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04/07/2020 05:38PM |
I'm fairly certain regular Duracell batteries were used and they were new.
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03/27/2020 07:04PM |
PatrickE: "ryan72: "PatrickE-thanks for sharing. Awesome idea. I remember seeing that in your original post. What are the general dimensions of the wood pieces?
Did you route out the channel on the inside of the wood so that it could work on a rounded thwart as well as a flat surface? I like the idea of the foam/rubber inlay to add some additional grip.
Since I am renting a canoe I do not know the dimensions of the thwart so its frustrating me. How thick and wide of a thwart will your system work on? "
I'm out of town for the next week but I'll see if I can pull it out when I get back and give you some measurements. The channel in the middle was made by a step router bit to try to give it as many mounting options as possible. I've tried it on a flatter wood thwart as well as a metal tubular thwart and worked well with both. If the thwart was wider, you could always rotate this thing 90 degrees and just clamp the wood to wood. I rent boats for trips as well and found it to be pretty universal, but probably overengineered it a bit. I made one and found the channel was too deep and I couldn't clamp tight enough. This was version 2.0. "
Sorry for the delay. Hope these help. If you're stuck at home, may be a good time for a project.
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04/03/2020 05:47AM |
I have a portable Garmin Striker 4 that is used for fishing from a canoe. The 12V battery made it too heavy so a 8 AA battery pack was used on a trip to the BWCA. However, after two days of limited use the battery pack went dead. Fortunately, an engineer was on the trip. I asked him what happened? He said does the Garmin have a colored screen and I said yes. He said colored screens require a lot of power so that caused the battery pack to go dead. He said the 12V battery should be used and probably would last a week. I had another battery pack that I controlled its use and made it the rest of the trip.
Conclusion. Use the heavy 12V battery or bring multiple battery packs.
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03/10/2020 07:36PM |
The 4 plus CV unit draws 400mA. The non CV unit draws 230mA.
Are 8 EULs the best option for the 400mA unit as well?
I don't quite understand why 10 lithiums aren't better than 8. I've read many of your other posts and see why 10 alkalines outperform 8, but don't see why it isn't the same concept for the lithiums. The 4 plus CV can run between 10-20V and 10 EUL AAs should give 15 V to start and I've looked at the discharge curve for the EULs. Can you explain why 8 lithiums will run longer than 10 for me please? I appreciate your time and I will search for your post on the 18650s.
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01/26/2021 09:07AM |
I'm just technically proficient enough to cause problems for myself, but that should yield about 40 hours of runtime from a 10Ah battery, right? Amazon has 8Ah lithium (LiFePO4) motorcycle batteries in the same price range as a 10Ah sealed lead acid (around $30).
Is the weight tradeoff, lower capacity, and possible hassle from dealing with quality control issues (the last one may be the case with both types in that price range) worth it? I'd love to get a dakota lithium 10ah power box and be done with it, but I'm not budgeted for that. My BWCA trips usually have 3-4 hard fishing days, and anything else I do I have access to power for recharging when I'm not on the water.
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02/03/2021 12:38PM |
BigDadE: "Question on shooting the transducer through the hull.
This might seem like a silly question but would it s shot through an aluminum canoe it’s just Kevlar?
I’m looking I at a new setup this year (my first) and am wondering about the best way to mount the transducer.
Thanks!"
Well I don't know it's a silly question, but it is the same one I have!
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03/12/2020 07:33PM |
ryan72: "PatrickE-thanks for sharing. Awesome idea. I remember seeing that in your original post. What are the general dimensions of the wood pieces?
Did you route out the channel on the inside of the wood so that it could work on a rounded thwart as well as a flat surface? I like the idea of the foam/rubber inlay to add some additional grip.
Since I am renting a canoe I do not know the dimensions of the thwart so its frustrating me. How thick and wide of a thwart will your system work on? "
I'm out of town for the next week but I'll see if I can pull it out when I get back and give you some measurements. The channel in the middle was made by a step router bit to try to give it as many mounting options as possible. I've tried it on a flatter wood thwart as well as a metal tubular thwart and worked well with both. If the thwart was wider, you could always rotate this thing 90 degrees and just clamp the wood to wood. I rent boats for trips as well and found it to be pretty universal, but probably overengineered it a bit. I made one and found the channel was too deep and I couldn't clamp tight enough. This was version 2.0.
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03/10/2020 06:40AM |
If using 18650 batteries they must be protected and that can be done with protection on each cell or by placing them in protective holders. Protected 18650 batteries are a little longer than unprotected therefore will not fit many 18650 battery holders. I put a post on another site which I can’t mention here that has a protected holder allowing the use of unprotected 18650. You can find that post by searching for "Light weight rechargeable batteries." Include the quote marks in the search. Make sure you read the section about how to reset the protection board once it trips.
Another battery option is referenced in this thread.
LiPo Battery option
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03/11/2020 02:11PM |
MagicPaddler: "EUL’s are higher voltage than alkaline. With 8 EUL’s the voltage will be a closer match to what the detector was designed to run on. The voltage out of 8 EUL’s is about the same as 10 alkaline.
If the detector is drawing 400mA the 8 EUL’s would run it for about 7&1/2 hours. At that current the batteries will put out less total energy and the detector is using it faster.
The 18650 batteries can stand the higher draw without losing total energy out. Looking at the
LGFL1 3350mAh $3.19.
If you use a set of 4 in the holder mentioned on the other site it would supply 400mA for about 7&3/4 hours.
Does your detector have a low voltage alarm?
"
Thanks again MagicPaddler.
So it looks like running this 400mA unit with 4 18650s will yield less than 8 hours and 8 AA EUL will yield about 7.5 hours. I think I will just go with the 8 AA EUL option as I can purchase those for 85 cents each making 8 cost $6.80. I cold bring 5 sets and their weight is approximately 21.5 ounces. Factoring run time (5x7.5 hours = 37.5 hours), cost (~$34), and simplicity-the AAs make sense to me.
The major down side is that they are not rechargeable. The LiPo battery is interesting but I will not be able to recharge it on my trip and it is a heavier and more expensive option. I think waterproofing it will be more of a challenge as well.
If I could find a way to safely recharge he 18650s out in the wilderness using my solar panel I would be more inclined to go with them.
Have you ever thought about using a car jump start Lithium battery? There are some like this that have the 12V out but also charges by 5V USB (that would be great to use with my current solar panel). I don't know the overall weight and the large battery clamps would need to be swapped out.
this is one I have looked into a bit but haven't tried:
Lithium jump starter battery
this one is listed at just under a pound and about $60. Thoughts?
Type S 10000mAh Jump Starter
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03/07/2020 11:32PM |
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04/29/2021 02:38PM |
Long time forum reader, but a brand new member. I recently just purchased the CV unit and made a AA holder for it. I'm using 8 EUL. Interestingly, I can turn the unit on and it functions as normal when the transducer is out of the water. When it goes into the water, the unit stays on but the voltage starts jumping around, from 11.8 to 10.4 back up to 11.6. The unit still seems to work fine but I'm confused as to why the voltage is constantly changing. I thought about making another battery with 2, 8 AA battery holders in parallel, but I'm not sure if that would fix the problem. Does anyone have ideas about what might be going on?
Thanks for the help!
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03/12/2020 06:05AM |
Did you route out the channel on the inside of the wood so that it could work on a rounded thwart as well as a flat surface? I like the idea of the foam/rubber inlay to add some additional grip.
Since I am renting a canoe I do not know the dimensions of the thwart so its frustrating me. How thick and wide of a thwart will your system work on?
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02/04/2021 06:44AM |
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02/04/2021 08:22AM |
Take a look and let me know if you have any questions.
https://milespaddled.com/2020/10/kayak-modifications-installing-a-depth-finder/
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02/04/2021 10:16AM |
Cricket67: "BigDadE: "Question on shooting the transducer through the hull.
This might seem like a silly question but would it s shot through an aluminum canoe it’s just Kevlar?
I’m looking I at a new setup this year (my first) and am wondering about the best way to mount the transducer.
Thanks!"
Well I don't know it's a silly question, but it is the same one I have! "
Aluminum hull works as well. I've done it in a 14-ft aluminum rowboat.
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03/11/2020 02:54PM |
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03/11/2020 05:21AM |
If the detector is drawing 400mA the 8 EUL’s would run it for about 7&1/2 hours. At that current the batteries will put out less total energy and the detector is using it faster.
The 18650 batteries can stand the higher draw without losing total energy out. Looking at the
LGFL1 3350mAh $3.19.
If you use a set of 4 in the holder mentioned on the other site it would supply 400mA for about 7&3/4 hours.
Does your detector have a low voltage alarm?
|
03/11/2020 05:39AM |
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01/30/2021 07:31AM |
This might seem like a silly question but would it s shot through an aluminum canoe or just Kevlar?
I’m looking I at a new setup this year (my first) and am wondering about the best way to mount the transducer.
Thanks!
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07/10/2020 11:53AM |
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07/10/2020 10:38AM |
I switched it to a 10 AA EUL set up and it seems to work fine with the transducer. Its running at 14.5-15 V in the few minutes I ran it. I went through all the options and everything seems ok.
Anyone else experience something like this?
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04/07/2020 07:48AM |
Hawks: "
I have a portable Garmin Striker 4 that is used for fishing from a canoe. The 12V battery made it too heavy so a 8 AA battery pack was used on a trip to the BWCA. However, after two days of limited use the battery pack went dead. "
Out of curiosity, what type of batteries were you using and were they new when you started your trip? I have a Striker 4 (non-CV) and run 8 EUL's, and on my spring trips run it maybe 20-30 hour or so more on a week long trip with no trouble.
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06/09/2020 05:30PM |
I hope it does the trick next month.
I got 2 different size clamps from Tite-lok and will use whichever works out best with my rental canoe. Their pin lock washer system is interesting. The "top" and "front" of each clamp is drilled and tapped to accept a 5/16" 18 thread bolt so there are multiple ways to mount it.
I built a base plate out of 1/2" oak for the striker 4's baseplate to attach to and then a bolt through to the tite-lok clamp. A little stain and poly and it came out nice. I recessed a cut out to fit a rubber washer that grips the pins of their washer. It was a much easier solution than to try and drill out all the little holes accurately to accept all those pins.
I was going to order a bolt with a handle but found the parts to make my own at Lowes. All stainless to keep rust at bay. I cut a notch all around the baseplate to knock a little weight off and to allow some rubber bands to help with cord management.
I had some old pieces of a gymnastics mat that I was able to cut out for the transducer and it hold the display unit during transport. I still don't know how to keep that secure in the boat as it shoots through the hull. I am bringing some "non-marking" plumber's putty and some 3M double sided tape (along with some goo-gone to clean up in case either actually leave a mark).
I small pelican case holds the power supply of 8 EUL AAs. the 1/2" hole I drilled though was epoxied and then marine gooped just in case. The grey foam pieces are just to keep things from moving around. I have an extra bolt, washers, and fuses in there just in case. Im probably thinking about too many "just in case" situations.
Spare batteries in these little holders will go elsewhere in a dry bag. This will give me 3 sets of back ups. I should be able to run for over 35 hours.
All together everything weighs in just under 70 ounces.
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06/09/2020 06:47PM |
ryan72: "I did some tinkering and, thanks to all of your help and ideas, put this together.
I hope it does the trick next month.
I got 2 different size clamps from Tite-lok and will use whichever works out best with my rental canoe. Their pin lock washer system is interesting. The "top" and "front" of each clamp is drilled and tapped to accept a 5/16" 18 thread bolt so there are multiple ways to mount it.
I built a base plate out of 1/2" oak for the striker 4's baseplate to attach to and then a bolt through to the tite-lok clamp. A little stain and poly and it came out nice. I recessed a cut out to fit a rubber washer that grips the pins of the their washer. It was a much easier solution than to try and drill out all the little holes accurately to accept all those pits.
I was going to order a bolt with a handle but found the parts to make my own at Lowes. All stainless to keep rust at bay. I cut a notch all around the baseplate to knock a little weight off and to allow some rubber bands to help with cord management.
I had some old pieces of a gymnastics mat that I was able to cut out for the transducer and it hold the display unit during transport. I still don't know how to keep that secure in the boat as it shoots through the hull. I am bringing some "non-marking" plumber's putty and some 3M double sided tape (along with some goo-gone to clean up in case either actually leave a mark).
I small pelican case holds the power supply of 8 EUL AAs. the 1/2" hole I drilled though was epoxied and then marine gooped just in case. The grey foam pieces are just to keep things from moving around. I have an extra bolt, washers, and fuses in there just in case. Im probably thinking about too many "just in case" situations.
Spare batteries in these little holders will go elsewhere in a dry bag. This will give me 3 sets of back ups. I should be able to run for over 35 hours.
All together everything weighs in just under 70 ounces.
"
Nicely done! I envy your setup over mine for the simplicity and additionally the weight. Looks great. Let us know how it works out. I'm headed up in a month and this looks like another fun project to try to replicate.
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03/08/2020 08:42AM |
Savage Voyageur: "Welcome aboard here. I have this unit on my pontoon boat, good fish finder. The topic of fish finders batteries has been talked about here many times. It’s very easy to find many with the search button top center of the page. There is also someone here who built a clamp on board that holds the fish finder, again in the search. The clamps move in a slotted groove so no need to know the thwart distance. Also many posts about shooting through the hull with a transducer. I like the lightweight metal strap transducer mount that hangs over the side. "
Thank you. I realize this topic has been addressed in multiple posts. I've been reading and researching for several weeks.
I have searched through all of the posts and have seen the clamp on board for the thwart. Its a great design and makes sense, but I do no want to carry that on portages. I was just looking for other ideas people have had success with.
I also have not been able to find info on 8 vs 10 AAa EUL battery life with this specific unit or estimated life of the 18650s on this unit, not the striker 4 or 4 plus. The CV draws more power.
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07/10/2020 07:59PM |
Use the 10 pack - or a dual 8 setup as suggested by MagicPaddler
Measure the dc current under normal operating conditions to get an estimate of runtime. Measure with different settings like screen brightness, transducer modes, etc...
Screen brightness is probably the biggest power suck. I always try to adjust mine (regular striker 4) to the lowest setting that I can still read to save on battery life.
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12/07/2020 10:55PM |
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04/07/2020 10:03AM |
With so much time time available to tinker around I have been playing around with mounting and power options.
EUL AAs can be found for 75 cents each so it is hard to argue with their cost and weight when compared to 18650s.
I like the idea of the 18650s being rechargeable and I have found a charger that will run on my portable solar panel charger (in theory- I haven't tried it yet and don't know how long it will take to charge them). I figure I would need 2 sets of 4 18650s (one set on charge while using the other). The cost just for 18650 batteries and shipping is $60-75. For the same weight of the 8 18650s and their charger I could bring 5-6 sets of 8 AA EULs. But, I don't think I would need that many for the amount of fishing I will be doing. I don't like that the EULs are single use.
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01/27/2021 04:04PM |
casualbriday:
I just technically proficient enough to cause problems for myself, but that should yield about 40 hours of runtime from a 10Ah battery, right? Amazon has 8Ah lithium (LiFePO4) motorcycle batteries in the same price range as a 10Ah sealed lead acid (around $30).
Yes, with the non-CV striker a 10 Ah battery will get you around 40 hours or runtime. If you don't run the display at 100% brightness you should be able to squeeze out more. I measured mine at a few different brightness levels
100% = 240 mA
90% = 205 mA
80% = 190 mA
70% = 182 mA
50% = 180 mA
Decent jump between 100 and 90%, but then after that you don't gain much in power savings.
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03/07/2020 03:46PM |
I have read many, may posts on here and other message boards but still have a few questions I need help with.
I want to make a lightweight DIY setup using a Garmin 4 Plus CV. It is stated to draw 400mA @ 12V. Weight is a priority as I have quite a bit of portaging to do and will be on a 9 day trip where I hope to be able to use the finder 3 or 4 hours a day.
My 3 main questions concern:
1. The power supply
2. An easy to attach mounting strategy to a thwart (rental canoe so no screws). I'm looking at some type of clamp or velcro strap type setup. Not knowing the exact dimensions of the thwart is a challenge.
3.Mounting the transducer to shoot through the hull
1. Power Supply
I have read that 8 Energizer Ultimate Lithiums (EUL) are an effective method of powering a Striker 4 that draws 230mA @ 12V. I understand that using 10 isn't worth it for that model. I haven't been able to find a report of anyone running a 4 Plus CV off of EUL AAs.
Wouldn't 10 EUL batteries be a good option for the 4 Plus CV since it draws nearly double the current of the regular model 4 ? From what I've read the 4 Plus CV runs from 10-20V so 10 EUL batteries, even at their initial high voltage, would be only pushing 15-16V. I've looked at lots of battery discharge curves like this one:
Energize Ultimate Lithium specs
How long do you think 10AA EULs will run 400mA at 12V? What about 8AA EULs?
I don't want to mess with alkaline batteries that weigh more than the EULs. I know their running time will be different and that they are different. I can get EULs for about 85 cents a piece so if I needed to bring 3 sets of 10 it isn't too expensive. The down side is they are not rechargeable.
Another nice looking option would be to go with 4 18650 protected Lithium batteries like this:
LG MJ1 18650
4 come in right under 14.5 V and have an impressive 14000mAh in total.
LG MJ1 18650 specs
Any idea how long these could run the Striker 4 plus CV?
These are rechargeable but a set of 4 is about $40 after shipping and I would need to get a charger so that is added cost. A set of 4 is heavier than 10 EULs but only by about 2 ounces. I haven't been able to find a way to recharge these using my solar solar panel I use now for my portable batteries used to keep my phone charged (I use my phone for pictures and mapping). Its 21W but it's output is 5V via USB.
Anyone know of a way to use a solar panel like this to recharge 18650s? That would be an ideal set up in my opinion.
If these 18650s ran for about 3-4 times as long as EULs then I think they could be they way I go. I'm just not sure on the run time estimates. I'm not in love with throwing away 30 or 40 batteries at the end of a trip.
2. What is the best way to be able to mount and unmount to a thwart. I will be portaging up to 2 miles at a time and some days will have 2 to 5 portages. I need away to relatively quickly mount this and take down for the portages.
3. I have some closed cell foam. Just make a cut out of the transducer and place on the bottom of the canoe? Throw some water on it and its good to go?
Do I need to adhere the foam to the canoe? or just have it sit there? Won't the water leak out if its not puttied/siliconed/etc.. in place? I am renting a kevlar canoe so don't want to damage anything.
I see Garmin also makes this:
garmin in hull transducer mount
Thanks again for any help you can provide!
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03/13/2020 03:51PM |
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03/11/2020 06:41PM |
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12/07/2020 10:13PM |
Perfect dual purpose setup. Thanks again for your great craftsmanship!
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12/07/2020 09:46PM |
ryan72: "I did some tinkering and, thanks to all of your help and ideas, put this together.
I hope it does the trick next month.
I got 2 different size clamps from Tite-lok and will use whichever works out best with my rental canoe. Their pin lock washer system is interesting. The "top" and "front" of each clamp is drilled and tapped to accept a 5/16" 18 thread bolt so there are multiple ways to mount it.
I built a base plate out of 1/2" oak for the striker 4's baseplate to attach to and then a bolt through to the tite-lok clamp. A little stain and poly and it came out nice. I recessed a cut out to fit a rubber washer that grips the pins of their washer. It was a much easier solution than to try and drill out all the little holes accurately to accept all those pins.
I was going to order a bolt with a handle but found the parts to make my own at Lowes. All stainless to keep rust at bay. I cut a notch all around the baseplate to knock a little weight off and to allow some rubber bands to help with cord management.
I had some old pieces of a gymnastics mat that I was able to cut out for the transducer and it hold the display unit during transport. I still don't know how to keep that secure in the boat as it shoots through the hull. I am bringing some "non-marking" plumber's putty and some 3M double sided tape (along with some goo-gone to clean up in case either actually leave a mark).
I small pelican case holds the power supply of 8 EUL AAs. the 1/2" hole I drilled though was epoxied and then marine gooped just in case. The grey foam pieces are just to keep things from moving around. I have an extra bolt, washers, and fuses in there just in case. Im probably thinking about too many "just in case" situations.
Spare batteries in these little holders will go elsewhere in a dry bag. This will give me 3 sets of back ups. I should be able to run for over 35 hours.
All together everything weighs in just under 70 ounces.
Hi!
Being that I now own this little beauty of yours--2 questions. Did you shoot the transducer right through the hull while mounted in the foam? And did you put water on the transducer to make it work?
2nd, how did your battery pack finally work out on your trip?
Thanks! Great work on the customizing!
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12/07/2020 09:55PM |
I used some duct seal along the outside of the foam in hopes of holding water in. It worked ok, but again, probably overkill. I read you can also use duct seal to directly to the transducer and not worry about anything else.
The key is that it must send through water and not through air or a foam area on your hull. You can actually hear the transducer sounding when you lift the boat up and it isn't shooting through water, plus the screen will show you its not working properly. I saw this when we unloaded and I didn't yet turn off the device.
The battery pack was great. You'll get tons of run time off of one set. I don't have any measurements to provide you specifics. I only used one set of batteries on our trip and didn't need to change them. I would do some testing on your own to get specifics although the math others post here is likely very accurate.
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01/27/2021 05:06PM |
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01/27/2021 06:21PM |
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01/27/2021 07:25PM |
I am really looking forward to paddling with it. As I mentioned--I bought the pictured item above from Ryan and it really is a slick setup for a canoe.
That said-- I am thinking you all are right--if there is one negative to the whole thing it is the battery life of using AA batteries. The battery pack takes 10 AAs. I started with new Eveready Lithium. Went through about 30 batteries so far. The average life span was about 5 hours with them. You can see when the voltage starts to drop it very quickly will shut down.
So I switched to rechargeable AA lithium and after 2 full drains--they seem to last about 3-4 hours. I really want to take less weight into canoe country, but am thinking a motorcycle battery may work better.
I am by no means a battery expert. What would be the best type of rechargeable motorcycle battery to get--and one that would be not a killer to portage?
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01/27/2021 08:19PM |