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Building aluminum cabinet for battery

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Charles88

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My friend is building a boat and I'm helping him with the electronics equipment required. The meters are all analog dials. He wants to install Sony stereo in the boat. I designed the interiors of the cabin, planning the positions of the stereo. He is going to use aluminum metal sheets as the roof of the cabin. He told me that the same aluminum fabricators will also do the interior works. Now, we will be connecting all the electronic devices to a battery which will be in the cabin. I'm little bit worried about using aluminum cabinet for battery case. Do I have to worry about that? Need advice. Also which battery would be the best choice for it?
 
A deep discharge 12V lead/acid battery would probably be your best bet, but isn't there already a battery on board. In theory, with a modern sealed lead/acid battery, any material would be suitable for a battery box, but metal is not advisable unless protected with epoxy paint or stove enameling for example.

We would need to know the power requirements for the stereo, but if it is a normal mains driven system, either 110V, 60Hz or 240V 50Hz you could use a small inverter to convert from DC to AC. Inverters are available quite cheaply from eBay for example. You may need to add some filtering between the inverter and stereo to eliminate any interference from the inverter.

spec
 
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Okay I will discuss it with my friend about the battery. Building boat is new to me.

And the stereo is not big stuff, just 110v stereo. So, as you said, I could use a small inverter. Thanks for the advice
 
metal is not advisable
Double ditto on that. A simple, covered plastic battery holder is generally best for marine applications (even if fresh water).

How do you intend to recharge the battery (just curious)?
 
A stereo designed for automotive use (12Vdc) would be much better. Besides, most modern ones have a USB memory stick input, which is how most folks carry their music library.
 
Hello,

I dont think aluminum is good around salt water.

If you build the box out of metal, you should line the top with a plastic material so the battery cant short out, assuming it has top posts only.

The box should be vented, regardless of the material used.
 
How big is his boat? Can you give me some pictures?
To use aluminium as cabinet, make sure you use only aluminium, or only aluminium can expose to water or it will create galvanic corrosion. Normal water contain many ions so it is a electrolyte.
If your water is salt water, aluminium can't be use for a long time. Cupronickel will be much much better in this case but they are more expensive than aluminium and hard to brazing together. Plastic are other choice but plastic can't withstand in scorching for a long time.
For cheap and long durable, lead-acid battery is the best if weight isn't a problem. Sealed acid battery are better for normal use but less reliable in hard conditions. To use lead-acid battery safely, you should take it away from the boat to charge to prevent acid leakage. Like spec have said, the metal battery cabinet should be protected by acid-resistance paint or epoxy.
Use Li-ion or Ni-MH battert will be better than acid type: Smaller, lighter, higher energy capability.... but will costly.
You have said that the stereo use 110V so it certainly need inverter. You may consider to use C-L-C filter to smooth all ripple cause by inverter or the stereo will sound like a swarm :D . Have you ever think about disassemble the stereo, and supply it directly to the board without through the it supply circuit.:happy:
 
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