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I purchased the first UltraStart Red Battery in March, 2002 and it performed well until July, 2008. After starting the engine for 470 flights, it would no longer hold a charge. Battery cost was 19 cents per flight. The second battery held charge until late November, 2010 for another 40 flights with a cost of $2.25 per flight. I suspected the second battery may have been a hangar queen. But also, I had changed the battery mounting method, and so increased vibration could have helped to shorten battery life. |
Before purchasing UltraStart Red battery number three, I removed the battery label and found the original battery manufacturer data. It is a Portalac PX12050SHR and distributed by GS Battery. Internet replacement batteries can be purchased where prices range from $15 to $25. These batteries use spade & lug connectors.
With the standard terminals, the GS Battery specification sheet lists outputs of 30 ampere continuous and for 5 seconds 75 ampere. Aircraft Spruce, who offers the ATP battery, claims a 250 ampere instantaneous current. |
I removed the top red plastic cover and found the battery had been modified by the addition of heavy duty brass connectors to the battery tabs.
It was a simple task to pop off the hot glue that stabilized the brass connectors relative to the battery. |
A propane torch was used to melt the solder so that the brass connectors could be removed, cleaned, and modified so they could be reused on the replacement battery. One end of the brass connector was cut away to reduce weight and to make it easier to electrically insulate the leads.
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The modified connectors were placed over the new battery terminals and fixed to the battery top with a dab of JB Weld epoxy. After the epoxy had set, the tab was bent over and soldered to the connector. |
To insulate and to more firmly affix the brass connectors to the battery, a couple of deck cloth fiber glass strips were epoxied over the top of each tab, connector, and the surrounding battery case.
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One could simplifly things and reduce weight by using the original battery lugs and clips. By reusing the brass connectors I could take advantage of the original battery mounted start switch. When working with batteries, it is important to remember to take proper precautions. |