Fishing buddy on main battery

[Recon]

Has anyone wired a fishing buddy FF to their onboard power? My son doesn't want to rely on AA batteries and would rather have it direct powered. He mounted the FF to his deck and the transducer to his TM and they work great except batteries are a pain. I know they are only 9 volt and run on 6 AA. Thanks for any help.

 

[JMichael]

I haven't done what you're talking about but I have been looking in to buying a fishing buddy recently and considering the same issues. What I've found so far is that the Fishing Buddy series finders only have a 110 to 125 ma power consumption with lights off. There are numerous 12vdc to 9vdc x 1-2 amp regulators available out there. It would require a little creative rewiring but one of those should do the job. Here are a dew examples of what I've been looking at so far.

https://www.frys.com/product/1926428?source=googleps

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-Converter-Step-Down-Buck-Module-12V-9V-2A-18W-/120771616342

https://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3812864&CAWELAID=407316320

 

[user 7806]

I know batteries are a pain in the a**, I use Lithium AA's in my camera and they last forever, we're talking a digital DSLR here too. Could also look into some rechargeable and they are not all created equal some have more ah than others. Wonder why they just didn't power it off a 9v battery, much smaller & would take less room than 6 AA's.

 

[JMichael]

I know batteries are a pain in the a**, I use Lithium AA's in my camera and they last forever, we're talking a digital DSLR here too. Could also look into some rechargeable and they are not all created equal some have more ah than others. Wonder why they just didn't power it off a 9v battery, much smaller & would take less room than 6 AA's.

I believe you meant to say MAH instead of AH. :lol: And that is also the answer to your question about why they didn't use a 9v battery to power it with. Even a Lithium 9v only offers about 1200mah while you can get AA's that offer up to 2600mah in alkaline and up to 3400mah in rechargeable, which would give almost triple the operating time of the 9v battery.

 

[Andrew04]

When running off of on board power with motor running electrical interference MAY be an issue, there are many factors. If it is an issue pick up something rechargeable and be done with it.
Here's what I use: https://www.amazon.com/Sealed-Lead-Battery-Portable-Finder/dp/B006LO9S3E

 

[TNtroller]

Cabelas has a small 12v rechargeable battery that is very popular with kayakers for powering FF's, its about $25 +shipping, a few more with the recommended charger. You can get 2 of these batteries and charger for ~$50. Several people say they last several trips before needing recharging, and last several years. These are smaller than a lawn mower battery and designed for this type of application.

 

[bgeddes]

I'd guess you need a battery if you want to run off the outboard power. The battery will provide a good filter and some regulation of the voltage. The SLA 7Ah battery others posted is about right and when charged will probably get you days of operation in the event you choose not to run off the outboard.

 

[rickybobbybend]

Cabelas has a small 12v rechargeable battery that is very popular with kayakers for powering FF's, its about $25 +shipping, a few more with the recommended charger

X2. I got the battery and charger last year and highly recommend. Using for FF and convenience outlet only.