RE: Building my own equilizer

["Roger Stockton" <rstockton@delta-q.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Thompson [mailto:mikt@pair.com]
> Sent: February 27, 2002 9:39 PM
> To: ev@listproc.sjsu.edu
> Subject: Re: Building my own equilizer

[snip]

> Especially since you've had a Personal good experience with
> this effect. (Unless you prefer to be limited by your weakest
> battery? I'm always for more range when it comes at a cost
> appropriate to that partiucular user.)

I suppose "appropriate cost" is really the big sticking point with the
Powercheq equalisers.  At $120 each for ~2Ah improvement in effective
pack capacity over a 1hr discharge, there really appear to be few
situations where it would make sense to install them instead of
switching to a superior pack chemistry (or even just larger batteries of
the same chemistry when that option exists).

For instance, with smallish batteries such as YTs the Powercheq's
provide the greatest benefit, but at ~$120 each for a YT and almost $120
more per YT for Powercheq's it may make much better sense to install a
pack of ~$240/ea Evercells and gain a much more significant improvement
in effective pack capacity.  Likewise, with a pack of 220Ah T105s a
single string of Powercheqs provides negligible benefit, and the cost of
a double string of them makes installing a pack of SAFT NiCds a more
sensible means of increasing the effective pack capacity (as well as
increasing the peak power and lightening the vehicle).

Cheers,

Roger.