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Battery help — Parallax Forums

Battery help

FRC2370FRC2370 Posts: 128
edited 2012-11-16 10:39 in Robotics
Im in the midst of redesigning my chair-bots chassis and i need a long lasting, 12v lead acid battery that can supply enough power for the robot ( I mean like enough to run a set of 4 2.5" CIM motors carrying a 300 pound load, plus speed controllers, an arduino, a wireless router, and 4 cooling fans) and keep it going for at least an hour of driving. Recommendations?????

Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2012-11-15 20:33
    How about an Optima Yellow-top 12V (12.8V actually) lead-acid battery? I've used their Red-top batteries in our cars for years with good experience. The Yellow-top are optimized for the sort of usage (deep discharge) you have in mind while the Red-top batteries are designed for automotive starting applications. There are local stores that carry these.
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2012-11-15 21:56
    Those are some nice batteries. Can they be charged with a standard auto battery charger or do you have to buy theirs?
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2012-11-15 22:04
    You should be able to charge them with a high quality auto charger. They extend the warranty when you use their charger. Here's their recommendations for charging.

    I got the different colors confused. For deep discharge use, you want the Yellow-top batteries, not the Blue-top. The others are mostly for engine starting applications.

    We got a couple of the Yellow-top batteries some years ago for use with an inverter to power some 120VAC devices and some 12V LED strings outside (in the cold) ... worked well. They'd get charged with a good auto charger during the week, then brought out onto a frozen lake for the weekend with the LEDs running overnight and the inverter turned on during the day.
  • dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
    edited 2012-11-16 06:50
    Just as an example, I have a 2011 Polaris Ranger EV. It has 8 12v lead acid batteries that drive a 48v AC 30hp motor. Now this thing weighs 1700lbs and has a payload capacity of 1000lbs, so it's pretty heavy duty. I can run it at top speed (25 mph) for about 2 hours on a full charge, so it's not a cross country machine. I use it within about a mile of my place. It has stump pulling torque, though. :smile:
    Off hand I would think, for your purposes, two or three of Mike's recommended batteries would give you the capacity you need, with some reserve.
  • FRC2370FRC2370 Posts: 128
    edited 2012-11-16 07:06
    Well i have a really limited budget, and I'm looking for the cheapest replacement for a 17amp hour sealed lead acid battery. Could i just use 2 of those 17 amp hour batterys? i have 4
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,255
    edited 2012-11-16 08:36
    FRC2370 wrote: »
    Well i have a really limited budget, and I'm looking for the cheapest replacement for a 17amp hour sealed lead acid battery. Could i just use 2 of those 17 amp hour batterys? i have 4

    Once again, it sounds like you knew what you wanted to hear before you even asked the question. You have nothing to lose by trying.
  • FRC2370FRC2370 Posts: 128
    edited 2012-11-16 10:39
    Except I have a FRC-spec PDB that only has 1 battery connection. So how do I work with that?
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