Model Boat Mayhem

Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => The "Black Arts!" ( Electrics & Electronics ) => Topic started by: smudge on July 01, 2011, 04:38:25 pm

Title: battery voltage gizmo
Post by: smudge on July 01, 2011, 04:38:25 pm

i have a pondskater bait boat with 6 volt lead acid battery and sometimes the battery runs flat when the boat is at the other side of the lake. what I'm asking is is there a gizmo i can use to see the state of the battery ?. at them moment I'm using a multi meter to check voltage before i send my boat out everytime. and its a pain doing this all the time. i thought there might just be something i could wire inline .  any suggestions ?? thanks

Title: Re: battery voltage gizmo
Post by: john s 2 on July 01, 2011, 06:26:30 pm

Lead acid (pb) cells dont like to be fully discharged. It shortens their life. Look at model plane section on
e bay. Their is plenty of battery monitors but i doubt youd see the display from a distance. Why not just
use a timer and bring the boat in before battery fails. John.   

Title: Re: battery voltage gizmo
Post by: smudge on July 01, 2011, 11:16:51 pm

i got a hexTronik Battery Voltage Display and it seems OK but its still just guess work. i think i will have to just stick to the multi meter for more accurate voltage reading.
   

Title: Re: battery voltage gizmo
Post by: dougal99 on July 02, 2011, 05:11:32 pm

Do you check the voltage under load? A low battery will momentarily give a satisfactory reading just after switch on but soon drop off. Better to recharge your battery after every use. You should also be aware of how long the battery lasts under load as you can then monitor the time in use if in a long session.

HTH