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The Electric Flight Specialists

Gibbs Guide to Lead Acid (Pb) Batteries

Lead Acid Batteries (including gell-cells)

Whether you prefer electric or i.c. (gas) powered models, you’ll almost certainly be using some form of lead acid battery. Unfortunately, the vast majority of lead acid batteries die prematurely because they are not maintained properly. Replacing the battery costs time, effort and money. This guide provides all the information required to ensure your lead acid batteries achieve a long and happy life.

The Gibbs Guide to Lead Acid batteries is a comprehensive resource written specifically for modellers needing to know how to get the best from their lead acid batteries and extend their useful life. It contains a wealth of guidance and essential information along with many clearly drawn diagrams, tables and charts. Topics covered include charging, discharging, safety, de-sulphating, hints and tips, advice on choosing and buying a battery and much more.

Like all Gibbs Guides, it’s written and illustrated in a clear and easy to understand way. No assumed prior knowledge is made. Each chapter builds on the material from previous chapters, yet is also a clear explanation in its own right. By the final chapter, you'll have been presented with a concise yet very thorough guide to your lead acid batteries.

The guide applies to all types of lead acid batteries, and focuses in particular on the two most common types in modelling usage; the 12V, 7Ah SLA (sealed lead acid, or ‘gel-cell’) battery used in i.c. flight boxes, and the larger 12V car and 12V leisure batteries often used to supply field chargers for electric flight. A useful bonus is that the guide’s content also applies to any other lead acid batteries you may have in your household such as those in cars, caravans, and small appliances such as torches or camping lanterns.

This guide really can help to greatly extend the life of your batteries, and with lead acid batteries in such widespread use, investing in a copy could easily save you much more than its modest purchase price! It’s an essential reference for any modeller using lead acid batteries and/or ‘gell cells’.

Summary of contents:
Chapter 1: Battery basics
Chapter 2: Connecting cells
Chapter 3: Battery characteristics
Chapter 4: Introduction to lead acid batteries
Chapter 5: Voltage characteristics of lead acid batteries
Chapter 6: Safety matters
Chapter 7: Charging lead acid cells
Chapter 8: Lead acid cells under discharge
Chapter 9: Lead acid battery checking and testing
Chapter 10: Battery maintenance
Chapter 11: Sulphated batteries
Appendix 1: Discharge time reckoner
Appendix 2: Quick reference voltage table
Appendix 3: Top tips for lead acid batteries
Appendix 4: Two useful graphs

The choice is yours

The Gibbs Guide to Lead Acid Batteries is available either as an e-book or in the familiar paper version. Both guides contain exactly the same information and whichever you choose you’ll find the information easy to read and digest.

e-Book

The e-book is simply an electronic book that you can download directly to your computer. If you choose the e-book version of this guide, you can be enjoying learning from it in just a few minutes from now – there’s no waiting for the post to arrive! The main benefits of an e-book are:

a) You’ll be able to access the information instantly
b) With no printing and shipping costs, Gibbs Guides is able to pass on a saving to you – so the e-book’s a bit cheaper than the paper version.
c) You can print a copy for your own use.

When you order the e-book, you’ll be sent a link allowing you to immediately download the document. It’s as simple as that!

Paper version

Containing the same 16,500 words of text and illustrations as in the e-book, this 44 page paper version of the guide comes in the traditional Gibbs Guides format, a compact yet comprehensive A5 booklet.

“At last I now understand why I keep having to replace my flight box battery. Now I know how to look after if properly I’m confident the new one will last for years”
PW, Scotland

“A marvellous guide. Thanks a lot”
GT, Hertfordshire

Postage and Packaging per guide (paper copy only)

• UK - £0.95
• EU - £1.50
• Rest of World - £2.00

Please Note
When ordering the e-Book version please select "e-Book" in the destination box which is immediately below the total in the first page of the shopping cart.