There was some talk about some using an EarthX in a certified airplane with a firewall battery box on another post which was confusing.

Im wondering if there are indeed installs out there and how it was done as this battery is not certified for aircraft use. The Odyssey J-16 is, which was the basis for its use in the various firewall STCs. The FA Dodge STC SA02333AK-D Dc. NO II-I005 calls for ONLY the SBS-J-16. Other than internet conjecture and grey area interpretations of AC 43.13, what is the actual basis for this install? From where I sit, w/out the PMA or explicit documentation, it cant be installed (legally that is.)

The FAA has been easing on some issues like the use of 8.5x6's on 170-185s etc, non-certified angle of attacks, and non-certified portable electronics in the panel, but these were all done with official documentation.

I would love to loose some more weight with a battery like this... What am I missing?

Ironically I was talking to Kim, one of EarthX's sales reps, the other day about this. EarthX is working on producing a drop-in replacement for the J-16 which they hope is available by April/May of this year . . . . in time for the various spring trade shows. They are working on getting the battery certified, but they don't expect that to happen in the near future.

There is a thread either on this website, or supercub.org discussing the legalities of installing a non-certified battery in a certified aircraft. Don't quote me, but I recall the consensus was that so long as the battery conforms to the electrical output/requirements per the applicable type certificate, and the forward and aft c/g limits were not altered, it would be a "minor alteration" and all that is required is a IA sign off.

skywagoncub

So how much does one of these batteries weigh in at?

Good luck on getting this approved. In my mind, this is no different than saying 'hay I'm going to replace my gill firewall battery with an Exide from NAPA'. Call you local FSDO and see what they say. I would not chance IA ticket on it.

EarthX weighs ~3lbs. They are something like 1/3rd the weight for the same charge density.

skywagoncub wrote:Ironically I was talking to Kim, one of EarthX's sales reps, the other day about this. EarthX is working on producing a drop-in replacement for the J-16 which they hope is available by April/May of this year . . . . in time for the various spring trade shows. They are working on getting the battery certified, but they don't expect that to happen in the near future.

There is a thread either on this website, or supercub.org discussing the legalities of installing a non-certified battery in a certified aircraft. Don't quote me, but I recall the consensus was that so long as the battery conforms to the electrical output/requirements per the applicable type certificate, and the forward and aft c/g limits were not altered, it would be a "minor alteration" and all that is required is a IA sign off.

skywagoncub

The reference those folks are hanging their hats on (an FAA SB) specifically limits installing non standard batteries to lead-acid batteries. The Earth X is a lithium iron phosphate battery, so I doubt you'd convince the FAA to accept this.

Maybe if Earth X gets their battery PMAd.....but still a reach.

MTV

Bumping this thread since it has been a while. Anyone seen a certified airplane with a 337 for this install? I think you could use the atlee firewall cessna 180 mount, but the battery probably needs approval.

The Earth X 680 does not fit in the Atlee box as it is. They made the dang thing 1/8" to wide to slide in. It will fit in some of the other firewall mods for the Cessna firewall, but the Atlee box fits the J16 like a glove, while the EX680 is slightly plumper. No 337s are likely. You'd have to go off the grid - sort of like what some of (those other dudes) were doing before the Atlee Dodge STC was finalized...

Not sure how the FAA will look at this since they only seem to address lead acid and nicad type batteries. I am willing to push to test on it though and would like any feedback positive or negative that any of you may have had dealing with using a modern battery.

I have a friend who has been running an EX680 in his Continental O-300-powered airplane for almost a year now and his results have been excellent. EarthX sells a lightweight firewall battery box to go with it and you can buy it undrilled so you can match the existing hole pattern on your firewall. One drawback is that if you leave your master switch on and run the battery down too far, an internal low-voltage protection switch will trip making the battery un-jumpable in the field. The work-around is to either use the EarthX charger or connect the battery to a standard 12-volt charger and then add a second 12-volt source to trip the low voltage switch. There's a video on the EarthX website that explains the process and it works well.

Darn it RAGWING PILOT, I just have to call bull shit on your "buddies" jump starting nonsense. No way around it. It stinks.

My EX battery comes on line at about 2000 rpm with my interav alternator on my 0320 Pacer. I am truly the master of leaving my master on :/

Non of that Mumbai Jumbo you just described required. I just hand prop her and get with it.

Rocket

rocket wrote:Darn it RAGWING PILOT, I just have to call bull shit on your "buddies" jump starting nonsense. No way around it. It stinks.

My EX battery comes on line at about 2000 rpm with my interav alternator on my 0320 Pacer. I am truly the master of leaving my master on :/

Non of that Mumbai Jumbo you just described required. I just hand prop her and get with it.

Rocket

I've only done it once on my EarthX, but after hand-propping the cockpit was still dark. I don't think I revved to 2k, though I did rev a bit since my old alternator (which I've replaced since) took a quick rev to about 1500 rpm before it would start positively charging. All it took to kick the alternator on was a quick touch of a start-cart to the battery terminals, and by the end of the 2 hour flight the battery acted like I'd never been forgetful at all.

Our first EarthX would not come up past 12.6 no matter what. The gal at the factory urged us to take it out of the airplane and sent us a new 680 at a steep discount. The first one was before their "aviation" models. We still have the old one, we use it to start our gas-powered pressure washer.

We also carry their jump start pack. It has to be recharged every 6 months. It will light up a dead EarthX no problem.

Good company. From their website, looks like they have all the manufacturers onboard. Just a matter of time before there's paperwork for the certified folks.

Rocket,

Thx for pointing out my misstatement. While he was able to start the engine by hand propping, the battery would not take a charge from the alternator until the internal battery switch was tripped. So, it was flyable but he had no electrics.