*10* Battery AA holder? Local?

Anyone seen one of these on the Peninsula or South Bay?  Fry's in Palo Alto doesn't have 'em (!).

Found one on line but the shipping was 3 times what it cost.

My Matrix 25 just won't run right on 8 ea, AA rechargables.  It is Ok for the first 45 minutes, then it pops up a low voltage window about every 3 minutes.  Right in the middle of the screen. For the next 8 hours (or maybe more, I haven't tried to run it any longer than that)! Not to be confused with the low voltage alarm, which is even worse, but at least I can turn that off.

I tried a new set of batteries, but that didn't work. So I'm going to try 10 batteries...

Thanks!

Chris.

Are you sure your wiring is sound?  Have you tried testing the voltage with a volt meter? The voltage on 8 AA batteries is 12 V (8 x 1.5 V).   I haven't heard of anyone needing 15 volts to run a fish finder.

The voltage on 8 standard AA batteries is 12 volts - 8 X 1.5 = 12
The voltage on 8 AA rechargeables is 9.6 volts - 8 X 1.2 = 9.6

I ended up using an 8 cell and a 2 cell holder. I run them in series (black wire from 2 cell to red wire on 8 cell) then the remaining wires (red wire from 2 cell, black wire from 8 cell) go to the power cable for the FF.

This also still leaves you with an 8 cell holder if you find you need to use Alkali batteries in an emergency.

I usually have 10 aa holders in stock.

I'm pretty sure you can adjust the low battery warning level on the Matrix FF's.  You probably have it set too high, especially given that you get another 8 hours on them.  Have you tried adjusting it?

-Allen

Yes, it's strange -- what alerts isn't the low voltage alarm (which I have played with and adjusted so it does/doesn't alarm), rather it's a low voltage warning that fills a window smack dab in the middle of the screen. Which occludes a lot of what's going on.

I'm an IT geek and I have searched every menu and piece of documentation high and low and I can't find how to turn off the "warning."

I have an email to Sean at GWCK to inquire about his 10 cell holders.  At lunchtime today I tried Fry's in Santa Clara and no 10 or 2 cell AA holders...

Chris.

I wasn't saying to turn off the warning.  Rather you can adjust the level at which it is triggered.  I just checked the Matrix 25 user manual and it says you can set it down to 8.5V (or up to 17.5V if desired).  Have you fiddled with this option.

-Allen

Yes,  I have tried that adjustment -- that's the "alarm" I mentioned earlier -- in addition to the "low voltage warning" window you get on screen, a loud alarm goes off and *another* window opens telling you that the "low voltage alarm" is triggered.

I also have an email in to Humminbird...

"Thank you for your inquiry.  I am very sorry this is a safety feature on the unit, it also has a notice for high voltage.  This is a warning, that the unit will turn off if the voltage is not corrected to prevent any damage to the internal components."

As noted, after 8+ hours the unit was still running.

Last night I picked up a 2 cell holder and a bunch of connectors to make a harness that will let me run 10 rechargables or 8 regular cells. We'll see how it works this weekend!

Another reason that I am not a real big fan of Humminbird.....

MolBasser

Are 10 AA 2500s sufficient power a Matrix 67 including GPS for an 8-hour trip? I've using 4 and 7 Ah Gel cells and they work fine but while they are fine in a lake, I worry about a careening battery case in surf launches so trying to go 'light' on batteries if I can. I use a Pelican box withw water-proof connector but it and the battery are heavy.

I use a 12v rechargeable lead acid battery that is at 1.3amps. Its very light, compact and cheap. You'll have lots of power to spare at the end of the day.

You can get them online as cheap as 8 or 9 bucks. The recharger will cost around 15.99 or so.

I have added an 8 D-cell holder to my battery options.  D-cells are longer lasting than the AA's.  But, depending on the trip, I choose one or the other.

I powered my matrix17 with 12aa 2500ah rechargeables.From automotive experience I know fully charged 12v lead acid batteries are 13v+.The listed power requirements in the Matrix manual was 10-20vdc.So 12 1.2v AA's give me 14.4v  just a little more cush.I wired a 8 and a 4 battery holder together to fit in my little Pelican case.I have'nt had time to do a battery life test yet.The rechargeables need to be cycled a few times I'm told.