Okay, so I’ve got this old Tennis Tutor Plus ball machine, you know, the kind that hurls tennis balls at you for practice. It’s a great machine, but the battery life was, well, let’s just say it was less than stellar. I was getting maybe an hour of playtime before it conked out, and that’s just not enough for a decent practice session. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and give this bad boy a battery upgrade.
The Prep Work
First things first, I gotta gather my supplies. I did some digging around online and figured out what I needed. I grabbed two new 12V 18Ah sealed lead-acid batteries, basically the same kind that was already in there, just with a higher capacity. I also picked up some new battery connectors, some wire, and a fuse holder with a 30 amp fuse – better safe than sorry, right?
Getting Down to Business
Now, the fun part – taking this thing apart. I unscrewed the back panel of the machine, and there it was, the old battery, looking all sad and tired. I carefully disconnected the old battery, making sure to remember which wire went where. This is important, folks, don’t want to fry anything.
Making the Connections
Then came the tricky bit – wiring up the new batteries. The original setup had the batteries wired in series to create a 24V system. To wire the batteries in series you connect the positive of one battery to the negative of the other. Then you treat the remaining positive as the positive for the system and the remaining negative as the negative for the system. I followed the same wiring diagram, connecting the new batteries together, and then connecting them to the machine’s main power cable, making sure to add that fuse holder in there for extra protection.
Putting It All Back Together
With the new batteries all hooked up, I carefully tucked them into the machine’s battery compartment. It was a tight fit, but I managed to squeeze them in. I screwed the back panel back on, and voila, the machine looked just like it did before, except now it’s packing some serious power.
The Moment of Truth
Time to test it out. I charged up the new batteries overnight – these big boys take a while to fully juice up. The next day, I headed to the court, eager to see the results. I turned on the machine, and bam, those balls were flying. I played for a solid two hours, and the battery indicator was still showing a full charge. I was ecstatic! I played for a total of three hours before I was the one that wanted to quit. The battery still had juice.
This battery upgrade was a total game-changer. Now I can have those long, intense practice sessions without worrying about the machine dying on me. It was a bit of work, but totally worth it in the end. If you’ve got a Tennis Tutor Plus and you’re tired of the short battery life, I highly recommend doing this upgrade. You won’t regret it!
