Running Low 28c hd off of snowmobile battery

[perchjerker]

Some lowlife stole my Ifinder that I use on my sled.

I cant afford to buy a new one at this point. I may try mounting my 28c hd on the sled dash temporarily until I can afford a new handheld.

My concern is will it kill the sled battery or is it bad on the unit? I will only use it while running. I am concerned with low voltage from the sled. The sled battery is brand new. The sled is a 94 Polaris Indy Touring with EFI and all the goodies.

I am thinking I will be ok but thought I would check.

Anyone done this?

thanks

[K Gonefishin]

Sorry to hear that PJ that sucks. Can't help you on the Question, just condolences.

[perchjerker]

yea life sucks sometimes

then ya move on

[stinkycat]

Sorry to hear of your loss to a bum. I am running my x27 off a 9amp Vexilar Sportsman battery and seem to have no problems so far. I would think you would be OK with the new battery on your sled. You are right as far as the concern on the voltage.... I have heard that when the voltage drops that some of the units will auto shut down. Good Luck.

[jtourangeau]

try starting the sled and putting a volt/ohm meter on it,see what is happening in there.should be ok always good to check.can't be much diff then on a starting batt h/up to outbord w/an alternator.make sure you use fuses.if you don't like the results of the tests you can find a spot to mount a 2nd small batt temporarilly.
keep an eye on it so it don't end up next to the I-finder.lol

[perchjerker]

try starting the sled and putting a volt/ohm meter on it,see what is happening in there.should be ok always good to check.can't be much diff then on a starting batt h/up to outbord w/an alternator.make sure you use fuses.if you don't like the results of the tests you can find a spot to mount a 2nd small batt temporarilly.
keep an eye on it so it don't end up next to the I-finder.lol

I know you are just trying to help JT, I spent 20 years as an auto mechanic so I know about using volt meters and fuses etc.

just wondering if anyone had done this before and had first hand knowledge. Thanks Stinky for the comment on your 27

thanks

[dirty underpants]

I've seen Global Maps hardwired into a sled. My biggest concern would be a voltage draw from the GPS puck when the sled is turned off. The ones I saw had a switch wired into the battery supply to cut it off when not running. These were not on my sleds though, so I have no idea as to the exact longevity or potential problems. One was a friend/guide, and I'd fish with him 4-5 days in a row and I never saw a problem. For all I know, however, he could have had a different battery setup under the hood.

[I know too]

"I know you are just trying to help JT, I spent 20 years as an auto mechanic so I know about using volt meters and fuses etc."


if you already know how, then why ask the question?

[Papascott]

PJ, If you are going to run a power cable with no transducer make sure before you fire it up without a transducer you first turn it on with the dure attached and then go to menu and select chart stop so it does not lock up trying to locate a ducer.

Your unit may not be the same as mine but that is what the cust rep at navico told me on the phone last week when I inquired about a ducer-less power cable for my 502i. Said if I do not do this I would lose all my save way points.

Scott

and for "I KNOW TOO" ever asked someone who might know instead of experimenting?

[perchjerker]

"I know you are just trying to help JT, I spent 20 years as an auto mechanic so I know about using volt meters and fuses etc."


if you already know how, then why ask the question?

because you dont understand the question.

[perchjerker]

PJ, If you are going to run a power cable with no transducer make sure before you fire it up without a transducer you first turn it on with the dure attached and then go to menu and select chart stop so it does not lock up trying to locate a ducer.

Your unit may not be the same as mine but that is what the cust rep at navico told me on the phone last week when I inquired about a ducer-less power cable for my 502i. Said if I do not do this I would lose all my save way points.

Scott

and for "I KNOW TOO" ever asked someone who might know instead of experimenting?

thats Scott I will keep that in mind.

[jtourangeau]

hey pj when you were using i-finder did you use batteries in the unit,or do you have a 12v hook-up 4 it on the polaris?

[perchjerker]

I was using batteries. I did not have a chance to rig up a 12v outlet for it. I had just bought the sled last winter and was just still getting it rigged up

[perchjerker]

well its mounted on the sled. I have plenty of power it appears.

thanks

[REW]

Brian,
In reading the manual - Lowrance indicates the use of a 3 amp fuse.
So, one might surmise that the unit might draw something in the vicinity of 1 1/2 - 2 amps when in use.
One could double check, by putting a ma in series with the power cord.

If you are worried about drain on your snowmobile battery, you could always pick up a 12 ah battery for about $30. This would likely give you 6-10 hours of use.

If you use your unit, when you are running your machine, it is likely that there would be no issue. However, if this is a 94 machine, the alternator is pretty much maxed out, when using hand warmers, thumb warmers, and head lights.

Take care
REW

[Pokey Fisherman]

PJ, I just posted on the General page about the gps. It works good even with the sled idling but since the power port on the Bearcat is not wired to the battery I assume the voltage drops just like the lights on the sled dim when idling. If I do wire it to the battery I wouldn't leave the gps on more than 10 minutes with the engine off cause I don't want to take a chance of it not starting.

[perchjerker]

my charging system seems pretty strong. My lights dont dim while idiling.

Like I said its installed, Im and going to do a few tests on it here the next few days before trying it out on the ice.

thanks

[perchjerker]

well I have plenty of power for this from the sled. And I am not going to be running it right off the battery with the sled not running so I will be fine in that regard.

thanks for the input