Articles Tagged With “battery”
Gel vs AGM: Not Quite the Battle of the Ages, But Nice to Know
More often than not AGM Batteries are mistakenly identified as Gel Cell Batteries. Both batteries have similar traits; such as being non spillable, deep cycle, may be mounted in any position, low self discharge, safe for use in limited ventilation areas, and may be transported via Air or Ground safely without special handling. more...
Make the Bad Sulfation Go Away!
Sulfation (sul-fay-shun), the number one cause of early battery failures, can be safely reversed, using high frequency electronic pulses. Unlike other pulse type chargers that claim this or similar sounding features, VDC's BatteryMINDers® use a range of high frequencies. This ensures both old and newly formed sulfation will be safely dissolved in the shortest possible time. Using just one fixed frequency may remove some, but not all, especially long established–hardened sulfate crystals. more...
Shorai LFX Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries Abuse Test
Lithium Iron Phosphate. At first thought, it sounds like a vitamin supplement that I should be taking to calm my nerves and keep the doctor away. While it won’t calm the nerves or help the joints, Lithium Iron Phosphate is actually a battery chemistry that allows for superior energy storage in a much lighter than lead package. more...
The Super Secret Workings of a Lead Acid Battery Explained
A 12-volt motorcycle battery is made up of a plastic case containing six cells. Each cell is made up of a set of positive and negative plates immersed in a dilute sulfuric acid solution known as electrolyte, and each cell has a voltage of around 2.1 volts when fully charged. The six cells are connected together to produce a fully charged battery of about 12.6 volts. That's great, but how does sticking lead plates into sulfuric acid produce electricity? more...
Troubleshooting a Battery
One of the facts of life is that batteries fail. Some take years, but eventually they will all bite the dust. However, there are so many factors in electrical systems that can go wrong, that often times the battery takes the blame for other component's problems. The easiest and fastest thing to check for problems is the battery. Here is a simple test that can tell you a lot about what is going on inside a battery, and whether it is good or not. This is not meant to test anything other than the battery, but it is a great place to start if you are having electrical problems. more...
What The Heck is a NiCd Battery?
If this is not your first stop in the NiCd information trail I am sure the information that you have read, heard, or found on the internet is just about overwhelming. In this tutorial we will do our best at keeping is simple, accurate, and to the point. If you have questions that are not addressed, please let us know and we hopefully be able to help. more...
Testing Your Battery for Parasitic Load
To check if something is draining your battery while your bike is turned off you need to test for current, not volts. To do so, you may need to use a multimeter. Do not start the engine of your vehicle when testing for parasitic drain. more...
Do You Ship Batteries and Battery Chargers to Canada?
We are limited in how we can ship, based on Canadian law. The law forbids the transport of batteries via the Postal Service. We can ship powersport batteries to Canada via UPS, but as most Canadians are aware, UPS will bill the receiver for all customs duties and fees.
If you are interested in ordering from us and having it delivered to Canada, please be sure to include your phone number in the order. We cannot ship international orders without a valid customer phone number. more...
Can I Store My Battery on a Concrete Floor?
Battery cases made of plastic do not leak and can be stored on nearly any surface, including a surface with standing water with no negative effects. Old Battery cases made of inferior material, such as hard rubber or tar, would develop micro cracks over time and become porous, which when left on wet ground or damp concrete would begin to self-discharge. more...
Did I Receive a Bad Battery?
When we ship our maintenance free AGM powersports batteries, they are pre-filled, charged and ready to install. These batteries are sealed and considered “dry” batteries. Because our batteries are freshly activated you may occasionally see small acid stains on the packaging. However, if there is a pool of acid on the box or packaging this is NOT considered normal. If this is the case, please contact us as soon as possible. more...
Do I Need a Special Battery for My ATV with a Winch?
The short answer is that Powersports batteries are just not designed to handle the amp draw of a winch. They are not made for deep cycling, only for starting. That being said, in the real world, we have winches. Having a higher CCA is a bit helpful, but what you really want is higher storage amps, and a battery capable of deep cycle. more...
Does My Motorcycle Have a Gel Cell battery?
Except for a few European bikes such as limited BMW and Ducati models, AGM is the standard battery type. In almost all motorcycles that have sealed batteries, that sealed battery is an AGM, not a Gel. In fact, if you were to find a correctly sized Gel battery, it is very likely that using it in your snowmobile, ATV, or motorcycle will lead to early battery failure. more...
How Does the Powersports Battery Warranty Work?
Batteries less than 30 days old will be replaced at no charge. For batteries over 30 days, the customer must pay for the shipping of the new replacement battery, which is $13.00 - $18.00 within the USA. For Canada, the customer must pay the current UPS Ground Rate, and replacement is still subject to brokerage fees and taxes, which is the responsibility of the customer. more...
Does Starting My Motorcycle in the Winter Charge the Battery?
While starting your bike every few weeks in the winter may be good for the mechanics of it, it could end up harming your battery. Your vehicle's charging system does not truly ramp up until it gets far above idle, sometimes as high as 5000rpm! Unless you hold'er wide open for 10 or 15 minutes, you may not get enough of a charge. You either need to keep it on a decent maintenance charger, such as a Battery Tender, or you need to suck it up and go for a 20+ mile ride every couple weeks! more...
How Often Should I Charge My Motorcycle, ATV or Boat Battery?
You should either charge your battery every 30 days or so, or consider getting a smart charger to maintain your battery all the time. These new smart chargers will hold the voltage at its prime voltage, while reducing the current to almost nil, thus preventing overcharge even when left on for months at a time. A battery will self-discharge over time, even while not in use or connected to anything, thus the benefit of constant maintenance charger. more...
Why Do You Only Sell AGM Powersports Batteries and not Gel Cell Batteries?
Gel batteries are a specific type of sealed battery as are AGM batteries. AGM battery technology has all the positive attributes of the Gel Battery but does not require the special charge profile, thus allowing for easier integration without the added cost of purchasing a special charger. In fact, no major Powersports battery manufacturer currently offers Gel batteries for their applications. This includes Yuasa, Scorpion, Westco, Interstate and more. more...
How do I Find a Battery that Fits the Dimensions of a Custom Motorcycle Application?
If you have a custom application, and need to find a battery that will fit specific dimensions, you can have a look through our complete list of powersports batteries we sell, listed by dimensions, polarity and capacity. more...
Lithium Iron FAQ
Shorai LFX batteries contain proprietary eXtreme-Rate Lithium Iron prismatic cells (chemistry LiFePO4). Shorai LFX batteries contain no poisonous lead, no acid, and do not create gasses during charge, as traditional Lead-Acid batteries do. Compared to lead-acid, Shorai LFX lithium are also extremely light, have much lower self-discharge, do not sulfate, and are environmentally friendly. more...
What Is The Best Battery Charger For My Motorcycle Battery?
That depends on the size and voltage of your battery. For the sake of popularity, we’ll cover 12-volt Sealed Lead Acid Motorcycle and Powersport Batteries. If you have a small battery, under 20 AH(Amp/Hrs), the Battery Tender Junior may be the best choice. If you have a larger battery, you may want to use a slightly higher amp charger in order to not overwork your charger. For those larger Motorcycle / ATV batteries that fall within the 21-30 AH range we recommend the Noco Genius G-1100, or if you really want to prolong your batteries life the Battery Minder 1510 is a great desulfating charger for any powersport battery. more...
What is the difference between Yuasa and Motocross batteries?
Not much really. Motocross is manufactured in the same factory, the same assembly process, at the same time as the Yuasa. The only difference is the label applied at the end of the manufacturing process. For a more in-depth comparison between the two, check out our Guilty As Charged Blog post: Motocross vs Yuasa. more...
Why is My 12 Volt Battery Reading as 13 Volts?
All Lead acid batteries are made up of a series of 2.2-volt cells that are bridged together in series to reach their final desired voltage. The actual resting voltage, or the voltage a battery will settle at 12-24 hours after being removed from the charger, is closer to 2.1 volts per cell. more...
Will I Need to Charge My Motorcycle, ATV, or Snowmobile Battery When it Arrives?
When you order an AGM maintenance free battery from BatteryStuff.com, it is first filled, charged, and load tested before it is shipped out. This process allows for you to receive your battery ready to install and ride! more...
Will a Small Charger Maintain a Large Bank of Batteries?
Quick answer: No.
When you are dealing with a bank of batteries that is collectively larger than a car battery (max 100 amp/hours), you should crunch the numbers to find the ideal charger for your situation. Normal static power drain on a brand-new battery can be as high as 2-3% a month, which in the case of a 1000-amp battery pack (total) would translate to roughly 30 amps. more...
Lithium Battery Overview
Lithium Based batteries are quickly becoming a reasonable replacement for the 150 year old technology of Lead-Acid batteries. In applications where weight is a consideration, Lithium batteries are among the lightest options available. In recent years Lithium has become available in several chemistries; Lithium-Ion, Lithium Iron Phosphate, Lithium Polymer and a few more exotic variations. more...
Be Prepared - Jump Start Pack
One of the guys left his lights on, and we jumped on the opportunity to show you, what not to do...and what you should do.
First the don't: 200 ft, 5 different types of extension cords, 30 amp charging...very bad.
The do: Be prepared with a jump start pack. more...
Quick Cable RESCUE Jump Pack 1800
On the coldest day of the year, Quick Cable took the RESCUE Jump Pack 1800 to a local car dealer to help jump cars with dead batteries. Of the 110 vehicles on the lot, 11 needed a jump. After starting all 11 dead vehicles, the jump pack's battery status meter was still in the green. All indications were the RESCUE Jump Pack could have continued jump starting more vehicles...without re-charging the jump pack even once. more...
AGM Battery Visual Tour
The Absorbed Glass Matte is a type of Lead Acid Battery. The plates inside the battery cells are covered with active materials, and when a load is applied, the electrolyte in the glass matte allows for easy discharge of electrons.
What does this mean? Watch to find out! more...
Battery Banks Series - Parallel Tutorial
A battery bank is the result of joining two or more batteries together for a single application. What does this accomplish? Well, by connecting batteries, you can increase the voltage or amperage, or both. When you need more power, instead of getting yourself a massive super tanker of a battery, you can construct a battery bank. more...
Warranty Test Tutorial
One of the facts of life is that batteries fail. Some take years, but eventually they will all bite the dust. Rest assured it is uncommon for our customers to experience battery issues, as less then 1% of the powersports batteries we sell end up requiring a warranty. Our Scorpion brand and Yuasa brand from Motocross come with a 1 year replacement warranty against manufacturer defects. If the battery is suspect and is still under warranty, we will replace it. more...
AC to DC Amperage Conversion Calculator: How to Convert AC Amps to DC Amps Through an Inverter
This calculator was designed to figure out the amperage consumption of devices that are being run through pure sine wave inverters. For this calculation, we have figured an 85% efficiency level, and though some inverters can be less efficient and some slightly more, we feel it is an accurate medium range for most pure sine wave inverters. more...
Power Sports Battery FAQ
Following are a few of our most asked questions regarding our Power Sports batteries. If you have questions that are not covered here, feel free to call our tech line. more...
Battery Run Time Calculator
Do you need a 12 volt battery for your application but don't know what size? This calculator is designed to help you find a deep cycle battery when a continuous load is applied, not for cranking or starting purposes. If you know how much power your application takes to run, and the time you would like to run it, we'll recommend a 12 volt battery with a safe amount of AH (Amp Hours) that will give you the run time you need. more...
Math Behind the Magic
Here are the formulas our calculators take into consideration while computing. What? You thought we would show our work step by step? You’re welcome to do it longhand if you like, but personally, I like my calculators better. more...
Peukert’s Law | A Nerd’s Attempt to Explain Battery Capacity
When I first entered the arena of lead acid batteries and their neurotic tendencies, it was presented to me that the easiest way to rate and understand how long a lead-acid battery would last, would be to use the AH (Amp Hour) rating that is so often designated to them. I was told that if a battery was rated at 100AH, then that was more or less indicative that it would last either 100 hours under a 1 amp load, or 1 hour under a 100 amp load. It soon became apparent that this notion of order was false; everything previously understood had been a lie. more...
BCI Battery Group Size Chart
Are you looking for a marine, RV, automotive, or solar PV battery? You may have heard common terms like a "group 24 battery" or "type 27 marine battery". These BCI Group Numbers define the physical dimensions of the battery case. This is important as some applications call for specific case sizes. The BCI does not determine the Amp Hours (AH) rating for the batteries, however, but there is a correlation between case size and AH rating. For deep cycle batteries, the larger the case size the more capacity the battery will usually have. more...
