cranky wrote:
I did mine, now it's your turn to show us all how clever you are Ian.
Tip:- (no charge ... this time)
"Don't let your mouth write a cheque that your @$$ can't cash."
BTW - I am a Deltec Batteries Dealer
Here is my ... quote cranky - "some backyard experiments"
My biggest challenge was to find something that draws a
very constant current, but not too high and not too low. I came up with a eurolux energy saver spot lamp powered by a
1000 watt power inverter. The
constant current was between 1.5 and 1.6 Amps. This is roughly the same current you would draw on a slow steady pace fishing the shoreline
on your trolling motor once the boat got a little momentum. Ideally I would have liked to pump the current up a bit every now and again to simulate varying speeds on the boat, but how do you replicate this 100% for each battery?
So a constant 1.5Amps it is for now. The
cut off voltage for the test was
11.4V.
Before each test, the batteries were given a
full charge and reconditioning by my CTEK XS7000 charger.
1. M27MF: (bought February 2009)
It has a capacity rating of
105Ah and lasted a total of
15 hours and 20 minutes.
2. M27MF: (bought March 2010)
It has a capacity rating of
105Ah and lasted a total of
21 hours and 42 minutes.
3. Yellow Top Optima Y75L: (bought in May 2007)
It has a capacity rating of
75Ah and lasted a total of
40 hours and 55 minutes.
4. U.S Batteries 31DCXC: (bought March 2010)
It has a capacity rating of
130Ah and lasted a total of
63 hours and 23 minutes.
Conclusion:
I was nothing short of shocked when the M27 conked out at just over 15 hours. So I did the test again with the second one of the pair – very much the same result. The first six months of this battery’s life it was charged with an old standard type charger that back then was regarded as a high end charger. Did this possible damage the battery? The next question is, is the M27 the same battery it was some years ago?
The Optima is a fantastic battery and its reliability is nothing short of exemplary. Even after 2½ years of charging abuse on an ‘old school’ charger before I got the pulse charger, it still offers great storage capacity. The only down side is the retail price tag of R3600 excl. VAT
I expected the 31DCXC to do well, and that it did. I will do this test again every 6 months to see how it compares to this first test, after 5 months of use nearly every weekend, to see how it maintains its capacity. I was asked on the weekend of the Albert Falls Tournament "Why would anyone want such a high capacity battery as a bass angler?" There are a dozen really good reasons, all of which are very obvious, but for me it is the fact that I am not pushing my batteries every time I go out. Hopefully this will ensure a longer life span of the battery - and that's money in the bank! Not to mention that at R1999 it's a great buy.