Fish finder battery set-up

[AdictedBassTard]

I never got round to photographing my fish finder set-up last weekend but I can assure you I will while in Utah.
Meanwhile I put this illustration together to show more clearly than a photo can how I set up my battery unit.
It's made with 1/2" PVC piping and PVC pipe caps, 1" scres with nuts, connectors and a slender peice of mild steel. The entire system is wired in series.
I recommend you clearly mark each PVC tube + and - respectfuly. The system uses 8 AA batteries, four in each tube. Rechargeable batteries will save you money.
I got 36 hrs out of my batteries using my Hummingbird PiranahMax 15.
This illustration does not show it for clarity purposes, but I recommend using silicone latex to insulate and waterproof the exposed connections.

[#ff0000]How the assembled unit looks:[/#ff0000]


[#ff0000]A cut-away view:[/#ff0000]


[#ff0000]A close-up cut-away of the top of the unit:[/#ff0000]


[#ff0000]A cut-away close-up of the bottom of the unit:[/#ff0000]


[#ff0000]Another cut-away close-up view of the bottom:[/#ff0000]


If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask.

-ABT-
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[idahopanfish]

I like that alot!! How did you determine how many AA's to use? Or do you think this would work with most any 12 volt system? Or is the number of batteries because they add up to 12, I think this is the answer, right?
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[cat_man]

8 batteries, each 1.5 Volts, wired in series:

8 x 1.5 = 12 Volts total
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[AdictedBassTard]

Affirmative. Because it is wired in series, the 8 x 1.5v AA batteries give a combined 12v.

(edit)
oops ... you answered just before me ... lol.

-ABT-
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[AdictedBassTard]

By the way Zonker: Outcast were very good, having shipped a replacement bladder within 2 days following profuse appologies. Great customer support.

-ABT-
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[WeeHooker]

Wow, that is some respectable "backyard" engineering ABT!
The use of bolts at the end for contacts/connections is very slick. I'm impressed that you got 36 Hrs out of AA's too. I was thinking of a similar set-up using 10-12 batteries in a similar (less refined ) gang. Since most of these finders are designed to run from 10-20 V, a 15 or 18V source would take allot longer to drop to the 10 V threashold. I think an experiment is needed.[crazy]

Ok, you got me. [blush]Why do they put the Y and H so close togeather on the keyboard? [unsure]
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[smallmouth89]

Great Battery Setup!

What happened to the Outcast bladder? I just had to restitch the cover on one of my Fat Cat Pontoons. After 6 years some of the threads gave way and the bladder popped through a six inch hole. I carefully made my way back and then restitched with doubled up thread from my flytying kit (the strongest i could find) This got me through the rest of my trip without any major problems. There were however a couple of interesting "blasts" when I pumped it up for a morning's fishing. These were my stitches popping. Only two stitches let go and I made due the rest of the trip. One "blast" though was so loud my friend and I thought I had burst the bladder. I wonder if any of this would have occurred if I was still inflating by mouth. I did it that way for five years. It's only since last fall that I've been using a 2 way pump. I consider myself to be totally conscious of air pressure in my tube and am always letting out air when it heats up and topping it up after an evening of rest at decreased pressure. I was very surprised to have the seam fail on the water that day.

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[flygoddess]

[reply]
Wow, that is some respectable "backyard" engineering ABT!
The use of bolts at the end for contacts/connections is very slick. I'm impressed that you got [red][size 4]36 yrs[/size][/red] out of AA's too. I was thinking of a similar set-up using 10-12 batteries in a similar (less refined ) gang. Since most of these finders are designed to run from 10-20 V, a 15 or 18V source would take allot longer to drop to the 10 V threashold. I think an experiment is needed.[crazy] [/reply]
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[zonker]

Don,

Is that the net you lost out of the back of your SFC?

z~
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[zonker]

[reply]
I'm impressed that you got [red][size 4]36 yrs[/size][/red] out of AA's too. [/reply]
[/reply]

[cool]I got a laugh out of that one, too. But I don't laugh too hard because as sure as I do I'll dump my cookies and post as a guest again.

z~
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]That's okay, Z. We know that as an infallible and superior person you strive to remain humble...and that you contrive obvious little mistakes just to keep others from being overawed by your flawlessness.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I once had a boss who really WAS the epitome of perfection. He was just naturally meticulous and NEVER made a mistake on anything. Howsomever, I once caught a typo in a memo he had posted on the bulletin board. As I gloated over his desk, he just d and said..."I sometimes have to prove I am a mere mortal."[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I wish I could use the same excuse, but I make too many bonehead mistakes to get away with that. As long as we learn by them and try not to repeat them I guess that is part of the ongoing human experience.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I too am impressed. After seeing your setup in person, and verifying that it truly does a great job without a lot of weight and bulk, I have only one question.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Are you able to recharge the AA batteries in place, or do you need to remove them to put them on the special charger?[/#0000ff]
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[floatboat]

I have been using the rechargeable AA batteries for two years now and love them. I use a battery holder from radio shack that holds 8 AA batteries and can store the whole thing in of all things a Morton's natures seasonings bottle stored in my pouch. I do take them out to recharge them and have found that with the 2300 mah or larger rechargeables I can get over 50 hours. My fishfinder will still operate even when the batteries are drained down to 8.5 volts. My charger only holds four batteries at a time so it does take me 24 hours or so to charge all 8 but then I'm good to go for quite awhile. I highly recommend them to anyone wanting to hold down the weight.

vl
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I suspected that might be the case. I use AA batteries in several things and always buy the rechargeable. My charger also has a 4 battery capacity.[/#0000ff]
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[zonker]

Hey Don,

What's that purple thing hangin' off the back of your tube in the picture?

z~
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[zonker]

[indent]Ah yes. That makes sense (the transducer thingy.)

Bluegills and flyrods are an awesome combination. They're as cooperative with bug imitations as trout and they fight even harder with their slab-side resistance. I have a three weight that should make fishing for them a worthwhile endeavor. Finding the kind that are a decent size is another thing though. (Maybe I need a trip to Rhode Island or Florida or someplace.) Then again, maybe it wouldn't be that hard if I really targeted them. I've always fished for them in a secondary way, finding them unintentionally while seeking something else.

I'll be tying some foam bugs soon. Your photos are inspiring. Since I've not pursued panfish on purpose my fly selection is still largely trouty and of late, bassey.

Thanks for the enlightenment.

(Wow! I've taken this discussion way off topic. Sorry to our Mods.)

z~[/indent]
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[riverpilot69]

[reply]
[indent]

Bluegills and flyrods are an awesome combination.[/indent] [/reply]
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[riverpilot69]

Man, Not posting my replies tonight. I'll try later today. SORRY!

Tony
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[RedDwarf]

I'm dredging up this old post with some questions.

Are you using treaded caps of some sort or just relying on pressure/friction to hold the caps on the pipe?

On the top illustration it shows a brace running between the two tubes- what did you use for that? I could fab something up but I wondered if you found some ready-made piece to accomplish that.

Thanks, this looks like a cool idea.
RD
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[bdn06]

Yeah,
I thought it was the ultimate lure--dynamite! Camouflaged in a pastel purrple to fool the wardens...
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