On Thursday, January 17, 2013 1:46:15 PM UTC-5, wrote:
I have been very actively looking for the perfect "new technology" battery solution for my glider for a few years. I have been looking to fill two battery trays in my 27B fitted for the standard 6' x 2.6" x 3.7" 12 volt 9ah lead batteries with lighter and higher amp hour batteries. There has been lots of discussion around various solutions here on the web over the last few years. Many glider pilots have already switched to one "new tech" battery or another and report good results.



So Boeing is not dumb. I highly doubt they are roughly handing their lithium batteries and I am sure their wiring is better than most glider wiring patch jobs! But here they are having problems with batteries smoking and even possibly worse while in use. I sure don't want to have that problem when I am at 17,999 ft behind my head. Are the "new age" batteries being used by gliders safer than those at Boeing? I am not trying to make a statement with this thread or questions. I am still moving down the path of switching out batteries before the season and want to make the correct/safe decision. Why are they having problems and we are not so far?



BTW, my panel is full of fun electronic toys and if I ever want to do a 10+ hour flight, 2 9ah lead batteries will be hard pressed to get the job done.



Oh yeah, sign up for the Nephi, Utah Camp August 7-11



Thanks,

Bruno - B4

Boeing is said (by a Boeing engineer) to be using LiPo batteries. Any RC guy would tell you that's crazy. So I wonder if there is more to the story or if the info is just wrong. Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) is what's being used successfully as a SLA replacement in sailplanes. They have a pretty good track record so far as I know (similar to PB SLA -- the big hazard is accidental short circuit, not auto ignition. As long as the internal construction is robust and there is an external fuse at the battery, they should be fine). I plan on replacing my Pb SLA batteries with LiFePO4 when they warrant it. The lithium batteries are still improving in performance and cost.

T8