The following page is structured to define the auxiliary battery pack for MSXIV. This page builds off of the page created by Micah Black found herehttps://uwmidsun.atlassian.net/browse/MH-130.
At the moment, the auxiliary battery pack is designed to be used for the horn and driver fans. It needs to provide at least 12V and needs to be able to withstand current spikes of 3-4A.
Item | Power Draw | Respective Confluence Page |
|---|---|---|
Horn | 18W | |
Driver Fans | 3.6W per Fan | n/a |
Our previous battery setup of 10S 1P Turnigy 5000mAh NiMH cells seemed to work well however it was mentioned that it was draining too quickly as we powered the car using the aux. battery during troubleshooting. If possible, evaluate the possibility of using the spare SLA 12V battery to power any troubleshooting power needs.
According to the guidelines, our aux. battery falls under the “Supplemental Batteries” section. According to 8.2.B, other battery technologies will need to be evaluated by Headquarters and details must be submitted before the 4.3.A.2 due date. If approved, use of the SLA will significantly increase the usage time of the aux. battery pack as well as the time between charge.
Decision
Upon review of the NiMH 10S 1P battery made from Turnigy cells, it was determined that this is still the best choice. NiMH is easy to charge, has a safe discharge rate compared to other chemistry compositions, and is able to hold charge when not in use. The 5000 mAh is also sufficient to provide around 1 hour of debugging time assuming we are not able to use the SLA spare battery.