EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2024 2:21 am
by Weatherpilot
I have an ETX-680. It has been sitting awhile during my extensive upgrades/condition Insp. I had disconnected the battery and removed while working on wiring and firewall stuff. Put it back in to find that it only has 6v on the meter. Was 13.8 last time I checked it. So with the BPM feature (battery protection mode) that EarthX batteries have - the battery will not charge unless you reset the BPM. To do this you either need a $180 charger or another 12v source. Reached out to EarthX. They sent me the procedure. Basically you hook up another battery or charge pack in parallel and connect the charger. This they say will reset the BPM and allow charging.
Not sure if anyone else had this problem so I thought to share it.
I’ll let you know what happens. Really don’t want to lay out another $379 for a new one.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:01 am
by GordonTurner
Hi Greg. Sorry to hear about this, hope it comes back to life. Curious if you don’t mind sharing roughly how long was it “on the shelf” and was it in a somewhat climate controlled place or was it just sitting in ambient conditions?
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2024 11:58 am
by Bryan Cotton
Here is my EarthX eXperience:
I bought my first one from our local Explorer post, Youth Exploring Aviation. My younger son Matthew and I were involved for a year. We restored a 1946 Aeronca Chief. It had no electrical system but the rebuilt engine that went into it had a starter pad, so they added a starter and and EarthX battery so they didn’t have to hand prop it. Later the IAs were not happy with the paper trail and they removed the EarthX, and it was offered to me at half price. I bought it, it sat around for a long time, and when I went to use it - kaput. I borrowed the right Optimate charger from a neighbor but it did not come back. I think between the poor usage, i.e. use it until it needed to be charged, then sitting must have killed it. So I dried my tears, bought a new battery and my own Optimate. Life was good.
We started having occasional battery warning indications - the little LED would flash. I have a remote LED in the cockpit next to the MFD. It always worked, and the warnings would go away after a while, but I didn’t like it. From the manual it may have had a weak cell. So I bought #3 - and still had some flashing LED issues. Great. This led me down the rabbit hole of VRs. Relevant thread linked below, and the last post (currently) of that thread links another good VR thread.
That story had a happy ending with my new John Deere VR. The battery warning indications went away. Battery #2 may be fine - still charges and I used it to run my CPAP machine during a winter camping trip last month.
Despite all this, hard to beat the EarthX in terms of performance and weight. I can’t afford a lead acid battery.
If I was in your situation, I’d do the following:
- Buy an optimate charger and see if you can save it.
- If not, buy a new battery.
- Charge the battery regularly. We put ours on charge after every flight, except when going XC.
- Consider the John Deere VR. It charges at 14.6-14.7 and the EarthX is happy there.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2024 12:00 pm
by Weatherpilot
GordonTurner wrote:Hi Greg. Sorry to hear about this, hope it comes back to life. Curious if you don’t mind sharing roughly how long was it “on the shelf” and was it in a somewhat climate controlled place or was it just sitting in ambient conditions?
Inside heated hangar for about 3 months - will let you know the outcome.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2024 5:19 pm
by Murray Parr
I had a similar experience whilst still building. I had everything wired up including the keep alive wire for the MGL Explorer lite. Seems that was enough to drain the battery over a few months. The second time this happened, it wouldn’t charge again. After liaising with Earthex, they concluded it was kaput and even though it was just out of warranty, they sent me a replacement. I now keep it on the Optimate charger all the time. I just don’t think they like lack of use too much and would recommend keeping it on the charger.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2024 10:46 pm
by 13brv3
I’ve had 3 of these, and generally have good luck. I had one die between flights for no obvious reason. That was on a plane that had a Hirth 2-stroke. It had zero volts out, and they replaced it under warranty. I have one in the Onex that sees the Optimate charger maybe once a year. Just recently on my annual I connected it, but mostly because I installed lights and had spent a bunch of time playing with them. In less than 30 min it was in “maintain” so clearly no problems. The other is currently acting as a spare, and is on my engine stand. It’s easily gone months without charging, but it also has nothing connected to it between uses. It does sound like they need a good quality charging system, so maybe that’s the variable.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2024 5:16 pm
by Weatherpilot
Update: it wasn’t the battery.
Received a new EarthX battery. Installed. No joy.
$360 down Hope Spruce will take it back. I purchased the recommended charger that EarthX said was good. Recharged my original battery just fine. Installed the EarthX on my lawnmower and it started it just fine. Just doesn’t do anything in the Sonex…
Removed the starter. Bench tested just fine. AP/IA said I have the wrong solenoid installed. He says it needs to be an intermittent solenoid. Installed is what I assume is the original solenoid that the builder put in. Not sure what model/part number it is.
Question: what solenoid should I use? Is there an automotive equivalent? Can anyone advise please?
Thank you all for your continued support and advice
Greg.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:26 pm
by Bryan Cotton
Greg,
Which solenoid? There is the master contactor, and on my Aerovee starter there is an integrated intermittent solenoid to crank the engine. See figure 2.
https://www.kitplanes.com/aircraft-wiring-4/
The master contactor is continuous duty.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:41 pm
by Weatherpilot
Which solenoid?
The starter solenoid. The intermittent one.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:46 pm
by Bryan Cotton
Is it not part of the starter?
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:43 pm
by Weatherpilot
I think I mean the master solenoid - on the firewall. oops
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:15 pm
by Bryan Cotton
Some discussion on the subject:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2009
Shows my mechanical solution as well as some low amp electrical solutions.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2024 4:45 pm
by Skippydiesel
FYI:
I stand to be corrected however in my experience a SOLENOID is an electromagnetic device for transferring electrical energy to mechanical. as in a starter solenoid. A RELAY is an electromagnetic device for switching on/off an electrical circuit.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput? - chasing demons/gremlins
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:02 pm
by Weatherpilot
Here is a close out to this one.
It wasn’t the battery
wasn’t the solenoid/relay
wasn’t anything
One of the big lessons learned with a second or subsequent owner of a Sonex or any homebuilt.
What did the builder do and why.
Found that no “juice” was getting to the starter. Thought it was the relay, wiring, breaker. Was nothing of the sort.
There is a 5amp toggle on the panel. Unmarked. No indication of what it is for.
Wow! Threw the switch and voila the starter turned!
This has been a learning experience. Frustrating but glad it has been figured out.
Now to start this thing …
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:41 pm
by BobDz
Anti - theft switch?
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 11:03 pm
by Weatherpilot
BobDz wrote:Anti - theft switch?
Could be
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2024 3:48 am
by Skippydiesel
Skippydiesel wrote:FYI:
I stand to be corrected however in my experience a SOLENOID is an electromagnetic device for transferring electrical energy to mechanical. as in a starter solenoid. A RELAY is an electromagnetic device for switching on/off an electrical circuit.
No one took me up on this - I wonder why?
Some of the confusion in this conversation is due to the incorrect use of the word SOLENOID. Most often the writer should be saying RELAY.
I am as guilty as the next home mechanic, for using incorrect terminology. Often both the sender & receiver of the message know what each are trying to convey BUT when many parties are reading the same message, its best, if not deliberatly trying to confuse, to be precise by using the correct terminology.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2024 6:55 am
by Area 51%
Skippydiesel wrote:
Skippydiesel wrote:FYI:
I stand to be corrected however in my experience a SOLENOID is an electromagnetic device for transferring electrical energy to mechanical. as in a starter solenoid. A RELAY is an electromagnetic device for switching on/off an electrical circuit.
No one took me up on this - I wonder why?
Some of the confusion in this conversation is due to the incorrect use of the word SOLENOID. Most often the writer should be saying RELAY.
I am as guilty as the next home mechanic, for using incorrect terminology. Often both the sender & receiver of the message know what each are trying to convey BUT when many parties are reading the same message, its best, if not deliberatly trying to confuse, to be precise by using the correct terminology.
That’s why it’s hard to talk to an engineer. They take everything so literally.
Re: EarthX Battery Kaput?
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2024 9:20 am
by Bryan Cotton
There is a solenoid in every relay. Our starter solenoid does dual duty, pushes the gear forward and makes electrical contact. I didn’t sense any confusion here.