Date:         Fri, 21 May 1999 19:51:08 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <synergx@IBM.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <synergx@IBM.NET>
Subject:      Re: Aux battery solution??!!!
Comments: To: Brent Christensen <bpchristensen@MINDSPRING.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <027701bea3bb$5a93cc80$6f6f6f6f@aptiva>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 11:54 5/21/99 -0700, you wrote:
>and together they would provide 66 AH, versus the 52 for an Optima.  They
>are sealed "gel cell" batteries, and are deep cycle.  The posts even come
>with screws for connecting them up to ring leads.
>
>Any thoughts/experience with this type of battery?

Should be good. One thing, though, and it may be a killer.  You shouldn't
hook batteries in parallel except when they are charging.  Otherwise tiny
differences in the batteries will cause quite surprising currents to flow
through the parallel connection as one tries to charge the other.  The
circuit to avoid this would involve a relay or diode isolator or manual
switch on the charging side and a manual switch on the load side.

david

David Beierl - dbeierl@ibm.net