Battery

Got a interlock controller a little while back and am looking at suggestions for what type of battery to buy and use with it. I don't feel like hooking it up to my truck.

Not looking to spend a lot. Under 40 bucks would be nice.

I would check out your local lawn and garden center. They should have small lawn mower batteries in that price range. Make sure its a 12 volt battery!

I have a 12 V 7Ah battery now 9 years old, still going strong. I bought it for the same controller, now powers all my controllers. Also bought a charger for it right away. Here's a website: https://www.atbatt.com/sealed-lead-...ing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SLA+LEAD+ACID

You should have no problem finding them locally also. I got mine at Batteries Plus.

What they said, but I currently have 2 6V Lantern Batteries wired together and held together with Duct Tape til' I can get a decent Battery.
That's if you want to only spend around $10.

They got just what you need at American Science and Surplus. - don't forget to get a charger if you don't already have one.

These are new, fresh, date coded, and the best price I have found in the SE Wisconsin area. Mine are still going strong after 4 years.

https://www.sciplus.com/p/12-VOLTS8AH--51516-x-31116-x-2916_47434

TopRamen said:

What they said, but I currently have 2 6V Lantern Batteries wired together and held together with Duct Tape til' I can get a decent Battery.
That's if you want to only spend around $10.

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Hey Top, have you tried clustering on those 2 lantern batteries? Wondering if they can handle the load of a 2-motor cluster without too much voltage drop...

mrichhcirm said:

Hey Top, have you tried clustering on those 2 lantern batteries? Wondering if they can handle the load of a 2-motor cluster without too much voltage drop...

Click to expand...

Yeah, my TAN-SAM Type 81 is a Dual Motor that flies on D12 BP Motors, and I've had a successful "Test", and two successful Launches on a Dual Cluster.
As if you have'nt noticed??? I only Posted it in like 4 dIfferent Sections.
And it's my Avatar Pic'.

TopRamen said:

Yeah, my TAN-SAM Type 81 is a Dual Motor that flies on D12 BP Motors, and I've had a successful "Test", and two successful Launches on a Dual Cluster.
As if you have'nt noticed??? I only Posted it in like 4 dIfferent Sections.
And it's my Avatar Pic'.

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Oops...my bad. wasn't paying close enough attention to notice it was a cluster :blush::blush:

this should work for you. high amprage and it is rechargeable.

https://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__16786__ZIPPY_Flightmax_5000mAh_3S1P_20C_USA_Warehouse_.html

You can have cheap, or good, but not both... LOL

The suggestions already made are good ones for "cheap"... If you want "good", well, it's gonna cost a little more...

Personally, I like a car jumper pack... virtually LIMITLESS supply of power (I powered the club controller one time off mine ALL DAY, and STILL had enough power to jump off a Suburban that someone left all the doors open all day on it and killed the battery dead as a hammer with the courtesy lights... They're not cheap, BUT, they do "double duty" by riding in your car all the time, ready for that inevitable day when you leave your lights on (and the car inexplicably doesn't turn them off itself) or the battery is on the way out, or someone asks you for a jump start (which is hard on your car's electronics). Plus it can power other stuff at a launch, which can be quite handy... They're also pretty much a "permanent solution" as you won't have to worry about launch batteries for a LONG time after you've got one...

If you don't want to make the "investment" that one of these will cost, there's cheaper options... RC vehicle electric packs make dandy power supplies... most RC battery packs are designed with a high "C-rating" which means the batteries have low internal resistance and can sustain high rates of discharge, putting out large amounts of amperage if needed. (Most RC electric motors in planes, cars, etc. take a LOT of amperage to run, ESPECIALLY "hop up" motors). They're pretty easy to find, and not TOO expensive, though more than what you're talking about. They also usually require a dedicated charger capable of charging their battery chemistry type (LiPo chargers, etc.)

Here's a potential "no cost" option-- if you have a battery-powered drill or other tool, you should be able to adapt the power pack to feed power to a launcher... Obviously you'll already have a charger, so that's no problem. You just have to figure out how to connect it up to the launcher. These can also deliver pretty good amounts of power, but not for as long as a jumper pack... but the cost is way lower too...

Anyway, that's some options to consider beyond the "taping a couple crappy lantern batteries together" routine... I mean, that's okay in the SHORT TERM, but if you're looking for a better solution, cheaper and "better" rarely go together...

Later and best of luck! OL JR

have to jump in on this one:
As an independent flyer as will as flying with a very large Club. I think I have a good bit of experience doing all day individual flying, Small group (boy scout Troop) and large public Club launches.

for personal launching single motor to 4motor clusters ALL DAY LONG. a 7amp/hr gel-cel is more then sufficent and at no more then about 18 bucks. I've used the same Hobbico gel-cell for more the 10years, monthly launching 7 to 20 rockets without any problem at all. They little battery was finally replace about two years ago with another identical unit at almost the same price! They are avaialble at just about any Local RC hobby shop for under 20bucks on-line for as little as $16.00.

For sligthly larger launches with 8 to 25 flyers (scout troop) I've used a surplus emergency light 12v- 26amp/hr Gel-Cell. I've used this same battery since 1983. I use this particular battery at our large troop or club launches where I and others will be flying many muiti-motor Clustered models. this particular battery was a Free Gift but to replace it would cost somewhere around 60-85 dollars.
For those looking at Typical "JumpStarter" units they generally contain a 5 to 12amp/hr gel-cells. but not all jump-starters are created equal. some to not allow direct use of the battery. personally I do not recommend these things.

Our Large Club public launches are generally 1 or 2 day events with 40-75 flyers making as many as 240 launches a day. These club launches use a pair of 85amp/hr Gel-cells, Each with a price tag around 85 to 110 bucks. We as a club have in past used deep cycle marine batteries and Truch/RV batterys but they do not hold up as well or as long as Gel-Cells.

To charge your gel cells or most batteries; Which should be done after each days use, is as easy as converting a 500 to 1000ma 120/12v converter or a trickle Charger from Harbor Freight.

I've got one of these. I use it for my controller, to charge LiPos in the field and I've started a few cars for folks at the launches when they let their batteries run too low.

Now I feel bad about my "Crappy Lantern Batteries taped together".
That's ok, thanks to this Thread I'll go get a decent Battery.

I got 6 4.5 amp 6 volt SLA batteries for my setup. I series the batteries for 12 volts 9 amps. I did this because 2 6 volt 4.5 amp batteries were cheaper than a 12 volt 9 amp battery...

You don't even need a big SLA battery - I have a little 1.4Ah 12V SLA - it does a fine job....

TopRamen said:

Now I feel bad about my "Crappy Lantern Batteries taped together".
That's ok, thanks to this Thread I'll go get a decent Battery.

Click to expand...

You know, Top, those igniters don't give a 'rodent's back end' where the electrons come from. Save your money until a 'killer deal' comes along - i.e. put it way down on the priority list.

-- john.

TopRamen said:

Now I feel bad about my "Crappy Lantern Batteries taped together".
That's ok, thanks to this Thread I'll go get a decent Battery.

Click to expand...

This is what my family always used when I was a kid. Worked great!

I got this thing a couple weeks ago to power a few things on a camping trip. It worked great! I'm sure it would work well to power a launch controller, but I do not have a controller set up for this, so I haven't tried it yet. No doubt it is a bit of overkill for a launch power source and also a bit heavy to lug around. But it is useful for a lot of other things as others have mentioned.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-Electric-6-in-1-Jump-Starter/25955544

Just got a 12V 14A out of golf trolley that was being thrown away.

Have also used 12V 7-9A out of UPS for PC/Server's.

Both are lead acid. Charger off eBay £15 job done.


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Got my launch system battery from O'Reilly Auto Parts. It's a 12V lawnmower battery, $30 plus a $10 core price if I am remembering correctly.

I got the 350 amp version of the Black & Decker Jump starter. Now Home Depot carries the 300 Amp version for $50. It will launch rockets all day, has a USB port to charge phones, etc. a work light and charge level indicator. It has a built in charger so all you need is an extension cord to charge it. 300 Amp may be a little small for starting a large V8 with a dead battery, but for a small car with a low battery, this is usually all you need to get it started. I started our Prefects minivan several times with mine.

If you have to buy a battery and a charger, you might want to consider this unit or similar. The cost should be similar and the jump starts usually have some nice extra features besides starting you car after you leave the radio playing and interior lights on with the doors open all day.

Already have a battery tender so went the cheap lawn mower battery route. Works so far. Hopefully the tender extends it's life.


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BrAdam said:

Already have a battery tender so went the cheap lawn mower battery route. Works so far. Hopefully the tender extends it's life.


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Click to expand...

That ought to work great.

BrAdam said:

Already have a battery tender so went the cheap lawn mower battery route. Works so far. Hopefully the tender extends it's life.

Click to expand...

I used a motorcycle battery for a long time that I was given because it had a bad cell and wouldn't start a friend's bike. I had a battery charger, but only charged the battery once or twice a season.

I've heard of this place called A Salt and Battery, and that they supposedly have some good prices.

Check out your local alarm company. If they replace another company's system, they have lots of used batteries laying around. Many are good.

Bob

BrAdam said:

Got a interlock controller a little while back and am looking at suggestions for what type of battery to buy and use with it. I don't feel like hooking it up to my truck.

Not looking to spend a lot. Under 40 bucks would be nice.

Click to expand...

https://www.walmart.com/ip/UPG-41541-12N9-3B-Conventional-Power-Sports-Battery/21618633

conman13 said:

this should work for you. high amprage and it is rechargeable.

https://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__16786__ZIPPY_Flightmax_5000mAh_3S1P_20C_USA_Warehouse_.html

Click to expand...

If you go the LiPo route, you will need a LiPo capable charger. If you're trying to keep the cost down, this one is nice. I use one of these for my RC transmitter and receiver batteries. Also, watch the connectors. The charger comes with a charging lead for the XT60 connector and the battery appears to come with an HXT 4mm connector. In my experience, most large capacity LiPos come without a connector. You'll have to buy a separate charging lead, replace one connector, or buy an adapter.

https://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/sto..._6_50W_6A_Balancer_Charger_w_Accessories.html


Rob