For SLA batteries, I prefer CSB. They seem to be able to cram a couple more AH into the same-sized case than anybody else & I've never had a problem with one. I found a local battery distributor that hooked me up with what might be a lifetime supply (I was working for Nortel at the time, & I didn't discourage them from possibly thinking that they might be getting a bunch of repeat business...). JM
Okay part B what type of Batter charge you think I should get? looking at Great Planes ElectriFly Triton Jr DC Computer Charger
My Des Moines is powered by 15AH total of 6V NIMH high discharge packs. 12 AH primary power, and 3AH of auxilliary power. (Enough to go around the pond for a while after main power is exhausted. switchable from the TX). NIMH is light enough that I can put two more packs in to get it to 21AH, but there isn't a need really. It weighs a lot less than the 6.6AH of SLA I had in her before, and lasts a lot longer. I used the weight reductions to move to a 9oz tank from a 6oz. Boy oh boy that made a difference in staying power. NIMH = Heavy Cruiser Viagra. Built my own packs using these (since I wanted a custom "pyramid" shape and 6V: http://www.all-battery.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1574
I'm planning on going with NiMHs on my USS Salt Lake City and HIJMS Tone also. I was planning on 7.2 volts, but making my own 6V packs might be nice too...
As long as they are the "Tabbed Cells" then soldering them together is a piece of cake. To keep the pack held together, instead of the shrink wrap, I've been gluing the cells together with skotchkote. That stuff is great for everything it seems. Regardless, always make sure to cover the positive terminal's vent holes with scotchkote to prevent rust. Those vent holes are what keeps it from going boom if you overcharge it. But to put packmaking in perspective, it takes a lot more sophistication/knowhow to make a MAG Throttle than it does to assemble tabbed cells into a battery pack. They're made for hobbyists like us without the special equipment normally required to make a pack.
I use the 6 volt 12amp sla batteries myself. For the most part, they will fit in all the ships I am interested in. I would however look at NiHM batteries for a cruiser. There are pictures on the forum of a Mogami class cruiser with the bottle in the middle of the batteries. That is a very nice set-up.
6V 12AH SLA's is what I had to use for my WW1 South Dakota. Course that's where I'm looking for lots of ballast that happens to provide electric power. (being a small ship guy where SLA batteries are the enemy for weight, that's been something of a shock let me tell you) That's how all of my ships are setup. Bottle in middle, batteries to the sides sitting on top of the water channel.
Okay so how many of these (10) from the link are in your pack I'm not by any means an electrician I need this spelled out in like slow motion []
lol me 2 i mite need it someday i am a carpenter and when it comes to electricity i jest cut it out. lol some time i pop the braker . 120 tho 240 i ask for help
5 cells per pack. The ones I'm using in my Kumano are SubC 4500 mAh. 11 oz per pack, 4.5 amps, with 10C batteries. They can put out 42 amps if required. I'm running 3 packs in parallel, which gives me 13.5 amps capacity, with a max output of 126 amps, I can run one hum dinger of a pump motor, SubC at 33 oz, vs SLA at 44 oz.
Each NIMH cell is 1.2v. For a 6V pack, you need 5. I bought 3 packages of 10 some time ago for my cruiser. It's reasonably important to get all the ones you want in the ship simultaneously at the same time. Not mandatory, but the cells are more likely to be closer matched and they'll run better when running multiple packs in parallel. Just rotate the extra packs (if any) through to keep them equally used for maximum longetivity. (If one battery pack has less resistance than the others, then it'll get pulled from more.)
