Help with blue battery block wiring

Show off your DIY project!
User avatar
agelow
Apprentice
Posts: 47
Joined: 23 Mar 2016, 15:58
kayak: Hobie Outback 2019
Real Name: Adrian

Re: Help with blue battery block wiring

Post by agelow »

Anthony wrote:
agelow wrote:
shane wrote:It's usually a fulty connection somewhere that does that. Check through everything, use a voltmeter and move cables around until you find what turns it off.
Is it possible that the battery is too weak? As I have switched the battery in and off and it restarts sometimes.

Also I'd I change battery it works too.

This is when I haven't moved any wires
It's possible that there is an issue with the battery or the connections within the battery pack. Those blue batter blocks aren't known for their quality after all. You could try a 7ah or 9ah sealed lead acid battery which you can get from jaycar for about $30.
Thanks. I'll Redo all the wiring and see how I go.
User avatar
agelow
Apprentice
Posts: 47
Joined: 23 Mar 2016, 15:58
kayak: Hobie Outback 2019
Real Name: Adrian

Re: Help with blue battery block wiring

Post by agelow »

Hi guys,

Havent had a chance to redo the wiring just yet, but I am curious to see whats going on.

I have a 4800mah Li On Battery.

The sounder (Lowrance Elite Ti 5) is 12 watts.. and with a 12volt battery, therefore is drawing 1 ah an hour.

So, technically my battery should last 4.8 hours? Is my maths correct?

It is struggling to last 2 hours at the moment. It has a voltage drop to 10.56v

I dont believe it is a wiring issue anymore, but actually a battery issue?

Is it worth me buying the 9800 mAh blue block battery... or just getting an SLA? Due to the wattage of my sounder.

Thanks heaps for your thoughts,
User avatar
Wind Waker
Lord of the fish
Posts: 1391
Joined: 04 Apr 2015, 23:09
kayak: Hobie Outback, Hobie PA14 MD180,
Real Name: Brett
Location: South East Suburbs
Contact:

Re: Help with blue battery block wiring

Post by Wind Waker »

About 2.5hours before its below usable

Shouldn't discharge below halfway and as the voltage drops tge current draw increases.

Bigger battery needed for longer times. Also turn the brightness down or flick it to night mode
Live long, fish hard and hopefully catch something.
User avatar
shane
Vyak Addict
Posts: 7340
Joined: 07 Sep 2011, 20:54
kayak: Hobie AI, PA14, Quest and an ebay tandem
Real Name: Shane
Location: Moonee Ponds

Re: Help with blue battery block wiring

Post by shane »

I'd say the issue is that your blue block li-ion is actually only delivering around 2400mAh. I've got similar and have tested and from memory that's about what it delivers. I would treat all ebay claims of mAh with a grain of salt. Yoyu have a coupld of alternatives:

1. Use multiple smaller batteries and have them accessible to change over as required (this is what I usually do).
2. Go to a heavier SLA, probably at least 9Ah in your case.
3. Purchase a more reputable 8-10Ah Li-ion with balance charging. This is the latest one I've purchased:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/262689860614 ... EBIDX%3AIT
0408 565 763
jb2020
The force is strong in this one
Posts: 73
Joined: 05 Aug 2011, 15:35
kayak: OK Trident
Real Name: JB

Re: Help with blue battery block wiring

Post by jb2020 »

You will find the 4800mah rating is not at 12V. At 12V you will get about 30-40% of stated capacity. I'm yet to drain my 9800 blue brick in a session, nor have I had any problems with it.....yet (running an elite4 chirp, no GPS). Alot of power pack suppliers will advertise large mah ratings but you need to check what voltage. The blue brick suppliers typically list the mah rating of the several individual cells that make up the battery, which are just wired in series/parallel to get 12V but this does not equal capacity at 12V.
User avatar
agelow
Apprentice
Posts: 47
Joined: 23 Mar 2016, 15:58
kayak: Hobie Outback 2019
Real Name: Adrian

Re: Help with blue battery block wiring

Post by agelow »

shane wrote:I'd say the issue is that your blue block li-ion is actually only delivering around 2400mAh. I've got similar and have tested and from memory that's about what it delivers. I would treat all ebay claims of mAh with a grain of salt. Yoyu have a coupld of alternatives:

1. Use multiple smaller batteries and have them accessible to change over as required (this is what I usually do).
2. Go to a heavier SLA, probably at least 9Ah in your case.
3. Purchase a more reputable 8-10Ah Li-ion with balance charging. This is the latest one I've purchased:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/262689860614 ... EBIDX%3AIT
Hi Shane, Thanks for your explantation,.

Hows your new battery pack working out?

That seems like a good alternative.. I'm not sure if I want to throw out the whole small portable feel just yet.. but I keep adding money into the damn project.. !!
User avatar
shane
Vyak Addict
Posts: 7340
Joined: 07 Sep 2011, 20:54
kayak: Hobie AI, PA14, Quest and an ebay tandem
Real Name: Shane
Location: Moonee Ponds

Re: Help with blue battery block wiring

Post by shane »

The battery pack is working out well. It's charging to the full capacity and runs higher current devices like pumps well. I'm currently setting it up to run a livewell pump.

Please note the seller changed the listing so the link above goes to a different product (one where I wouldn't trust the Ah rating). The correct listing for the battery pack I bought is this one:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/192062353964 ... EBIDX%3AIT

On a side note the practice of overstating battery pack mAh ratings is extremely common on the web and especially ebay. One way to check is by the weight of the pack. A genuine 4000mAh pack should weigh around 300g and a genuine 18650 around 45g. Fake batteries generally weigh a lot less because they're either overstated or a much smaller cell wrapped in layers of packing.
0408 565 763
User avatar
agelow
Apprentice
Posts: 47
Joined: 23 Mar 2016, 15:58
kayak: Hobie Outback 2019
Real Name: Adrian

Re: Help with blue battery block wiring

Post by agelow »

Thanks Shane.

If I bought that battery, how long do you think it will last on my Elite Ti 5?

This is some of its power info:

Power Consumption: 12 W (0.9 A @ 13 vDC)
Power Supply (Supply Voltage): 12 vDC (10-17 vDC min-max)

Also, does it use the same connecting plug as the blue battery block cable? Or do I need to redo all my wiring again.

Does it come with a balance charger?

Cheers.
User avatar
shane
Vyak Addict
Posts: 7340
Joined: 07 Sep 2011, 20:54
kayak: Hobie AI, PA14, Quest and an ebay tandem
Real Name: Shane
Location: Moonee Ponds

Re: Help with blue battery block wiring

Post by shane »

Assuming the Elite Ti pulls the whole 0.9A (likely to be less), you should get around 8 hours from it. The plug on it isn't common outside RC circles so I'd be changing it to what you use, preferably a 2 pin waterproof connector. You should also consider how you will keep the battery dry. A dry bag is OK or else a waterproof plastic container like Kmart sell should fit it well.

They don't come with a balance charge so you need to purchase one separately - a very good investment anyway. This is the style I recommend:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/iMax-B6AC-80W-R ... Sw-0xYdLTI
0408 565 763
Post Reply