New EarthX Husky STC...

Audette

Audette

New Member
What do you all think? Saves 15+lbs...I have one in my RV-7a and love it. I think I'm going to order the battery and the Kit for my Husky. Info from backcountry pilot:

Save 15-17 pounds instantly and increase your cranking power and longevity of your battery!

The ETX900-TSO battery at 5.4 pounds and has 390CCA cranking ability. The STC replaces the Gill RG-25, which is a 21 pound, 225CCA cranking battery, and the Concorde RG-25 22.75 battery at 375CCA!

Less weight means fuel savings, shorter take off distance, better climb rate, and more useful load.

ETX900-TSO Battery retails $699.

Installation kit and STC retails $299.

Jim
 
belloypilot

belloypilot

Active Member
What’s the consensus (if there is one) on the best starter to pair up with this battery if looking to save weight without compromising reliability or starting performance?
 
C

Cubrath

Member
I started the install. Battery and vent are in, need to run the light to the panel.
I would say it cranks the starter exactly the same as the 24 pounder it replaced.
 
jliltd

jliltd

Active Member
I have been flying one in my RV-8 for 4 years now. Love it. It is different than traditional battery in that you should only use a Lithium spec'd charger and leave on the trickle whenever parked in the hangar. If it is every allowed to drop below a certain voltage it is toast and can't be resuscitated. The EarthX has a circuit board inside that protects against this and disconnects the battery before that voltage drop. If you have a glass panel or engine monitor that allows for discrete inputs you can use that instead of the status light. I have been avoiding putting an EarthX in my Husky because I have the heavier 200hp angle valve engine up front and kind of need the heavy battery in the back. Perhaps add a new T-3 tail wheel suspension could make the lighter EarthX a possibility.

And to the question of good starter match for the EarthX I would suggest the B&C starter as first choice and SkyTec NL series as a second choice. None of that matters for the 200hp angle-valve engine because the forward induction eliminates both of those choices since they won't fit.
 
Audette

Audette

New Member
jliltd said:
I have been flying one in my RV-8 for 4 years now. Love it. It is different than traditional battery in that you should only use a Lithium spec'd charger and leave on the trickle whenever parked in the hangar. If it is every allowed to drop below a certain voltage it is toast and can't be resuscitated. The EarthX has a circuit board inside that protects against this and disconnects the battery before that voltage drop. If you have a glass panel or engine monitor that allows for discrete inputs you can use that instead of the status light. I have been avoiding putting an EarthX in my Husky because I have the heavier 200hp angle valve engine up front and kind of need the heavy battery in the back. Perhaps add a new T-3 tail wheel suspension could make the lighter EarthX a possibility.

And to the question of good starter match for the EarthX I would suggest the B&C starter as first choice and SkyTec NL series as a second choice. None of that matters for the 200hp angle-valve engine because the forward induction eliminates both of those choices since they won't fit.
Click to expand...
I have an analog clock in my RV-7 that ran down my earthX because I hadn't flown it in a while. The BMS in the EarthX did exactly what it was supposed to do. When it sensed low voltage, it shut down the battery and went into safe mode. I called EathX thinking it was toast because it wouldn't take a charge. They told me to unhook it (that resets the BMS) and put it on a charger. 6 hours later I was back in business.

I leave it on a trickle charger now and it seems to be just fine.

Great batteries!
 
jliltd

jliltd

Active Member
Audette said:
I have an analog clock in my RV-7 that ran down my earthX because I hadn't flown it in a while. The BMS in the EarthX did exactly what it was supposed to do. When it sensed low voltage, it shut down the battery and went into safe mode. I called EathX thinking it was toast because it wouldn't take a charge. They told me to unhook it (that resets the BMS) and put it on a charger. 6 hours later I was back in business.

I leave it on a trickle charger now and it seems to be just fine.

Great batteries!
Click to expand...
Great point. My Husky has the SureFly Ignition module which is always connected to the battery as part of the STC and for safety reasons with respect to engine reliability. That has a very low parasitic draw (probably less than an electric clock). So an EarthX in my Husky would require trickle charger. Speaking of which. I highly recommend the same model Optimate chargers as shown on the EarthX site. Those have a button you can press to reset the BMS if it has tripped to save the battery.
 
D

dogday

Active Member
Caution: If your EarthX battery is dead or low, never, ever jump the battery with another 12V battery. The battery may be destroyed without any basis for a warentee claim besides stating you were not smart enough to read the installation manual. Ask me how I know. You should put a warning sticker to indicate not to jump start on this battery. The advertised limit for current going into the battery is 80 amps. Think about how much current inrush you could get if you jump the airplane battery with a healthy battery.
 
Ak Kurt

Ak Kurt

Well-Known Member
I installed the Odyssey battery, saved between 9 and 10 pounds. Battery was $160, no special chargers, fancy circuitry, able to jumpstart, no need for venting or any other special things that need to be done for installation. Simple Simple Simple. I will probably stick with this for the reasons listed above.

Kurt
 
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