23 - How to shed 40 pounds in one day: Converting traps to lithium batteries.

For years, the mosquito control community has relied upon lead-acid batteries to run our portable mosquito traps (i.e., gravid, CDC, EVS, etc.).  While reliable, lead-acid batteries are expensive, large, and heavy, making transporting them in the field difficult.  By contrast, modern lithium batteries are small and lightweight with an energy density over six times greater than lead-acid batteries.  Unfortunately, many of our traps run on 6 volts, which lead-acid batteries can easily supply.  Lithium cells typically run at 3.7 volts, too low to run a trap.  Two lithium cells in series yield 7.4 volts, which can burn out trap motors.  In this presentation, I will show how to convert your traps to lithium-ion battery power using readily available parts.  The conversion results in an 18% reduction in cost, a 96% reduction in volume, and a 89% reduction in carried weight over lead acid batteries.