Flasher/Misc battery

[piersm2]

So I have a helix 7 just mounted to a genz box with the vex battery.  My guess is that the vex battery wont last all day long, so trying to figure out what my best bet would be.  I am going to build a power box for my flip over to power the LED lights, as well as have a phone charger port on it.  I found this battery that I was going to use for the battery box and if my helix goes dead, run jummper wires to the helix.  Seems to be a good price for this battery.  Or would I be better off putting the vex battery in the battery box and getting a higher ah battery?  I really don't want to drop a bunch of money on a lithium battery at the moment.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VZNBCA/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AI0SLB84S6Y19

[RyanW]

I use a 12v 12ah battery just like the one you linked. I put it in my own battery box and it’s been working great. It should be a nice backup. I’d put the bigger battery in your battery box and just leave the Vex battery where it is. My battery box also has USB ports, binding posts, and led lights (for a flashlight). I use it to power led strip lights, phone chargers, and anything else 12v/5v. I can even power my field recorder through USB.

[piersm2]

Would you just run wires from from the battery box to the sonar then if the vex battery does run out or would I be able to hook the 12ah battery to the vex one when it is in the sled if I am walking across the ice?

[RyanW]

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=353889.0

There’s a link that has my build in it. Mine is the green one.

I would not connect the batteries together. I would just unplug the flasher battery and plug the flasher into the battery box when the vex battery died. If I were to use a flasher on my box, I would make a cable with a banana plug on one end (plugged into the binding posts, the red and black plug on top of the box) and put male quick disconnects on the other end that would plug into the Helix wires.

[piersm2]

Yep that's exactly what I am wanting to build.  I like the volt meter on there as well.

[RyanW]

Thanks, the design credit is not mine though. I followed a YouTube video almost exactly. Search YouTube for “JDS Outdoors”. He has a video titled “How to build a portable power box version two”. That’s the video I used and it’s turned out to be a pretty good little box. I also like how there is enough room left over on the inside to stuff extra fuses, multiple charging cables, and I even have my LED dimmer remote and sensor stored in there. The volt meter comes in real handy too for keeping on eye on charging voltage.

[piersm2]

What does it say when the battery has lost its charge (for remaining voltage that is)?

[RyanW]

For regular sla batteries like these, you dont want to run them down past 50% very often. They are not deep-cell batteries. I believe a properly working sla will read around 11.7v when it reaches 40%-50%. I don’t let it get lower than 11.7v. You can google a 12v voltage chart to make sure. A properly, fully, charged 12v will read around 12.7v I believe. I’m far from an expert on electricity or batteries so please double check my numbers with the 12v voltage chart.

[greenbackhunter]

Have you considered going lithium?