Battery type?

[Bender]

Gday all........

I started looking yesterday for a new 6V battery, and after reading here about a sealed one, i thought yep, that'll do me. So i went to the battery man to get one.
After a phone call to his agent, he said i can't get a sealed 6V one. He said the only sealed one i can get is an alarm battery that's about the size of a cigarette pack, but i'd be lucky to get 12 months out of it.

So i thought i'd ask you blokes in Oz what you are using here, and if you can give me a recommendation.

[Brian]

You need a new battery supplier. The ones I use are about the size of two fag packets and are readily available. When I bought the first one I wasnt sure if it would be any good being so small but its been in my plunger A10 for three years now and it works fine. I have them in all my bikes now. I have a spare one that has been sitting on the shelf in the shed for about a year and it still has 6.5 volts in it.

[a10 gf]

See this post. Price was less than 10 euros a piece. Brian, agree, should be no problem in finding 6v sealed in suitable sizes. Try electronics (or hobby airplane) parts suppliers. And they work great, keeping charge for years.

[muskrat]

G'day AH500, I think I have seen them at supercheap auto. I use a tiny 12V prawning battery in the cafe. The lead/acid has been in the '51 for about 8 years, both from supercreep.
Cheers

[Bender]

Excellent work....
Hey Brian, the ones you're using, what are they called? Or do they have any numbers on them i can quote?

And i'll be sure to give the battery man a slapping.....

[Brian]

I have a couple of different brands but the one I have sitting on the shelf is a Neuton Power NP645.   Its a 6v 4.5 ah. I buy mine from a local battery place but they should be available almost anywhere, probably even somewhere like Dick Smiths. Cheap as chips, the last one was $16. I have them in bikes with mechanical CVC units and ones fitted with DVR2's and I cant fault them.

[Bender]

Cheers Brian.....

Electrical things not being my strong suit, do i have 2 linked together, (as they are 4.5Ah each), or just use one?

[a10 gf]

Connecting 2 similar batteries:

in parallel = same voltage & 2x the amps (batt 1- to batt 2- & batt 1+ to batt 2+)

in series = 2x the voltage & same amps (batt 1- to batt 2+)

[Brian]

While we are on the subject I thought I would throw in a couple of pictures of what I do as far as battery's and battery boxes on the plunger and rigid models.

I make mine out of plywood, 3/8" or 10mm. Paint them black and sometimes put a Lucas or Exide or whatever sticker on.

I can put a lead/acid battery in or one or two of the gel ones. Two gel ones fit nicely and link them. The outside dimensions are the same as the original battery so they fit neatly in the holder.

Takes a bit of time but costs very little especially if you can scrounge some plywood.

[Bender]

I had to make a trip to Perth yesterday, so i managed to pick up 2 x 6V-4Ah ones from Dick Smith's. FNC-640. (Very similar to yours in the photo, Brian.) They both fit in the original battery box perfectly. $50 for two of them.

That was after visiting 2 battery specialist shops, a hobby shop, and a Jaycar store. (The Jaycar store had 6V-4.2Ah batteries on the books, but none in stock. Would have been a weeks wait and then postage cost to me.)

I was quite disappointed in the battery specialist stores i visited, because it all seemed too hard for them to bother with.

Thanks very much boys for your help.