At what voltage do you change your batteries?

[Bushman]

Or any other lithium light for that matter. I know that there is a partcular time in which we start getting a yellower or greyer beam and that is when most change out the batts. does anyone know at what voltage that is. or at least what voltage is a "dead" 123 at when it will no longer power a SF lamp assbly? thanks.

What I do is check the voltage with a meter on occasion to see what my "estimated" battery time is left...

 

[PsycoBob[Q2]]

Lithiums can't be checked like that. The military has had to resort to installing timers or watt/hour meters in their devices that use lithium batteries. It's the biggest downside (other than cost) to lithiums.

The discharge curve is just too close to flat. I think someone said something about forming conductive carbon strands.... I don't remember.

 

[Bushman]

Ok sounds fair... does any body know the voltage that thier batteries are dead though? IE won't power the bulb enough to even light it up?

 

[rlhess]

What I find is that a battery that is making my E2e yellow makes lots 'o light in my Arc sLS.

[edit] On the RS digital tester, I take the batteries out of the E2e when they are down 2-3 bars (usually 2). This was about the same point I wanted to take them out of the Inova X5.

 

[Charles Bradshaw]

The best way to do this, is use a DMM or analog voltmeter. Measure voltage of new batteries (no load). When 'dead' in say surefire, take same measurement. None of these 'you are an idiot' bargraph thingies.

Me? I change batteries when light is below useful point (to me). I know this is subjective, rather than an absolute measurement. Since I am going all LED, this can be a very long time between loads.

 

[APW]

Originally posted by Bushman:
Ok sounds fair... does any body know the voltage that thier batteries are dead though? IE won't power the bulb enough to even light it up?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I think it's about 2.7V (not enough for SLR camera) which I used to light up a yellow LED instead.

 

[rlhess]

The RS bar graph uses a load, however, and that was why I quoted it. The 3V lithium load in the RS, however, is for coin cells, and way too light...but it's how I measure the cells. It is measuring voltage, too.

What's cool, is that it measures "failed" on the cells AFTER they come out of Arc sLS. When they come out of the SF E2e they are 4-5 bars (out of 7). Failed is one bar.

I find a load and 7 bars and friendly connection options for cells a real plus in favor of the RS meter. I don't have to remember what voltage, but anyway...

Cheers,

Richard

 

[txwest]

When my incadesent bulbs start to look dimmer, the batteries usually read about 2.8V. From there they go to my X5 or LS. I run them down to about 2.3V in those lights. TX

 

[Bushman]

Sounds good. Thanks all this is some of the info that I was looking for. Just kinda wondering.

Txwest I figured that the LS would pull that 123 down lower than 2.3 volts. or is that just where you like to change it out? It probably would pull it down to like 1.0 volts or even lower would it not??

 

[lemlux]

Bushman:

When a 123 gets down to 2.3 V it appears to be unable to deliver the current in the LS that a relatively fresh alkaline single AA can deliver.

I have a 123 measuring in the 2.3 V to 2.4V range with no load in my 500 mA LSS at the moment and it is considerably dimmer than an ARC AAA with a reasonably fresh battery.

I suspect that I would need to find a way to drive a jBechtoe 4 @ Nichia 6400 4.5V - 4.8 V PR bulb drawing 160 mA to effectively utilize a 123 at this point. I also suspect that its not worth the effort.

 

[LEDagent]

I don't really know for sure...but i think the 123s are completely dead (as in NO light) at around 2.6-2.7v in my SF E2.

Give me another few days and i will let you know for sure. My light is starting to yellow a bit, so it looks like it's time for a new set on standby.

 

[txwest]

At 2.3V, the 123 is a little less bright than 1 AA. Today, my LS went to "less than my ARC LE". Voltage measured 2V. So 2.3V is about it for usuable voltage from a 123. TX