I like running the Nimh batteries. I build my own packs. Not really that hard, you just need a hot soldering iron with a large tip. I run the 30a discharge cells. I get mine from all-battery.com. Just paid $7.20 a cell. I ran these are 10ah cells. I run two packs for 20ah at 6volts in my Marlborough. Never had a problem with running out except when I had a cell go bad at NAT's.
I think those are the same cells I used to build the packs for my Nagato. They also make a pre-wired 10Ah set. I use 4 of them in my Nagato. The pre-wired packs work out to be slightly more expensive, but they are a time saver. Here's the link: http://www.batteryspace.com/nimhbatterypack60v10ah5xdprewired.aspx 10Ah of NiMHs is probably equivalent to 12Ah of SLAs because the discharge curve on the NiMHs is much flatter. Either way stick with a single pack that powers all the systems, makes wiring easier and you dont run into the problem of having a bunch of power in one battery, but the other is dead. Definately a bad day
Wait, does that mean that I should hook up my two 10amp NIMH in parallel and use them to power everything?
Oh, what I meant was is it better to power everything with the batteries in parallel as oppose to powering them with the batteries not in parallel?
Personally, I would use them in parallel vs single. A 20 ah total capacity will handle high amp draws better than a single 10 ah capacity. For instance, if the NiMHs were 5c discharge rate (5 times the battery capacity), two 10ah batteries in parallel could give 100 amps (5 x (10 + 10) = 100). A single 10 ah battery could only handle a 50 amp draw (5 x 10 = 50). Although few ships actually pull 100 amps, the higher amp draw capacity will help keep the voltage from dropping as much under load. Higher voltage under load means better pump performance ... which incidently is why Nicad, NiMH, and Lipo/LiFE cell chemistry shines versus SLAs.
Sounds like that's the way to go. you'd also be able to drain both batteries that way too. Does anyone know what the sizes are on the pump housing? I'm working on the water channeling right now, and was wanting to be sure that the pump will fit BEFORE I epoxy everything in place. TIA!!!
Kind of a stupid question, but if my batteries are in parallel, how do I hook up both the motors and the pump with there being only one battery connecter to plug into?
Could you send me a link of where you get yours? Because all I can find is the parallel Y connector for the batteries, but not a Y connector that plugs into the battery plug.
grab a soldering iron, some wire, and some connectors, and make your own custom Y-harness to perfectly fit your boat.
What kind of grease should I use on the motors and prop shafts? Would that cheap 3 in 1 multi purpose oil be ok to use? Because thats all I have on hand right now.
its a little thin for the stuffing tubes in the long term, but it does the job fine in the short term and is what I use on my motor bushings. I usually use a light application of white lithium grease for the stuffing tube / propshaft.
Grease is the right choice for lubing prop shafts and gears. Most any kind will work well enough but you can buy a small tube of white lithium grease pretty cheap.
