Storing a Mini-mag in my car

[hoffmand]

I have one of the new multi-mode mini-maglites in my car for emergency use. I'm using Energizer lithiums to minimize the risk of battery leaks.

However, will keeping the batteries in the flashlight cause them to die out before their expiration date (10+yrs)? I don't know if these mini-mags have any parasitic loss that would require that I completely unscrew the tailcap or even keep the batteries out of the light. I'd hate to have to keep checking the batteries to make sure they're not dead the one time i need them.

Thanks!

 

[Flying Turtle]

My guess would be that there is no parasitic drain with the Mag, and it would be fine to leave the batteries in the light. Never heard of such a problem with the first generation of MagLEDs anyway.

Geoff

 

[flatline]

Turn the light off, unscrew the tailcap, and put a multimeter in series with the tailcap and see if there's any current being drawn. If not, then there shouldn't be any parasitic drain. If you're sure that there's nothing in the tailcap that could cause parasitic drain, then you can simply remove the tailcap and touch your probes to the battery bottom and the flashlight tube (or whatever carries current from battery bottom to flashlight head).

I do this with any light I put under a sink or in a car for emergency use only.

 

[hoffmand]

Turn the light off, unscrew the tailcap, and put a multimeter in series with the tailcap and see if there's any current being drawn. I

Thanks, I'll try that tonight. Would i just take the tailcap off and measure the current between the battery and exposed metal on the body?