer usually buys the Odyssey, he said it is very popular in jet skis.
Click to expand...

I have an Odyssey PC-680 in my motorcycle. Great battery!
 
Batteries4everything is now showing the PC680 at $79.75 plus shipping, probably be in the ballpark of $95.00 total.

Guess the real bargains are gone, but the PC680 is still a fine battery.

Sam Buchanan
 
I've been using the PC680 in my SVT Cobra race car for the last 5 years. I go through one battery every two years, but that is because I leave the lights on a few times per year. They don't seem to like being drained down to zero. But not many do. Anyway, the cobra engine has 10 to 1 compression and the little battery in the back seat cranks it over pretty fast.

Cheers, Pete
 
Odyssey

I used an PC-500 initially and it did fine turning my O-360 for about 2 years, then it died, partly because I let it go dead flat and couldn't revive it. I replaced it with a PC-545. I think the PC-680 or some models of Odyssey battery are actually 'certificated' for aircraft use now. These may be dearer than the commercially available ones. I can't see any physical difference.
 
PC680 Odyssey

I have been very pleased with the function and reduced weight. I talked to one guy who installed it in his pickup just so he could tell his customers how good it works.
 
godspeed said:
or should I just cut off the larger tray and put the
smaller one on the right side ?

does this make any sense at all ?
Danny..
Click to expand...

Danny

Ditch that old mount. Just fill the holes with some rivets or use the space for a firewall mounted oil cooler.

I've retired my PC680 after 4 years not because I had any problems with it but because I needed a battery for my recently restored BMW R75/5.

Cam
 
I would like to revive this discussion in light of current pricing...

Currently, I am seeing the PC680 selling for the $120 - $130+ range. There is a Panasonic battery (LC-X1228P) on Digikey (http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=P049-ND) that claims to have a 28Ah rating (vs. 17 for the PC680) for around $96. I know that cranking amps are important and that spec for the Panasonic battery is not listed. However, I believe cranking amps are dictated by internal resistance and the Panasonic battery has 6milliOhms of internal resistance. I believe this is comparable to the PC680 (7 milliOhms; see table on page 4 of this document http://www.odysseybatteries.com/files/techbook.pdf).

The Panasonic battery is slightly larger than the PC680 but not as large as the Concorde RG-25. So it will fit in the standard battery box from Van's (with a little modification). It is also heavier. This may make it less appealing for some.

Does anyone have any experience with this Panasonic battery? I like the idea of the lower price and the longer reserve capacity.

Thanks,
 
Version difference

briand said:
Whats the diff. between the 11-02233 and the 11-01945?


http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/odysseydry.php
Click to expand...

The 11-01945 is an FAA certified version, hence the higher price.

Worldwide demand (China) for metals and raw materials has driven the price of lead up, just like steel, aluminum and copper. It's not just the Oddyssey, all batteries have gone up in price the past 18 months. Perhaps the current economic down turn will cause an eventual drop in prices.
Charlie Kuss
 
Last edited:
Ironflight said:
Aft Battery, PC-680

Paul
Click to expand...

Paul,

I am just about at that point in the build that I have to choose battery location.
I hear that Vans does not have a rear mounting kit for the PC680. This is the location and battery of my choice. Could you post pictures of your installation, please?
 
gpiney said:
Paul,

I am just about at that point in the build that I have to choose battery location.
I hear that Vans does not have a rear mounting kit for the PC680. This is the location and battery of my choice. Could you post pictures of your installation, please?
Click to expand...

I don't have any photos handy, but you use the Van's aft battery tray, and rivet in some angle to make the "pan" smaller to fit the 680. I was far from the first to do it - picturs came from someone's web site at teh time.

Paul
 
gpiney said:
Paul,

I am just about at that point in the build that I have to choose battery location.
I hear that Vans does not have a rear mounting kit for the PC680. This is the location and battery of my choice. Could you post pictures of your installation, please?
Click to expand...

This is how I aft mounted the 680 to Van's tray. The master relay was later attached to the aft right pair of nutplates.

batterytray2.jpg


Hope this helps

Paul Danclovic
Jamestown NC
RV-8A
 
Haven't put one in a plane yet, but I put one in my wife's Prius last year. When it's cold (-30F) the Odyssey won't light the Prius. I think voltage falls in the cold just enough keep the ECU's and relays from energizing. It may still crank a regular starter motor but it won't light the Prius. At the same time, my Prius with the stock SLA battery fires every time side by side. Anybody tried an Odyssey when it's really cold? I don't mean this wussy Saint Looey cold, but actual Wyoming moonscape cold.:D
 
Aerhed wrote:
"I don't mean this wussy Saint Looey cold, but actual Wyoming moonscape cold."

My brother ran a PC680 in his Zenair. It cranked that O-320 like no other battery I've seen. And yes, this aircraft operated in the lovely balmy temperatures associated with a Canadian winter (-20C is balmy, we don't think "cold" starts until about -40C LoL!). Like most sane aircraft owners would do, my brother pre-heated the engine (Reif oil pan and cylinder base heaters) and sometimes threw an electric car heater into the cockpit. The battery would get a chance to warm up a bit during these pre-heats, but not a whole lot. Starting simply was never a problem.
 
680 vs 625

I've noticed that everyone seems to recommend the Odyssey 680, but wondering why not the 625.
http://www.odysseyfactory.com/powerspecs.html

The 625 is 13.2 lbs vs 15.4 for the 680, and also has slightly more amp hours and reserve capacity.

I actually have a 625 in my plane that I have used for 8 years now with a 320 and now a 360. It still seems to crank it over as good as new, and has never let me down. I even ran it low a couple times, when I forgot to shut off my master switch. I was able to revive it with a 20 minute charge from a small Honda portable generator/charger, which was enough to start the engine, and it was none the worse for wear.

Walter
 
Walter - thanks for that commentary. I'm looking at a PC625 for my airplane as it will fit better than a PC680. What's the coldest temp in which you've operated this battery and successfully cranked the O-320? I know you're in Vancouver but wonder if you might have been flying inland or north to get some cold-weather exposure.

Any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
 
Coldest for a 625?

Canadian_JOY said:
Walter - thanks for that commentary. I'm looking at a PC625 for my airplane as it will fit better than a PC680. What's the coldest temp in which you've operated this battery and successfully cranked the O-320? I know you're in Vancouver but wonder if you might have been flying inland or north to get some cold-weather exposure.

Any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Yes, am in Vancouver, and don't fly as much in the winter. Probably coldest that I have started it, was about -5C, so not very cold. I notice the Odyssey site says they are good down to -40, which is a way colder than you would ever catch me flying in.

A couple other points about the 625 vs the 680. Was just talking to one of the local battery dealers that sells them both, and the PC625 is quite a bit cheaper than the 680. I can get it here for $111 CDN. He also told me that the 680 has more warranty issues, to do with the terminals.

So again, not sure why the 680 is so popular and not the 625?

Walter
 
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