What kind/how many batteries for diy light

[pcscuba]

I have already built a canister light with the 12v 7 amp SLA battery. I works great but it's a little bulky for my taste. I was wanting to make a smaller canister light out of 2" or 3" PVC but I don't know what kind of batteries to use and how many. Any help would be appreciated.

[JeffG]

pcscuba once bubbled...
I have already built a canister light with the 12v 7 amp SLA battery. I works great but it's a little bulky for my taste. I was wanting to make a smaller canister light out of 2" or 3" PVC but I don't know what kind of batteries to use and how many. Any help would be appreciated.
I made a 3" PVC canister and used 20 C Cell batteries (And 1 C Cell as a place holder) 3 Rows of 7 Batteries each.

2 Series of 10 batteries.

With NiMH you will get 12 V ~4.4 amh (Depending on brand) in a canister that is < 12" in height.

[pcscuba]

did you solder them in series or what? I have the divelight companion but it is kind of vague when it comes to this.

[JeffG]

pcscuba once bubbled...
did you solder them in series or what? I have the divelight companion but it is kind of vague when it comes to this.
Yes, 2 series of 10 batteries which are then run Parallel. Each series gives you 12V 2.2amh

So the top 7 Batteries are in a series with 3 batteries in row 2 and same with the bottom.

Clear as Mud?

[canuckdiver]

actually, the new NIMH AA size batteries are now available in a 2100MAH capacity, so you could build almost that same canister in a piece of 1.5" tubing ;)

[pcscuba]

where can you find those AA batteries?

[AquaBob]

How well do the AA cells stand up to a heavy load?

Generally the smaller cells (primarily NiCd) are more prone to damage or early failure if you pull too hard on 'em... but I'm not sure about the newer NiMH.

If they can stand up to the draw, the AA package would make a pretty nice solution.

[mddolson]

I put 2 x 6volt sealed lead acid batteries in series. 10/12 AHr capacity

why? 50 watt Mr16 lamp draws about 4.5 ampheres, I wanted 2 hours run time.

why sealed lead acid
1) doesn't discharge between charges like nicad or NiMH
2) easy to charge with 2 amp charger
3) low cost $30 US ($50 CAN) for two

Here's a pic of my battery pack out of cannister

Mike D

[KWS]

for what it is worth you can try using battery units for u/w video camera lights. just bought some for my sony enclosure for 8.50 ea. 6v 4amp they are about 4 " dia and 2.5" tall with a hole dowdn the middle so you can anchor it in the case. they should be designed for longer life than c or d cells. i think the pricing is wrong and the 8.40 should be 84.00 for each battery i got 8 coming for 82.00 with shipping. if you want you can pm me and i will get the supplier info for you.

regards

[pipedope]

Go to;
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/index.htm

They have a variety of NiMH available and chargers.

Also check Ebay, lots of dealers sell on there for good prices.

[DA Aquamaster]

My OMS phantom uses three Hawker Cyclon 2.0 volt, 8.0 Ah E cells in series. They are cheap to replace at 13.00 each, fit in 2" PVC and 6 volt halogen bulbs are available in 10 to 20 watt sizes locally, and 30 and 50 watt bulbs are available from OMS.

http://www.atbatt.com/getItem.cfm?ItemID=3500

If you want to be a bit more "DIR" and go with a 12 volt light you could use two or three columns of cells to get the six cels required and could also consider their 2.0 V 2.5 Ah D cells or their 2.0 V 4.5 Ah Tall D cells. I suspect three columns of D diameter cells would fit in 3" PVC.

They offer all sorts of lead acid batteries and one of them should meet your needs

http://www.atbatt.com/getItems2.cfm?SubcategoryID=64&AffID=20010201L6823A104249

I agree with going with lead acid batteries. They are simple, cheap, don't have a problem with memory and can be topped off at anytime.

NiMH batteries offer the same flexible charging capability with no memory but I have not found a ready source for cells with solder tabs. And it is not a good idea to solder directly to the ends of a AA, C or D cell battery as the heat can damage the cell.

[canuckdiver]

pcscuba once bubbled...
where can you find those AA batteries?

sorry for the slow reply guys!

http://www.batterystation.com/

these guys have just about the best pricing anywhere when it comes to NIMH stuff ;)

[nickjb]

'SubC' and 'D' sized cells are usually the best NiCds and NiMH to go for as these are used in commercial applications. Ten subCs can give you 3 Ah and will fit into a small space.

I use one, two or three strings of ten cells to give twelve volts.

[jtsmith]

I use 20 C size batteries with tabs that I got from http://www.batteryspace.com/ for $46

They are 4Ah for a total of 8aH once you hook them up in parallel. They fit in a 3" tude with 5 batteries around a wood dowel core. It ends up being about 13 inches long making it nice and compact. Fill it with mineral oil and your ready to go :)