I have a 24v DC gearmotor that has a manufacturer's label on it stating "current 4.5 amps". It is new old-stock and not currently in production so I can't get any more information about it but what's on the label!
I want to use it in an application where it will be run for 2-3 minutes max. a couple of times/day. It's not very critical how many uses I get between recharges, in fact, it would be pretty easy to leave it on a battery maintainer/charger between uses.
I "think" I would like to use sealed lead acid batteries. I'll have to run two 12v batteries in series to get the 24 volts. Would 2 12v 5 ah batteries be sufficient, or do I need somewhat larger capacity?
Regards,
John
It sounds like it would be enough.
4.5 amps for 3 minutes is much less than 5 amp-hours. But the rating on the label isn't necessarily the amps with will be used, it's simply the rating. It more depends on the capacity of the controller and the actual power requirement in your application.
Is the "couple times/day" evenly spread through the day? Or are they clumped together? In other words will there be enough time between uses to recharge the battery? A trickle charger probably has a 1 amp (?or less?) charge current and it would clearly be enough current to recharge overnight.
On the other hand ... It's inexpensive enough to get slightly larger batteries
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki
Sometimes the usage might be within a few minutes again. I've got a BatteryMinder 24v charger that'll charge at 1, 2, or 4 amps and automatically go into trickle/maintain mode. But, you're right, it's not that expensive to get just a little bigger battery with a little more capacity. Think that's the route I'll go!
Regards,
John