Earth X ETX680 Battery

[Bdflies]

Not exactly a new topic, but I'd like to get some opinions. The PC680 battery in my Patrol seems to be getting weaker. Rather than refine my skills at hand propping, I'm considering replacing the battery. The PC680 spins my O-360 just fine, when the battery was fresher. The weight reduction and power increase of the ETX680 seems really tempting, though. My battery is under my seat, so high temps aren't a concern. Is anyone running the ETX680? Anyone care to share opinions, pro or con?
Just trolling for comments.

Bill

[svyolo]

A model above that, the ETX-900-VNT only weighs a pound more, but has a metal containment/vented encasement. Depending on where you mount it, it might be a good choice. Under my derriere, It would definitely be my choice. I am putting it on the firewall (not sure which side), so I might not need it.

[tailwind]

I have had this (ETX680) battery for a year now. It spins the O-360 better than the PC680. I think it was a good choice for me. It is slightly larger than the PC680. My starter struggled with a PC680 but I have not had a single problem with the ETX680.

[Bdflies]

Great information! Thanks guys.

Bill

[jaredyates]

I hear there was a recent Kitplanes article on the topic.

[Ed.Meyer]

We have two ETX680 in our patrol. Two due to electrically dependent O360. We can use either battery or both at once to start. Cannot tell any difference when using just one compared with both. Spins engine good.

[Bdflies]

I put the ETX680 in the Patrol yesterday. It's just a -hair- bigger than the PC680, so I had to modify the battery tray. WOW! Huge difference! That little thing spins the O-360 like crazy!
Definitely a huge improvement.

Bill

[tailwind]

Just a note here. My extt680 was just a little over the warranty period. It went bad in January. As I was trying to determine how to properly check the battery condition and get a dead battery to recharge I called the factory to properly address the problems. They walked me through some analysis and we determined that the battery was bad. The tech advised me to apply for warranty coverage. When I told her that the battery was outside of the warranty period she suggested that I apply anyway. To my surprise they covered the battery, sent me a new battery and paid the shipping. Expensive battery but I am one satisfied customer. It is much better than an Odessy pc680 it replaces.

[Bdflies]

Quick question; I'm seeing a charge rate as high as 28 amps, where I used to see maybe 10 max, after start. I'm hoping this tapers off as the battery voltage comes up. Have you guys seen similar charge rates, initially?
This thing is so different than what I'm used to, I just don't want to damage anything.

Bill

[JimParker256]

Perfectly normal, from everything I read about LiFePo batteries. They accept charging at a much higher rate.

[jaredyates]

The lithium battery can take more energy faster, so right after engine start you'll see higher draw. In my case, the ammeter shows maximum alternator output for the first few minutes. At idle, this might be 10-20, and at mag check rpm it is closer to 60. I think my alternator is a little marginal/suspect, or else I'd think it could put out a little more at lower rpm. Once the battery voltage recovers from the cranking, the amps settle back down to the sub 10a range for me.

[Bdflies]

Thanks guys! This is my first experience with anything other than a conventional battery.

Bill

[muleyman78]

Ill be running an 0-470. What battery would you guys recommend based on your recent knowledge?

[PaulSA]

I have the ETX1200 on my RV-10/IO540. Bit of an overkill - the ETX900 would do the job fine

[Battson]

Any reports on how these batteries age, now that we've had 4 more years since this discussion? Are they still going as strong as the first year?
That 5 year mark seems to be a turning point for some batteries.

[jaredyates]

I'm a believer. In our blue plane we had around 3 years of service from the EarthX before the fire, and I should add that while I have some theories about the cause of the fire, none of them include the airplane battery. I didn't baby it at all, I just cranked it when I wanted to fly. I did keep a compatible charger available for special cases like extended ground operations, but I could have gotten by without it. In that same installation, I couldn't get a PC680 to last more than a year, and it was frequently dead after more than 3 weeks of not flying. I didn't have any plans on the horizon to replace the EarthX, it was still going strong.
In 303AP, I'm not sure of exactly when they installed the EarthX battery, but it has probably been around 3 years too. It has experienced some extended time between flights, again not an ideal operating environment. At least it is on the cold side of the firewall, whereas our blue plane had the battery on the engine side. This morning the ambient temp was about 50 degrees F, and I had not been able to preheat as I would have hoped. The airplane hadn't flown in a month. It took some extended cranking (I'm still getting the pre-start fuel ritual down with this plane) and the battery held up great. It would have been perfectly reasonable for any battery to have given out under the circumstances.
I just installed the tinyest EarthX available in my paramotor (which has electric start) and the results have been equally good. It does better than it should based on the way I treat it.
I haven't reached the 5 year point on an EarthX yet, but I can tell you in our entire fleet of things that include batteries of all chemistries, very few batteries last much more than 5 years, some far less. Daily driving cars, tractors that run sometimes daily and sometimes once every few weeks, RC planes, phones and computers, it seems like something's always needing a battery.

[Battson]

That's interesting about the draw when the battery isn't in use. With our system the only draw is the Surefly EI Mag (dual) and the battery usually lasts for a month or two of not flying, before it needs a charge to allow starting. Once they are 5 years old, they last less, maybe a month or 3 weeks depending on temp. I am getting around 5 years from them.

[Ed.Meyer]

I have been using 2 EarthX batteries in our Patrol (electrically dependent airplane) for 5 1/2 years. They were installed about 6 months before first flight so they are at least 6 years old. The still spin the engine great just as Jared describes above.