The fish finder is used to locate underwater fish schools with reflected sound energy, and the fish finder battery provides the power to make the fish finder work. Some older fishfinders mostly rely on 12V lead-acid batteries, but these are increasingly being replaced by top-performing 12V lithium batteries.

Lithium batteries offer a lighter, more energy-dense alternative that can also be used for more hours at a time than traditional lead-acid batteries. On smaller boats, where the extra weight is a big burden and often slows the boat down, lightweight batteries that provide long-lasting energy are critical.

This article will introduce the different types of fish finder batteries and give you the knowledge about them so you can understand how they work so that our fish finder batteries are safer, easier to transport and allow you to stay on the water longer long time.

What is the best batteries for fish finder?

There are a variety of different fish finder battery choices on the market, and you’ll likely hear impassioned arguments for and against each type depending on which fisherman you ask. Here are some of the most common choices:

Deep-cycle batteries are a type of lead-acid battery, and is similar to the one you can find in RVs and golf carts. It’s a lot like a car battery and uses the same chemistry to create and retain power, but a deep-cycle battery produces a steady amount of current over a longer period of time, whereas car batteries create a lot of current over a short period of time. Deep cycle batteries come in a variety of subtypes, including flooded wet-cell batteries, absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries, and gel-type batteries. Each of these have different quirks and maintenance needs.

Lithium batteries are an alternative to traditional lead-acid batteries, including the deep-cycle batteries offered with most modern fish finders. Lithium batteries are becoming the go-to for boaters because they offer a longer-lasting, more powerful battery alternative. Lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFP or LiFePo4), like those used by ELB, also provide a very safe option for fish finder batteries. That’s because these batteries are the greenest option on the market, and unlike lithium-cobalt batteries, they’re less prone to thermal runaway or fire. LFP batteries also do not use toxic chemicals such as lead-acid batteries.

Although lithium batteries have a higher upfront price, they last 10 times longer than lead-acid batteries, so they are a more economical long-term option because replacement costs are avoided. In addition to being lightweight and having a long lifespan, lithium batteries have the advantage of being recharged much faster, allowing you to get back on the water faster. They are also capable of discharging between 80% and 100% capacity without damage to the battery.

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Why lithium battery is best choice for your fish finder ?

Weight

Lithium-ion marine batteries are extremely lightweight; in fact, most weigh only 50% the mass of their lead-acid counterparts. .Lithium-ion batteries have a much higher energy density than lead-acid batteries, which means they can pack more storage capacity into a smaller space. Considering the size of the entire battery pack, lithium weighs less than half that. This can be a real benefit if you need to get creative with your battery pack. Higher energy density helps your lithium battery pack fit into tighter spaces.

Cycle life

The cycle life depends largely on the chemical structure of the lithium battery, which depends on the chemical composition of the lithium battery. Under the same power load and discharge conditions,

LiFePO4 battery life – 2,000~5,000 cycles

Lead-acid battery life – 500~1,000 Cycles

Cost

One category where lead-acid batteries seem to be superior to lithium-ion batteries is their cost. Lead-acid battery systems can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars less than similarly sized Li-Ion batteries – Li-Ion batteries currently cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000, including installation, and this range may be higher or more Low, depending on the system you need.

While lead-acid batteries generally cost less to purchase and install than lithium-ion batteries, the lifetime value of lithium-ion batteries is considerable. Below, we outline other important characteristics of each battery type to consider and explain why these factors contribute to the overall higher value of a lithium-ion battery system.

Capacity

The capacity of a battery is a measure of how much energy a battery can store (and ultimately release). While capacity figures vary between battery models and manufacturers, lithium-ion battery technology has been shown to have a much higher energy density than lead-acid batteries. This means that lithium-ion batteries can store more energy using the same physical space. Because you can store more energy with lithium-ion technology, you can release more energy to power more devices for longer.

Depth of discharge

The depth of discharge of a battery is the percentage of energy the battery can safely consume without damaging the battery.

While it is normal to use 85% or more of a lithium-ion battery’s total capacity in one cycle, lead-acid batteries should not be discharged beyond 50%, as doing so can negatively impact the battery’s lifespan.

Lithium-ion technology enables excellent depth of discharge, which means that lithium-ion batteries have a higher effective capacity than lead-acid batteries, especially given the higher energy density of the above-mentioned lithium-ion technology.

Efficiency

Just like solar panel efficiency, cell efficiency is an important metric to consider when comparing different options. Most lithium-ion batteries are 95 percent efficient or higher, which means that 95 percent or more of the energy stored in a lithium-ion battery can actually be used. In comparison, lead-acid batteries are nearly 80 to 85 percent efficient. Higher efficiency batteries charge faster and, similar to depth of discharge, higher efficiency means higher effective battery capacity.

High temperature performance

In high temperature applications, lithium performs far better than SLA. In fact, the cycle life of lithium at 55 degrees is still twice that of SLA at room temperature. Lithium will outperform lead in most cases, but is especially strong at high temperatures.

Charging time

Lithium-ion batteries can be charged four times faster than lead-acid batteries at the same charging current. This is because lithium batteries accept charging better. They have low internal resistance and charge at higher currents. Because they have low internal resistance and charge at a higher current, they are able to accept all the energy during a charge cycle, effectively charging much faster than lead-acid batteries.

Using lithium battery, the charge is 4~5 times of SLA. Faster charging means longer battery life, so fewer batteries are needed. As a bonus, there is no need to keep lithium on a float charge for storage.

How to maintain the life of fish finder batteries

Most battery types require proper maintenance to function properly.

To maintain your fish finder battery, please follow:

• Charge the battery promptly after use to prevent damage.
• Use a matching charger, remember not to charge the lithium fish finder battery with a lead-acid battery.
• When not in use, remember to store in a cool, dry place.

What is the life expectancy of a fish finder battery?

The lifespan of fish finder battery mainly depends on the following factors,

Type of battery

The life of lithium iron phosphate battery can reach 2000~5000 times, while the lead-acid battery can only reach between 500 and 1000 times.

The way of use fish finder battery.

The more frequently the fish finder battery is used, the shorter the lifespan. The best frequency of use is 3-5 times a week.

The way of discharge and charge fish finder battery

Overloading the fish finder battery usually reduces battery life.

The way of store fish finder battery

If you often put it in the sun, the battery life will be reduced in high temperature.

Where we can find the best fish finder battery?

ELB battery company succeed to developed all kinds of lithium fish finder battery already. Including 12V, 24V, 36V, 48V LiFePO4 lithium battery, etc. Also if you want to do the customized battery for your fish finder, please connect with ELB technical team to provide the scheme and quotation.

Here is the unique advantages of ELB lithium battery manufacturer,

• ELB is an industry leader in custom batteries packs systems engineering and manufacturing as shown above. Our high quality battery solutions optimize performance, size, longevity and cost to provide our customers with a unique competitive advantage certainly.
• ELB is one of the largest authorized custom battery pack assemblers in China as has been noted, serving some of the best-known battery manufacturers in the industry. Our excellence and expertise are second to none certainly.
• Factory certificated by ISO9001,ISO14001,OHSAS18001.
• Most of battery certificated by BIS,UL,CE,CB,ROHS,MSDS,IEC62133,UN38.3.
• Large engineering department and testing lab.
• State-of-the-art 20,000 ft2 production facility.