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Daox · 03-17-09, 02:48 PM

I haven't had a chance to do any real work on the mower unfortunately. However, I have been looking at what else I'll need to have once I get the batteries mounted.

First off, I setup one of my contactors to operate off the stock key/switch. So, that will remain on the mower and be my on/off switch. It even has a momentary setting for starting the gas engine. Perhaps I'll use it as a soft start if need be.

I also got an ammeter from Ben Nelson. It is rated to 200A which I hope will be way more than I need. I figure if I'm pulling 100A constantly I'm going to have about 45 minutes of run time. I'd like to have a bit more than that. I don't remember exactly how long it took to cut the grass before, but 45 minutes is probably cutting it close.

I've also been looking at voltmeters for the mower. Something like this would be nice. However, I'm also looking into a way to monitor each battery so I know if there is a weak one. If I don't monitor them all individually, I'm bound to have problems with killing batteries. So, I googled and found this tutorial on how to make cheap battery monitors. Unless I get some bad feedback on this design, I'll probably go ahead and make one for the mower. 24 LEDs will light up, as soon as one battery's voltage drops too low, the light goes out and I know its time to bring the mower in. It will also allow me to find that bad battery and replace it if need be.

03-17-09, 02:48 PM	#36
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	I haven't had a chance to do any real work on the mower unfortunately. However, I have been looking at what else I'll need to have once I get the batteries mounted. First off, I setup one of my contactors to operate off the stock key/switch. So, that will remain on the mower and be my on/off switch. It even has a momentary setting for starting the gas engine. Perhaps I'll use it as a soft start if need be. I also got an ammeter from Ben Nelson. It is rated to 200A which I hope will be way more than I need. I figure if I'm pulling 100A constantly I'm going to have about 45 minutes of run time. I'd like to have a bit more than that. I don't remember exactly how long it took to cut the grass before, but 45 minutes is probably cutting it close. I've also been looking at voltmeters for the mower. Something like this would be nice. However, I'm also looking into a way to monitor each battery so I know if there is a weak one. If I don't monitor them all individually, I'm bound to have problems with killing batteries. So, I googled and found this tutorial on how to make cheap battery monitors. Unless I get some bad feedback on this design, I'll probably go ahead and make one for the mower. 24 LEDs will light up, as soon as one battery's voltage drops too low, the light goes out and I know its time to bring the mower in. It will also allow me to find that bad battery and replace it if need be.