What kind/how many batteries for diy light

[DA Aquamaster]

My OMS phantom uses three Hawker Cyclon 2.0 volt, 8.0 Ah E cells in series. They are cheap to replace at 13.00 each, fit in 2" PVC and 6 volt halogen bulbs are available in 10 to 20 watt sizes locally, and 30 and 50 watt bulbs are available from OMS.

http://www.atbatt.com/getItem.cfm?ItemID=3500

If you want to be a bit more "DIR" and go with a 12 volt light you could use two or three columns of cells to get the six cels required and could also consider their 2.0 V 2.5 Ah D cells or their 2.0 V 4.5 Ah Tall D cells. I suspect three columns of D diameter cells would fit in 3" PVC.

They offer all sorts of lead acid batteries and one of them should meet your needs

http://www.atbatt.com/getItems2.cfm?SubcategoryID=64&AffID=20010201L6823A104249

I agree with going with lead acid batteries. They are simple, cheap, don't have a problem with memory and can be topped off at anytime.

NiMH batteries offer the same flexible charging capability with no memory but I have not found a ready source for cells with solder tabs. And it is not a good idea to solder directly to the ends of a AA, C or D cell battery as the heat can damage the cell.

 

[canuckdiver]

pcscuba once bubbled...
where can you find those AA batteries?

sorry for the slow reply guys!

http://www.batterystation.com/

these guys have just about the best pricing anywhere when it comes to NIMH stuff

 

[nickjb]

'SubC' and 'D' sized cells are usually the best NiCds and NiMH to go for as these are used in commercial applications. Ten subCs can give you 3 Ah and will fit into a small space.

I use one, two or three strings of ten cells to give twelve volts.

 

[jtsmith]

I use 20 C size batteries with tabs that I got from http://www.batteryspace.com/ for $46

They are 4Ah for a total of 8aH once you hook them up in parallel. They fit in a 3" tude with 5 batteries around a wood dowel core. It ends up being about 13 inches long making it nice and compact. Fill it with mineral oil and your ready to go