N788RV

N788RV

Active Member
Odysey vs Concord

I've been debating on which battery to install in my RV-8 and wanted to know some other thoughts. All during the building process I assumed I would use the Odyssey battery because of its light weight and cranking power. I'm running my spaghetti wires now and am well into Bob Nuckles Z-11 plan with the endurance bus theory. I see the concorde has more amp/hours and I know it has proven itself for many years. Here is my setup XP-IO360, inverted oil, w/ either MT aluminum prop or Hartzell blended airfoil, forward mounted battery and smoke system in the front baggage compartment. Can anyone provide me with some battery recommendations. I do plan on some inverted flight. I know will be getting heavy in the front that's why I'm considering the extra bucks for the MT light wt aluminum prop. I was a Whirlwind fan tell I started reading about some of the proplems.
 
I would go with the Odyssey. My RV4 did a lot of testing on the ground, avionics, COM and so on. It cranks the 320 at 0 deg Celsius (32F) without any problems, is lightweight, spillfree, cheap, and of course lightweight:eek:)
 
My Odyssey PC680 has been doing great for over three years. I've never had to charge it (other than what it gets when the prop is turning) and it has been completely reliable and trouble free. Nice not to worry about venting and acid spill. I have an 0-360 in my 7A.

Roberta
 
Odessy

I have 2 years on mine and 150 hours. I flooded it the other day and it still had lots of cranking power. Works great for me. Light small and clean the odessy great.

Jim
 
Odyssey Life?

So has anybody really figured out the lifetime of an Odyssey in regular use yet? I am extremely happy with mine - light, powerful, dependable....yet too many years with Lead/Acid wet batteries leaves a lingering suspicion - at some point, we probably should replace them....Roberta, you've got three years - any nervous feelings yet? :confused:

Paul
 
Which Battery

Thanks guys. Thats probably what I will go with. Just seen the amps/hrs were a little less made me think a little. I got my endurance bus down to under 5amps and that has more stuff than I think I would need. With the battery backup in the Dynons and my ears I suppose I can loose all power. I got no worries as long as the mags keep firing.
 
Fabricate a socket/pigtail with the round terminal ends permanently connected to the battery terminals. The other end of the pigtail plugs into an automatic charger. This way you can work on the AC fully powered up and not be concerned about running the battery down. If you use a motorcycle type charger, it's small and light enough to carry along with you. Another good idea I "liberated" from fellow RVers.
 
I'm still using the "Powersonic" 33AH. It's a little heavier than the Odyssey, but the weight up front helps my CG. I pay about $75 including tax. The first one lasted about 5 years including testing installations while building. The second one lasted 7 years and was still working when I changed it. (Just got nervous) The third one has 2 years on it now.
 
Odyssey Report

I installed my Odyssey battery in late 2003 while still wiring my panel, spent seemingly endless hours trouble shooting my homemade wiring harness, went through final assembly testing which all had to have taken a toll on the battery. In October 2004 it was flight test time and, justfiably, the battery would not turn over the engine. I recharged it and it worked fine but in September 2006 I decided to do some modifications to my perfectly good RV6 and repeated the same scenario...some people never learn! Oh, yes, I left the master switch on once to add insult to injury. Today, after another recharge, my probably weakened Odyssey is still cranking away and I, like others mentioned, wonder how long is this battery going to function and when is it time to replace it. When I do, it will be another Odyssey!!

Dick DeCramer
N500DD RV6 Flying
RV8 Tail completed
Wing kit on hand
Northfield, MN
 
Hi Paul,

I'm not nervous about it yet. It seems to hold a charge very well and starts the plane up very quickly. If I notice the crank rate declining, I will replace it. But for now, it's doing fine.

I was skeptical, at first, about using this battery. But it has proven to be very reliable.

Roberta
 
Does anyone know if the Odysseys have enough umphhh (technical term) with say 9:1 compression engines to turn them over fast?
 
Yes, sir. I have an I0-360 with 9.5 : 1 pistons. I do recommend to everyone having an Odyssey to get the correct battery charger that can handle the AGM (absorbed glass matt) technology. This one auto switches to a maintenance mode.

http://www.vdcelectronics.com/

These battery chargers are worth their weight in gold to make batteries last longer by desulficating them.
 
Caveman said:
Does anyone know if the Odysseys have enough umphhh (technical term) with say 9:1 compression engines to turn them over fast?
Click to expand...
Yes they do, but you need to have the right kind of starter. There are plenty of threads here and in the RV list archives on the topic.

Van's (and I assume others) uses the Odyssey on the RV-10 w/ IO-540, so a high comp O-360 should be no problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.