rechargeable battery for running lights

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thegnu

thegnu

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Been digging around here in the electrical forum for a couple days , an found a thread where a gentelman uses rechargeable power tool batteries for his lighting. ( all credit for this goes to him )
I got to thinking doesnt fisher price make ride on toy cars an motorbikes for children ? answer YES! an BAM the bells start ringing in my head , an the sizes an capacities of these batteries fit our conglomerate needs very well now I am no electricial engineer but dosent an electrical driven motor use current faster than a light bulb an heres a link to batteries an chargers .
just dig around a bit 6 volt 12 volt in varrying sizes.

Peg Perego 12 Volt Rechargeable Battery for ride-on toys - Walmart.com
 
2door

2door

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The battery you linked is a simple SLA (sealed lead acid) battery. They're available from many sources in various voltages and amp hour ratings. The same kind of battery is used in industrial applications as back-up battery power for fire alarm panels, emergency egress lighting and numerous other devices where a battery is needed to power a system for varying lengths of time.

Many of us use the SLA battery for lighting and there have been several members who have successfully devised a way to recharge those batteries from a circuit built to use the engine's white wire. Check the search feature and read what/how others have used this style of power supply.
Here's a link for you to explore > http://www.power-sonic.com/
Tom
 
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thegnu

thegnu

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Tom thanks for the info an link I had not realized many of you are already doing this .
I am having such a great time building an reasearching that mine inches closer to a 1/2 size motorcycle with every passing day . thanks again .
 
Spaz_Static

Spaz_Static

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Jul 24, 2011
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I know its an old post, but that's what you guys get for me using the search feature. :)

Anyway, is it recommended to use the SLA batteries, or a NiMh (or other) rechargeable for running lights? I'm gonna have LEDs, but probably a fair number of them. I'm currently thinking a couple LED strips down my seat stays for rear running lights, maybe similar on the fork or something, and then the head ligh, also LED if I can get one bright enough (I think 12 vots would provide well enough for a bright headlight, don't you?)
 
GearNut

GearNut

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Aug 19, 2009
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SLA or NiMh will work just fine for your application. I would go with a SLA one myself. They are cheaper, last longer and are more user friendly.
Some folks are using LiPo batteries now for weight reduction and longer peak run times, however LiPo batteries are finicky when being recharged and need special digitally regulated chargers. If you use a typical SLA or NiMh charger on a LiPo battery the battery could explode.
 
2door

2door

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I can't find my old post right now but it had to do with SLA batteries and how best to mount them. The plates in most SLAs are mounted in slots in the plastic case. Mounting them on their sides on a bike and subjecting them to road shock and vibration can dislodge the plates and cause them to touch and short the battery. They won't explode or anything but they'll be damaged and will not hold a charge anymore. An engineer from PowerSonic, a manufacturer of SLAs told me they will take much more abuse if mounted vertically, connection posts up.
His advice helped me after I'd experienced three premature battery failures and after remounting the bat as per his advice, I've not had the problem.
Tom
 
Spaz_Static

Spaz_Static

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Thanks for the advice guys. Sounds like I'll be going with a SLA and mounting vertically (which coincidentaly was what I was planning on doing, now I definately will). Charging wil be cake as we already have a charger for car batteries. Now I just need to add up the total load for what I'm planning and make sure that the battery will be sufficient. I don't want to deep cycle if possible cause I hear that's bad for SLAs. One I'm looking at is 7Ah, but some of these LED strings are 600 - 800 mA. That's gonna me 3.2 A alone (if I do 2 on seat stays and 2 on my fork), not counting a head lamp or tail/brake light.
 
thegnu

thegnu

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Sep 15, 2011
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2door said:
I can't find my old post right now but it had to do with SLA batteries and how best to mount them. The plates in most SLAs are mounted in slots in the plastic case. Mounting them on their sides on a bike and subjecting them to road shock and vibration can dislodge the plates and cause them to touch and short the battery. They won't explode or anything but they'll be damaged and will not hold a charge anymore. An engineer from PowerSonic, a manufacturer of SLAs told me they will take much more abuse if mounted vertically, connection posts up.
His advice helped me after I'd experienced three premature battery failures and after remounting the bat as per his advice, I've not had the problem.
Tom
Click to expand...
thats a cool tip to know Tom , I had no idea. mounting the sla that way can extend its life.
I run 12 volt 7.5 ah sla an leds got something like 8 hours on it an no recharge yet . lights are still nice an bright.
Gary
 
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