Kendrick Power Packs: Worth the price?
Gary Irwin
I am soliciting opinions as to wether you think the seeming exorbitant price
Mr. Kendrick charges for his batteries are worth it. They do come with a 750
ma recharger (of course you can pay more for a faster charger - I love free
enterprise!), but it sure looks like a lot of money for a lowly lead-acid
battery. By the way, I don't need that weird and wonderful 18 volt source so
ingeniously developed by Meade.
So, are they work the money or should I just go to my corner automotive
store and pick up a cheap marine cell and charger?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
By the way, I don't know what I would do without SAA. Long Live SAA!
Gary Irwin
Stargazer275
I don't remember what the Kendrick batteries go for retail. Is this the 34
amp-hour battery or the 17 a-hr? It seems to me that his were kind of pricey
though and I shopped around and got two different batteries for different
applications. I have a Century Electri-Pac that I use for driving my mount.
It is a 34 amp hour battery I believe and it has an inverter so that I can get
300 watts AC if I need. I use a Century Jump Start battery for my dew heaters.
It must be recharged after each use though because it is not a deep cycle
battery. Still, I seem to remember coming out cheaper with both of these
batteries than with the Kendrick. Unfortunately, I now have almost 60 lbs
worth of batteries to keep up with. Check out Century's web site. They are a
pretty big supplier of retail batteries.
Andy
Sandy McNamara
>store and pick up a cheap marine cell and charger?
Being a cheap skate, I'd go for the deep cycle battery from the local farm
store, an inexpensive battery box to carry it in, and a regular battery charger
(make sure it has a setting for deep cycle charging). A regular deep cycle
battery weighs more than the Kendrick one if portability is an issue but is
less expensive and carries signficantly more amp-hrs (most are between 85 and
120 amp hrs). And everyone needs a regular battery charger in their garage
anyway :-).
An added plus is the capacity to run other accy in the field. I've used one
(with a 12V-120V inverter/regulator) to run my laptop and a few other things
over a long 4-day weekend with no need for recharge.
cheers,
Sandy Mc.
Sandy...@aol.com (Sandy McNamara)
40d 26' N 89d 13' W
Gary Irwin
I'm leaning towards a 33+ amp hour so I won't have to worry about running
out of power at 3am. Kendrick has the basic 33 amp model listed for $290.00
USD but it only comes with a mickey mouse 750 ma recharger (~ 44 hours for a
full recharge) so I figure the optional 6 amp float charger would be needed
for an extra $90 bringing the total to $380.00, plus shipping.
Now, Kendrick's stuff is good, but it seems to me that thats a lot of mula
for a lead acid battery w/four 12 volt plugs. I wonder though; is there
something *else* that the Kendrick battery has that the others don't?
Gary
Stargazer275 <starga...@cs.com> wrote in message
news:20001009230458...@ng-ff1.news.cs.com...
Al Testani
battery that would run forever. I first had a small tractor battery and it
ran down during a session where the seeing was awesome and my alignment was
perfect. I was not happy to have to tear down and go in on a night like
that! I got a big deep cycle marine battery from Kmart (like 120 Ahrs) and
an inexpensive charger. It's big and heavy but it runs forever.... and
meets my requirement.
I will get a smaller unit from CostCo, Sam's Club, or Walmart when I need a
more portable unit.
Sandy McNamara <sandy...@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
news:20001009231149...@ng-bh1.aol.com...
John J. Kasianowicz
deep cycle batteries (i.e. w/a heavy schlep factor) in an observatory? If
so, how well do the batteries fair?
Dale Ireland
displaying the charge state, circuit breakers, charger, carrying case,
handles. Sure you can buy a marine battery, then buy a charger, then
wire on lighter plugs, then wire on breakers, etc etc but the Kendrick
system is clean, compact and designed for astro use. I have had it out 3
nights this week for about 4-5 hours each without charging and it still
shows plenty of juice left, I mean it hardly showed a drop, running a
AP600 mount, and ST-4 ccd camera, and one night a dew heater also.
I did buy the rapid charger but You don't really need it since it is
usually in the trickle charge mode anyway.
I also own the 17ah Kendrick pack to power a smaller mount and video
camera for my "carry-on" setup.
I have had both packs for a couple years and they still hold charge like
they were new.
--
Dale Ireland
47.7N 122.7W
Astronomy Page http://www.drdale.com
Comets, Satellites, Eclipses, Photography, Fabrications
John J. Kasianowicz
John McHarry wrote:
> A fully charged battery will not freeze down to at least -30 or so.
> Run flat, I don't know how low one could take one, but it isn't long
> for this world anyway. Output does drop with temperature however.
John McHarry
A fully charged battery will not freeze down to at least -30 or so.
Sandy McNamara
<sur...@erols.com> writes:
>Do any of you that live in areas that experience freezing temperatures keep
>deep cycle batteries (i.e. w/a heavy schlep factor) in an observatory? If
>so, how well do the batteries fair?
I don't have an observatory :-(, but I do have a deep cycle battery on my
camper which is stored outside year round where winter temps often drop well
below zero; its a couple of years old now and doing fine. As long as you
recharge after use and top it off at least monthly irregardless of use or keep
it on a trickle charger (there are solar powered ones designed for this), you
don't need to worry too much. The power supplied normally drops a bit with a
cold battery but I believe the freezing point for a charged battery is
something well below -60 Fso you don't need to worry much about damaging it.
Cheers,
Stargazer275
Upon re-reading my initial post, I saw somthing that could be confusing. The
battery that I have to recharge after every use is the dew heater
battery....the jump start battery. My main drive battery will run all night
long for probably 10-12 sessions in mild weather and 3-5 in freezing temps. It
is a deep cycle battery and I think its amp-hr rating is 57...I can't find my
literature right now to make sure. It will recharge at a rate of 8 amps so a
recharge just takes less than a day (one night to the next). It's retail price
is less than $200, I think. I was lucky to get mine for free so I can't
complain. It is heavy at about 40 lbs. I hope this clarifies somewhat. BTW,
it already has a cigarettte outlet and a 120V duplex AC and battery level
indicator so no additional wiring is needed.
Andy
Greg Nowell
charger. I'll put it in a plastic box and drill some holes for the wires. I
figure $100 bucks or so will take care of the problem. I also intend to use it
to run the 1/2 amp hr drives on the Losmandy g11. The only other electrical
system is the NGC Max and I've opted for the expensive but long lasting 9 volt
lithium batteries available at Radio Shack. -gn.
Gary Irwin wrote:
--
Gregory P. Nowell
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science, Milne 100
State University of New York
135 Western Ave.
Albany, New York 12222
Fax 518-442-5298
Dennis Hohman
I use a a Walmart 35 amp-hour deep cycle which goes for about $35. I added
their 1 amp float-charger for $24 which turns-off automatically so you don't
overcharge the battery. It fits nicely in a small Coleman cooler ( with
handle) which makes for easy portability. It's cheap but the first battery
lost considerable capacity after about 11/2 years and the battery was always
on the float charger when not in use. So price can make a difference
thicker lead plates I suspect).
I know of people who have gotten over 10 years out of bigger and heavier
batteries.
I have resigned myself to replacing the battery every year and a half but
it is still a lot lighter and cheaper than most of the alternatives.
Dennis Hohman
"Gary Irwin" <ga...@home.com> wrote in message
news:f4tE5.20317$9o3.3...@news2.rdc1.on.home.com...
Username
like to know I have a fresh battery every time I go out ready to go. Is it
worth the money - yes and no. Kendrick puts a good warranty on it which has
value. My story is as follows: The case is riveted shut - drill the rivets
and you void the warranty - well mine came to me and some of the outlets did
not work so while speaking with Jim Kendrick on the phone, he authorized me
to drill out the rivets and fix the cold solder joints he attributed to a
new worker after looking at the digital pics I emailed him (isn't technology
grand!). I was a bit disappointed given the $300 I paid.
In any event - the battery is one of those alarm type of gel cell batteries
but much bigger, the float charger, an off the shelf type from a boat store,
there is nice metal work and a nice case w/ voltmeter. That's it. You
decide if it's worth it.
Would I buy it again - I think not - I'd go to my local Rat Shack - and
order a 33ah Gel cell battery and get a float charger from the local marine
store - whole thing should come to less than $100 bucks...
Bob Smith
Atlanta, GA.
Dennis Hohman <Dho...@postoffice.worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:FIpG5.31029$tl2.1...@bgtnsc07-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Hi Gary,
>
> I use a a Walmart 35 amp-hour deep cycle which goes for about $35. I
added
> their 1 amp float-charger for $24 which turns-off automatically so you
don't
> overcharge the battery. It fits nicely in a small Coleman cooler ( with
> handle) which makes for easy portability. It's cheap but the first battery
> lost considerable capacity after about 11/2 years and the battery was
always
> on the float charger when not in use. So price can make a difference
> thicker lead plates I suspect).
>
> I know of people who have gotten over 10 years out of bigger and heavier
> batteries.
>
> I have resigned myself to replacing the battery every year and a half but
> it is still a lot lighter and cheaper than most of the alternatives.
>
> Dennis Hohman
>
> "Gary Irwin" <ga...@home.com> wrote in message
> news:f4tE5.20317$9o3.3...@news2.rdc1.on.home.com...
Gary Irwin
Thanks to all who responded. It took me a while to decide, but I finally
went out and bought a cheap 17 amp hour sealed lead acid battery at Costco
for $80.00 CDN ($53 USD). Its one of those 12 volt car booster types, but it
does have deep cycle capability and comes complete with a 12 volt accessory
recepticle and .5 amp trickle charger with surge protection. So as an
all-in-one package it represented great value, I thought.
It dosen't have a really big capacity, but it will do me for now. I figure
it will only last a couple of years when I will have to dispose of it and
buy a new one. Maybe then my needs will have changed and I'll get something
bigger. The fact that the Kendrick model will also eventually have to be
replaced at a relatively high cost convinced me (along with many of your
opinions and experiences) that it was not money well spent.
In fairness to Kendrick though, I have their heater system and dew shield,
and they both work great. Good products for sure.
Thanks again for your help!
Gary Irwin
London, Ontario
Gary Irwin <ga...@home.com> wrote in message
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