edcastrovalley
1 kW
Well I finally did it! I converted my 18" Black and Decker corded mower to battery power and it works great! I basically gathered all my spare lipo batteries; 4s, 5s, and 6s which are all 5 amphour packs. Put them all in series with an Anderson connector wire harness for a 29s, 5ah pack. After charging they came to 120vdc which is about what I get at the outlet except it's AC. The mower seems quieter, smoother and probably cooler. The run time was phenominal . About 40 minutes with room to spare.
The area I mowed was a quarter acre of dry grass which was more dirt than grass. An easy job for the mower. Total run time so far was about a half an hour. Afterwards I measured the pack voltage for 115 vdc (started at 120vdc) so I took the mower to my old house and mowed the backyard there too since it's a small yard (about 15 x 30 feet). After mowing there the pack voltage was 113vdc which leaves quite a bit of juice left which I'll need for sure in the springtime. It felt so good to mow this yard without a cord! I usually use a 100 foot, 12 gauge cord which is heavy. For the far corner of the yard I also add another 15 foot, 16 gauge cord to that. It was making me want to get the old gasser mower out which I can't stand. Btw: I haven't bought gas in a gas can in a long time. Last time i bought gas for mowing, I paid about 2 or 3 dollars for a couple of gallons in the 1990's. A couple of months ago I filled up a 5 gallon can for nearly $20 and I was kind of in shock.
Now I want to buy a CA for the mower. I'll have to see if a CA can even handle 120 vdc. Also I'm concerned about the original handle switch after reading the thread about the chain saw conversion here under general discussion. Maybe I can have the handle switch power a contactor.
Also, there are a few places I would like to slow down the mower a little where there's more dirt and leaves than the tall dry grass. I end up making a big dust cloud with leaves going all over the place but, if i "pump" the handle and slow down the blade a little, I get good results. Maybe like a big rheostat or something? I don't want to loose too much efficiency otherwise forget it.
The other thing I have to figure out is bulk charging. Maybe i can string together some server power supplies?
The area I mowed was a quarter acre of dry grass which was more dirt than grass. An easy job for the mower. Total run time so far was about a half an hour. Afterwards I measured the pack voltage for 115 vdc (started at 120vdc) so I took the mower to my old house and mowed the backyard there too since it's a small yard (about 15 x 30 feet). After mowing there the pack voltage was 113vdc which leaves quite a bit of juice left which I'll need for sure in the springtime. It felt so good to mow this yard without a cord! I usually use a 100 foot, 12 gauge cord which is heavy. For the far corner of the yard I also add another 15 foot, 16 gauge cord to that. It was making me want to get the old gasser mower out which I can't stand. Btw: I haven't bought gas in a gas can in a long time. Last time i bought gas for mowing, I paid about 2 or 3 dollars for a couple of gallons in the 1990's. A couple of months ago I filled up a 5 gallon can for nearly $20 and I was kind of in shock.
Now I want to buy a CA for the mower. I'll have to see if a CA can even handle 120 vdc. Also I'm concerned about the original handle switch after reading the thread about the chain saw conversion here under general discussion. Maybe I can have the handle switch power a contactor.
Also, there are a few places I would like to slow down the mower a little where there's more dirt and leaves than the tall dry grass. I end up making a big dust cloud with leaves going all over the place but, if i "pump" the handle and slow down the blade a little, I get good results. Maybe like a big rheostat or something? I don't want to loose too much efficiency otherwise forget it.
The other thing I have to figure out is bulk charging. Maybe i can string together some server power supplies?