spare battery

Well i took the plunge and got a Olight s2 baton. I also got a xtar sv2 rocket with 2 orbtronic 3500 18650 batteries. On the orbtronic website
it says don't store a fully charged lithium battery, so how do you people rotate a used battery with a fresh one. I'm kinda new to lithium, so
i want to do it right.

desert rover said:

Well i took the plunge and got a Olight s2 baton. I also got a xtar sv2 rocket with 2 orbtronic 3500 18650 batteries. On the orbtronic website
it says don't store a fully charged lithium battery, so how do you people rotate a used battery with a fresh one. I'm kinda new to lithium, so
i want to do it right.

Click to expand...

Lithium-ion cells don't like to be charged up to 4.20v (100%) and left there for long. It degrades their life. If I'm not going to be using my li-ions for say 3 months, I discharge them down to 3.6v-3.7v and place them in plastic cases and then into Ziplock baggies and into the fridge they go.

They're consumables, so they're going to start degrading the moment they come off the assembly line, but there are some practices such as the above and also not discharging them down to their cutoff voltages--2.50v/2.75v very often, to help keep them 'healthy'.

Heat and extreme cold kills them as well as fast (higher amps) charging.

At the end of the day, they're relatively cheap to purchase, so I don't worry about them wearing out, although I don't want to trash them in six months.

Chris

Thanks for the info Chris. just had another question. Do you reccomend checking the batteries after some usage. Like every week to not go
below 2.7 volts. I'm in Arizona so about the heat, if i take the light hiking in july is there any steps i need to take to keep the light safe.
Hope every one had a happy St. Patricks day.

desert rover said:

Thanks for the info Chris. just had another question. Do you reccomend checking the batteries after some usage. Like every week to not go
below 2.7 volts. I'm in Arizona so about the heat, if i take the light hiking in july is there any steps i need to take to keep the light safe.
Hope every one had a happy St. Patricks day.

Click to expand...

With modern lights and voltage level indicators built in, it's easy enough now, to 'know' where your cells might be on the 'fullness' scale of things.

I have a digital multi-meter and check them frequently. At about 3.6v-3.7v, they're about half full, so that's a good point to top them off.

As far as Arizona heat, that's problematic if you're out and about in 100*F days, all day, but they're cheap.

I look at it the same way I look at gun barrels--the more you shoot them, the faster they wear out.

Just the nature of the beast.

Have fun and roll your pennies.

Chris