klbcfi Posted January 1, 2012 Report Posted January 1, 2012 I'm having an issue with my SECOND Concorde platinum series battery. I have the extra cranking power version. My ammeter on the panel says I'm charging. My EDM700 shows 14.3 volts with the engine running. At the battery, when the engine is running, we show 14.3 volts. When I land, I don't have enough power to start the engine again. I have a Battery Minder installed and if I keep it hooked up, the airplane will always start for the flight. When I come back from the flight, after only about 45 minutes, I've got a very weak battery if not dead. We have checked the battery ground, the alternator ground, the starter ground. The installation of the battery minder is simply one wire with two leads - one for each post on the battery and it is accessed through the aux power plug hole. There is a special plug from the battery minder that plugs into this plug. The battery minder is the aircraft version and has a charge and a float charge (maint) mode. I don't see any damage to the battery and it seems to take a charge from the battery minder that lets me start the airplane for the first flight of the day. It is the 12V system by the way. One A&P had a theory that the 12" lead for the connector from the battery to the battery minder plug was the source of the drain while flying. This doesn't make any sense to me. Has anyone had any similar issue? Does it seem possible that my battery (RG-35AXC) could be bad? I had one that was bad not long ago. More history.. I put in an RG-35AXC about a year ago. I used the battery minder for about 6 months with no issue. Then, the "drain while flying" problem started. I replaced the battery and the new one started having the same issue only about two months later. The battery monder I'm using is: "Designated as the 12-V model 12248-AA-S2 (Aviation Specific), it is similar to model 12248-AA-S1 except for its Plug ‘n Run feature, eliminating the need to set neither the output current nor battery type, before operating." Thanks for any ideas you might have!!! Quote
sleepingsquirrel Posted January 1, 2012 Report Posted January 1, 2012 Check the temperature of the battery after running the engine, if the battery is hot it is shorting internally and not charging the full plate . It can show voltage but sulfation can reduce each cells ampacity. Quote
PTK Posted January 1, 2012 Report Posted January 1, 2012 I have the same battery minder which I wired myself according to the instructions. I don't have this problem. Have you called VDC? Who installed your setup? It's fairly straight forward. If installed properly it's probably not the battery minder. Quote
klbcfi Posted January 1, 2012 Author Report Posted January 1, 2012 I sent a note to VDC. Good to hear it's working for you. Sleepingsquirrel - thanks, I'll check that. I reading some discussion that it could actually be a starter issue. Quote
sleepingsquirrel Posted January 1, 2012 Report Posted January 1, 2012 You could turn on the landing light, then have someone try to start it if the light goes dim ,it's probably the battery. I'm guessing that there is only one battery in this model. Quote
klbcfi Posted January 1, 2012 Author Report Posted January 1, 2012 yah - one battery but I have a pair of LED lights.. Quote
xftrplt Posted January 1, 2012 Report Posted January 1, 2012 One A&P had a theory that the 12" lead for the connector from the battery to the battery minder plug was the source of the drain while flying. This doesn't make any sense to me. Has anyone had any similar issue? Why doesn't it make sense? I'm not a EE, and I leave it to those on the forum to correct me, but: Unless the BM has a rectifying diode, current can flow from ship's power to the BM when it's not plugged in to an AC source. I have a BM hard-wired in, and (almost) always disconnect the quick connector before flight. The one time in several years that I forgot, and then parked without AC power, the battery was dead within 3 days. Quote
klbcfi Posted January 1, 2012 Author Report Posted January 1, 2012 The battery drain happens while flying - at normal power. The battery minder is on the bench in the hanger. The only thing hooked up to the battery is the 12" leads that have an insulated cap on the end. I do understand that you wouldn't want to leave the battery minder hooked up to the battery and not plug it into shore power Quote
xftrplt Posted January 1, 2012 Report Posted January 1, 2012 The only thing hooked up to the battery is the 12" leads that have an insulated cap on the end. Sorry, I misunderstood. When you said you had a BM "installed," I assumed it was in the plane. Best of luck finding the solution. Quote
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