A few battery questions

[Fenderbean]

I am building an RV10 and will need to do the battery mount and auto pilot servo mounts soon.
is there some new battery tech out there for better lighter batteries for airplanes? Not sure if it matters but I plan to run a generator type on the back of the motor with the primary alternator.

I also would like to add something to keep the battery in charged during hangar times so any help here is also appreciated

Lastly I would like to add an external power support so I dont get stuck in my travels.....Any recommendations here would be nice as well, I feel having a small door on the tail cone vs inside the baggage area is better to prevent ground support peeps at an airport that may unplug for you an easier less room for error solution. Much rather have a small charge door left open vs my baggage door.

THanks up front!!

 

[bertschb]

I am building an RV10 and will need to do the battery mount and auto pilot servo mounts soon.
is there some new battery tech out there for better lighter batteries for airplanes? Not sure if it matters but I plan to run a generator type on the back of the motor with the primary alternator.

I also would like to add something to keep the battery in charged during hangar times so any help here is also appreciated

Lastly I would like to add an external power support so I dont get stuck in my travels.....Any recommendations here would be nice as well, I feel having a small door on the tail cone vs inside the baggage area is better to prevent ground support peeps at an airport that may unplug for you an easier less room for error solution. Much rather have a small charge door left open vs my baggage door.

THanks up front!!

Lots of discussions here regarding "lighter" and "newer" battery options. Not all would consider them "better".

Here is one option:
Battery

 

[PhatRV]

I am building an RV10 and will need to do the battery mount and auto pilot servo mounts soon.
is there some new battery tech out there for better lighter batteries for airplanes? Not sure if it matters but I plan to run a generator type on the back of the motor with the primary alternator.

I also would like to add something to keep the battery in charged during hangar times so any help here is also appreciated

Lastly I would like to add an external power support so I dont get stuck in my travels.....Any recommendations here would be nice as well, I feel having a small door on the tail cone vs inside the baggage area is better to prevent ground support peeps at an airport that may unplug for you an easier less room for error solution. Much rather have a small charge door left open vs my baggage door.

THanks up front!!

I build an battery charger extension using this type of connector to help with the battery trickle charger. I have a car starter battery with similar connector hook up to help starting the airplane in the case the battery is undercharged while away from home.

 

[kirkbauer]

I think EarthX makes batteries that are lighter and better than older technology. Some will disagree but plenty of people have installed EarthX.

 

[Fenderbean]

I think EarthX makes batteries that are lighter and better than older technology. Some will disagree but plenty of people have installed EarthX.

I have seen those on here like you mentioned, just didnt know if there were any newer brands out there since I hadnt really looked in a few years.

 

[rocketman1988]

I have seen those on here like you mentioned, just didnt know if there were any newer brands out there since I hadnt really looked in a few years.

Earthx is probably about the best in the lithium arena. Lots of discussion out there about them.They are much lighter than lead acid batteries.

There is a whole other discussion about weight and balance in the -10 which the battery weight falls into. Basically everything you load into a -10 moves the cg aft and there isn’t a real good way to move it forward. You therefore need to start with a more forward empty cg.

I have dual ETX900 batteries in my -10 and they are going on 6 years old; still work great.

 

[wirejock]

EarthX. I have a Noco Genius 10 harness on mine, but it doesn't stay on trickle. It's one of the circuits on my Switcheon. I turn it on 30 min before flight. I also use it on power supply mode when I have the panel on in the hangar. And yes, I spoke to Keenan @ EarthX about it. he said the Noco was a good charger for the EarthX on Lithium mode. I also have a Dynon OAT probe mounted above the battery to monitor temp. I took the tour. It's quite the facility and worth the visit if you're in Windsor, CO.

Just my opinion...
I wouldn't bother with a GPU harness. There are lots of batteries similar in size available in most cities. Easy swap to get home.

 

[Ironflight]

I have seen those on here like you mentioned, just didnt know if there were any newer brands out there since I hadnt really looked in a few years.

EarthX has been out there making LiFepo batteries for well over a decade (I know because we put one in our Tundra when we built it, and that just past ten years since first flight). Lots of experince, and they have gotten their batteries FAA certified for spam cans, so there is some basis for trust.

You can let the EarthX sit without charging for six months (at least) with no trickle charge, which is how I would (and do) do it. We let our Tundra sit for six months and then it fires right up.

For external power, if you just want to put a few amps in for ground testibgn of systems and lights, you can use any kidn of connector on the battery. If you want full-up charge/ground assist for starting - Bob Knuckolls has a great design I have used several times - uses the Piper-style single-pin jack (also know in the trucker worlds, and far, far, far cheaper from those suppliers than aviation suppliers….) which most FBO’s have.

(Note that I don’t use a jump start to launch with a dead battery - I use it if the airplane is ice cold, hgas been sitting on a ramp, and I want to save the battery from working to hard - I put the load on the FBO start cart and keep my battery happy. Learned to fly in Minnesota winters, so I am sensitive to cold weather flying….).

Paul

 

[Fenderbean]

Thanks everyone, seems pretty straight forward I understand the need to keep weight out of the tail for CG purposes. I have an AC idea that will requires a mount above the batteries so weight saving is a a good thing. I will ditch the GPU idea I think, wasnt planning it orig just worried about those after hours and weekends times.

Bob why do you need two of the EX900 batteries? Backup for IFR?

Paul, I saved all the videos u made and what I review prior to starting my 10, could do any of the usual classes. YouTube is a great thing!

 

[Pilot135pd]

I recommend you do a search here and read what other RV-10 owners have installed in theirs. Remember that you have a bigger engine than the majority here with their 320/360/390 engines. See what the RV-10 owners who have installed the batteries say about them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a couple of Odyssey PC680s.

 

[sansoneservices]

EarthX .. lighter, smaller, stronger and even FAA approved for Certified aircraft. Charge cord like phatrv posted above is all you need.

 

[Fenderbean]

I recommend you do a search here and read what other RV-10 owners have installed in theirs. Remember that you have a bigger engine than the majority here with their 320/360/390 engines. See what the RV-10 owners who have installed the batteries say about them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a couple of Odyssey PC680s.

The search function here is not very good, I always search things, youtube and whatever else i can find.

 

[sansoneservices]

If you decide to stick with old school lead batteries Odyssey is my choice, spillproof electrolyte, less picky regarding charging protocol. Remember if you need more cranking amps you can always pair 2 batts in parallel. I've seen lithium batts in parallel as well

 

[Carl Froehlich]

Some thoughts:
- As discussed, with the standard engine and Hartzell prop your will want to have battery weight in the tail. You can always have a big tool box or such but just remember with no one in the back you will be nose heavy.
- I do two PC-625 batteries in my RV-10. Easy to modify the stock tray to do this. The two batteries feed separate busses. The design provided backup modes of operation (instead of adding backup batteries). The power design is attached as is photo of the modified battery tray.
- The two PC-625 batteries can be replaced with EarthX if desired.
- I have a 15 amp switch breaker on the panel with a pig tail. The pig tail connects to a regulated 30 amp power supply. This is more than enough power to run the panel and keep the batteries topped off. I never run a battery tender, minder or such. I suggest you skip any GPU setup.
- For access to the batteries and the ELT I added a hinged doors in the aft bulkhead. Note the added angle to provide the needed reinforcement.

Carl

 

[Rodo1fo]

For those who will be using an SDS system, is it currently reasonable to use two Earthx batteries, or is a lead-acid battery more advisable?

 

[dmattmul]

Do a weight and balance for your mission and components. What you will probably find is with 4 adults (or even 2 adults and teenagers) you are going to be close to max gross weight or over (Providing you use Vans published engineering number for gross) Keep everything as light as possible. Going with 2 Earth X batteries vs AGM saves one over 20 lbs. Composite prop vs traditional another 20 lbs.+. My configuration (painted, Earth-X batteries, built in O2, composite prop, full interior including baggage area) came out within CG limits but I like a lighter nose so keep 50 lbs salt in the baggage area and when I need to fly with 4 people remove the added rear baggage. Good luck!

Method to trickle charge the rear batteries if needed: (rated 20 amps)

Theres also a member here making 3D printed mounts for single and dual Earth X batteries. Very nice!! Maybe somebody can post info?

 

[JeffPeters]

The search function here is not very good, I always search things, youtube and whatever else i can find.

Use Google, in the search bar use the syntax
Site://vansairforce.net earthx batteries

Works much better with no limitations of normal forum search bars

 

[rocketman1988]

Thanks everyone, seems pretty straight forward I understand the need to keep weight out of the tail for CG purposes. I have an AC idea that will requires a mount above the batteries so weight saving is a a good thing. I will ditch the GPU idea I think, wasnt planning it orig just worried about those after hours and weekends times.

Bob why do you need two of the EX900 batteries? Backup for IFR?

Paul, I saved all the videos u made and what I review prior to starting my 10, could do any of the usual classes. YouTube is a great thing!

I have an electrically dependent aircraft (oh,no!), and my electrical architecture is a dual bus system. The batteries are also around twelve feet from the starter and while not necessary, I use the batteries in parallel for starting.

 

[Pilot135pd]

.... when I need to fly with 4 people remove the added rear baggage.

When I flew EMS we used to call some of the medics and nurses "self loading baggage"

 

[togaflyer]

Check out the Odyssey PC950 battery. Lots of cranking power and reserve amps. Not as sensitive as an EarthX with a BMS.
I installed a Piper type plug in the tail section aft of the baggage door in the rear bulk head. This is in case I ever need a jump on the ramp. Easy to install but will need a toggle switch installed to open/close the ground circuit for the solenoid. Also have a Battery Tender plug attached directly to the battery (as a previous post mentioned) Install any plug or switch in the upper rear bulkhead since the lower bulkhead is removed for inspection.

 

[Richard Connell]

Do a weight and balance for your mission and components. What you will probably find is with 4 adults (or even 2 adults and teenagers) you are going to be close to max gross weight or over (Providing you use Vans published engineering number for gross) Keep everything as light as possible. Going with 2 Earth X batteries vs AGM saves one over 20 lbs. Composite prop vs traditional another 20 lbs.+. My configuration (painted, Earth-X batteries, built in O2, composite prop, full interior including baggage area) came out within CG limits but I like a lighter nose so keep 50 lbs salt in the baggage area and when I need to fly with 4 people remove the added rear baggage. Good luck!

Method to trickle charge the rear batteries if needed: (rated 20 amps)

Theres also a member here making 3D printed mounts for single and dual Earth X batteries. Very nice!! Maybe somebody can post info?

View attachment 118557

This mirrors my setup and mission. Full tanks, two teenagers and baggage gets to gross pretty quickly. burn off all the fuel and you’re close to the rear of the envelope.
It’s easy to add dead weight (tools, water,salt bags whatever) to bring the CG rearward. Not so easy to remove it.

I have odysseys but at some stage will swap them out for earthx to get myself an extra 20lb of flexility.

 

[lr172]

I recommend you do a search here and read what other RV-10 owners have installed in theirs. Remember that you have a bigger engine than the majority here with their 320/360/390 engines. See what the RV-10 owners who have installed the batteries say about them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a couple of Odyssey PC680s.

I have two powersonic 18 AH batteries in my 10 and very happy. While I would enjoy losing 10 - 15 lbs back there, i still avoid batteries with a BMS. A debate for another day.

 

[gasman]

For external power, if you just want to put a few amps in for ground testibgn of systems and lights, you can use any kidn of connector on the battery. If you want full-up charge/ground assist for starting - Bob Knuckolls has a great design I have used several times - uses the Piper-style single-pin jack (also know in the trucker worlds, and far, far, far cheaper from those suppliers than aviation suppliers….) which most FBO’s have.

Paul

A standard item at most Auto Parts store....

 

[Fenderbean]

Again thanks, I’m trying to save weight where I can for fuel and luggage. My a/c solution is removable when not needed for this reason and I’m trying to keep it light on priming as well. Crazy how fast things add up.