Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Fishing Forum :: Best Battery Option for Fish Locator?
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AluminumBarge |
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bombinbrian |
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tazzeroo2002 |
I decided to go the route of building a battery pack out of AA batteries. I decided that this was the most weight-efficient option. From the research I did, a set-up with 8AA batteries should produce 12V, and provide enough power to run the Garmin unit with limited backlight for 20 hours. I figured a second set of batteries on reserve would cover us for our hours of fishing on our trip. I put together the 8 AA portable pack and wired it into my power cord for the unit. To my surprise (disappointment), when I hooked it up with brand new out-of-the-box Rayovac batteries, the Garmin unit indicated 12V initially, but within a few hours is down to 9.7V. This is with the backlight turned off. It dropped pretty steadily to 10V, and then the drop seemed to slow down. I am surprised the unit was still powered on. I'm wondering why this didn't live up to expectations. a.) Was it the batteries? I know there are higher quality AA batteries than Rayovac. Would I expect to see significantly better voltage/life from Lithium batteries? b.) Was it the fact that for now I just have the wires from the battery pack to the power cord wire-nutted together? (See picture 1) Perhaps with a better connection I'd get more voltage? (I can't solder them together, as I need to be able to disconnect at times. I'm not sure how much better connection I will be able to get with a plug type connector. When I ordered the battery pack, it came as a two-pack. I ordered a Pelican 1020 case, and both battery packs fit snuggly in the case. (See picture 2). What would happen if I wired the two battery packs together to power the unit with 16 AA batteries. In theory this should produce 24 volts. The specs on the Garmin say it operates on 10-20V. I suspect this could still damage the unit? Anyone have any thoughts on this idea? My other option is to scrap the idea of the AA battery pack and instead go to something like these: 20AH https://www.amazon.com/QWW-12V10AH-LiFePo4-Battery-suitable/dp/B0BR7RNVYN/ref=asc_df_B0BR8XDC87/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=652425522897&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16643438434713575305&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019086&hvtargid=pla-2056764110106&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7PCjBhDwARIsANo7CgkELNC1wTmzjgxCPW6Qp1kvQDy2mEQJ3LAmNdyxLbFJxm8PPCtqXc4aAunHEALw_wcB&th=1 10AH https://dakotalithium.com/product/dakota-lithium-12v-10ah-battery/ 12AH https://dakotalithium.com/product/dakota-lithium-12v-12ah-18-amp-hour-lifepo4-iron-phosphate-battery/ I welcome any thoughts or other ideas. |
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Bushman |
Been using this system for 4 years now. No issues. |
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A1t2o |
This gets you a clean and longer lasting battery. DeWalt or Milwaukee will work and there might be other options out there. |
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JD |
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Bobaaa |
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YaMarVa |
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Pinetree |
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Jaywalker |
I do seem to recall our resident expert MagicPaddler explaining how 8 in lithium was enough, but maybe not for alkaline. I think this was the thread. I also do not get why you would need to disconnect the wires. I did not solder mine, just twist and tape. I'd definitely try good lithiums before making any other changes. |
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Jaywalker |
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Steenbeen |
I went this route because the Yeti 200X can recharge phones, lights, gps units, etc. It also has the capability to be easily recharged with Goal Zero solar panels. I use a 20W panel and it will charge the 200X pretty well in full sunlight. I am willing to bet that if it was a clear, sunny day and the solar panel was hooked up, the battery would not drop at all while the unit was being used. |
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Pinetree |
Find out your system's low-voltage functionality. |
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gsfisher13 |
Bold North Outdoors Yes, you COULD build one yourself, i chose not to. Get a couple of lithium 12v batteries and the solar charger and it'll last you all week. For reference I can run my fishfinder for 20ish hours on that setup before a recharge is needed. |