[omonoid]

A few months ago i applied for a sponsorship from optima and exchanged a few emails with the sponsorship adviser.

Yesterday i got an email back saying they will sell me 10 12v Model D34 YellowTop– 9012-021 retailed at around $200 plus $20 shipping each for only $85 plus $15 shipping each!

I think they selected me because i'm a highschool student working part time at a bakery to fully pay for all of my parts.

I'm super excited, because i was just gonna go with walmart batteries, which would have been the same price as what i'm paying Optima.

In turn all i have to do is write a testimonial, send them pics every month, and put some decals on my car.

Anyways, i would suggest filling out sponsorship forms it is saving me over $1000.

Here are the specs for the batteries i'm getting

 

[DavidDymaxion]

Way to go! Make Optima proud so you can get future sponsorships.

 

[EVfun]

Great work Omonoid!

Good batteries if treated right. They don't like slow charging, it causes slow loss of capacity. I recommend a 10 amp charging rate or better for the bulk charge. I recommend using individual battery regulators, like Rudman regs. They need a little nudging to stay balanced and can be damaged from excess overcharging (and like any lead acid battery, damaged from regular undercharging.)

 

[omonoid]

I have a quickcharger. Hopefully that will do the job well enough for the batteries to last. I'm really not in a position to afford more stuff i.e Rudman regs, but thanks for the suggestion.

 

[EVfun]

Another option is the zener reg. This is a pair of 5 watt zeners mounted in ring terminals as heat sinks with a small bulb (like a PR2 flashlight bulb) between them. Lee Hart generally recommends using a 6.2 and 6.8 volt zener per battery so they turn on starting at 13 volts but with Optimas having a resting voltage of 13.1 I would recommend using 6.8 volt zeners at both terminals.

This isn't a very power reg, it can only gently nudge them toward balance. It is cheap, consisting of just a couple dollars in parts per battery. You can use Optimas without regs but you get to do some babysitting every so often to keep things in line.

 

[omonoid]

Oh ive never heard of those. A google search brought up this. Ill probably just follow that guide. It looks like the only difference is i would use 6.8v zeners for AGM just like you said.

Ill look into this it defiantly looks worth it

 

[DIYguy]

Check out these Omo....
http://www.hdm-sys.com/pdf/hdm_equalizer_specs.pdf
They work very well and will keep your batts in balance. Sealed against the elements. Shunt up to 5 amps at any time. (charge, discharge, idle) I use them.