Batteries 101

What's the best battery for your application? When was the battery invented? What are the different types of batteries on the market? How do you prolong battery life? What is the proper way to recycle batteries? There are so many questions that come up when working with batteries and with battery technology continually advancing it is becoming harder to keep up with the latest information and best practices.

In 2008, Quick Cable launched QuickHowTo.com to help you stay up-to-date on the battery industry's best practices as well as establish a site to properly train distributors, dealers, battery associates and consumers on Quick Cable products. We've created over 120 videos on QuickHowTo.com and Youtube with over 200,000 views on our Youtube channel alone. We continue to add new videos on new products each month.

Recently we discovered another one-stop resource for you that provides valuable knowledge and information on all sorts of battery topics: Battery University.

As the site states on their homepage:

"Battery University™ is a free educational website that offers hands-on battery information to engineers, educators, media, students and battery users alike. The tutorials evaluate the advantages and limitations of battery chemistries, advise on best battery choice and suggest ways to extend battery life."

Whether you're a battery distributor, a battery service technician or just a consumer, the more you know about batteries the better off you'll be. Battery University is not affiliated with Quick Cable but we felt the information on the site is valuable enough to share with you.

So the next time you're wondering how to rate battery runtime or you want to calculate the cost of battery power, check out Battery University.

Richard Sosa
Video Producer/Blogger
Quick Cable Corporation

Memorial Day and Battery Boxes

This weekend marks a time to remember our fallen heroes. Let us not forget the sacrifice they made defending our freedom.

It also has become the unofficial start of summer.

Blogger, Rick Pastor and his catch of the day.

I’ve been using battery boxes all my life. Mostly for boats and campers. To me, they were always the same—the lid kind of fit on okay and everything was held together with the hold-down strap. And I never questioned whether this was the best they got or if you could get a better box somewhere else.


I didn’t know that you could actually buy a really good battery box until I started working for Quick Cable.

First of all, the top locks on. That’s actually a big deal. It doesn’t slip out of place when you put the strap over it, or get cockeyed.

Second, you have the option to use J-hooks to secure the box down, and you can still get the lid off. Perfect.

It’s the attention to detail that makes the difference. Even in something as simple as a battery box. Amazing. Something else amazing: Our battery boxes are made right here at our Franksville, Wisconsin  Manufacturing plant.




Have a great weekend!

Rick Pastor
Marketing Manager/Guest Blogger
Quick Cable Corporation

Basic Cable Making Kits = Profits

Basic Cable Making Kits have consistently been a stellar performer for Quick Cable dealers and distributors. Better known as "starter kits" or "assortments" or "field repair kits", these basic cable making kits add value to any battery service shop and come with everything you need to get started including the cable, connectors, heat-shrink tubing, terminal protectors and the tools you need to make cable. Instantly turn your retail front into a custom cable operation.

Here are a few reasons why you should be in the custom cable business.

1. Custom Cable is profitable. With a high margin, custom cable is an easy way to augment your existing revenue streams. And you'll be providing a value added service. Custom cable allows you to give your customers exactly what they need, when they need it. 
2. Low cost and Portable. Getting started with one of our Basic Cable Making Kits is a small investment but if you think about what it would cost to stock various pre-made cables, then the cost savings is even greater. Our kits can go where your customers are so you'll be able to expand your reach and service to even more customers. 
3. Batteries sell Accessories. Accessories sell Batteries. Being the go-to cable maker in your market gives you the edge the next time someone needs a replacement battery. If you're the one that built their custom battery cable, chances are, they'll come back when they need to buy a battery. It makes no sense to sell your customers a battery and then have them go down the street for their battery cable and other battery accessories.
4. Customization. Our QuickFigurator online application allows you to design custom cable from your shop computer and print a quality drawing for your customer and your cable maker leaving no room for ambiguity. With our Kitfigurator online application you can design a custom kit with the exact components you need to make cable. 
5. Free Training. Quick Cable has a library of over 100 videos which include "How-to-Crimp" and Quickfigurator tutorials. Go to www.quickhowto.com for our complete video library.

Quick Cable has three specially-designed kits to get you started building custom battery cables with everything you need:

·       Popular terminal sizes and styles

·       Terminal protectors and heat shrink

·       Battery cable

·       Terminal crimper, cable cutter, cable stripper, heat gun

·       Organizing drawer

All Vehicles Starter Kits

Includes cable and components to build 4 ga., 1 ga., and 2/0 cables for lawn and garden, automotive, marine, agricultural and commercial applications.

Heavy-Duty Starter Kits

2/0 cable and components to build heavy-duty cables for truck, agricultural and commercial applications.

Medium and Light Duty Starter Kits

Includes 4 and 2 gauge cable and connectors for automotive, marine, lawn and garden applications.

Each of these kits comes with your choice of bench mount or hand held crimpers.

You can get started today. Its that easy! Call us today.
800.558.8667 (U.S.)
800.728.1742 (Canada)
sales@quickcable.com
cdnsales@quickcable.com (Canada)

Richard Sosa

Video Producer/Blogger

Quick Cable Corporation

Quick Cable Sponsors Go Carts Guardsmen Carting Across the States

On April 29th, 2013, off-duty members of the U.S. Coast Guard began a cross country trip from Petaluma, CA to Yorktown, VA to solicit the public's support and raise awareness of Wounded Warrior Project, which helps injured service members. Their 3,900 mile trip will be completed entirely in an electrically powered cart. We're proud to sponsor such an admirable cause and wish them the best.  The cart itself is equipped with essential Quick Cable products such as battery boxes, cables and terminals. And they'll be tested for sure in some of the harsh environments this country has to offer; rain, snow, wind and extreme desert heat. As of this blog post, they're already made it past the Continental Divide and are heading towards Colorado's flatland.

Quick Cable sponsored cart equipped with 4 QuickBox® Battery Boxes

You can learn more about this noble cause by visiting cartingforacause.org or by checking them out on facebook. You find daily videos uploaded on their trip, GPS tracking to follow them throughout the trip and instructions how to support their cause. All of us at Quick Cable would like to say thank you to our Armed Forces for the sacrifice they make on a daily basis.


Richard Sosa
Video Producer/Bloggerr
Quick Cable Corporation

Don't You (Forget About Me)

What a winter! Its May 3rd and still there are many places that should be feeling spring like that are still buried in snow.

Map shows current snow cover or snow in forecast throughout the Continental U.S.

But here in Quick Cable land we experienced our first 70° day and our first 80° day this week! Its all pretty exciting to think that soon, the beaches will be full, grills will be grilling, outdoor festivals will be plentiful and all visible signs of a long, cold winter will be gone.

TIME TO CLEAN UP

Around this time is when my family gives the car and truck a thorough cleaning, inside and out, putting away some of the winter emergency gear we left in the trunk like blankets, shovels and ice scrapers.  Along with the blankets, shovels and scrapers, the Rescue Power Packs we have in each trunk get placed in the basement for "storage" as well. Though occasionally I'll bring out a jump pack to take camping or air up a mattress or bike tire. But I don't think of my Jump Pack during the summer months for actual jump starts. For some reason, I've been convinced that winter is the real culprit when it comes to battery failure but according to Rich White, executive director of Car Care Council, I've got it all wrong. White  says, "When most motorists think of dead batteries that cause starting failure, they think of severe winter weather, but summer heat is the real culprit." Read the entire article "Extreme Summer Heat Can Burn Up Car Batteries" here. I don't think I'm the only one with this false sense of security. I think in general, most folks equate harsh winter weather with battery failure, not summer.

WHAT'S THE POINT

There's that mid-eighties hit by the band Simple Minds "Don't You (Forget about ME)" that I think sums up the point best. Summer is not the time to forget about your jump pack or your car battery.Give your battery a check-up and keep you jump pack charged and ready to go. You never know when you're going to need your next rescue.



 Sources:
http://www.intellicast.com/Travel/Weather/Snow/Cover.aspx
http://www.carcare.org/2012/07/extreme-summer-heat-can-burn-up-car-batteries-2/
EMI Simple Minds