I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

On Jan 30, 11:59*pm, wrote:
I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

I've never heard of such a box, but if you can't find one
you could make one yourself fairly easily using:

An ordinary battery box
A couple of cigarette lighter outlets from auto parts store
A 5V voltage regulator, plus maybe a small heat sink from Radio Shack
A USB extension cable

And even if such a box does exist, I bet the above might
be a lot cheaper.

For similar money, you can buy a car battery jumper pack.
Which has a lighter socket. You'd lose a lot of amp hours.
Most jumpers are 17 ah, where a trolling battery might be 80
or 115.

I had a marine battery, to power an inverter to run my
frunace. Sadly, the system didn't have enough power to start
the blower. Since that time, I got more complicated furnace
with circuit board. I wrote the company, and asked if it
was safe to run their furnace on modified sine wave. They
wrote back and suggested I ask the distributor. Some how, I
don't think the guys who say "would you like 70,000 BTU or
90,000 BTU and would you like fries with that" will know if
a circuit borad will be damaged by mod sine.

I left my marine battery hooked to a Harbor Freight float
charger, which "boiled" the water out, and killed my
battery. Yes, I know. Hydrolyzed, not boiled.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


wrote in message
...
I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

On Jan 30, 11:59*pm, wrote:
I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

I suggest you make a box and put some cigarette lighter outlets in
it. You can get adapters for those that have usb 5 v outlets in
them. I have one that has 2 usb outlets. Make the top removeable so
you can connect your charger.

This is done all the time for amateur radio emergency work. Usual deal
is to get one of the marine battery boxes, or something that will fit,
put in a couple of 12 cigar lighter sockets, maybe a switch, fuses,
and pilot light, and you are good to go.

Mine is a "sportsman's dry box" from the local sporting goods store,
sockets from Radio Shack, and charger, etc., from local hardware
store. I also have a microphone clip on the end so that I can set my
radio on top, and keep the microphone from flopping about. For smaller
endeavors, get one of the SLA gel cells like are used for alarm
systems or emergency lighting systems. Depends on what current draw
you need.

As for USB stuff, there are USB adapters that plug into a car cigar
lighter. I have enough space in my box for the charger to live, and a
couple of odds and ends of cables, adapters, etc. I also have one of
those plug-in volt meters to check the state of charge of the battery.

/paul W3FIS

deadgoose wrote:

This is done all the time for amateur radio emergency work. Usual deal
is to get one of the marine battery boxes, or something that will fit,
put in a couple of 12 cigar lighter sockets, maybe a switch, fuses,
and pilot light, and you are good to go.

Does there exist a box pre-built with all the
connectors and internals for this?

If not, how exactly do you mount the cigar lighter
sockets in the plastic battery box?

On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:42:47 -0600, wrote:

deadgoose wrote:

This is done all the time for amateur radio emergency work. Usual deal
is to get one of the marine battery boxes, or something that will fit,
put in a couple of 12 cigar lighter sockets, maybe a switch, fuses,
and pilot light, and you are good to go.

Does there exist a box pre-built with all the
connectors and internals for this?

If not, how exactly do you mount the cigar lighter
sockets in the plastic battery box?


Have you gone to Amazon & searched for "battery box"
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...ds=battery+box

Or google shopper-
http://www.google.com/products?sourc...&q=battery+box

Jim

Does there exist a box pre-built with all the
connectors and internals for this?

Easy to build, really. Nothing more than hand tools.

If not, how exactly do you mount the cigar lighter
sockets in the plastic battery box?

I happened to have a 1 5/32" Greenlee punch from my vacuum tube days,
but use a "rat tail" file or taper drill/reamer to get the right size.
Measure the OD, then scribe the right sized circle on the box with a
compass. Cut/file to the size of the desired hole. Try to make it a
tight push fit.

I secured it with the glue from a "hot glue" gun. Very handy gadget.
The "glue" appears to be polyethylene, and sticks pretty well. You can
cut it loose with a sharp knife, if you need to.

Simple holes for the switch, pilot light. Fuses were "in line" with
the charger pig tail. Use crimp fittings to connect to the back of the
cigar lighter socket. Ditto with the switch -- get the right kind for
that.

To block in/secure the battery, I cut some pieces of 1" pine to fit,
drilled holes through the side of the box, and secured with some pan
head screws. I do need to put a dab of silicon caulk under the screw
heads for better weather seal perhaps.

/paul W3FIS

On Jan 30, 11:59*pm, wrote:
I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

I don't know why you need 1 volt supply.

A "marine" battery is one with a carrying strap. It does NOT have
to be deep discharge.

greg

On Jan 31, 10:26*am, zek wrote:
On Jan 30, 11:59*pm, wrote:

I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

I don't know why you need 1 volt supply.

A "marine" battery is one with a carrying strap. It does NOT have
to be deep discharge.

greg

It only has to be deep discharge if that is what you intend to do
with it. Which is exactly what the posters requirement is. Marine
batteries come in several flavors: deep discharge, starting, and
dual purpose. What's critical is to get the right type for your
application and the poster has that correct.

On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 07:26:27 -0800 (PST), zek
wrote:

On Jan 30, 11:59Â*pm, wrote:
I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

I don't know why you need 1 volt supply.

A "marine" battery is one with a carrying strap. It does NOT have
to be deep discharge.

greg
A "marine" bettery may or may not have a carrying strap, is designed
to take more vibration than an automotive battery, and is generally
somewhere between a common SLA (starting, lighting, and Accessory)
battery and a deep charge battery in construction and capability.

wrote in message
news
stuff snipped

A "marine" bettery may or may not have a carrying strap, is designed
to take more vibration than an automotive battery, and is generally
somewhere between a common SLA (starting, lighting, and Accessory)
battery and a deep charge battery in construction and capability.

FWIW, I've always known SLA to stand for "Sealed Lead Acid" battery.

I think what you mean is usually called a Starting-Ignition-Lighting (SIL),
aka the typical car battery. They should not be used where they will be
discharged to lower than 50% of the amp-hour rating because the plates will
become damaged.

SLA's are the deep DIScharge batteries found in UPS's, golf carts and wheel
chairs and usually have no caps or covers for the individual cells as car
batteries do. They are often called "gel cells." They can tolerate much
greater discharges than car batteries without damage, although it's
recommended that they not be deeply discharged too often because they too
can suffer damage when completely discharged. They need to be sized
correctly for the application.

--
Bobby G.

On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:26:45 -0500, "Robert Green"
wrote:

wrote in message
news
stuff snipped

A "marine" bettery may or may not have a carrying strap, is designed
to take more vibration than an automotive battery, and is generally
somewhere between a common SLA (starting, lighting, and Accessory)
battery and a deep charge battery in construction and capability.

FWIW, I've always known SLA to stand for "Sealed Lead Acid" battery.

I think what you mean is usually called a Starting-Ignition-Lighting (SIL),

Also called that. Perhaps more commonly.
aka the typical car battery. They should not be used where they will be
discharged to lower than 50% of the amp-hour rating because the plates will
become damaged.

SLA's are the deep DIScharge batteries found in UPS's, golf carts and wheel
chairs and usually have no caps or covers for the individual cells as car
batteries do.

When's the last time you saw a car battery with individual OR
removeable caps?????


They are often called "gel cells." They can tolerate much
greater discharges than car batteries without damage, although it's
recommended that they not be deeply discharged too often because they too
can suffer damage when completely discharged. They need to be sized
correctly for the application.
There are "gell cells" and there are "Absorbed Glass Mat, or AGM"
cells as well as "Valve regulated" sealed cells, and there are
"starved electrolyte" cells.
The common high output deap cycle lead acid cell today is the starved
eletrolyte AGM battery, which can be shipped by air and is not
considered as "hazardous material" when it comes to transporting or
handling. They are very resistant to sulfating, and SOME can even take
crazy extreme charging currents.

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:26:45 -0500, "Robert Green"
wrote:

stuff snipped

When's the last time you saw a car battery with individual OR
removeable caps?????

Yesterday, when I checked the condition of both my car batteries in
anticipation of the coming big freeze. Perhaps things are different in the
Great White Way. My battery kit contains a small bottle of sulfuric acid, a
larger bottle of distilled water, a voltmeter and a "turkey baster"
hydrometer to test the specific gravity of the battery fluid.

--
Bobby G.

On 01/31/11 03:26 pm, Robert Green wrote:

A "marine" bettery may or may not have a carrying strap, is designed
to take more vibration than an automotive battery, and is generally
somewhere between a common SLA (starting, lighting, and Accessory)
battery and a deep charge battery in construction and capability.

FWIW, I've always known SLA to stand for "Sealed Lead Acid" battery.

I think what you mean is usually called a Starting-Ignition-Lighting (SIL),
aka the typical car battery. They should not be used where they will be
discharged to lower than 50% of the amp-hour rating because the plates will
become damaged.

SLA's are the deep DIScharge batteries found in UPS's, golf carts and wheel
chairs and usually have no caps or covers for the individual cells as car
batteries do. They are often called "gel cells." They can tolerate much
greater discharges than car batteries without damage, although it's
recommended that they not be deeply discharged too often because they too
can suffer damage when completely discharged. They need to be sized
correctly for the application.

The only Golf Cart batteries (GC2, 6-volt 220Ah) I have found recently
are *not* sealed, unfortunately, which makes me hesitate to use a pair
of them as an *indoor* emergency power supply for my amateur radio
station: (a) they will need to be topped up regularly; (b) they will
emit hydrogen under charge, with its explosive propensity.

BTW, SLAs can be gel cells, AGM (absorbed glass mat) or be -- as I
understand Optima batteries to be -- liquid-electrolyte batteries with
catalytic recombinant components.

Further, I have seen "Marine Starting," "Marine Deep Cycle" and "Marine
Dual Purpose" batteries.

Perce

On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:00:05 -0500, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:

On 01/31/11 03:26 pm, Robert Green wrote:

A "marine" bettery may or may not have a carrying strap, is designed
to take more vibration than an automotive battery, and is generally
somewhere between a common SLA (starting, lighting, and Accessory)
battery and a deep charge battery in construction and capability.

FWIW, I've always known SLA to stand for "Sealed Lead Acid" battery.

I think what you mean is usually called a Starting-Ignition-Lighting (SIL),
aka the typical car battery. They should not be used where they will be
discharged to lower than 50% of the amp-hour rating because the plates will
become damaged.

SLA's are the deep DIScharge batteries found in UPS's, golf carts and wheel
chairs and usually have no caps or covers for the individual cells as car
batteries do. They are often called "gel cells." They can tolerate much
greater discharges than car batteries without damage, although it's
recommended that they not be deeply discharged too often because they too
can suffer damage when completely discharged. They need to be sized
correctly for the application.

The only Golf Cart batteries (GC2, 6-volt 220Ah) I have found recently
are *not* sealed, unfortunately, which makes me hesitate to use a pair
of them as an *indoor* emergency power supply for my amateur radio
station: (a) they will need to be topped up regularly; (b) they will
emit hydrogen under charge, with its explosive propensity.

BTW, SLAs can be gel cells, AGM (absorbed glass mat) or be -- as I
understand Optima batteries to be -- liquid-electrolyte batteries with
catalytic recombinant components.

Further, I have seen "Marine Starting," "Marine Deep Cycle" and "Marine
Dual Purpose" batteries.

Perce
Catalitic caps can be had for GC2H batteries - they reduce the water
loss by better than 90%. I had 8 GC2H batteries in the old Fiat
ElectraMobile

On 1/31/2011 10:26 AM, zek wrote:
On Jan 30, 11:59 pm, wrote:
I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

I don't know why you need 1 volt supply.

A "marine" battery is one with a carrying strap. It does NOT have
to be deep discharge.

greg

Hmmmm? Funny, the car battery I put in my garden tractor has a strap.
It's not a marine battery.

wrote in message
...
I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

Something to consider ..........

I have battery boxes that have exterior terminals, 1/4" plug-ins, cigarette
lighter plug-ins, and a meter on the outside to tell you how much juice is
in the battery. Don't remember where I got them, but they ARE available.
Probably a boat supply house. Shop around.

Second consideration .......... get two 6v. batteries and hook together.
They have thicker plates, weigh more, take charging/discharging for many
more cycles than regular batteries, are about the same price, but more
importantly, give you MUCH more amp hours on a charge.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?
Read up and prepare.
Learn how to care for a friend.
Download the book.
http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

"Steve B" wrote:

I have battery boxes that have exterior terminals, 1/4" plug-ins, cigarette
lighter plug-ins, and a meter on the outside to tell you how much juice is
in the battery. Don't remember where I got them, but they ARE available.
Probably a boat supply house. Shop around.

Ahhh yes! This is what I'm looking for...something
already pre-made!

Years ago, I checked the prices of marine batteries at
Walmart. There were two, and about ten bucks price
difference. I glanced into the manual that was chained to
the stand. Turns out the amp hour ratings were very much
different. I dn't remember the numbers, but I am thinking
maybe 60 amp hours, and 115 amp hours. It was a big
difference. And well worth the extra ten bucks. Worth
looking, if you buy a marine battery.

Otheres have mentioned there are starting, dual, and
trolling (deep discharge). The deep discharge is needed in
this case. Please do not leave the battery hooked to a
Harbor Freight Float charger. I did, and it killed my
battery.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Steve B" wrote in message
...

Something to consider ..........

I have battery boxes that have exterior terminals, 1/4"
plug-ins, cigarette
lighter plug-ins, and a meter on the outside to tell you how
much juice is
in the battery. Don't remember where I got them, but they
ARE available.
Probably a boat supply house. Shop around.

Second consideration .......... get two 6v. batteries and
hook together.
They have thicker plates, weigh more, take
charging/discharging for many
more cycles than regular batteries, are about the same
price, but more
importantly, give you MUCH more amp hours on a charge.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?
Read up and prepare.
Learn how to care for a friend.
Download the book.
http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

On Jan 31, 4:59*am, wrote:
I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

One thing you need to look out for is that when lead acid batteries
are charged, hydrogen gas is evolved. you need to be sure this can
safely dissipate. it's possible to have serious explosion ignited by
electric sparks.
All Alternating current motors need to be de-rated if run on non-sine
wave AC.
You get non-sine wave from cheap inverters.
Bit on the topic here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variabl...line_harmonics
Also check out form factor. (As applied to AC motors)

harry wrote:

One thing you need to look out for is that when lead acid batteries
are charged, hydrogen gas is evolved.

Cant you avoid lead acid by buying a sealed AGM deep
discharge battery?

On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:05:44 -0600, wrote:

harry wrote:

One thing you need to look out for is that when lead acid batteries
are charged, hydrogen gas is evolved.

Cant you avoid lead acid by buying a sealed AGM deep
discharge battery?
A very large percentage of "deep cycle" and "marine" batteries today
are avaoilable as "sterved electrolyte" or AGM type batteries.
Many of these batteries do not gas at all under normal load or
recharge conditions (they are "recombinent chemistry" batteries or
"valve regulated recombinent" batteries.
Virtually all of the "portable power" systems use these batteries,
including the Motomaster power-boxes.

On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:48:57 -0800 (PST), harry
wrote:

On Jan 31, 4:59Â*am, wrote:
I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

One thing you need to look out for is that when lead acid batteries
are charged, hydrogen gas is evolved. you need to be sure this can
safely dissipate. it's possible to have serious explosion ignited by
electric sparks.

Switches can cause enough spark to light the gas. Good idea to
pressurize the box with a small muffin fan at the bottom of the end
with the switches and connectors, and vent the box at the top of the
other end
All Alternating current motors need to be de-rated if run on non-sine
wave AC.
You get non-sine wave from cheap inverters.
Bit on the topic here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variabl...line_harmonics
Also check out form factor. (As applied to AC motors)


Here in Canada, Canadian Tire sells a box with the battery and
inverter and 12 volt socket all built in under their "MotoMaster
Eliminator" brand. Called the "powerbox 1200" with 60 AH battery.
They also have smaller "powerbox 800" and "powerbox 600" units, and
likely even smaller.

They are made by Xantrex, last I heard.

On Jan 30, 11:59*pm, wrote:
I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?

I know there has been a fair number of posts on this topic but I'd
also add that oyyu might be disappointed in your marine battery
backup. A smal generator is not very expensive and will run for as
long as you put gas in it.

jamesgangnc wrote:

I know there has been a fair number of posts on this topic but I'd
also add that oyyu might be disappointed in your marine battery
backup. A smal generator is not very expensive and will run for as
long as you put gas in it.

Generator wont work for me

Hmm. Of course, we'd like to know why not. Against the local
neighborhood association rules?

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


wrote in message
...
jamesgangnc wrote:

I know there has been a fair number of posts on this topic
but I'd
also add that oyyu might be disappointed in your marine
battery
backup. A smal generator is not very expensive and will
run for as
long as you put gas in it.

Generator wont work for me

On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:24:39 -0500, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

Hmm. Of course, we'd like to know why not. Against the local
neighborhood association rules?
LKots of places the noise and fumes make use of a fuel-powered
generator impossible or impractical.

On Feb 1, 1:51*am, wrote:
On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:24:39 -0500, "Stormin Mormon"

wrote:
Hmm. Of course, we'd like to know why not. Against the local
neighborhood association rules?

*LKots of places the noise and fumes make use of a fuel-powered
generator impossible or impractical.

You can buy generators that are virtually silent.

wrote in :

I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc

Thing is I don't know if there exists a "box" that will
contain he battery yet allow USB and 12vdc "ports" to
be obtained from it?

Bottom line...does there exist a "box" that will hold a
heavy battery such as this yet maybe have internal
connections for USB charging ports and still allow hook
up of 12vdc car "trouble" lights for home lighting?




Why not simply purchase a computer Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)?

It will probably cost you less than trying to cobble up something from bits
here and there. And it will come with USB and 120VDC outlets, so you can
charge your iPod as well as power ordinary light bulbs to see the iPod by.

UPSs are available at many price-points with many different runtimes.

APC is a major manufacturer of good-quality UPSs.
http://www.apc.com/products/category.cfm?id=13&segmentID=1

I've got two APC UPSs: a Back-UPS RS 1500, and Back-UPS ES 550.
I often work from home, and I NEED stuff to stay up in the face of the
flaky power in my area.


--
Tegger

I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc


I know this will start a flame war, and I'm not going to respond to it
but...

if you want this battery only for EMERGENCY power meaning that you are
going to deep discharge it once or twice a year, then you are better
off cost wise buying a standard car battery not a deep discharge
battery. Deep discharge batterys ARE needed for applications where
they will be deeply discharged over and over. A regular car battery
will survive just fine a few dozen deep discharges. Since there is a
large cost savings, you can probably buy two regular car batteries for
the price of one deep discharge.

In any case, as was said, the important thing is not to over or under
charge it. Even a small unregulated charger if left on long enough
will overcharge the battery and shorten it's life.

Mark

Mark wrote:

if you want this battery only for EMERGENCY power meaning that you are
going to deep discharge it once or twice a year, then you are better

Actually I am now thinking abt FORGETTING a deep
discharge battery... and instead basing some kind of
system off portable rechargeable drill batteries that
are LI-ON

On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:42:24 -0600, wrote:

Mark wrote:

if you want this battery only for EMERGENCY power meaning that you are
going to deep discharge it once or twice a year, then you are better

Actually I am now thinking abt FORGETTING a deep
discharge battery... and instead basing some kind of
system off portable rechargeable drill batteries that
are LI-ON


That's a whole nuther ball game. Lead acid cells do what they do
very well. LI-ion cells do what *they* do very well. I don't
think there is a whole lot of overlap in what they are both suited
for.

There are reasons that cars use lead acid and drills use li-ion.

What are proposing to power? How long are you guessing the
emergency will last? How often will you need to supply emergency
power? Will you see it coming?

Jim

Jim Elbrecht wrote:

What are proposing to power? How long are you guessing the
emergency will last? How often will you need to supply emergency
power? Will you see it coming?

Last maybe 4 days

Use for LED lighting MAINLY

and powering small electronic devices and recharging
those devices such as cell phones, netbook etc

I realize it would be impossible to do much more than
that with batteries

In article ,
Jim Elbrecht wrote:

There are reasons that cars use lead acid and drills use li-ion.

www.teslamotors.com

What do you want to power, and for how long? The trolling
battery provides a reasonable bit of power, for the price.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
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wrote in message
...

Actually I am now thinking abt FORGETTING a deep
discharge battery... and instead basing some kind of
system off portable rechargeable drill batteries that
are LI-ON

"Mark" wrote in message
...

I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc


I know this will start a flame war, and I'm not going to respond to it
but...

if you want this battery only for EMERGENCY power meaning that you are
going to deep discharge it once or twice a year, then you are better
off cost wise buying a standard car battery not a deep discharge
battery. Deep discharge batterys ARE needed for applications where
they will be deeply discharged over and over. A regular car battery
will survive just fine a few dozen deep discharges. Since there is a
large cost savings, you can probably buy two regular car batteries for
the price of one deep discharge.

No flames, here, dude. You're probably right about the cost-effectiveness.
Most modern car batteries are far more forgiving of deep discharges then
ones made even ten years ago. If they will only be used once a year, it
makes sense to save some money and use car batteries.

The deep discharge batteries are still best for powerchairs, golfcarts and
other applications that require constant deep discharging and recharging,
but I and others here have used car batteries successfully for things like
battery-backed sump pumps and other occassionally use devices. The only
problem I forsee is what you've noted - that if left on a cheap float
charger, the battery could fail from overcharging. I've seen that happen
more than once )-;. Probably best to charge it and then top it off every
few weeks.

To the OP: I would stick with car batteries and not LiON drill packs,
depending on exactly what you intend to power with the unit.

--
Bobby G.

On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:31:26 -0800 (PST), Mark
wrote:


I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc


I know this will start a flame war, and I'm not going to respond to it
but...

if you want this battery only for EMERGENCY power meaning that you are
going to deep discharge it once or twice a year, then you are better
off cost wise buying a standard car battery not a deep discharge
battery. Deep discharge batterys ARE needed for applications where
they will be deeply discharged over and over. A regular car battery
will survive just fine a few dozen deep discharges. Since there is a
large cost savings, you can probably buy two regular car batteries for
the price of one deep discharge.

In any case, as was said, the important thing is not to over or under
charge it. Even a small unregulated charger if left on long enough
will overcharge the battery and shorten it's life.

Mark


A regular car battery is said to loose 50% of it's lifespan every time
it excedes 80% depth of discharge.
That means running it dead TWICE cuts it's expected lifetime to 25%.

wrote in message
news
On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:31:26 -0800 (PST), Mark
wrote:


I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc


I know this will start a flame war, and I'm not going to respond to it
but...

if you want this battery only for EMERGENCY power meaning that you are
going to deep discharge it once or twice a year, then you are better
off cost wise buying a standard car battery not a deep discharge
battery. Deep discharge batterys ARE needed for applications where
they will be deeply discharged over and over. A regular car battery
will survive just fine a few dozen deep discharges. Since there is a
large cost savings, you can probably buy two regular car batteries for
the price of one deep discharge.

In any case, as was said, the important thing is not to over or under
charge it. Even a small unregulated charger if left on long enough
will overcharge the battery and shorten it's life.

Mark


A regular car battery is said to loose 50% of it's lifespan every time
it excedes 80% depth of discharge.
That means running it dead TWICE cuts it's expected lifetime to 25%.



I don't know who said that, but it just isn't true. I use a trolling motor
on my boat, and have run the battery down to nearly nothing many times.
After a trickle charge for a day or two, it is ready to go again and
performs as well as before, time and time again, usually for three or four
years.

Besides, the OP said a "marine battery", and you said a "car battery". Two
related and similar, but slightly different animals.

Bob-tx

On Tue, 1 Feb 2011 15:01:41 -0600, "Bob-tx" No Spam no contact
wrote:



wrote in message
news
On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:31:26 -0800 (PST), Mark
wrote:


I've been wanting to buy/use a marine battery as a 1vdc
power source for emergencies such as ice storms etc


I know this will start a flame war, and I'm not going to respond to it
but...

if you want this battery only for EMERGENCY power meaning that you are
going to deep discharge it once or twice a year, then you are better
off cost wise buying a standard car battery not a deep discharge
battery. Deep discharge batterys ARE needed for applications where
they will be deeply discharged over and over. A regular car battery
will survive just fine a few dozen deep discharges. Since there is a
large cost savings, you can probably buy two regular car batteries for
the price of one deep discharge.

In any case, as was said, the important thing is not to over or under
charge it. Even a small unregulated charger if left on long enough
will overcharge the battery and shorten it's life.

Mark


A regular car battery is said to loose 50% of it's lifespan every time
it excedes 80% depth of discharge.
That means running it dead TWICE cuts it's expected lifetime to 25%.



I don't know who said that, but it just isn't true. I use a trolling motor
on my boat, and have run the battery down to nearly nothing many times.
After a trickle charge for a day or two, it is ready to go again and
performs as well as before, time and time again, usually for three or four
years.

Besides, the OP said a "marine battery", and you said a "car battery". Two
related and similar, but slightly different animals.

Bob-tx



No - I was responding to the
"if you want this battery only for EMERGENCY power meaning that you are
going to deep discharge it once or twice a year, then you are better
off cost wise buying a standard car battery not a deep discharge
battery. "