Battery Time: Few questions

[SternWake]

While I don't necessarily "need" the batteries now, I would like to have them so I can start experimenting, and given their size and weight, I need to figure out how and where to put them for a balanced and convenient build.

I love CAD design, but in my case the C stands for Cardboard.

While I can take a thousand measurements, and translate them on graph paper, sometimes I just need to bust out the cardboard and stapler and tape to be able to visualize  the project in place, and it takes half the time.


My buddy, february last year, got obsessed with setting up a massive stereo system, and picked my brain for how to best power it.  Then true to his pattern, he bought ALL the components.  I kept saying do not buy the batteries until the day you are ready to flip on the Amps and use them.

They are now 17 months old. Group 31 Northstars AGM's which set him back 840$ or something crazy with tax and core charges.  They have only been Cycled twice, just for testing.  They are resting on the floor of his garage, and have not moved for 16 months.  I have to go down there every two months with my charger and top them off.  Their capacity has to be compromised even though they are only deeply cycled twice and kept at 98% or more charged at all times.  Of course his 4 year warranty is now down by 17 months too.  The rest of the components are likely lost in various unlabelled boxes, collecting dust.  I was so looking forward to setting up and testing this system and blasting some of my Music through this tremendous stereo, but this friend simply cant finish a project he starts.  Gets overexcited starting a new project and buying all the components, then starts something else.

Both Comical, and sad.  His goal is to move to the keys...Though he has never been there.

Not implying anything here with this anecdote of my friends project, other than it really is not wise to buy the batteries before you intend to put them into use.  Also not before you have the means to  at least top charge them and keep them floating at the proper voltage for the temperature so they degrade as little as possible while waiting to start their hard life of cycling deeply, daily. 

Cardboard aided design covers the physical dimensions factor for locating them, but of course, not the weight.  So cardboard boxes filled with dumbell weights............