Need a Ground Power Solution for 1966 Bo V35

[AggieMike88]

Cross posted from something I put on Beechtalk. Perhaps someone here has a good solution for me.

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Our flying club recently finished up an avionics upgrade project for our V35, adding a Appen single PFD, GTN750, and PMA8000BT, as well as cleaning up the panel. Result is taking a very nice travelling machine and making it into a REALLY nice travelling machine with reduced workload.

I'd like to take the opportunity to pull the plane out of the hangar and just sit in it learning to knobology. But I don't want to deplete the battery so that the pilot who uses the aircraft after me is unable to start it.

I have been told the ground power port is operational, and we do have the cables that have the "Bonanza plug" on one end, and automotive jump cable clips on the other.

What is the best way to accomplish "ground power" so that I can sit on the ground, power up the avionics, and work through the manuals?

Is it as simple as bringing some car/truck batteries with me, hook up the jump cables between the batteries and aircraft?

 

[Henning]

Cross posted from something I put on Beechtalk. Perhaps someone here has a good solution for me.

--------------------------------------------

Our flying club recently finished up an avionics upgrade project for our V35, adding a Appen single PFD, GTN750, and PMA8000BT, as well as cleaning up the panel. Result is taking a very nice travelling machine and making it into a REALLY nice travelling machine with reduced workload.

I'd like to take the opportunity to pull the plane out of the hangar and just sit in it learning to knobology. But I don't want to deplete the battery so that the pilot who uses the aircraft after me is unable to start it.

I have been told the ground power port is operational, and we do have the cables that have the "Bonanza plug" on one end, and automotive jump cable clips on the other.

What is the best way to accomplish "ground power" so that I can sit on the ground, power up the avionics, and work through the manuals?

Is it as simple as bringing some car/truck batteries with me, hook up the jump cables between the batteries and aircraft?

28v = 2 car batteries with a positive and negative jumped together and the cables with the plug hooked to the remaining post on each battery, done, you now have a GPU that will let you sit there with the radios for many hours.

 

[brcase]

Not that familiar with Bonanza's but would be surprised if is a a 28volt system. If it is a 12volt system, usually you can just attach a battery charger to the ground power port (cables?)

Brian

 

[docmirror]

Only 28 volt V tail is from 1978 and later. If it is a "V35" that's a 1965/66 model and 14 volts. You can use any car battery, best bet is a marine deep cycle. Pull the CB for the turn & bank and save the noise and elec load. Or use a battery charger direct to the battery terminals and away you go.

 

[Henning]

Only 28 volt V tail is from 1978 and later. If it is a "V35" that's a 1965/66 model and 14 volts. You can use any car battery, best bet is a marine deep cycle. Pull the CB for the turn & bank and save the noise and elec load. Or use a battery charger direct to the battery terminals and away you go.

Ok, use one battery lol, even less work.

 

[docmirror]

Ok, use one battery lol, even less work.

Can still use two batts, just jumper them in parallel not series. As a marine guy, you of course know this.

 

[Henning]

Can still use two batts, just jumper them in parallel not series. As a marine guy, you of course know this.

But then you need two jumper leads, and that's more work.

Oh, BTW, to the person who suggested using a battery charger as a power supply, typically not a good idea with expensive electronics as they are not that clean of juice, they are meant to have a battery buffering the power and taking the load. Many GPU plugs bypass the battery.

 

[jsstevens]

[snip]
Oh, BTW, to the person who suggested using a battery charger as a power supply, typically not a good idea with expensive electronics as they are not that clean of juice, they are meant to have a battery buffering the power and taking the load. Many GPU plugs bypass the battery.

Yes, that! Important because those things are typical noisy as can be and will also not provide the current which may be required. They are primarily slow dispensation of electrons.

John

 

[docmirror]

But then you need two jumper leads, and that's more work.

Ectually, if one is thinking outside the box, as long as both batteries are similar cases you need NO jump cables. Simply plug the vent and turn one battery upside down, and set the posts on the bottom battery, Use an old tire, or piece of wood to support the upside down battery.

QED.

Ask me how I know this, go ahead...

(note to OP, don't really do this, tongue firmly in cheek)

 

[jesse]

Just echoing the above. I would just use a car battery.

 

[jsstevens]

Ectually, if one is thinking outside the box, as long as both batteries are similar cases you need NO jump cables. Simply plug the vent and turn one batter upside down, and set the posts on the bottom battery, Use an old tire, or piece of wood to support the upside down battery.

QED.

Ask me how I know this, go ahead...

(note to OP, don't really do this, tongue firmly in cheek)

OK, that has story written all over it. Spill!

 

[docmirror]

OK, that has story written all over it. Spill!

There I was,,, 20,000 feet, inverted - with a bogey on my tail... j/k

We were out at Imperial sand dunes(Glamis, for the cognoscenti) making a night run with about 5 buggies. We all have big, bright lights for off roading. Well, one of the cars drew his battery down so low that it wouldn't crank the engine. We tried to pop-start it, but it wouldn't fire and now we're in the well of a sand dune, and it's a be-otch to try to pull him up and out. No one has jumper cables along, which was mistake #2. We stripped off some wire, and tried touching the rear cages together for ground, and jump the hot lead with the small wire, but it got way hot, way fast.

So, after about 33 beers I figured out that we could pull the batt out of my car, I would hold my thumb over the vent, turn it upside down, press the terminals of my batt to his batt, and crank the starter. Viola!

I put my batt back in my car, started up and we motored into the moonset. He went home sans lights and just followed another car. Some days ya gotta do, what ya gotta do.

Then there was this time a guy rolled a bead off his tire, and all we had was some hi-octane, and a bic lighter. But - that's for another day. My eyebrow did eventually grow back.

 

[bnt83]

I left the master on all day once. I didn't want to jump it or fast charge it (or prop it) so I ran down the nearest owner and borrowed a battery. He had a charger and charged my depleted one and I flew home with his. I was coming back in 7 days so he was with that and swapped again at that time.

 

[Henning]

Ectually, if one is thinking outside the box, as long as both batteries are similar cases you need NO jump cables. Simply plug the vent and turn one battery upside down, and set the posts on the bottom battery, Use an old tire, or piece of wood to support the upside down battery.

QED.

Ask me how I know this, go ahead...

(note to OP, don't really do this, tongue firmly in cheek)

But then you need one Type F and one non that are the same case so you have opposite side poles that line up, otherwise it's going to get interesting fast when the last set of poles touch.

 

[AggieMike88]

So what you guys are saying is:

A 12v deep cycle battery would provide the juice, clipping the "jump cables" to the battery and the Bo.

Then between uses, unhook the jump cables, and hook up a standard battery charger to that battery to recharge.

On BeechTalk, the one responder I got so far implied that this method might also discharge the aircraft battery and I might wind up with it being flat if I fiddled/twiddled too long. Correct?

 

[bnt83]

When the airplane already has a battery why would I want to keep another battery kicking around the hanger that gets used twice? Heck, you can make a pigtail out of speaker wire and run it to the battery in your car to add amp hours.

(1) Flip Master and Radios on

(2) Turn OFF the transponder, all the lights, etc.

(3) Fiddle till tired

(3) Turn off radios and Master Switch

(4) Apply battery Charger

How hard does this have to be

My battery is >8 years old. Been run down flat dead via master "ON" for 2 weeks straight (Dad did it between flights) around 3 years ago. Didn't kill it then.

I left the master on all day (14 hrs ish) while working in SD last year. Didn't kill it then either.

I cranked the **** out of it this winter (embarrassingly as Jesse watched ) having a heck of a time getting is started due to no pre-heat. Didn't kill it then either (I DID get the plane started without a jump FWIW).

I DO NOT USE A BATTERY TENDER, EVER.

 

[jesse]

When the airplane already has a battery why would I want to keep another battery kicking around the hanger that gets used twice?

(1) Flip Master and Radios on

(2) Turn OFF the transponder, all the lights, etc.

(3) Fiddle till tired

(3) Turn off radios and Master Switch

(4) Apply battery Charger

How hard does this have to be

My battery is >8 years old. Been run down flat dead via master "ON" for 2 weeks straight (Dad did it between flights) around 3 years ago. Didn't kill it then.

I left the master on all day (14 hrs ish) while working in SD last year. Didn't kill it then either.

I cranked the **** out of it this winter (embarrassingly as Jesse watched ) having a heck of a time getting is started due to no pre-heat. Didn't kill it then either (I DID get the plane started without a jump FWIW).

I DO NOT USE A BATTERY TENDER, EVER.

I think some batteries and types are way more vulnerable to discharge damage then others. For example, on my Kawasaki Concours (motorcycle), if I forget the switch on it'll be totally discharged from the headlight in about a hour. I've done that three times now since I bought it, each time I recharged it, and each time roughly one month later I ended up stranded at work.

 

[bnt83]

I think some batteries and types are way more vulnerable to discharge damage then others. For example, on my Kawasaki Concours (motorcycle), if I forget the switch on it'll be totally discharged from the headlight in about a hour. I've done that three times now since I bought it, each time I recharged it, and each time roughly one month later I ended up stranded at work.

I never seem to get a decent life out of motorcycle/ATV batteries either.

Except the Harley. It had a big battery for a bike, vibrated to heck, heated to death and just tortured. I think it lasted about 4 years.

 

[bnt83]

I pull it ONCE per year, wash the top off with a bit of dish soap and tap water. Charge it. Then put it in my refrigerator till the annual is done.

 

[Henning]

So what you guys are saying is:

A 12v deep cycle battery would provide the juice, clipping the "jump cables" to the battery and the Bo.

Then between uses, unhook the jump cables, and hook up a standard battery charger to that battery to recharge.

On BeechTalk, the one responder I got so far implied that this method might also discharge the aircraft battery and I might wind up with it being flat if I fiddled/twiddled too long. Correct?

Yep, we used to just bungee batteries to a 2 wheel dolly and leave it in the corner on a desulfinator charger and hang the cables and plugs on it. We had 2 batteries and could switch between 12 & 24v. If you want to go for hours and hours no worries and use a small battery, then have the charger hooked up to it while you use it.

 

[bnt83]

Yep, we used to just bungee batteries to a 2 wheel dolly and leave it in the corner on a desulfinator charger and hang the cables and plugs on it. We had 2 batteries and could switch between 12 & 24v. If you want to go for hours and hours no worries and use a small battery, then have the charger hooked up to it while you use it.

If someone will GIVE away a battery that hasn't failed, (like the Tampico driver that replaces them every 36 months cause the MM says so) that's the perfect way to go.

Or if a local FBO fails a few due to low capacity check...

 

[Henning]

There I was,,, 20,000 feet, inverted - with a bogey on my tail... j/k

We were out at Imperial sand dunes(Glamis, for the cognoscenti) making a night run with about 5 buggies. We all have big, bright lights for off roading. Well, one of the cars drew his battery down so low that it wouldn't crank the engine. We tried to pop-start it, but it wouldn't fire and now we're in the well of a sand dune, and it's a be-otch to try to pull him up and out. No one has jumper cables along, which was mistake #2. We stripped off some wire, and tried touching the rear cages together for ground, and jump the hot lead with the small wire, but it got way hot, way fast.

So, after about 33 beers I figured out that we could pull the batt out of my car, I would hold my thumb over the vent, turn it upside down, press the terminals of my batt to his batt, and crank the starter. Viola!

I put my batt back in my car, started up and we motored into the moonset. He went home sans lights and just followed another car. Some days ya gotta do, what ya gotta do.

Then there was this time a guy rolled a bead off his tire, and all we had was some hi-octane, and a bic lighter. But - that's for another day. My eyebrow did eventually grow back.

Lol, like mounting a tractor tire, slide it on, assemble rim, spray a can of ether into the tire, throw a wood match... Whoomp! Tire seated on bead.

 

[bnt83]

Lol, like mounting a tractor tire, slide it on, assemble rim, spray a can of ether into the tire, throw a wood match... Whoomp! Tire seated on bead.

Sometimes you gotta jump the car, without jumper cables, or a running car.