vexilar battery help

[chiroeye]

Just bought an FL-8 this year and was wondering how long the battery can be expected to run on a single charge. Rented one last year on my trip to Canada and it seemed to drain rather fast, according to the battery status indicator. Would the battery last for approximately 12 hours of fishing? If this is the case and the battery is completely drained, will it be charged again by early morning? Just a few questions I had, because I am thinking about purchasing another battery and charger to make sure I have enough juice to run it all day. Keep them rods a bendin!

[IceNutt]

I bought my FL-8 last year and added the "smart charge" Which keeps it topped off. Just plug it in and forget it. Just for fun I fished three days w/o plugging it in. Battery only went down one mark.

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IceNut

[MrBig]

I just got the FL-18 yesterday and the manual says that the battery should last for about 16 hours. Also figure on 2 hours of charging time for every 1 hour used when using the charger supplied.

[elusivecrappiecatcher]

my battery i can use mine for about 3 weekends and keep it on all day and night.

[Steve Foss]

I've got the FL8-SLT, and if I remember the manual correctly, the indicator lights are a bit deceptive. When the 1/4 charge light is lit, for example, the battery's charged between 1/2 and 1/4. So the 1/4 charge light goes on AS SOON AS the charge drops below 1/2.

[Steve Foss]

I've got the FL8-SLT, and if I remember the manual correctly, the indicator lights are a bit deceptive. When the 1/4 charge light is lit, for example, the battery's charged between 1/2 and 1/4. So the 1/4 charge light goes on AS SOON AS the charge drops below 1/2.

[Steve Foss]

I've got the FL8-SLT, and if I remember the manual correctly, the indicator lights are a bit deceptive. When the 1/4 charge light is lit, for example, the battery's charged between 1/2 and 1/4. So the 1/4 charge light goes on AS SOON AS the charge drops below 1/2.

[Steve Foss]

I've got the FL8-SLT, and if I remember the manual correctly, the indicator lights are a bit deceptive. When the 1/4 charge light is lit, for example, the battery's charged between 1/2 and 1/4. So the 1/4 charge light goes on AS SOON AS the charge drops below 1/2.

[Steve Foss]

Wow, just in case once wasn't enough. Computer fart!

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 12-06-2002).]

[chiroeye]

IceNutt, what is this "smart charge" you are referring too? Is it the automatic charger that vexilar sells? Thanks for the help boys.

[Matt D]

I'll answer for IceNutt (if that's okay). The "Smart Charge" is a small meter that looks essentially the same as Vexilar's battery status indicator. However, it has one additional feature. Once the battery is fully charged, it shuts off the charger service to the battery, and only delivers it if the battery's voltage drops below peak charge. Really nice because you don't have to worry about over-charging your battery. I didn't buy a Vex "Pro-Pack" so I didn't get their meter with the unit. After looking them over, I got the "Smart Charge" instead of Vex's meter for that reason. Cabela's sells Vex's for $17, and the Smart Charge for $25. Interestingly, its made by ... MarCum Technologies!

[CNY Tim]

You can get 23-24 hours out of the MarCum LX-3 on a single charge according to the manual. I have not tested it. I usually warm the battery up for an hour indoors before I put the charger on it.
I put the PowerSonic and the MarCum chargers side by side and the MarCum charger recovers about about the same as the PowerSonic charger. They both have auto shutoffs. After using the battery on my MarCum for 7 hours it took about 5 hours to recover the battery, both excellent chargers.

[kwkfsh]

The vexs draw approx 1/4 amp, the vex and similar batteries are 7 amp hr. rated so in a perfect world you would get 28 hrs of use from the battery. As the battery gets cold you will lose some juice, and as the battery discharges the voltage will drop and the display will dim and weaken. So in reality you can probably expect 15 to 20 hrs. of use til recharge is needed. A note to everyone I bought a batt and charger a couple years ago and always had problems with a lack of power from it. I finally checked the charger and found it was only putting out about 10.5 volts and was never fully charging the battery. A charger should put out at least 13.2 volts and most likely 14-15 volts. So if you are having battery problems check the charger and see what kind of voltage you are getting.

[slick2526]

do you have to charge your battery when you first get them. and if so how long do you normally charge them for. would it last me 2 days of fishing with the regular battery

[Guest]

The smart/auto charger is the way to go, no overcharging worries.

If you wish to extend the life of your batteries be sure to bring the unit in at night. Do not store it out in a unheated area between uses. Better for the flasher too.

Charge it up after every use and it will last 2-3 years on average before it starts to fail.

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Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson..><sUMo>

Backwater Guiding
"Ed on the RED"
(701)-281-2300

http://ed-carlson.fishingbuddy.com

[Guest]

Most of the sealed lead acid batterys that come with the units are 7 amp hours.

I buy motorcycle batteries between 12 and 14 amp hours.

They sell now in the sealed battery package whats called "the ultimate sportsman's battery" which I have seen at Fleet Farm. It's $44 for the battery and the charger, and is suppose to last some 36 hours non stop on a flasher. Thats alot of fishing.

$44 is alot of money though, as a 14 amp hour battery is $24, and at the show I saw they were selling the 7 amp hour sealed variety for $12. Fleet wants $24 for the 7 amp sealed battery.

So how does this make you feel? I will say that a motorcycle battery, while lasting longer and taking harsh cold conditions better then the sealed variety, has a bit more bulk to it, and can get heavy if you drill 24 holes and bounce around quite a bit.

PCG