Acceptable battery question

[Team3539]

Quick question. Our team (FRC 3539) received a battery donation from a local distributor after giving him the specs we wanted. We told him we needed ES17-12 by MK Battery. He donated LP12-18 by Leoch instead. The batteries look identical in shape and size. Both are Maintenance free sealed lead acid. Both have identical ratings for Standby Use and Cycle Use. The question is, can we use them in competition on our robot?

Any help would be appreciated.

To look at the battery that was donated, follow this link:

http://www.batterysharks.com/Leoch-B...FcPAKgodwGOMIw

Thanks - Dan Gardner
3539 Lead Mentor

[Kevin O'Connor]

Re: Acceptable battery question

This type of question can only be officially answered via the Q&A system.

[Gary Voshol]

Re: Acceptable battery question

This type of question can only be officially answered via the Q&A system.

Q&A's response will probably be, "The allowable batteries are listed in Rule [Rxx]." I think the OP is out of luck with the batteries they were given. They can only be used to practice.

Edit: This is not as arbitrary as it may seem. FRC inspectors cannot be expected to learn the specs of a host of battery makers when they decide your robot passes or not. (Or a host of other equipment, such as motors.) If your robot does is made with parts that are not on the allowed lists, the inspector can't decide that "it looks OK" or "it looks like something on the list". Probably nothing would go wrong if you used the batteries you were given. But you never know if it really meets the same specs or not.

[Team3539]

Re: Acceptable battery question

Thanks for the feedback Gary. We are only going to use them in practice. No big deal...It makes sense what you said.

Thanks - Dan

[wilhitern1]

Re: Acceptable battery question

Thanks for the feedback Gary. We are only going to use them in practice. No big deal...It makes sense what you said.

Thanks - Dan

Practice, pits... But not in matches, inspections...

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Re: Acceptable battery question

Dan,
As Gary pointed out, the robot rules only allow two types of robot battery. Many manufacturers make batteries in this size and power range (~18 AH). These two types are known for their specifications and long term use in FRC robots. These battery types are not merely sealed lead acid batteries, they are also classified as AGM (absorbed glass mat). While similar in size, the weight and chemistry is slightly different.