Originally Posted by
vincentpaul
Hadn't thought of the cold being an issue, as I'm riding in Portland, OR where the seasons are basically Wet and Dry. The daily temps are usually between 30's-60's from October through June here. Doesnt' seem to have effected the battery any. And, it may be a bright setup, but its certainly not the lightest! I like the cheap and easy availability of 12-volt accessories too. I bought a 2' LED brake strip and a set of "ground effect" LED tubing the other day for $20 total. Looking forward to getting them installed, particularly the ground effect lighting. May have to rig up that 12-volt blender that I saw in a marine store the other day.....
SLA's ability to produce electricity at sustained levels and high current draws drops pretty quickly with temperature. They are also rather delicate when it comes to charging and they won't take too deep a discharge. I killed one by drawing down to brown bulbs one time only. Nickel chemistries are much more robust.
Try overvolting your halogens if you really want something spectacular. Go to a 14.4V battery and your lamps will put out nearly twice as much light. You go from 'Wow. That's bright.' to "MY EYES! I'm blind!"
