E T X T S O L I T H I U M B A T T E R I E S
14
Maintenance
The ETX900 battery is a maintenance free battery with no internal replaceable components.
Charging is only required as needed (see charging section in this manual).
Inspection and testing is required annually. For more details, see the Instructions for
Continued Airworthiness (ICA) manual (180426).
Charging
Failure to follow these instructions may result in damage to the battery!
Never jump start from a car size battery or larger!
If at any time the aircraft will not start, or the battery seems low, or the voltage is less than
13.2 volt, charge it for the recommended time and charge rates shown below and disconnect
the charger when charging is complete. The recommended and maximum charge rate is
specified on the top label of the battery. Never exceed the maximum charging amps for
your battery.
This table shows typical charging times for the battery:
Model
Charging Amps
Charging Time
ETX900-TSO
5 amp (TM291 Charger)
3 hour
10 amp (TM275)
1.5 hour
Lithium batteries have a very low self-discharge rate which means the battery, if
disconnected from the aircraft, could “hold its charge” for over a year. However, some
aircraft may have systems that use a small amount of power with the “Master switch” off. In
those cases, we recommend disconnecting a battery cable from the battery during long term
storage (greater than 6 months).
Only an approved battery charger shall be used; Optimate TM291 (5 amp) or TM275
(9.5amp).
If the battery has been over-discharged and “disconnected”, the voltage at the battery
terminal should be near zero volts if the battery still has a load on it. If the battery is
disconnected from the load it will automatically reconnect and the terminal voltage return to
> 9volts (remove the load by removing the positive or negative cables from the battery). In
this case, simply connect the battery to a charger to restore charge (charge with 1-10 amps
for 20-30 minutes), and then re-check the voltage. If the voltage is 12.8V or greater and
holding a charge, the battery should be ok and can be fully charged. If the battery voltage
does not return to >9 volt after removing any and all load. Then (step 1) connect the
Optimate battery cables to the battery (red clamp to positive and black clamp to negative),
