On Sunday, November 27, 2016 at 4:23:09 AM UTC-5, krasw wrote:
On Sunday, 27 November 2016 11:05:20 UTC+2, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
So... Your glider has less instruments and current draw than the one mentioned above in this thread. I also know several pilots who do not have batteries in their glider at all, and only use a handheld radio. Point being the new LiFePo4 have not rendered solar panels obsolete.

I do like the espresso maker idea though!

On Sunday, November 27, 2016 at 12:03:48 AM UTC-8, krasw wrote:

Hmmm. One could also install small generator in glider to drive set of christmas lights and espresso machine in cockpit.

I have e-vario, flarm, radio, PDA power and flarm display with small 8 Ah LiFePo4. It takes 11 hrs to run dry. Other similar battery is waiting in reserve. I could easily install similar physical size LiFePos with 30-40 hrs of current. That would be a week of gliding.

My point was that I have what I would call pretty full panel, and could have electricity for two or three similar panels running all at the same time, with some reserves.

But I understand the case for panels when you have ancient electrical system (building second avionics bus would be few hours job), would need to carry lead in nose or want to charge on the ground. In pretty much any other case I still maintain that panels are thing of the past. Not to mention that they pretty much ruin the esthetics of beautiful glider, but of course YMMV.

I don't think you have a full panel. I could call it a small panel. I have 20 AH battery dedicated to instruments plus 4 solar panels and all of that power will not last for an 8 hour flight to drive all I have in the cockpit.. The glider and instruments are year 2016.