01-07-2014, 12:21 AM
Not being the Ice Fisherman type, I'm keeping myself entertained with a number of winter fishing projects.
I have a couple projects that both relate to making a better Pontoon electric power system.
The goal is to offer tested improvements to the standard "minnkota + Lead Acid" battery system most use now without adding too much additional cost.
My first three items are listed here:
1) Substitute 11.1V (3-cell) Lithium-Ion packs for the Lead Acid battery. Using 6 of the cells listed below, I can make a 30Ahr battery for about $180 that weighs under 6lbs and will last several seasons. It compares to an equivalent $100 Lead Acid battery that weighs approx 35lbs.
2) Experiment with a different prop on the MinnKota 30lb Motor. Some work has been done by others on this already. The standard prop is not optimized for small toon use. Model Airplane props seem to do better. I'm going to post some numbers shortly on some static tests with different props.
3) Add a PWM controller to a standard MinnKota. This one may be a little scary as it will involve highly modifying (actually removing entirely) the motor's control system. I'm still looking at which PWM to use.
Oh, if anyone has a burned up MinnKota housing, I'd also like to experiment with a Brushless DC motor change
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I have a couple projects that both relate to making a better Pontoon electric power system.
The goal is to offer tested improvements to the standard "minnkota + Lead Acid" battery system most use now without adding too much additional cost.
My first three items are listed here:
1) Substitute 11.1V (3-cell) Lithium-Ion packs for the Lead Acid battery. Using 6 of the cells listed below, I can make a 30Ahr battery for about $180 that weighs under 6lbs and will last several seasons. It compares to an equivalent $100 Lead Acid battery that weighs approx 35lbs.
2) Experiment with a different prop on the MinnKota 30lb Motor. Some work has been done by others on this already. The standard prop is not optimized for small toon use. Model Airplane props seem to do better. I'm going to post some numbers shortly on some static tests with different props.
3) Add a PWM controller to a standard MinnKota. This one may be a little scary as it will involve highly modifying (actually removing entirely) the motor's control system. I'm still looking at which PWM to use.
Oh, if anyone has a burned up MinnKota housing, I'd also like to experiment with a Brushless DC motor change
[signature]