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EarthX and Battery Box

Bungalow Al

Member
Greetings,

Anyone have any advice on which EarthX Battery fits in the standard QB Fuselage Battery Box on the RV14?

I know that I can order a custom box from EarthX, but have been told that some like the ETX900 actually are slip in replacements for the PC680?

Any info always appreciated from this bastion of great knowledge and experience.............:)

TIA
 
I don’t believe the ETX900 fits the PC680 box. I know when I swapped out my PC680 for the ETX900 I ordered and installed the EarthX battery box specifically for the battery. In my case the swap out involved just two screws - but of course getting to them and installing the new box was a half day effort with a price paid by my hands and back!
 
ETX900, 14/14A battery box

The depth of the ETX680/900 is a bit more than the Odyssey PC680, so the front "lip" of the battery box interferes with the battery case.

You could easily remove this lip, attach a piece of .040" angle a little farther forward, and you would need to add a couple of AN960 washers and a longer AN3 bolt for the front hold down strap.

See pic.
 

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EarthX battery

Al,

Not a -14 but I have an Odyssey PC680 in an aft fuselage battery mount behind the baggage compartment in my -8. It is mounted on the floor in a mount made by a company called StreetRays. I have been considering upgrading to the ETX 900 and got an empty case from EarthX for fitment testing. Yes the E case on the ETX 900 is slightly deeper than a PC680 but the ETX 900 does fit the StreetRays mount in the first picture below.

I saw the second mount below online and it looks like it could be made to fit the ETX 900 by slightly elongating the front screw mounting holes if needed. It may fit as is though.

I’m not sure where the standard QB fuselage battery mount on the -14 is, if it’s on the firewall not sure these mounts would work since these appear to be floor mounts. Just some options.....



 
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Thanks everyone for the info, advice, and help. Going to look at possibly modifying the current box for the ETX900, or more likely just replacing it with the box you can get from EarthX.

Since I don't have the Engine hung yet, now is a good time!

Thanks again!
 
14A Battery Location

Looking for opinions on battery location for 14A. Im thinking that the firewall is a pretty harsh enviornment for the battery. Maybe I am overthinking it...
 
Looking for opinions on battery location for 14A. Im thinking that the firewall is a pretty harsh enviornment for the battery. Maybe I am overthinking it...

If it is designed for the automotive world I would think it will be fine on the firewall. Personally I wouldn't want to have a runaway lithium battery without a firewall for protection.
 
YMMV on EarthX fit to 680 box

The depth of the ETX680/900 is a bit more than the Odyssey PC680, so the front "lip" of the battery box interferes with the battery case.

You could easily remove this lip, attach a piece of .040" angle a little farther forward, and you would need to add a couple of AN960 washers and a longer AN3 bolt for the front hold down strap.

See pic.

Based on a conversation that I had with EarthX yesterday (and at SnF), I believe that the ***currently shipping** EarthX "680 containers" are a few mm THINNER and *should* fit.

If you bought the battery some time ago, it will be MORE THAN snug.

If you are about to buy one now, check with EarthX and they will give you the updated dimensions.

Kathy, PLEASE correct me if I misspoke.
 
Are the dimensions from the OEM websites not correct:

PC680: 7.27 L x 3.11 W x 7.55 H
ETX900: 6.5" L x 3" W x 6.6" H
ETX680: 6.5" L x 3" W x 6.6" H

So the earth x should just slide in right??
 
Earth X environment

Looking for opinions on battery location for 14A. Im thinking that the firewall is a pretty harsh enviornment for the battery. Maybe I am overthinking it...

The temperature in the location of a plans-built RV-14 maintains 30 - 35 F over ambient conditions on the firewall. I have a thermocouple imbedded in the front of the battery and monitor this. Perfectly happy after 4 years. If you want a second battery suggest same location pilot side. If located lower the temps are in the 50 to 55 F over ambient. OK most of the time but a long wait on departure turns on the internal over-temp caution light. Once heat soaked takes a while for the light to go out. I've never seen a warning light on the plans recommended location. Stay with Earth-X, worth the extra money and peace of mind.
 
Thanks everyone for the info, advice, and help. Going to look at possibly modifying the current box for the ETX900, or more likely just replacing it with the box you can get from EarthX.

Since I don't have the Engine hung yet, now is a good time!

Thanks again!

Might I suggest going ahead and replacing the battery box with the EarthX box. It will be worth your efforts.

For those unfamiliar with the 14, unlike other RVs, the plans call for the battery box on the 14 to be riveted to the firewall. That is not my preference for securing the box so I have set nut plates strategically on the firewall angles where the box is mounted and use 4 flush head screws instead of the rivets.
 
I spoke with EarthX tech a couple of days ago and he told me they redesigned the ETX680 and ETX900 to fit in the same battery box as the PC680. The PC680 has been less that desirable for the last 2 years. Really looking forward to the lithium upgrade.
 
EarthX size and the Odyssey PC680 size

Based on a conversation that I had with EarthX yesterday (and at SnF), I believe that the ***currently shipping** EarthX "680 containers" are a few mm THINNER and *should* fit.

If you bought the battery some time ago, it will be MORE THAN snug.

If you are about to buy one now, check with EarthX and they will give you the updated dimensions.

Kathy, PLEASE correct me if I misspoke.

I apologize for just seeing this. In October of 2022, the EarthX "E" cased batteries (ETX680, ETX900, ETX900-VNT, ETX1200) went on a diet and lost 2.5mm in the width dimension so it will fit easily in all of the Van's RV boxes, regardless of which one you have (as there are multiple ones over the years). We also did this because there is a battery box in the GA market that also needed our battery to be a bit thinner too.

The posted dimensions for the Odyssey battery website is slightly incorrect as they state it is 3.11" in width, but it is much closer to 3.0". Not much, but it did make for a too snug fit for our battery beforehand. Hope that helps clarify things.

If in doubt, please reach out as we are always happy to assist you.
 
Earth X

Since I already had a flying RV and didn’t want to change the battery box to the stainless box, I formed a stainless insert that fits between the battery and mount for thermal protection. My friend has a shear and break which helped in the fabrication. Easy mod that will provide thermal protection. If you are building however I’d just get the box from Earth-X as it’s really a nice unit.
 
does it fit ?

does'nt appear to fit
 

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