While it's an expensive alternative, the EarthX ETX680C is hard to beat once you get past the price. 5.9" long, 3.4" wide and 4.5" tall at a weight of 4# and provides nearly twice the cold cranking amps of the Odyssey. It's hard to argue that trimming 10# off a KR is a bad thing. And in my mind, there is little question that it is superior to the AGM batteries. But the down side to this is that the battery lists at $379. The one in my KR is coming up on 4 years age and, so far, is still performing like new. EarthX has done a good job of configuring this battery specifically for aviation use.
-Jeff Scott Arkansas Ozarks -------------------------- > Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2020 at 6:04 PM > From: "Mike Stirewalt via KRnet" <krnet@list.krnet.org> > To: krnet@list.krnet.org > Cc: laser...@juno.com > Subject: KR> Odyssey PC680 > > Kayak wrote, > > > "I am unaware of any better alternative however. Maybe others here can > share anecdotal experience with them, good or bad or if there are any > true peers to consider." > > I've got a contender for consideration: > > I thought I'd look this Odyssey battery up and see why it's considered a > "gold standard." > > I think we choose batteries, first of all, for our planes based upon the > size of our battery box. Once that's been determined then it's a matter > of picking the ones we either know to be good or have heard are good > within the limitations of the size of our battery box.. I've always > heard Odyssey is a premium battery. > > When I went looking for the best battery for my sized battery box - which > is the next size larger than the typical motorcycle battery holders found > on many if not most KRs, I found one from Japan that doesn't cost any > more than this PC680 and is just a small amount larger, but boy . . . a > huge difference in specs. > > This Odyssey is 7.1 inches across the front and the NEPO M44 I've got is > 7.7 inches across the front, so .6 inches wider. > > The Odyssey is 3 inches "deep" whereas my NEPO is 5 inches, so that's > significant. Two inches deeper so it's not going to fit in a motorcycle > size battery box. > > Height for the Odyssey is 6.5 inches and the NEPO is 8.9. Almost 2 1/2" > higher. Ken Cottle built my battery box to fit a "lawn tractor" size > battery and located it, (very securely) on the hat shelf behind my head. > Between it and my head is a solid piece of cushioned wood that's the rear > canopy frame. Whether he did that for CG reasons (I doubt it since KR's > almost all tend to come out tail heavy) or just to get it away from the > heat and vibration of the engine compartment I've never remembered to > ask, but that's where it is. I've learned to very much appreciate the > extra capacity that I can stick in the battery box - capacity over and > above what's available in a motorcycle-sized battery. Even an Odyssey. > > Here's what it looked like just after I'd bought it. I'll see if I can > find a picture of it when its residing in the aircraft. > > https://tinyurl.com/yxld3szm > > Odyssey is 16 lbs. shipping weight and weighing my NEPO just now (since I > happen to have it at home instead of at the hangar) is 25 lbs. So it's > ten lbs. heavier, two inches deeper and 2.5 inches taller. > > Both are AGM and both cost almost exactly the same. > > There's some differences other than the NEPO being slightly deeper and > higher: > > Odyssey PC680 NEPO M44L > > 16Ah capacity 55Ah capacity > > > 170 CCA, 280 MCA, 350 HCA 725 CA at 68 degrees > 520 Cranking Amps for 5 Seconds 570 CA at 32 degrees > 380 > CAA at 0 degrees > > > The only source I know of for the M44 is Powerstride. > > https://tinyurl.com/va5lqls > > They didn't have them in their inventory for a while and I was concerned > about ever finding another one in case mine ever poops out (it's > currently 4 years and 4 months since I bought it). But I see they are > back in their inventory. The "L" has been dropped from the designation > and it's color is different, but it otherwise looks the same and the > specs are the same. My current one still will hold a 12.8 charge. I > treat it really nice, which is why I have it at home where I can keep a 1 > amp charger on it once in a while and monitor its use and also monitor > voltages while the battery sits with no charger on it. I'm a little OCD > when it comes to this battery since I went through several crap lawn > tractor size batteries before I found this NEPO and for quite a while I > didn't think I could replace it should it ever fail, but Powerstride has > them back in stock thank goodness. My plane is a real electricity hog > when coming in at night with everything turned on and the puny 16 amp GP > alternator not putting out anything since the engine is at idle or close > to it. Once I have ADS-B and other doo-dads this electrical loading > will be even more the case. As it sets, this NEPO M44 theoretically will > carry the entire electronic load of the plane with everything turned on, > for 45 minutes. I've never tested it to its maximum, but I have gone > well into the reserves in night landings and it's never flinched. I've > even hopped out of the plane after one of these everything on night > landings and taken a reading on the battery and I've never found it even > low. So I've come to trust it. Of course I need to replace my very > greedy position lights with LED's and same thing with my halogen landing > lights and I'll be doing that. > > So . . . since the topic of batteries is at hand, I'm again noting for > the group's attention this rare find of a really powerful and relatively > compact electrical source. It's about half the size and weight of the > new battery I just bought for my Oldsmobile and the CCA and CA numbers > aren't much lower than the car battery's numbers. I couldn't find an Ah > rating for the Costco battery but for the size of this M44L, the Ah > capacity is simply amazing. At least I'm amazed. Prior to finding the > NEPO the best Ah number I could find for this size battery was in the mid > 30's. For a small increase in dimension and weight, the M44 delivers > over three times the electrical reserve of the Odyssey. > > ************************ > > While on the subject of gizmos, Mike Sylvester recommended a Wal-Mart > phone called an LG Rebel 4 a few weeks ago with the idea that we can load > Avare on it and have a handy, inexpensive back-up in the cockpit. Well . > . . it's all true. This is my first smartphone so maybe others won't be > quite as amazed as I am by it, but truly . . . I'm amazed. It has a GPS > in it and a bright enough screen and plenty of room to hold Avare and all > the WAC charts plus a whole lot more. I've not even activated it, just > downloaded Avare and charts on my home wi-fi. Using Google Voice I can > even make and receive calls on it. If I buy some airtime for it it will > function as a hotspot for my laptop when I'm out of town. All of this > and more . . . for $20! > > Mike > KSEE > ____________________________________________________________ > Men, You Need To Try This ED Solution Immediately > Med Journal > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/5e17bfdfe7d773fdf3448st01vuc > _______________________________________________ > Search the KRnet Archives at > https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/. > Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html. > see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change > options. > To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@list.krnet.org > _______________________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/. Please see LIST RULES and KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html. see http://list.krnet.org/mailman/listinfo/krnet_list.krnet.org to change options. To UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@list.krnet.org
