Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
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Odyssey battery chargers - update 05May12
I've posted this info before. I killed my first Odyssey using a regular battery charger. Went to the Odyssey site, did some research and found the recommended chargers. I was able to rescue the dead battery and it lasted a couple more years. It finally died last Fall.
From my experience, I wouldn't use a standard automotive charge on any type of battery now that better technology is available.
I was reminded why I purchased the Waterproof Power Tender, it has a 5A charge rate, Odyssey recommends their 6A OMAX-6A-1B. The OMAX is cheaper, $10, but doesn't include shipping, expect to pay $77 for either one.
Here are links to the Odyssey and Battery Tender charger FAQ's to compare charging algorithms.
<--- The following chargers would be my backup --->
I have the waterproof version of the Battery Tender Plus but would recommend the standard version, it's much less expensive, $41.79 at Amazon.
My second choice would be the Battery Tender Junior, will probably get one of these to keep in the airplane.
These chargers work on all types of batteries and have a float mode, an easy way to keep your batteries fully charged.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bob McDonald on
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I have "killed" Odyssey batteries using any kind of "tender" charger. Just leave them alone and give a hard fast charge if needed. I parked (plane & battery) my 5 yr old Odyessey battery in my CH601HD last November... started it right up in March / April. I have done so for years of faithful service. The only time I ever killed one was using a "special" tender charger over the winter. my 2 cents.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Sanders on
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I don't know anything about chargers but I wanted to say how glad I am to see that someone is using the Odyssey. I've been planning on using the MGL EFIS on my 750 from day one but up to now all I have seen is Dynon, Dynon, Dynon....
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Permalink Reply by Ken Sandine on
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Paul, I have the MGL Mini Xtreme EFIS. I'm on "weather delay" for my first flight so cannot comment on the inflight performance, but everything in the EMS portion is as advertised.
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Permalink Reply by John Austin on
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Ditto for me on the Xtreme Mini EFIS. I originally was going to have a combo of the GRT EIS and steam gauges. However, after getting a great deal at AirVenture on the GRT EIS, when I started pricing the steam gauges, I realized that the MGL Xtreme Mini EFIS was very competitive price-wise and gave you much more "bang for the buck" like having an internal GPS and a GPS-derived artificial horizon.! Since my flights will be just the day/VFR "$100 hamburger" type of missions, I decided to just use the EFIS for flight instrumentation only. I rationalized that having the separate EIS to display engine info lets me have more screen "real estate" available on the EFIS for flight instrumentation info. Haven't flown the EFIS yet (first flight soon!!!) but the GPS locks-on even in the garage! LOL!
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Permalink Reply by Jon Crew on
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I have had to replace over 50 batteries in all sorts of equipment in the last 5 years. I have used battery tender brand, and have just left them alone. My experience has been that if you don't use it, the life fades. The newer batteries are better for just sitting but still seem to fail.
With regards to Efis's, The Dynon is a great plug and play efis that requires little savvy for the basic features it offers. OEMs like them because little support on their part is needed.
The MGL offers much more in functionality but the price is having to deal with the setup and installation errors that come with it. After much deliberation, I chose the MGL because I wanted all the features that Dynon does not supply.
I am on my second build, a ch750, and have not determined what I am going to use. the IEFIS may be the way I go but we will see. Just my opinion!
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The MGL offers much more in functionality but the price is having to deal with the setup and installation errors that come with it.
???
Of course, I just will be using my Xtreme Mini EFIS for flight instrumentation only, but it's dirt-simple to install. First time I flipped the master, everything worked perfectly as far as I could test. I would suppose that if one were setting it up for engine management, too, then there might be a lot more room for errors. But, the GRT EIS I installed only had one installation error (short between two EGT sensor wires) which was my fault.
I also have the MGL V6 Comm - got the harness with it and that made installation a breeze - it also worked perfectly the first time it was powered up!
I bet you'll have far less problems than you think!
Regards,
John
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I've had good luck with a "BatteryMINDer" 12v 2/4/8 amp for wet/gel/AGM batteries (the Odyssey is an AGM). It has a desulfator/conditioner mode that supposedly can rescue some batteries and prolong their useful life. Once I installed the battery in the 750, I periodically hook up the charger to keep the Odyssey battery topped off while I finish the build. I also have a 28v unit that is specific for aviation batteries that I use on the 206. You can pretty much plug 'em in and forget them.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Uhr on
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The Odyssey is a glass mat battery. They take a special type of charging cycle. I had one go dead due to a small drain on my system over a long period of time. I went to Posey Battery in Tampa, Fl. They are a dealer for the Odyssey. I found out my battery had a 3 year warranty. Anyway, I purchased the correct battery charger. It brought the battery back up to where it should be and I have had no further problems. The charger is a InterActer 12v 10a microprocessor controled w/proportional timing. This a regular charger with a chip in it. The chip is changed by them to one that is made for the glass mat batteries. It was expensive but well worth it. I use it for all my batteries. Here's a link to Posey Battery in Tampa. http://www.poseypowerbatteries.com/
Hope that helps.
Alan
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Permalink Reply by Jake Reyna on
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I'm taking much better care of the new Odyssey battery. If I know I'll be flying within a week I'll keep it plugged in and on float mode, but I've found that the battery will hold a charge for at least a month otherwise. The Battery Tender goes through a cycle to determine the charging requirement, but it's in float mode in about a minute.
The last battery died, again, when I left the Master on and the charger off, duh!
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Permalink Reply by Ralph Sanson on
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My Odyssey is 8 years old and still OK.
Because the Jabiru electrical system has about 15ma drain on standby, if I'm not flying again for 2 weeks I will clip a small solar panel on. This is one of the cheap amorphous panels nominal 12 volt 5 watts. in practice on a sunny day it can deliver 200ma but if left on the battery terminal voltage stays around 13.8. It is also safe to use without any regulator or reverse protection diode, so cannot overcharge or discharge the PC925.
As stated in the service info for Odyssey, its often not possible to recover an AGM battery from deep discharge, they can be stored for up to 24 months so long as terminal voltage remains above 10.5, they just dont tolerate being left discharged. I dont use old style non- regulated chargers on my batteries, and in many instances the new "smart chargers" are really just a bit too smart to work as a power source in every situation. I'm sure they are adequate for tending to standard sized automotive batteries, as I have lots of regulated 13.8v power supplies available I one of those.
Ralph CH701 / 2200a
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