Favorite low battery warning...

[magellan]

I have a DMM but these days most of the time I just use my ZTS MBT-1 battery tester.

 

[uofaengr]

As a poster previously said, if I take it out to check it then I'm probably going to top it up unless it's showing 3.8v or more. 4.2v is normal hot from the charger. I feel taking it down past 2.9v isn't good for battery lifespan and I would have topped it back up by then anyway. Lion lights I carry and use get checked weekly, unless I've been using it a bit. Then, I just check it after a session.

I do not charge them unattended. I like to feel the jacket to make sure it isn't overly hot. Too hot could mean the charger missed termination and it's going for deep fry of the battery. I never leave charged batteries on a charger.

Playing with the meter and comparing it to what you are using is a great way to get a feel for what's left in the battery without bothering to check. If it's been so long you forgot, time to check if it's lithium ion.

If I haven't used or checked a multicell lithium light in a long time, I do not turn it on until I have checked in case one of the cells has croaked. I'm paranoid, but I hand load firearm cartridges and have both eyes and all my fingers. I like keeping it that way. They're nice.

Anyway, single cell lights bypass much of this fiddling about and are far, far less a cause for concern.

If my usage is very light, then I go months without actually charging. Most of my EDC is low self-discharge single-cell Eneloop NiMH for low maintenance and concern. You don't have to worry about that setup at all.



Caught it just in time, thanks! That's even more awesome! Gotta have it. I'd have just ordered it as well, anyway.

We run down cellphone and laptop batteries to zero nearly everyday so are we hurting those batteries also?

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Thanks so much for the Drok link. They also sell an extension version that would come in handy when a USB female socket has tight access.

Regarding the question of when to recharge batteries: You should read up for different people's perspective. (I like to charge at 3.6-3.85V but am willing go lower if necessary, and will top off batteries if a significant voyage is planned)

 

[eh4]

Seems like there aughta be a credit card sized DMM by now, maybe no demand or just hasn't been done.
I like your rationale reppans.
I think that a single flash as a light becomes unable to maintain a higher light level is a good signal, and I use ZL H600w Mk2's four level battery reading more often than I'd thought that I would.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

We run down cellphone and laptop batteries to zero nearly everyday so are we hurting those batteries also?

Depends what the cell phone battery indicator uses as the 0% level. I've noticed on some of my proprietary lithium-ion battery packs, that they are still over 3.2v per cell when the device shuts down saying the battery is empty. So, I think most manufacturers build a little room into the battery level, so you don't drain it too much.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

We run down cellphone and laptop batteries to zero nearly everyday so are we hurting those batteries also?

Almost every electronic device these days has circuitry that prevents harmful over charge and over discharge of batteries, sometimes even integrated into the battery itself. It's really not a problem except in very rare circumstances.

 

[more_vampires]

We run down cellphone and laptop batteries to zero nearly everyday so are we hurting those batteries also?

Depends what the cell phone battery indicator uses as the 0% level. I've noticed on some of my proprietary lithium-ion battery packs, that they are still over 3.2v per cell when the device shuts down saying the battery is empty. So, I think most manufacturers build a little room into the battery level, so you don't drain it too much.

WITL nailed it. When your cell phone says "0%," multiple levels of protection just kicked in. There's more juice still in the pack. The protections cut in to save your butt. If you hotwired it by bypassing protections, you could still drain more. Overdrawing capacity on lithium ion is bad juju. It's why all well-designed lion packs NEVER LET YOU ACCESS the pack as voltage drops "too low." How much is too low? There is no cut-and-dried number. The lower you go, the greater the risk, the shorter the lifespan of the pack, and the greater the chance of an "event." Get away with risky business once? Probably. When you make 50 million of these things, there will be issues out in the wild.

It's like having a battery scientist monitoring your cell phone. It's not perfect, and any system can fail. It's why you can still "search engine" for "cell phone fire" and get results. People put them in microwaves, bake them in the oven, pee on them, etc.

 

[uofaengr]

It's like having a battery scientist monitoring your cell phone. It's not perfect, and any system can fail. It's why you can still "search engine" for "cell phone fire" and get results. People put them in microwaves, bake them in the oven, pee on them, etc.

Yep, plenty of idiots out there...

 

[magellan]

Originally Posted by more_vampires

It's like having a battery scientist monitoring your cell phone. It's not perfect, and any system can fail. It's why you can still "search engine" for "cell phone fire" and get results. People put them in microwaves, bake them in the oven, pee on them, etc.

Yep, plenty of idiots out there...



You mean I can't take advantage of the new wireless charging technology by putting my cell phone in the microwave? What a waste of a good Klystron tube.

 

[more_vampires]

You know, magellan, if you came up with a cell phone that charged safely in the microwave, you'd have a legit product!

There's that charger that works by heat, reverse peltier? Maybe "the indestructible phone," charge it by microwave oven or throwing it in the campfire. Reminds me of Warhammer 40k lasguns.