Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
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- haildamage
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Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
i had been running my heated gear on my PCX electrical system. however, i had to switch it off at every stoplight and that meant that the jacket didnt really get a chance to warm up in urban riding.
i wanted to try to run it off of an auxilery battery under the seat. luckily i found myself around the campfire with an electrical engineer and got some valuable advice. firstly you need to use a deep cycle/marine battery type battery. i dont understand these things so well but basically these batteries are designed to be charged up and run down repeatedly unlike the automotive batteries most of us are more familiar with.
as he is a nice guy, he advised me on what kind of battery i needed to run my Warm and Safe 90 watt jacket for two hours:
90w for 2 hours at 12 volts.
90w/12v = 7.5 A
7.5A x 2 hour = 15 A hour needed
since i actually only ride around 45 minutes each way and i dont turn the jacket up much higher the 50%, i went with a 12V12Amh battery as i wasnt sure what would fit under the seat. i bought this battery from amazon. it is enough for my needs and still allows me to put my road emergency gear and my 12 inch laptop under the seat. if you want to run for longer or use heated gloves you might consider the 20Amh hour battery assuming it will fit under your seat.
so far this system is working very well for me. however, the real test will come when it is down close to zero in the morning in a few weeks!
i am using a CTEK smart charger. i soldered the charger connector and the warm and safe jacket socket directly to the battery.
i wanted to try to run it off of an auxilery battery under the seat. luckily i found myself around the campfire with an electrical engineer and got some valuable advice. firstly you need to use a deep cycle/marine battery type battery. i dont understand these things so well but basically these batteries are designed to be charged up and run down repeatedly unlike the automotive batteries most of us are more familiar with.
as he is a nice guy, he advised me on what kind of battery i needed to run my Warm and Safe 90 watt jacket for two hours:
90w for 2 hours at 12 volts.
90w/12v = 7.5 A
7.5A x 2 hour = 15 A hour needed
since i actually only ride around 45 minutes each way and i dont turn the jacket up much higher the 50%, i went with a 12V12Amh battery as i wasnt sure what would fit under the seat. i bought this battery from amazon. it is enough for my needs and still allows me to put my road emergency gear and my 12 inch laptop under the seat. if you want to run for longer or use heated gloves you might consider the 20Amh hour battery assuming it will fit under your seat.
so far this system is working very well for me. however, the real test will come when it is down close to zero in the morning in a few weeks!
i am using a CTEK smart charger. i soldered the charger connector and the warm and safe jacket socket directly to the battery.
- you you
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
Are you using heated gloves too?haildamage wrote:i had been running my heated gear on my PCX electrical system. however, i had to switch it off at every stoplight and that meant that the jacket didnt really get a chance to warm up in urban riding.
i wanted to try to run it off of an auxilery battery under the seat. luckily i found myself around the campfire with an electrical engineer and got some valuable advice. firstly you need to use a deep cycle/marine battery type battery. i dont understand these things so well but basically these batteries are designed to be charged up and run down repeatedly unlike the automotive batteries most of us are more familiar with.
as he is a nice guy, he advised me on what kind of battery i needed to run my Warm and Safe 90 watt jacket for two hours:
90w for 2 hours at 12 volts.
90w/12v = 7.5 A
7.5A x 2 hour = 15 A hour needed
since i actually only ride around 45 minutes each way and i dont turn the jacket up much higher the 50%, i went with a 12V12Amh battery as i wasnt sure what would fit under the seat. i bought this battery from amazon. it is enough for my needs and still allows me to put my road emergency gear and my 12 inch laptop under the seat. if you want to run for longer or use heated gloves you might consider the 20Amh hour battery assuming it will fit under your seat.
so far this system is working very well for me. however, the real test will come when it is down close to zero in the morning in a few weeks!
i am using a CTEK smart charger. i soldered the charger connector and the warm and safe jacket socket directly to the battery.
- haildamage
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
[quote="you youAre you using heated gloves too?[/quote]
no i am using the honda heated grips. they are good as they know when there isnt enough power and go into sleep mode automatically. i also have the tucano urbano bar muffs. with that i am fine with uninsulated leather gloves. if you wanted to add heated gloves, you would neet to consider that in what size Amh battery and how long your commute is.
no i am using the honda heated grips. they are good as they know when there isnt enough power and go into sleep mode automatically. i also have the tucano urbano bar muffs. with that i am fine with uninsulated leather gloves. if you wanted to add heated gloves, you would neet to consider that in what size Amh battery and how long your commute is.
- you you
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
haildamage wrote:[quote="you youAre you using heated gloves too?
no i am using the honda heated grips. they are good as they know when there isnt enough power and go into sleep mode automatically. i also have the tucano urbano bar muffs. with that i am fine with uninsulated leather gloves. if you wanted to add heated gloves, you would neet to consider that in what size Amh battery and how long your commute is.[/quote]
As long as you are keeping the extremities warm it'll make the most put of a heated jacket
- haildamage
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
according to the theory its more the opposite. if you keep the core warm with a heated jacket, your extremities will stay much warmer. when your core becomes cold the body shuts down blood flow to the extremities to concentrate on the core.
it is nice to have both grips and jacket though.
it is nice to have both grips and jacket though.
- maddiedog
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
Cool solution.
I'm guessing the stator doesn't output enough charge to also drive the charger for the deep cycle? It'd be cool to have that as a feature. Likely not possible though.
I think another solution would be to replace the headlights with LEDs. The decrease in current draw may be enough to power some jackets, not yours though.
I'm guessing the stator doesn't output enough charge to also drive the charger for the deep cycle? It'd be cool to have that as a feature. Likely not possible though.
I think another solution would be to replace the headlights with LEDs. The decrease in current draw may be enough to power some jackets, not yours though.
Currently ride: 2011 Honda PCX 125 - Upgraded windshield and seat, keeping this one mostly stock
Previously rides: 2005 V-Strom DL650, 1974 Vespa Ciao, 2011 Honda PCX 170 (tons of mods - takegawa 170cc big bore kit, gears, etc), 1996 Honda Nighthawk 250, 1987 Honda Spree, 2000 KTM 125SX, 2003 Honda Silverwing, 2007 Genuine Buddy 125, 1998 Honda PC800, 2008 Buddy 125 (white), 2008 Buddy 125 (red), 2001 Honda Reflex, 1987 Honda Elite, 1988 Honda Spree, 2007 Yamaha Vino, 2007 Honda Metro, 2x 125cc pure-chinesium dirt bikes
Previously rides: 2005 V-Strom DL650, 1974 Vespa Ciao, 2011 Honda PCX 170 (tons of mods - takegawa 170cc big bore kit, gears, etc), 1996 Honda Nighthawk 250, 1987 Honda Spree, 2000 KTM 125SX, 2003 Honda Silverwing, 2007 Genuine Buddy 125, 1998 Honda PC800, 2008 Buddy 125 (white), 2008 Buddy 125 (red), 2001 Honda Reflex, 1987 Honda Elite, 1988 Honda Spree, 2007 Yamaha Vino, 2007 Honda Metro, 2x 125cc pure-chinesium dirt bikes
- haildamage
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
those are great ideas, but a bit more complicated than what i can manage. maybe somebody else will develop them and show us the way!maddiedog wrote:Cool solution.
I'm guessing the stator doesn't output enough charge to also drive the charger for the deep cycle? It'd be cool to have that as a feature. Likely not possible though.
I think another solution would be to replace the headlights with LEDs. The decrease in current draw may be enough to power some jackets, not yours though.
- sendler2112
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
Why can't you just run the heated gear off of the normal battery. I have Venture Heat jacket, pants, and glove liners running with no charging problems. The PCX has a powerful charging system.
- haildamage
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
indeed the charging system is pretty powerful at 317 watts. however, my understanding of the charging system is that is doesnt charge at idle or under acceleration. it is very urban where i live with too much time sitting at stop lights and accelerating away from stop lights. i ran it off of the stock charging system for two winters. however, i was always turning the jacket off when stopped and as a result, the jacket really didnt get a chance to warm up. one day i decided to let the jacket run at 1/3 without turning it off. the battery died and i was stuck on the side of the road until the nearby bike shop opened.sendler2112 wrote:Why can't you just run the heated gear off of the normal battery. I have Venture Heat jacket, pants, and glove liners running with no charging problems. The PCX has a powerful charging system.
with this system, i can leave the jacket turned up to whatever level i like and the worst that can happen is that i will drain the auxiliary battery before i get home.
it would be nice if you put your location in your profile so we could easily understand where you live. i assume you are not commuting in a lot of stop and go traffic if you are running that much heated gear no problem.
- sendler2112
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
Did you ever try just leaving your heated gear on to see if you would have a problem? Or you just assumed the battery would eventually run low. My commute is 80% highway at 50 mph.haildamage wrote:i ran it off of the stock charging system for two winters. however, i was always turning the jacket off when stopped
- haildamage
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
sendler2112 wrote:Did you ever try just leaving your heated gear on to see if you would have a problem? Or you just assumed the battery would eventually run low. My commute is 80% highway at 50 mph.haildamage wrote:i ran it off of the stock charging system for two winters. however, i was always turning the jacket off when stopped
yes, see the part in red from my previous post.
indeed the charging system is pretty powerful at 317 watts. however, my understanding of the charging system is that is doesnt charge at idle or under acceleration. it is very urban where i live with too much time sitting at stop lights and accelerating away from stop lights. i ran it off of the stock charging system for two winters. however, i was always turning the jacket off when stopped and as a result, the jacket really didnt get a chance to warm up. one day i decided to let the jacket run at 1/3 without turning it off. the battery died and i was stuck on the side of the road until the nearby bike shop opened.
running 80% constantly is a very different commute than what i am doing. i am probably stopped at traffic lights at least 25% of the time. other than that i am often coasting and filtering at no throttle or slow speed. it is really good info to have in this post that you are managing to run so much at those conditions no problem. how many total watts is your suit using?
- sendler2112
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
The Venture Heat pant liners spec 46W.
.http://www.ventureheat.com/p-416-12v-he ... liner.aspx
.
The Jacket states 83 Watts but I never turn it up past 50% as it will just about feel like it is burning you.
.
http://www.ventureheat.com/p-419-12v-he ... liner.aspx
.
The glove liners state 24W and have no control but are well balanced and rarely feel too hot.
.
http://www.ventureheat.com/p-423-12v-he ... iners.aspx
.
I also have the heated foot beds but would only use those when I go out of town on a long trip
.
http://www.ventureheat.com/p-421-12v-he ... soles.aspx
.
So I am probably running about 100 Watts of heat with no problems. I still think it is odd that your charging can't keep up with your usage unless you are using the start stop feature which will have the engine off at stops and use up a lot of power to start the engine over and over again.
.http://www.ventureheat.com/p-416-12v-he ... liner.aspx
.
The Jacket states 83 Watts but I never turn it up past 50% as it will just about feel like it is burning you.
.
http://www.ventureheat.com/p-419-12v-he ... liner.aspx
.
The glove liners state 24W and have no control but are well balanced and rarely feel too hot.
.
http://www.ventureheat.com/p-423-12v-he ... iners.aspx
.
I also have the heated foot beds but would only use those when I go out of town on a long trip
.
http://www.ventureheat.com/p-421-12v-he ... soles.aspx
.
So I am probably running about 100 Watts of heat with no problems. I still think it is odd that your charging can't keep up with your usage unless you are using the start stop feature which will have the engine off at stops and use up a lot of power to start the engine over and over again.
- you you
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
Just a gut feeling but I don't think a bloke should ever have panty liners.sendler2112 wrote:The Venture Heat pant liners spec 46W.
.http://www.ventureheat.com/p-416-12v-he ... liner.aspx
.
The Jacket states 83 Watts but I never turn it up past 50% as it will just about feel like it is burning you.
.
http://www.ventureheat.com/p-419-12v-he ... liner.aspx
.
The glove liners state 24W and have no control but are well balanced and rarely feel too hot.
.
http://www.ventureheat.com/p-423-12v-he ... iners.aspx
.
I also have the heated foot beds but would only use those when I go out of town on a long trip
.
http://www.ventureheat.com/p-421-12v-he ... soles.aspx
.
So I am probably running about 100 Watts of heat with no problems. I still think it is odd that your charging can't keep up with your usage unless you are using the start stop feature which will have the engine off at stops and use up a lot of power to start the engine over and over again.
- haildamage
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
i dont think it is odd. i dont have a source at hand but i have read somewhere that the charging system doesnt charge the battery at idle. using a voltmeter confirms that the charging system isnt doing enough at idle. in addition, trying it and running down the battery within 25 minutes also confirms this. i think it might be hard for you to imagine what a commute in the dense and congested urban jungle of osaka is like. if i had a gopro, i would make a video...
at any rate, it is much different than blasting down the road at 50 MPH for most of the journey with the charging system operating at peak capacity.
at any rate, it is much different than blasting down the road at 50 MPH for most of the journey with the charging system operating at peak capacity.
- dustin91
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
Hail, how do you keep the marine battery charged so that it can heat your gear? Do you use a trickle charger when not in use?
- dustin91
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
Sendler, how are you connecting your heated gear to the PCX battery? Did you add a connector cable like a quick-connect or coax directly to the PCX battery?sendler2112 wrote:So I am probably running about 100 Watts of heat with no problems. I still think it is odd that your charging can't keep up with your usage unless you are using the start stop feature which will have the engine off at stops and use up a lot of power to start the engine over and over again.
I'm looking to add some myself, and would love some advice!
- sendler2112
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
Just connect the power cable that they give you with the heated clothing to the battery. Run the cable out under the seat when you want it or toss it in the storage compartment when not in use.
- dustin91
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
Thanks Sendler! I was hoping it'd be that easy... I'm also thinking of adding a voltmeter to ensure whatever gear I get doesn't drain the battery.
I'm sure you get plenty of need for heated apparel up in Syracuse... I did my four years in Ithaca, and know what the weather can bring!
I'm sure you get plenty of need for heated apparel up in Syracuse... I did my four years in Ithaca, and know what the weather can bring!
- haildamage
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
dustin91 wrote:Hail, how do you keep the marine battery charged so that it can heat your gear? Do you use a trickle charger when not in use?
using a CTEK battery tender/ charger as seen in the last pic. i just plug it in when i get home and it is charged up the next day.
- dustin91
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Re: Heated jacket on an Auxilery Battery
Ah, thanks. Just missed that part!haildamage wrote:using a CTEK battery tender/ charger as seen in the last pic. i just plug it in when i get home and it is charged up the next day.