Between-Match Battery Swaps

[dubious elise]

Originally Posted by zachriggle

1.) We CAN change batteries between matches, correct?
2.) We CAN have a total of more than two batteries to swap in/out, as long as only one is ever on the robot, correct?

In the event that both of the above are true, where might we be able to purchase more batteries? If most can get 2 matches out of a single battery with moderate power usage, you should be able to at least one match if you don't worry about battery consumption, correct?

1. Yes, you can change batteries between matches. I highly recommend doing this, it is far too risky to leave your battery in place for more than one match.

2. You can have as many competition-legal batteries to swap in/out as you desire. This is extremely important to take note of. The batteries take up to 6 hours to charge fully. Our team often brings a minimum of 10 batteries to each competition. At the Boilermaker Regional last year, I believe that we had 12 batteries in the morning and, by the final finals match, we were one of the few teams that still had batteries so we had to supply one battery, not only to ourselves, but also one to one of our alliance partners and one to an apposing alliance member. (we had an uncanny 4 matches in the finals)

As for where to purchase them, try a local NAPA Auto Parts store or Sam's Club - they are official retailers of Exide batteries, though stock may be spotty. I'd recommend checking online first for a better deal. Exide's website
also provides a tool for searching for local retailers.