> Does anyone know about the PowerSonic battery I just bought from A/C Spruce?
> In the catalog it states it is a "Sealed Maintenance free, recombined oxygen
> cycle battery" (catalog page 324, 26 amp-hour). I took this to mean a
> recombinant gas battery (RG battery) as recommended by Bob Knuckolls.
>
> Now on opening the package, the invoice I get says it is a "Gell Cell
> battery" which Knuckolls does not recommend.
>
> THEN I call them to clarify, and they refer me to Allied Battery here in
> Seattle. I was just AT Allied shopping for a battery and they would NOT sell
> me the same battery I just bought from ACS. Allied said they could not
> guaranty the battery because it was not meant to be charged from an
> automotive type regulator.
>
> Who's right? Is this an RG or Gell Cell? Can it be charged with an
> alternator/regulator? Should I just give up and get a lead-acid battery?
> I have the same battery, it has worked fine for the first 8 hours, I like to
> know if there is a problem with this installation now that my A/C is
> aaaaalmost ready to fly.
I'd be very surprised if it's a real Gel-Cell . . . If operated
not over 14.4 volts it will be fine . . .
BTW, some conversations with various Lead-Acid battery manufacturers
over the past week has yielded the following:
There is a slight difference in recommended charging voltages between
batteries made from "virgin lead" versus "recycled lead" which has
some calcium in it. Most batteries have recycled lead and like to
operate at 13.8 for their 100% recharge voltage (room temp) while
a few batteries like the B&C products are new, clean lead and are
happier at the 14.4 setting.
The consequences of operating a virgin lead battery at "too low"
a bus voltage simply means that you don't recharge it as quickly
nor does it get "topped off" . . . the exact capacity limit is not
known to me yet but I suspect it's still better than 90%. Soooooo,
difference in performance will be hard to perceive and service
life will be good too.
I'll be talking to more folk over the next few weeks and will publish
a more complete article on the topic.
While on the topic of batteries, there was a lot of discussion
a few months back about the evils of paralleling and some
suggestions circulated about needing "battery isolators" for
proper operation of dual batteries. The piece I did on battery
paralleling <http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/bat_iso2.pdf>
has been reviewed by two manufacturers and blessed. I'll
publish further details in a few weeks.
We'll be in California for the next week. I have a critical
design review to attend for a few days and I'm taking the
family along for some R&R. Back on-line the 29th.
Bob . . .
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