REFLECTOR:Odyssey Battery
John Dibble
reflector@tvbf.org
Mon, 02 Feb 2004 09:54:26 -0600
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Keith,
Great explanation on SLA batteries. How do I identify them in a store?
Are they a specialty item, or the main battery that Wal-Mart carries?
Is a "maintenance-free" battery the same?
Thanks,
John
KeithHallsten wrote:
> Jim,
>
> Sealed Lead-Acid (SLA) batteries are also sometimes called "starved
> electrolyte" or "recombinant gas" (RG) batteries. There is a
> fiberglass cloth mat between the lead plates that is "almost"
> saturated with the acid electrolyte. That means there is no "free"
> water in the case, so if you were to drill a hole clear through the
> battery, no liquid would drip out. Technically this is not really
> "dry", but it's not as "wet" as an old "wet cell" battery that we grew
> up with. This means that they can be shipped without a "hazardous
> material" surcharge, so it's practical to get them mail order if you
> can't find a good local source. However, you can find them at your
> local Wal-Mart or Pep Boys.
>
> This type of battery construction has a much lower internal
> resistance, so a very small battery can produce enough current to
> crank your engine. As a side advantage, this type of construction
> gives the battery extremely good resistance to vibration, so it's the
> type of barttery used in jet skis, ATV's, motorcycles, automobiles,
> and MODERN airplanes. The battery does not need a battery box, and
> can be mounted in any convenient position - it doesn't have to be
> "right side up". These batteries also have a very low self-discharge
> rate, so they will typically hold a charge for many months without
> recharging.
>
> I don't know whether anyone is actually making gel cel batteries
> anymore, but you often find ignorant counter men who call SLA
> batteries "gel cells". A true gel cell battery would not be very
> satisfactory for our purposes.
>
> Keith Hallsten
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Keith,<br>
Great explanation on SLA batteries. How do I identify them in a
store? Are they a specialty item, or the main battery that Wal-Mart
carries? Is a "maintenance-free" battery the same?<br>
Thanks,<br>
John<br>
<br>
KeithHallsten wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid002a01c3e837$da341ec0$1da33c42@quiknet.com">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; ">
<meta content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1276" name="GENERATOR">
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Jim,</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Sealed Lead-Acid (SLA) batteries are
also sometimes called "starved electrolyte" or "recombinant gas" (RG)
batteries. There is a fiberglass cloth mat between the lead plates
that is "almost" saturated with the acid electrolyte. That means there
is no "free" water in the case, so if you were to drill a hole clear
through the battery, no liquid would drip out. Technically this is not
really "dry", but it's not as "wet" as an old "wet cell" battery that
we grew up with. This means that they can be shipped without a
"hazardous material" surcharge, so it's practical to get them mail
order if you can't find a good local source. However, you can find
them at your local Wal-Mart or Pep Boys.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">This type of battery construction
has a much lower internal resistance, so a very small battery can
produce enough current to crank your engine. As a side advantage, this
type of construction gives the battery extremely good resistance to
vibration, so it's the type of barttery used in jet skis, ATV's,
motorcycles, automobiles, and MODERN airplanes. The battery does not
need a battery box, and can be mounted in any convenient position - it
doesn't have to be "right side up". These batteries also have a very
low self-discharge rate, so they will typically hold a charge for many
months without recharging.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">I don't know whether anyone is
actually making gel cel batteries anymore, but you often find ignorant
counter men who call SLA batteries "gel cells". A true gel cell
battery would not be very satisfactory for our purposes.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Keith Hallsten</font></div>
</blockquote>
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