Fishing Victoria Forum

Hi guys,

I've been using a 7.2Ah 12V SLA battery for spotlighting for a few years and it's nearing the end of its life.

Before I buy a new SLA I was wondering if it's possible you use a Lithium Ion battery pack instead?

Aside from the weight-saving, are there any other advantages to using a Li-ion battery?

What are the dangers - as the battery will be carried in a shoulder-bag, right next to my body, and may be exposed to saltwater and would be used for extended periods to drive a 12V LED Halogen globe.

Price is another consideration...

I've been looking at these 2 on ebay - the same form-factor as the SLA I've been using for more than 5 years - pretty much sealed, apart from the contacts...

SLA: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/141964238712
LiPO: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/272961930074

I can get the SLA for a smidge under 20 bucks, but the cheapest LiPO (above) is 4x the price, but 1kg lighter...

Thanks in advance,

Mike

Charging li-ion and li-po needs to be done with a special smart charger or risk catching on fire. There might be some options from remote control car stores perhaps. Lithium batteries can be charged pretty quickly, are light and small for their capacity. I don’t know about dangers of exposed terminals around salt water. You could possibly modify a li-ion Ryobi [or other brand) lamp to separate the light from the battery and use the battery pack and charger without modification. It’s not just a simple switchover from sla, there is a bit more to it.

skronkman wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 30, 2019 5:32 pm

Charging li-ion and li-po needs to be done with a special smart charger or risk catching on fire. There might be some options from remote control car stores perhaps. Lithium batteries can be charged pretty quickly, are light and small for their capacity. I don’t know about dangers of exposed terminals around salt water. You could possibly modify a li-ion Ryobi [or other brand) lamp to separate the light from the battery and use the battery pack and charger without modification. It’s not just a simple switchover from sla, there is a bit more to it.

that why on another station I gave FPV power a plug - yes they cost a little more but come with a charger and are water proof
with as many kayakers changing over to them you know they have a great track record of doing what they say they do

as they are being made for a wet environment they are a smart move for the kayak guys and I think a battery at 110 mm x 80 mm x 50 mm and weigh only 450 gram ( 1/4 the weight of a lead acid ) and can be drained down further safely should work well on a spotlight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=b4OYnRcFUBg&feature=emb_title

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=vxjSTgkrxHs&feature=emb_title

I use both a FPV 17.5 ah and a 7 ah myself so far they have been faultless

Both of the solutions above appear to have built in electronics to protect the batteries. They seem to be a complete power solution rather than just a battery. The fully water proof solution looks great from fpv power and comes with an appropriate charger and waterproof terminal connection (and recommendation from a reliable source, thanks cheaterparts) The upfront costs are large by comparison to SLA but if they live up to their reported number of recharge cycles then the total lifetime costs should be similar or possibly lower than SLA (without bothering to do the required math, just believing the literature).