Battery Drain

[captmac]

Been having issues with low battery after fishing a couple hours on the troller seems electronics run down the battery. what is the solution? Have two depth finders and a side view. open to all suggestions

[denjac]

I aways run my electronics off the starting battery. Even a that it sounds like weak trolling batteries, electronics shouldnt pull that much juice.

[captmac]

Thanks for the reply, Guess I was not clear, electronics do run off starting battery and battery tests good

[fishinwrench]

Thanks for the reply, Guess I was not clear, electronics do run off starting battery and battery tests good

What method are you using to "test" the battery(s) ?

If you are going by a percentage of charge meter the batteries can still be bad, the meter is simply telling you that the battery is at it's full capacity...which doesn't indicate that the "capacity" is up to snuff. The best test is to put the battery under a heavy amp load and watch how the voltage drops. If it drops much below 10 volts under a load when charged to full capacity then the battery is definately weak.

[captmac]

Battery was load tested an is the second one in about a month to let me down,could there be another draw than the electronics Thanks for the replys

[fishinwrench]

Turn everything off and disconnect the battery....

When you hook it back up does it spark at the terminal ? If so, something is drawing current.

Or, Put a digital voltmeter on the battery and one by one disconnect the power cables to each circuit (including the TM) while watching the voltage reading. When you interrupt the circuit that is drawing juice you should see the voltage change slightly.

A poor connection in the TM harness may be what is causing the loss of performance after a short period of use, since low voltage creates heat which gets worse the more it is used. Does any of your wiring or the TM power plug get hot, or overly warm ? Clean the plug contacts and make sure they fit together tightly and inspect all splices and terminal connections for signs of corrosion or overheating. Make sure everything is clean and tight.

I have seen electric motors develop an arc to ground inside the windings, which can pull the battery voltage down fast. Operating the motor with a digital VM hooked to the battery will show this as a momentary reversed polarity reading (- 12.4 for example) for just a split second when you first press the switch.

Other than the above... I'm out of ideas:) I'm assuming that you've already checked to be sure there isn't a wad of fishing line or something behind the prop.

[captmac]

Again i guess i am not communicating the problem, trolling motor and batterys are fine its the starting battery that the electronics is running down appreciate the replys and the patience...

[denjac]

I had a problem with the starting battery losing charge. Turned out it was an aniode or diode, (dont know the terminolgy) on the motor. Like wrench said , pull the leed off and then touch the post and see if you have a spark. If you do you have a short somewhere.

[fishinwrench]

Again i guess i am not communicating the problem, trolling motor and batterys are fine its the starting battery that the electronics is running down appreciate the replys and the patience...

ok sorry, the way the original post was worded threw me off.

Now i'm thinking that your engine rectifier/regulator, or stator may be at fault. You should be able to run 2 depthfinders, and a livewell pump for 7-8 hours and still fire up a V6 outboard. So your battery should not be going dead. If you have a voltmeter on the dash keep an eye on it while you are running down the lake/river, voltage should steadily climb after starting and level off between 12.5 - 14.5 volts while running.

The rect/reg. also supplys voltage pulse signal to the tach, so usually a rect./reg. failure is accompanied by obviously inaccurate tachometer readings.

What motor are we working with here ?

[naru70]

I have been having the same problem with my humminbird 1197. But not with my lowrance x17. After a fully charged new battery, it just takes a litte time and the voltage on the hummingbird to drop to 11.6 or lower. I have to charge the starting battery almost every day where if I only use the x-17 I can go a week before charging. I cant get anyone to tell me whats the problem.