Anybody familiar with the field of fisheries management is familiar with electrofishing. For those that are not, electrofishing is the process of stunning fish in the pursuit of gathering field data. This is done via, you guessed it, electricity. While there are a couple of different companies that produce electrofishing equipment, the most popular is Smith-Root. The electrofishers produced by Smith-Root are powered by 24V batteries with an in-line fuse to prevent current draw greater than 40A. Sourcing one of the batteries from Smith-Root will set you back anywhere from $400-$1,100 depending on battery chemistry and capacity. This can be an expensive part of any fisheries research project, as such I’ve DIY’d several custom battery packs for a fraction of the cost.
1: Select your batteries
There are several key points to consider when selecting batteries including capacity, max current draw, and voltage. To work with the Smith-Root brand shockers you’ll need two 12V batteries, the higher the capacity the better within budget. For a low cost lead-acid, these are a solid option. However, lead-acid batteries are heavy weight with respect to the capacity. To counteract this, lithium based batteries have become more popular. This is one option for a lithium based pack.
2: Order additional parts
Beyond the two batteries, you’ll also need some wire, 40 amp blade fuses, two-part epoxy, and Anderson power-pole terminators. You will also need a soldering iron and some solder. Heat shrink will help to ensure the battery is safe without any exposed connectors when soldering the wire to the battery terminals.
3: Battery Frame
The last part needed is the frame with the handle, this is what the batteries will be epoxied to. In my case I opted to 3D print these. This can also be done via a sheet of acrylic and a band saw. Anybody that is interested can feel free to email me and I would be happy to 3D print the frame $5 and the cost of shipping. If you have access to a 3D printer and would like to print it yourself, email me and I’d be happy to send out the 3D model free of charge.
4: Assembly
- 1) Epoxy batteries to either side of the frame, ensuring that the terminals are on the same side as the cut out in the handle as this is where the fuse will be added.
- 2) Solder the fuse connecting the two batteries, one side on the positive (+) terminal of one battery and the other side to the negative (-) terminal of the second battery
- 3) Cut two lengths of wire of the desired length, one red and one black. The length will be dependent on how long of a connecting terminal is desired, around 5 inches is usually sufficient.
- 4) Strip both ends of both wires. I generally use my thumbnail as a guide on how much to strip off each end.
- 5) Twist and tin all four ends of the wires with the soldering iron.
- 6) Crimp the ends of the powerpole connectors onto the wires, one on the black wire, one on the red wire.
- 7) Insert the crimped ends into the powerpole connector housing.
- 8) Add black heat shrink to the wire, solder the other end of the black wire onto the empty negative (-) battery terminal. Slide the heat shrink over the solder joint and carefully apply heat via a heat gun or blow drier.
- 9) Add red heat shrink to the wire, solder the other end of the red wire on the empty positive (+) battery terminal. Slide the heat shrink over the solder joint and carefully apply heat via a heat gun or blow drier.
- 10) Using a multimeter, measure the voltage through the powerpole connector to verify 24V.
That’s it! Now you’ve made your own electrofishing battery. I should also note that I’m not affiliated in anyway with Smith-Root or any other electrofishing equipment supplier. As such I’m not liable for any damages to equipment, this is simply instructions on systems that have worked for me.