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I just installed my EarthX battery in my aircraft and started the engine and my charging amps was really high, is this normal?
Yes, this is normal. A lithium battery can and will accept a much higher charging current than an equal size lead acid battery. If your battery is not fully charged, your alternator can potentially output a current equal to or slightly above the alternator’s rating for a few minutes to top the battery off. Your fuse, breaker, or current limiting device should be sized approximately 20% above the alternator rating. Example, if you have a 40 amp alternator, use a fuse, breaker, current limiter set to 48 amps (or 50 amps). |
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Is it safe to hook up the battery to a charger and walk away?
No. As with any battery being charged it is best not to do this in the event of a faulty charger. Follow these safety tip for charging ANY type of battery.
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My LED light is flashing on my ETX680C/680, ETX900, or ETX1200, what does that mean?
Most of the time, it means you need to charge the battery as it is at a low charge level but it could mean several things. First thing you need to do it put a voltmeter on the battery, if the voltage is less than 13.28V, the LED light will flash to let you know to charge the battery. If the voltage is above 13.28V and flashing, then you could have a weak cell /a cell out of balance/or defective cell and you need to contact EarthX for a warranty coverage if it is less than 2 years old. The LED will also flash if the voltage is too high, above 14.6V. If the light is solid and remains on for more than 10 minutes, then it is an indication of a BMS electronics problem and contact EarthX.
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My battery is dead or near zero volts, how do I recharge it?
The ETX-Series of batteries have over discharge protection and is designed to prevent a continuous active drain on the battery to the point of damaging the battery, such as leaving your key in the on position, master switch on your aircraft, or parasitic draw as examples. If your battery is reading 0V, or near 0V, then this protection might be activated. To determine the actual voltage of the battery, remove the negative battery cable and measure the voltage at the terminals with a voltmeter. If less than 8V, it will not accept a charge. Once a lithium battery is approximately 8V, it can be permanently damaged and the EarthX BMS is designed to not allow the recharging of the battery as this is no longer safe to do and can be dangerous and cause cell rupture. Never force a charge into the battery. This is not a battery defect, nor a failed battery, but instead the protection working as it is designed. The rate of discharge depends on how many amp hours the battery has (less Ah = faster discharge) and the ambient temperature (warmer = faster discharge). When the EarthX battery is about 95% drained, the BMS over discharge protection will disconnect the battery from the active drain so that you do not continue to discharge the battery to the point of damaging it. You know this has happened when you put a voltmeter on the battery installed in the vehicle and it reads close to 0V. We allow this much discharge of the battery to provide you the most energy possible if the drain is intentional, ie: your alternator fails in flight, and you are powering your electronics with the battery. The battery will continue to drain, at a much slower rate, with time as this is impossible to stop batteries from self-discharging. Even “brand new” batteries left in a box will drain and if not recharged and maintained, will be permanently damaged. It is very important to recharge the battery immediately if it has been drained. The longer the battery remains discharged will shorten the overall life span and increases the chance of permanent damage. Depending on the amp hour of the battery and the environmental temperature will dictate how much time can pass before it is permanently damaged. Example, the ETX12A is a 4Ah battery and should be recharged within a week whereas the ETX900 is a 15.6Ah battery and should be recharged within a month of finding it in this state. |
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The battery does not seem to charge or hold a charge, why?
If a battery does not seem to charge or perform as well as it once did, it may be for one or more of the following issues:
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What is the difference between PCA and CCA?
Unlike Cold Cranking Ampere (CCA), the Pulse Cranking Ampere (PCA) rating does not have an “official” definition by the automotive industry. CCA tests are done at 0 deg F with a 30 second discharge time which is unrealistic for most motorsport vehicles. PCA is a measure of battery discharge amps for <10 seconds at 77 deg F (25 deg C). Our manual shows the CCA and PCA rating of each battery. The CCA rating is most important for snowmobiles due to the colder temperatures. |
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What is the shelf life or life span of a battery?
All batteries have a life span, even if left in the box and never used. Time is a factor even if properly cared for, eventually, all batteries die. An EarthX battery is rated for up to 6 years if properly maintained, which means it is not left in a discharged state (below 13.28V); used in a properly functioning charging system; used with a proper charger; not shorted; and proper temperature ratings have been followed. All batteries will self discharge and depending on the amp hour of the battery, and its temperature it is stored in, the level of discharge and amount of time are variable. Always keep your lithium battery above 13.28V for longest life. |
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What maintenance is required?
Lithium batteries require no maintenance such as adding liquid, worrying about freezing in subzero temperature, or the heat of summer damaging them. Just be sure the terminal connections are tight and free of corrosion. If you have a vehicle that has a drain even if the key is off, (Harley’s definitely do) then you will need to charge them every 1-2 months of inactivity (depending on how much of a draw there is determines the length of time it can sit) by putting a charger until it shows fully charged. If at any point your battery is less than 13.28V, it is in a discharged state and needs to be charged. Any battery left in a discharged state can and will be damaged or life shortened. |
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Why does my battery look puffy or swollen?
Many things can cause a puffy or swollen looking battery, which is caused by the buildup of gases inside the battery. This can be from age as gas will build up over time; being exposed to extreme temperatures; deeply discharging or overcharging of the battery. This is a good indicator that it is time for a new battery. |
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Will my aircraft lithium battery catch fire?
We understand the fear of a fire in an aircraft is real and justified. We also understand people fear that a lithium battery will spontaneously self-combust with no warning and reason and catch everything near it on fire too. We want to address this fear. The EarthX batteries are LFP chemistry, or lithium iron phosphate, the most abuse tolerant and requires a lot of energy to force them into thermal runaway. The term thermal runaway can mean different things and for a LFP battery, it does not mean a 3-foot-tall explosion of flames, it means it will produce a lot of smoke for about 10 minutes. (It should be noted the type of chemistry that does cause a large fire ball is the most used cell in the world, a Lithium Cobalt cell. This is found in your cell phone, your tablet, your laptop, etc. On a commercial flight, if you are traveling on a 737 with 204 person capacity, it would be typical to have around 300 of these batteries in the cabin with you as a reference point). To cause a thermal runaway with the EarthX battery, many things in your aircraft, and you as a pilot, would have failed. First, your regulator would have to fail. Then your over voltage protection on your aircraft would have to fail. Then you as a pilot would have to fail and not turn your charging system off (alternator off) as you see the voltage and amps climb, destroying all your electronics on your panel and popping fuses everywhere in the process. If you did nothing but continued to fly, and if the batteries protection failed too or you exceeded the protection limits (over 100V), it takes about 7 minutes of this type of runaway energy to cause a thermal runaway with the battery. The FAA TSO certified approved battery, the ETX900-TSO,and the ETX900-VNT, are in a fireproof containment system (internally) and is a sealed battery that is vented overboard, so even in this catastrophic state, the smoke is pushed overboard and it is not a battery safety issue and it does not cause anything near it to heat or catch on fire either. As far as the fear of spontaneous self-combustion, the battery must be part of a catalyst situation for it to go into thermal runaway. It will not simply “combust” with no reactor. The batteries have short circuit protection and a battery management system to prevent the use of the battery if it detects a fault. The Hundred series for aircraft also has a fault monitoring that would alert you if something was outside of normal with an LED light that will illuminate. |
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Does this Magneto come with an impulse?
Check the "Detail" tab of the Slick Magneto that you are interested in buying and the Slick Magneto listed with a "Type: Impulsed" will come up with an impulse coupling. |
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For a Slick Magneto what is the service time?
According to the Slick Magneto by Champion Overhaul Manual L-1363F, the magneto should be overhauled at TBO, lighting strike, prop strike, sudden stoppage of the engine and immersion of the aircraft. |
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What are the possible bill backs that I can get on a core return for my Slick Magneto?
There are no bill backs on a core return that is a current series 4300 or 6300 Slick Magneto. |
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What is a good core return?
A good core retunr for a factory overhauled Slick Magneto is going to be a current series 4300 or 6300 Slick Magneto. If a new Slick Magneto is purchased, then older series Slick Magnetos can be considered for credit on a case by case basis. |
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How do I lubricate my flap rollers
To lubricate use a lightweight oil. Lubriplate or motor oil works well. Lubriplate is a light weight, patroleum base, very oily grease. |
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How do I determine the correct location for the different width flap rollers and the spacer/shim locations?
There are many different installations that were used for the different Cessna models. Please consult your applicable Service/Maintenance Manual and Illustrated Parts Catalog for the proper location for your specific aircraft. |
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How do I get all the parts lined up and the bolt in place at the aft roller locations while working in the small flap hole?
We sell tool P/N 970 to facilitate the installation of the aft rollers and make the installation easier and simplified for this hard to reach location.
The handle of the tool makes access to the bolt hole in the small inspection opening easy. The pointed tool allows you to align the parts and easily insert the tool in the bolt hole. The next step is to push the tool back out of the hole with the bolt. |
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What does P/N MCSK100 roller upgrade kit do?
The Cessna Service Bulletin SEB95-3 describes damage to the flap support arms from the edges of the rollers cutting into them as the flap rollers rotate. Cessna fixed the roller end wear problem on the forward roller locations by installing a thin stainless steel wear washer between the roller and the flexible flap arms.
The aft roller location is more difficult as it is up in the flap structure and is rigid. The flap support arms will not flex open for the addition of wear washers like the forward roller location. The aft long roller position has the same wear problem as the forward roller locations. Since there is not room to install a wear washer with the existing roller, McFarlane designed a roller slightly shorter in length that allows room for wear washers on each end of the roller. The wear washers are designed with a step in them to make them an assembly that is easier to install.
Note that the upgrades do not change the aft narrow roller and shims/spacers that control the flap lateral end play. P/N MCSK100 only replaces the unprotected long aft roller(s) on each flap. Replacing the flap arms that have excessive wear is very expensive and time consuming. MCSK100 stops any further flap support arm wear. |
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What is in the McFarlane flap roller kits?
Flap Roller Kits contain all of the rollers needed to complete one aircraft. Flap Roller Upgrade Kits include all of the components, forward wear washers (P/N MCS1450-3S10-032), aft service kit (P/N MCSK100), and hardware needed to replace the flap rollers and hardware associated with the rollers, along with Cessna SEB95-3 Rev. 1 for instructions to inspect flap support arms for wear. |
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Where do I install P/N MCSK100 flap roller service kit?
P/N MCSK100 Flap Roller Service Kit replaces the aft wide roller assembly, and only the aft wide roller. Please consult your applicable Service/Maintenance Manual and Illustrated Parts Catalog for the proper location for your specific aircraft, and the STC SA01074WI. |