RobertSzabo Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I have a new Blue Top battery on my cart into a PSC Powermax original version. When running the Powermax with battery attached off AC my 788t reads 13.9 to 14 volts. When I disconnect AC the voltage goes down to just over 12 to 12.5. Then within about an hour according to the 788t display the battery is down to 11.4. I have the 788t with CL-8 running 5 or 6 channels, no phantom power, battery charging tuned off. I also have plugged into the Powermax 4 Lectro recvrs. 2-411a, 1-210d and a power hungry 200d. Plus USB to keep my iPhone charged for CL-WiFi. I dont see how the battery could run down so fast with what I have on it. I also tried running the cable directly from the battery to the cart and the same thing happened. Ive had it on the float charge of the Powermax for around 3 days while using the cart on AC. I did not charge it with a regular charger when I bought it. Ive always worked out of a bag and the cart 12v power is new to me so just looking for opinions on the battery dropping so fast. I think it may have sat on the shelf at the store for too long with out a charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BudRaymond Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 How long have you owned it? Have you tried trickle charging overnight with a Die Hard or similar car battery charger? If so, what's the voltage read when fully charged, no load, with a volt meter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertSzabo Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I have not put a regular charger on it. Will read voltage tomorrow though. Will put a charger on it asap. I bought it last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Take it in to be tested under load. Maybe there's a bad cell. They have a good warranty and it will be replaced if faulty. For what it's worth, I use a yellow top. It suits our needs more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertSzabo Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Thanks. I will do that. Ill take it to be tested. Will also have a look at the Yellow Top. Thanks. This morning metered the battery with no load at 13.1V. After hooking up to PowerMax without AC for half an hour I disconnected the battery and metered directly to it. It read 12.4V. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Meyer Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 It sounds like you have a bad battery. here are a few quick tests you can run to see what is going on with your system. If you have a volt meter, read the battery voltage directly at the battery terminals. Operate the unit without ac, powering your gear. Read the battery voltage and make a note of it. Then plug in the AC and read the battery voltage again, noting the difference in the two voltages. The battery voltage should jump up about 0.6 to 1.2 volts when the AC is plugged in. If it jumps up more than that, say 2 volts, then the battery is high internal resistance....bad battery....open cell. If the voltage does not jump up at all, then your PowerStar has a problem. Feel free to call me at PSC if you have any other questions or need help with the trouble shooting. Robert Sharman is correct that the Yellow Top battery is a better choice for your sound cart application. Though the Blue or Red Tops will work. Best regards Ron Meyer PSC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Blue and Red top Optima batteries are designed for quick bursts of energy such as starting your car where heavy amps are needed for a short duration. The Yellow top is designed for steady draws of power over a longer time, kind of what we do with our carts. Also look at what gauge of wire you have going from the PowerMax to the battery. Too thin and it will take a very long time to get enough juice for a proper charge on a car battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertSzabo Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Thanks very much Ron. I will do this when I get a break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertSzabo Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Ive got 14 gauge to the battery right now. Ill attempt to return the Blue Top for a Yellow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Meyer Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 You should be using 12 AWG and keep the battery wires as short as possible. 3 feet or less is a good practice. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Hey Robert just a note. I own an original version of the powermax also. My yelllow top has served me well but the shortcoming of that unit is the charge that it puts on the battery. it's not very sophisticated. Constant type. So in reality it could damage the battery over time which I found to be true. I have recently switched to a meon life and my yellow top is reacting way better to the charging. It has much more sophisticated charging curves as the new Life Batteries inside the unit require. two cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 I had my previous yellow top for 6 years, with the PowerMax Ultra. Same battery, same power supply. I'm pretty sure the battery is the culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertSzabo Posted May 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 I took my battery back to Advance Auto where I bought it and they tested it. It tested ok and the guy said it was actually a really strong battery testing above specs. He also told me it is the battery I should be using and is made for running lots of accessories on a boat or RV and made for deep discharge. He also said the Red Top is for cranking power and the Yellow Top was designed to do both. So why is the yellow top better than the Blue Top for what we do?. By Optima's description It sounds like the Blue should be just as good as the Yellow for cart use. This is from Optima's web site: Installing an OPTIMA® BLUETOP® high-performance AGM battery in your boat or RV means exceptional running time and more recharges than you’d get out of a traditional battery. It’s the perfect marine battery for boats with trolling motors, extensive electronic systems, and works well as an RV battery for RVs with creature comforts that tend to drain batteries quickly. The YELLOWTOP® high-performance AGM battery has everything you need. It’s one of the few true dual-purpose automotive batteries available, and performs above expectations as a tractor battery, forklift battery, or for other applications. With premium cranking power and impressive cycling capability, this heavy duty battery is also perfect for modern accessory-loaded vehicles. The YELLOWTOP can repeatedly be brought back from deep power drains to full charge, so it can power plenty of electronics and still start you up time after time. Low internal resistance also provides more consistent power output and faster recharges. After posting the above I did a bit more research and found there are different models of the Blue Top. The 34M is NOT recommend for deep cycle applications but the D34M that I have is. http://d26maze4pb6to3.cloudfront.net/optimabatteries/9513/4583/5023/BLUETOP_Full_Specs_Sheet.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul215 Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 I thought yellow and blue were both good, but maybe have different connectors? I got a blue years ago based on recommendations here or RAMPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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