Re: Stratos 176 xt change to 24 volt TM
It's no big deal. Wire the - of an additional TM battery to the + of the existing one. Run a new wire from the new battery + up front to your TM connector, same gauge as other wires already there...assuming the current requirement is the same....you can use the same gauge wire for the battery to battery interconnect as you run up front. Since 24v doubles the voltage, you can double the thrust with no increase in line current so the same gauge wire is ok. If more than doubled, you can test what you have and if the wires get warm when you run the motor for extended periods, increase the gauge (size...gage # will decrease) of all 3 wires.
If it is 24v only you use the old wire connected to the original batt - terminal and the new wire you routed for your new TM. The old 12v + battery connected wire isn't used.
If 12/24 then do as stated above and connect the 12v wire you didn't use to the TM. The voltage select switch would be a single pole double throw (SPDT) switch which is part of the TM. The center terminal goes to the TM motor and the other two are alternately connected to the voltage of choice (your old 12v wire or the new 24 volt wire you ran. If you don't have a meter, wire it up and if the switch is in the 12v position and the TM runs full blast, reverse the outside leads. The existing ground wire (batt -) will connect somewhere on the TM frame as it is on your current motor.
How you mount your batteries is up to you. Usually they are set in battery trays with battery boxes and straps to hold them in the trays, sitting side by side; but they could be anywhere...the wiring doesn't change and the distance doesn't matter unless you really increase the length of the total wiring.
If you don't have an onboard charger, just use your regular 10 amp charger putting it across one battery at a time. The external wiring from either battery has no effect on the charging of each.
Just remember to unplug your charger and connect to the batteries, and when finished, unplug it first and then disconnect from the batteries.
Reason is that batteries give off hydrogen gas when charging and if in a confined area, and a spark is present.........BOOM!!!!! Disconnecting the power lead prevents sparking.
HTH,
Mark
