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WHIRLY GIG and batteries


Ira
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Im sure this has been asked a thousand times, but, what happens if I put a regular car battery on my whirlie, which came with a **** battery that has long since given up the ghost, meaning that I don't bother with it and probably don't get the birds decoying in very well or if at all on occasion.

 

Im sure that as the rape gets a bit more height I'm gonna want a bit more draw on the pattern!

 

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What will happen is your whirly will go round and round until the battery goes flat !

You may huff and puff a little if you have to carry it down the field though , a 12v 17amp/hr battery is about as good as it gets between something that can be carried and last a days decoying .

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I use the Yuasa 12V 7AMP batteries for my rotarys and have never had any trouble with them.

I keep all four fully charged and two of them are well over ten years old.

The thought of lugging a car battery across a field, with all my other gear, horrifies me.

thats what I used...guess my battery is ready for the tip...managed 3 hours last week then died..

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My batteries when correctly charged will last for five hours with two real birds on the rotary. They are 12v, 7amp.

 

 

Hi JD

 

That means your magnet is drawing 1.4amps per hour which is quite economical where most draw between 2 and 3 amps per hour.

What magnet are you using if you don't mind me asking?

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Hi JD

 

That means your magnet is drawing 1.4amps per hour which is quite economical where most draw between 2 and 3 amps per hour.

What magnet are you using if you don't mind me asking?

 

 

A Pinewood rotary. Other than having it serviced it has served me well for fifteen years or so and it must have had over four hundred outings.

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A Pinewood rotary. Other than having it serviced it has served me well for fifteen years or so and it must have had over four hundred outings.

 

 

That makes sense. That's what you pay the money for when you buy their magnets.

 

Thanks for that!!

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A car battery is ok if you only go out a couple of times a year, but it will not withstand the constant drain/recharge without eventual damage. Either get a sealed type 12v 12/14 amp. hr. or a leisure battery. Do not charge the sealed type batteries with a car charger, unless it has a trickle charge facility.

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Some hints and tips for those interested.

 

Generally two types. Lead/acid and lithium ion. Nickel-cadmium and nickel metal hydride are less common these days.

 

The voltage is the usual limiting factor. Must closely match the motor - other than that it is simply logistics of how long it will last and transportation difficulty.

 

Usual lead acid batteries do not like continual discharge below about 70% unless specially designed for purpose - traction battery (as used in fork lifts, etc) types will be HEAVY but will tolerate deeper discharge. Leisure batteries are better than automotive types (which should not be discharged more than about 10% for longevity).

 

Lead acid types must be recharged soon after use and returned to full charge. Leaving them part or fully discharged will seriously shorten their life due to sulphation of the plates.

 

Gel Pb batteries are the normal choice over sealed flooded cells these days (and I could not get a vented automotive battery for my car last year).

 

Final voltage for charging is important and should not normally exceed 14.4V for a 12 volt lead acid battery.

 

Lithium ion technology is the current 'bees knees' state of the art.

 

Relatively light, can be deeply discharged and does not need immediate recharging for longevity. Less depth of discharge is better, but generally the cells have a life of an equivalent number of full discharge cycles but are marginally improved with less depth of discharge.

 

Require rather more specialised chargers and excessive final voltage affects longevity. Higher capacity can be attained at higher final cell voltage with considerably more stress on the battery, so reduced life expectancy and higher failure rate.

 

Think here old milk floats and modern electric vehicles for comparison of lead acicd and lithium ion technologies.

 

Nickel cadmium batteries should be fully discharged before recharging - they get a memory effect and lose usable capacity if continually part-discharged.

 

Cadmium, being a heavy metal, is highly toxic and these batteries should definitely not be discarded indiscriminately. All the battery types should be recycled. Lead acid batteries currently have a scrap value of around £400 per tonne (why the local scrappies like to collect and 'dispose' of them, for you, free of charge!).

 

Nickel metal hydride have no 'memory' effect but should not be completely discharged.

 

Capacity of the battery is typically quoted as 'amp hours' but this is not the real truth of usable capacity by any stroke of the imagination! Pb cells can supply between about 110% and 60% depending on the current draw for that particular battery.

 

Lithium battery technology is the driving force for F1 cars (ERS), so some types can be cycled in very short times, but have certain downsides such as tending to set on fire or potentially shocking the driver (why the drivers do not simply leave the car by stepping out with one foot on the ground while still in contact with the vehicle, if the battery fails).

 

Hope that helps and explains why you get a range of replies.

 

RAB

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