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Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?

Aloha · 21 · 1322

us Offline Aloha

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Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
on: November 23, 2016, 04:52:49 PM
Are you guys and gals on a schedule?  Do you change out the batteries on your lights when they fail or what? 

I have been using my lights often now with the time change.  My Fenix AAA does not like a low battery.  I have had to failures with this light now so I am implementing a change.  I will now change out all cells at will.
Esse Quam Videri


england Offline Kev D

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #1 on: November 23, 2016, 04:54:09 PM
I'm charging mine as and when needed.


us Offline Aloha

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #2 on: November 23, 2016, 04:56:31 PM
I'm charging mine as and when needed.

So a failure to light?  I carry 2 to 3 lights on me so my Fenix failure to light was no big deal.  I would have been bummed otherwise.   
Esse Quam Videri


00 Offline Mechanickal

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #3 on: November 23, 2016, 05:03:38 PM
My Led Lenser F1R starts flashing once every while when the battery is running low.

Setting it to a lower light mode makes it possible to light quite some time after that.

I'll charge it ASAP when that happens.

So no,  I do not recharge as a precaution.


id Offline jaya_man

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #4 on: November 23, 2016, 05:19:23 PM
Just finished charging my lights... and just bcoz one of my lights started to dim... might as well charge all...

No schedule for me... just random...


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us Offline sergemaster

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #5 on: November 23, 2016, 07:04:37 PM
Amici,
I would say that I'm at will when it comes to battery rotation..

Since I have a general idea on how long whatever light burns on what setting, If I feel that power wise it's going the way of the do do, I'll test and change it.

Cheers,
Serge
'I will NOT be threatened by a walking Meatloaf!!' - D. Kessler


ie Offline Don Pablo

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #6 on: November 23, 2016, 08:09:39 PM
Either I feel like topping off the battery or I notice the beam is dimmer.  :tu: :cheers:
Hooked, like everyone else. ;)

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gb Offline AimlessWanderer

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #7 on: November 24, 2016, 12:22:16 AM
I use disposables. The only rechargable is my Nitecore Tube. Everything gets replaced or recharged when it goes dull or stops working. I nealry always have a backup light, particularly in the darker months


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ie Offline Don Pablo

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #8 on: November 24, 2016, 11:09:13 AM
Rechargeables are brighter and cheaper in the long run.  :pok: :pok:
Also they wont poo nasty stuff in your light.  :-[
Hooked, like everyone else. ;)

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england Offline Kev D

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #9 on: November 24, 2016, 12:55:54 PM
I'm charging mine as and when needed.

So a failure to light?  I carry 2 to 3 lights on me so my Fenix failure to light was no big deal.  I would have been bummed otherwise.   

When it starts to look dim to me I change to my spare battery. I'm carrying a spare AAA since I started carrying a AAA flashlight as part of my edc.


us Offline powernoodle

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #10 on: November 24, 2016, 01:09:01 PM
Over the past few years, I have transitioned everything in the Powernoodle Compound to Eneloop NiMH rechargeables.  My general rule is to replace the batteries in my lights and other devices before they need it.  This is especially true with lights, and with the radio and earbuds I listen to during the night when I wakey wakey.


us Offline Aloha

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #11 on: November 24, 2016, 04:30:05 PM
I've had enough time with each light that I can make an educated guess as to when I should change out batteries.  I think it may be a good idea to change them out before they run flat health wise ( battery health ).  I could be wrong but running batteries flat constantly couldnt be good  :think:

I probably wont be on a schedule but certainly before the light requires it.   
Esse Quam Videri


us Offline MadPlumbarian

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #12 on: November 24, 2016, 04:32:59 PM
Nope no schedule, yet if any day it should be today or xmas, the two times the smoke detectors start going off and I need to take the batteries out!
JR
"The-Mad-Plumbarian" The Punisher Of Pipes!!! JR
As I sit on my Crapper Throne in the Reading Room and explode on the Commode, thinking, how my flush beat John’s and Jerry’s pair? Jack’s had to run for the Water Closet yet ended up tripping on a Can bowing and hitting his Head on the Porcelain God! 🚽


us Offline Archibald Tuttle

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #13 on: November 24, 2016, 05:24:08 PM
I like using a volt meter for casual testing of li-ion and nimh. It's a resting voltage check. Resting implies not used for 15 or more minutes and room/ambient temp stabilized. I use mostly unprotected li-ion and Eneloop nimh cells.

Rule of thumb for li-ion cells:

4.2V – 100%
4.1V – 87%
4.0V – 75%
3.9V – 55%
3.8V – 30%
3.5V – 0%

And for the wonderful Eneloops I recharge when they hit .09 -1.0 volts.

I have several expensive analytical battery testers, and will test batteries for overall health and capacity about once a year or so. I still have a few ,early, Eneloops from late 2006 that have retained over 80% of their manufactured capacity.



us Offline Alan K.

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #14 on: December 18, 2016, 04:44:14 AM
I carry a spare battery and change as needed, but the changed out battery goes on the charger as soon as possible and another spare gets put in my bag as soon as I get home.  I rotate through half a dozen batteries which are numbered so they get used in the right order.


au Offline gregozedobe

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #15 on: December 18, 2016, 04:48:42 AM
I change batteries in my lights and most other equipment when they are flat, but test my smoke alarm batteries twice a year and replace them when they get below 50% charge ( I have a load type battery tester).
babola: "Enjoy your tools and don't be afraid to air your opinion and feelings here, but do it in courteous and respectable way toward others, of course."


us Offline David Quevedo

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #16 on: December 30, 2016, 01:20:27 AM
Rechargeables are brighter and cheaper in the long run.  :pok: :pok:
Also they wont poo nasty stuff in your light.  :-[

Agreed.  I have 85 lights, (52 of which are running on 18650 batteries - my primary choice for flashlights, for best run times and performance).

It's not practical, for me, to use primary batteries, at all, since I use many of my lights so heavily.  I don't live in a place with extreme weather conditions (sub-zero temperatures), so it's not necessary to use a battery that's as resilient against super cold weather, as a primary lithium battery would be. That would be the only reason I would ever purchase, or choose to use disposable lithium batteries.

I will not purchase any light that runs only on alkaline or primary lithium batteries.  I've had too many lights ruined by leaky alkaline batteries (and nice, brand name batteries, before their expiration date, at that).  I stopped buying alkaline batteries about four years ago, and have never looked back.  Anything that ran on alkaline batteries, has had the batteries replaced with Nickel Metal Hydride.  Anything that previously ran exclusively on CR123 primaries, now has LiFePO4s.  Any light that would not run properly on the LifePO4s, I got rid of. 

No more primary batteries for me - ever again.  The only remaining light that has the dreaded alkaline batteries in it is a modified 6D Maglite,  A few years back, I installed  a Terralux 1000 lumen (more like 650 out the front) 3-emitter drop-in in that one, and am pleased with the vast improvement over what it had, with the standard incandescent bulb;  but it's really impractical for any kind of normal carry, since it's so huge and heavy - so it sees very rare use. A couple of 2D Maglites (one stock LED, and the other converted over to a Malkoff XP-G2 R5 LED drop-in), both use Tenergy LSD NiMhs, and they hold up really well, even in the car, where I keep them. 

I tend to not let any 18650 light go longer than a month, without topping off the charge.  Any light (regardless of what battery size - 14500, 16340, 17650, 18650, 26650) gets topped off, that evening, if it was used, at all, that day.  That way, whatever I decide to leave the house with, in the morning, is always fully charged.  I have a lot of good quality chargers (Mainly XTAR units - love 'em :-)); so this makes charging multiple batteries possible, without spending all day doing it. 

As fanatical as it may seem, I also maintain an elaborate Excel spreadsheet, with all batteries (date last charged, what the battery is installed in, voltage after charging, notes on whatever issues that battery may have, etc.). There's a worksheet for each type of battery. so I have a really good record of the battery.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2016, 01:27:12 AM by David Quevedo »


us Offline NutSAK

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #17 on: December 30, 2016, 07:13:43 PM
I use rechargeable cells (NiMH or Li-Ion) in all of my lights, and I literally have not had an accidental failure to light in at least 10 years.  I will explain "accidental" in a moment.  However, I'm not on a recharge schedule either.  I just go by "feel" on when to recharge, and even check Li-Ion resting voltages periodically to get a "feel" for where I am and when I need to recharge.  I err on being fully charged, especially for a carry light.

With that said...I do store Lithium primaries for backup/emergency scenarios and keep stashes of them in cars, BOBs, etc.  In the rare case of an unplanned situation where I believe I will not have enough runtime on the rechargeable cell at hand, I will immediately put a fresh backup primary cell in and use that cell(s) to complete the task and until my rechargeable cell has been charged.  Then, that partially used lithium primary is relegated to around-the-house, low-output duty in a battery vampire until it is completely discharged and then recycled (and so the "intentional" failure to light, rather than accidental).  I actually prefer this to happen on occasion, because it keeps my vampires fed and I rotate through my stored cells at a slow, steady rate.

And the cycle continues...

« Last Edit: December 30, 2016, 07:25:36 PM by NutSAK »
- Terry


gb Offline Millhouse

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #18 on: December 30, 2016, 08:55:20 PM
All of my current use lights have rechargeables in them. I just recharge when I feel it is necessary.

I usually have 2 lights on me, so one running out isn't that big a deal. If I am in work, I will have 4 lights, 2 of which will also have spare cells.
If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.


us Offline Blackbeard

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #19 on: December 31, 2016, 08:08:33 AM
I rotate through my flashlight hoard, drain one at a time and recharge


us Offline kaput

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Re: Are you on a battery changing schedule or at will?
Reply #20 on: December 31, 2016, 08:46:49 AM
I am not. I am on the "Willy nilly" schedule.  :D
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