EAA Lithium Battery Webinar

Interested? EAA member? Look it up. May 31st. The presenter is from EarthX.

https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/aviation...ation-videos-and-aviation-photos/eaa-webinars

EAA keeps their past webinars in an archive so if you're interested and missed the live webinar you can still access it. The audio is a little clipped but the info is easy enough to hear. (You'll need Flash Player)

http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=5456130349001

Thanks Stewartb! I was working on getting water in my (long term construction) log house and missed the webinar. Got home too late and had registered for it. I'll check out the link and watchit when I have time. How would you rate it? Worth the time to watch?
Thanks,
Keith

The meat of the webinar takes about 45 minutes and I found it worthwhile. I know guys that use EarthX and like them but I know more guys that are scared of them after the Dreamliner and Samsung Galaxy fire stories so I wanted to learn about the new technology for myself. Mission accomplished. The live webinar advantage is that you can ask questions via live email. I asked one and got a great answer. Other than that the archive allows you to pause and come back to suit your schedule so you get all the info at a pace you can control. I like the archive option!

EarthX is a Lithium Iron battery. Samsung Galaxy and Dreamliner used Lithium Ion batteries. Big difference. Read <http://www.newcastlesys.com/blog/lithium-ion-vs-lithium-iron-batteries> if you don't understand the difference in chemistries. I have an EarthX in one of my planes. There are a few drawbacks as well as a few bonuses as compared to a lead acid battery. The main thing I needed was additional cold cranking amps, which it provides in spades at a weight of 4# vs 14# for the lead acid battery it replaced.

Bonuses: If you leave your master on, the battery management system disconnects the battery at roughly 9V to prevent the depletion of the cells. By connecting the battery to a 12V source, the battery management system will reconnect the battery for charging. Also if the charging system runs away, the EarthX battery management system will disconnect the battery at 15.5 V to prevent damage. It will reconnect when the battery is connected to a 12V source again. The aviation version has dual battery management systems with a wire from the battery to connect to your EFIS or a LED on the dash that will start flashing to warn of problems if one of the battery management systems has a problem. That way the battery can be replaced before experiencing a total failure.

Detractors: Not only can the Lithium Iron battery deliver a lot of amperage at once, it also wants it back all at once, so is more demanding on your electrical system. Make sure your alternator and wiring are up to the task as you can expect your alternator to go to max output as soon as the engine starts. If the battery management system disconnects the battery, you must have a 12V source to connect in order to get the management system to reconnect. Unless you carry a jump starter kit, that could leave one stranded, or at least flying a plane home with no electrical.

If one is going to fear a Lithium based battery system, one should at least know which one to fear. I would never use a Lithium Ion battery for my plane, but am pretty comfortable with the Lithium Iron batteries. At least so far...

-Cub Builder

They're all Lithium Ion batteries. EarthX and other starting batteries use Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry while cell phones and computers use Lithium Cobalt. Different strengths, different weaknesses, different temperature management issues. The EarthX guy explains it all in the webinar. He also explains the importance of sizing the battery to the airplane's alternator capacity and why.