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My Lumicycle lights (halogen with a Li-Ion battery) are heading into their 5th winter. First 3 winters, used regularly, last winter v infrequently. Stored in garage over summer.
Run time was 3hrs+, but they had their second outing this weekend and run time was 1.5hrs. Is this just the end of their natural life, or is there anything I can do to help the battery back to peak performance?
Someone mentioned to me that these sort of batts should be fully charged and fully drained at least monthly to keep in tip top condition?
Thanks
[url= http://batteryuniversity.com/ ]very good reading for battery use and storage [/url]
Lithium like all rechargable batteries are damaged by complete drain (note when your lights go out there is still some power in there as there is a cut out). Lithium more so than any other dichageable battery (I know to my cost). Also according to manufactures if you store a battery fully charged it will lose 20% capacity a year while storing at 40% you will lose 6% a year. Storing???? It appears to be anytime you are not using it. Storing a battery in fridge extends the amount of time it will hold its charge dramaticaly. I note that a lot of lithium battery sellers for laptops also say you should discharge fully and then recharge 3 times when you get them and regularly afterwords. I note that the Kalkoff power assited bike battery charger has a bult facility for the latter. Hope this helpfull
PS if you store it at 100% and then recharge when it is below 100% then this not counted as storing at 100% only if you constantly top it up. ie your mobile phone battery is stored at 50% on average
I have the opposite. My secondhand Lupine has died a death but the battery is unbinnable due to there being nothing wrong with it. I've still got it, the uber fast charger and the pack. 7.4 volt, 4Ah, yours for £25 posted.
Storing a battery in fridge
I thought that too, but smudge informed me otherwise. I think somewhere cool and dry is the order of the day. FWIW, my Lumi battery has had no special treatment and is still going pretty strong, though it does get used most of the year so doesn't stand unused for long periods.
I recently dug my Lumicycles out of the garage too. Put the battery on charge only to find that the cells became so hot, I couldn't pick them up with bare hands! I guess they're borked 😐
EDIT: mine are the old NiMH jobbies.
I've still got it, the uber fast charger and the pack. 7.4 volt, 4Ah, yours for £25 posted.
and sadly, F' all use in this application. 😀
twice the voltage required for lumi.
stick it on the classifieds though - 'spect someone will have it at that price.
Store in fridge was on the battery space site (where I bought my last 2 trail tech batteries from) so going with them and the fact that if I recharge after 2 months in the fridge it goes to fully rechaged in about 10 mins. Of course in a sealed box will meeet the dry criteria
freddyg - Member
I recently dug my Lumicycles out of the garage too. Put the battery on charge only to find that the cells became so hot, I couldn't pick them up with bare hands! I guess they're borked
Left to long without recharging and went to total discharge and at that point battery capacity starts to deteriorate rapidly?????????
Happend to me twice once buggered off for 3 months came back battery exactly the same could have cooked my dinner on it. Then I did the ultimate I left the battery attached to the light in my panniers at some point they were swithched on...... 3rd battery knacered. The first one was destroyed when i dropped it and did not notice a slight crack in it in goes the water!
I am afraid the NiMh are the most robust battery availble and when they make hybrid ones they will be the ultimate in robustness (is that a word?) Of course they loose it when it comes to weight to power ratio........pity