Vic Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 No worries just ping me directly if you change your mind! Yep I hear ya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 The Auto Zone in Lawrenceville Illinois shows they have one in stock. Not sure if the store will ship or not, but you could check. They are about 25 miles from me. If push come to shove I could pick it up and ship it to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGray Posted February 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2022 Thanks Tom! I just tried calling them but no one picked up. I'll try again shortly. I have accounts with UPS and FedEx, so maybe they would be willing to slap a label on it if it's in a box. Fingers crossed, really appreciate looking for me! I'll check a few that are a little more local to me as well. Thanks again Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGray Posted February 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2022 Well, the Autozones were a bust. The one in Illinois was dated March of 2020 and didn't show any voltage. There was one a few hours from my house at a AZ too but it was Jan 2020 and also failed the test, so I'm still hot on the trail. Appreciate all the help guys, and thanks for that lead Tom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted February 21, 2022 Report Share Posted February 21, 2022 Check out my AutoZone. They say the have one in stock https://www.autozone.com/miscellaneous-non-automotive/power-sport-battery/p/odyssey-battery-extreme-pc310-agm-ready-to-ride-power-sport-battery-100-cca/7592_0_0?cmpid=LIA:US:EN:AD:NL:1000000:BAC:8366688869&gclid=CjwKCAiA6seQBhAfEiwAvPqu10yTnvZ5D3uqeaABQJj871Rev4TaP1B2diM51IgaRiSpIqIW3pQufxoCfqsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGray Posted February 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2022 Thanks Vic! Is that the Lawrenceville Illinois one? It may be my settings also since that was the last store I looked at. They do have one, but said it won't connect to their battery tester and shows no voltage, and is dated March of 2020. They figure it's defective at this point. I did find a few listed from a battery chain in Missouri, I'm going to give them a call tomorrow and see if those ones are a bit newer. I'm half wondering if A/Z's battery testers just aren't setup for these batteries, or if both I found from A/Z's are actually defective sitting on the shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted February 21, 2022 Report Share Posted February 21, 2022 3112 Solomons Island Dr Edgewater, MD 21037 Store #4637 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted February 21, 2022 Report Share Posted February 21, 2022 This one is conveniently located next to Lee apriport KANP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted February 21, 2022 Report Share Posted February 21, 2022 On 2/17/2022 at 7:31 PM, Madhatter said: Has anyone looked at Lithium Iron Phosphate, it doesn't have the fire issues as Lithium Ion. Wings and Wheels sells them for sailplanes. I have one in my modified cub for avionics, it is 10 amp/hr and works great. I think that is the only lithium tech people should be using in an airplane. Way more voltage and temperature stable than a standard Lithium Ion battery. I keep thinking I'm going to switch out to a LiFePo battery, but every time I do the math on it it doesn't really save me any money (it's a 5-ish year replacement over my current 3-ish with the Odyssey) when you factor in the battery life vs. cost. The longer interval is nice, but not enough to entice me to mess with making a custom battery tray. And for the battery size we use I think it's only a couple of pounds weight savings. I'm happy to be corrected if somebody has a better take on the cost/weight/life on these batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted February 21, 2022 Report Share Posted February 21, 2022 I can absolutely say the change out is worth it. The odyssey batteries can't fully crank the engines. They can't deliver the power. Retrofitted the earthx battery and it is a night and day difference in crank power. Even in sub 20f temps, it can still start, without preheat. Partner accidentally flipped the alternator off in flight for ~45m to an hour before noticing. It is a pricey change out for sure, but it's a much better battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGray Posted February 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2022 Thanks everyone, and thanks Vic for the lead. That one is January 2020 also, best I can tell these things probably haven't been made since COVID. Rediculous, really. But we are in some rediculous times. So at this point it appears my choices are: Wait until next month or later for a replacement PC310 Get an MRA for a replacement, either the EarthX or the PC545, both of which appear to be readily available, at least right now. The 5 lb weight difference isn't a huge deal to me, and I like the fact it is 1/3 the price of the EarthX and readily available from many sources. Going to kick this one around a bit. And of course, I was planning on listing the plane after the annual next month. $115k firm if anyone is interested, with the floats and trigear. ADSB in, not out. N649CT. 2012 CTLS Lite. Garmin 795 GPS (with MRA). Approx 280 hours total time. Clamar floats haven't been back on since reconditioning at Clamar. Will need hoses later this year, otherwise won't need much until the 2024 repack of the chute. Thanks for all the help everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted February 21, 2022 Report Share Posted February 21, 2022 4 hours ago, Anticept said: Retrofitted the earthx battery and it is a night and day difference in crank power. Even in sub 20f temps, it can still start, without preheat. Which model EarthX are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted February 22, 2022 Report Share Posted February 22, 2022 https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/etx680c Lightweight battery box: https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/custom-fit-aluminum-battery-box-etx680c Thermally insulating battery box: https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/bb-tbc-thermal-battery-box-c-case Charger: https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/optimate-tm-275-9-5a-13-2v-lithium-battery-charger or https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/optimate-lithium-battery-charger-lifepo4 There is an extra wire on the battery. That is connected to the charge circuitry inside. You can wire it (fused) to a light in your panel to warn you if there is a battery problem as detected by the electronics. I also recommend a set of the quick connect cables such as https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/etx-qcc2 or https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/earthx-48-quick-connect-cable . I wanted my battery to have direct connection to the charger because the battery electronics and the smart chargers above are designed to work together, and resistance in the line is not ideal. So I ran the wires inside behind the panel and I plug in my charger there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted March 15, 2022 Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 Yeah thanks Corey, I missed your response until just now. $379 is not that much more than the Odyssey…you are making a good case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted March 15, 2022 Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 You need a charger too. One designed for the earthx is 100-200. Without it, the BMS reset in case of a battery issue is much more tedious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted April 15, 2022 Report Share Posted April 15, 2022 Resurrecting this thread! Corey, can you tell me how involved the installation is? With the lightweight battery box, do the holes match up with the factory Odyssey battery box, or do you have to drill new holes in the firewall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted April 15, 2022 Report Share Posted April 15, 2022 If you use the BB-CO box, you can use the same hole pattern. If you use the BB-TH-CO thermal box, you have to drill 2 new holes at minimum and drill the pattern in the box. BE CAREFUL WHEN DRILLING, KNOW WHAT IS ON THE OTHER SIDE! If mine had been another quarter inch over, drilling would have gone through the door flange. The rest is simple. Consider also putting an in-line fuse in the charge wire that goes to the bottom of the cowling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted April 15, 2022 Report Share Posted April 15, 2022 Thanks Corey! Is the thermal box strongly recommended? Seems not really necessary since the standard battery has lower thermal limits and a non-insulated box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted April 15, 2022 Report Share Posted April 15, 2022 I have seen a battery get melted some by exhaust gasses. Fortunately they didnt have an in flight fire. The thermal box's main purpose is to prevent heat soaking of the battery after shutdown. Lithium batteries do not like heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill3558 Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 On 2/22/2022 at 12:05 PM, Anticept said: https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/etx680c Lightweight battery box: https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/custom-fit-aluminum-battery-box-etx680c Thermally insulating battery box: https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/bb-tbc-thermal-battery-box-c-case Charger: https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/optimate-tm-275-9-5a-13-2v-lithium-battery-charger or https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/optimate-lithium-battery-charger-lifepo4 There is an extra wire on the battery. That is connected to the charge circuitry inside. You can wire it (fused) to a light in your panel to warn you if there is a battery problem as detected by the electronics. I also recommend a set of the quick connect cables such as https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/etx-qcc2 or https://earthxbatteries.com/shop/earthx-48-quick-connect-cable . I wanted my battery to have direct connection to the charger because the battery electronics and the smart chargers above are designed to work together, and resistance in the line is not ideal. So I ran the wires inside behind the panel and I plug in my charger there. I talked to Tom at FD and he said you can use the standard BB-CO box instead of the thermal box. Do you all agree ocr should I go with the thermal? I believe it’s a little bigger which would make it tough for me. Not much room to work with. Appreciate your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted March 7 Report Share Posted March 7 Ive seen an exhaust crack melt a battery. It was the lead acid battery. For me, the thermal box was worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredG Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 I use the standard (non-thermal) box for my Earth-X batteries on two experimental aircraft equipped with Rotax 912ULS engines. Never had a problem, but it's just two airplanes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted March 8 Report Share Posted March 8 No problems... until you have problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhatter Posted March 9 Report Share Posted March 9 Lithium iron phosphate batteries do not have the thermal runaway issues of Lithium Ion batteries. They are also much less susceptible to higher temperatures than Lithium ion. You cannot identify Lithium batteries as just Lithium. There is a huge difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted March 9 Report Share Posted March 9 Because thermal runway was the cause of a hot ass exhaust blasting the battery from a crack in the pipe. Right. Anyways, they've got the information on their site as to why they recommend a thermally insulating box if it's in an engine bay. Less susceptible does not mean immune, and while I am not worried about thermal runway, I AM concerned about the high cost of these batteries and prefer they last as long as possible, that means trying to get heat to soak them as minimally as possible. Lifepo4 chemistry is rated to 40c for optimal longevity and operation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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