Led Lenser H7R - Battery Upgrade

Hey all,

First time on a forum!

I've got a Led Lenser H7R headlamp torch, it's a great tool - very happy with it! However, I'm a bit disappointed in the battery life. I'm looking to upgrade the 3xAAA rechargeable batteries that came with it. Any suggestions?

Cheers!

What cells came with it, and what is their stated capacity in mAh?

When you say 'a bit disappointed', what runtime are you currently getting, and what minimum runtime would stop you being disappointed?

Do the H7R has the same emitter and circuit as the H7? I have the old H7 with 850 mah, and those drain awfully quick...
Now I am actually waiting on the new H7R.2, hopefully it will be a bit better, atleast on the same output as the old light.

uk_caver said:

What cells came with it, and what is their stated capacity in mAh?

When you say 'a bit disappointed', what runtime are you currently getting, and what minimum runtime would stop you being disappointed?

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900 mAH Mi-NH rechargeable batteries.

My mate has the H7, he uses Durecell or Energizer brand purchased from the supermarket. We use our headlamps at the same time and I notice while mine is dimming, his is still quite bright.

Anyone got suggestions for batteries? I don't want to modify or add a battery pack to it.

WyldOne said:

900 mAH Mi-NH rechargeable batteries.

My mate has the H7, he uses Durecell or Energizer brand purchased from the supermarket. We use our headlamps at the same time and I notice while mine is dimming, his is still quite bright.

Click to expand...

I'll assume for a start the capacity quoted is accurate - if so, the capacity isn't radically different to alkaline cells.
Quite possibly much is down to it's the nature of the electronics in the light.

LED Lensers typically seemed to be unregulated lights (for a given setting, they would dim as the cells discharged).

With such a circuit, it can sometimes function in a way which appears rather better if using alkaline cells rather than rechargeables, if looking at the output late in battery discharge.
With alkalines, initial output can be higher due to higher initial voltage, but since alkaline cells tend to discharge smoothly, the output gradually reduces over time in a way which can be hard to notice.
With NiMH cells, the voltage is much more stable up to the point where one or more cells is essentially empty, at which point the voltage will crash and output drops much more noticeably.
The initial stability of NiMH keeps output fairly constant (and thus keeps current draw constant and high).

Because declining output in typical unregulated circuits also means lower current draw, once the alkaline cells have discharged below the typical NiMH cell voltage, there can still be reasonable output from them combined with ever-decreasing current draw, which can give alkaline cells a very long 'tail' to the discharge.

As long as the light is still usable when output has dropped somewhat, it can seem the alkaline cells are 'better', but if you had a lightmeter and kept adjusting the NiMH light output to match that of the alkaline light, you might see essentially the same runtime performance from NiMH, at least for useful light outputs.
The alkalines may just be giving imperceptible automatic dimming from the start, with a positive effect on runtime-to-unusability.

But possibly the 900mAh cells also aren't quite what they claim.
What brand are they?
What kind of charger are you using with them?

The brand of batteries I am using are the ones that came with the headlamp, so Led Lenser batteries. IMO, they are junk.
I have been charging with the charger that was included with my headlamp.

So, my question is, can this headlamp take rechargeable Lithium ion batteries? If so or if not, what batteries would you all suggest I use? Please keep in mind I don't want to modify the headlamp or add an external battery pack.

How old is the light?

might just be time for new cells. Eneloops are usually the go-to recommendation although they are only rated at 800 mAh. I bet your original cells are non-LSD hence the higher capacity.

Also, a better charger can yield better results. Maha C9000, or whatever the latest version of the LaCrosse BCxxx charger is are the usual go-tos. I can't imagine life without one now, as I'm using LSD NiMHs (Eneloops, Maha Imedions, Tenergy Centura, and Duraloops) in everything around the house that used to use alkalines.

The H7R seems to have disappeared from LED Lenser's web site, replaced by the H7R.2 which apparently uses a lithium-ion battery pack, so I can't answer any questions about what cells can and can't be used in the light...

Thanks mate.

The headlamp is only a few months old and have used it only a handful times when shooting at night. The H7R is perfect for my needs, just wish the batteries would last a bit longer. I might have to check out the upgraded version H7R.2.

WyldOne said:

So, my question is, can this headlamp take rechargeable Lithium ion batteries?

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I doubt it. 3x li-ion in series is likely to be far too high voltage for the circuitry.

But even if that wasn't the case, li-ion cells in AAA size don't have meaningfully better energy capacity than NiMH cells anyway - good 10440 cells from reputable suppliers like AW are ~350mAh, and meaningfully higher quoted capacities for cells on ebay, etc are likely to be lies.

uk_caver said:

I doubt it. 3x li-ion in series is likely to be far too high voltage for the circuitry.

But even if that wasn't the case, li-ion cells in AAA size don't have meaningfully better energy capacity than NiMH cells anyway - good 10440 cells from reputable suppliers like AW are ~350mAh, and meaningfully higher quoted capacities for cells on ebay, etc are likely to be lies.

Click to expand...

Umm, yes! 3x10440 is way too much. A single 10440 with dummy cells though may be ok given that the H7R is designed for lower internal resistance of the batteries but the NiMH AAA battery has a higher internal resistance than a 10440 so highest mode may be over driven.

Also as above, not much capacity for single 10440. Even 3x 10440 cells in parallel will get you around 900mAh to 1000mAh. You can get Sanyo HR4U 1000mAh cells and not even have to rewire the battery pack.

So, my question is, can this headlamp take rechargeable Lithium ion batteries?


I most certainly WOULD NOT try to increase any voltage. Been there tried that, scorched an H7 using one 10440, 1 dummy, and one aaa nimh. The thing started smoking before I could even turn it on. I too would just try some really good quality nimh cells. Of course you will lose a small amount of light output with the nimh cells, but they are safe, and you may not notice it. You should check out the Coast HL27 as it uses AA's, instead of triple a's. You'll get more light, and longer run times. The 27 is a little heavier, but it is built better. I've been using one since march, night and day, and literally every day and night, with not problems. The H7R.2 looks pretty good on paper. I'm looking forward to seeing one, or hearing something about them on CPF.

Thanks all!

So from my understanding this headlamp should have really been manufactured with AA's instead of AAA's.

The things I like most about the H7R is; it's simple to use, throws out good light for distance & brightness, rechargeable via a USB cord so I can charge it in my car if I'm out camping. Are there other headlamps out on the market that are similar, but consider better than the H7R?

What would everyone's pick be for good quality rechargeable NiMh batteries?

Sorry with all the questions, I don't know much about torches or headlamps.

For your usage it would have been better as a 3xAA light, especially given the maximum output.

People here tend to like Eneloops NiMHs, since they are pretty durable cells with an excellent reputation, if fairly expensive.

So far, I've had better luck with Tenergy cells than any other brands. Tenergy don't seem to hold a charge as long when just sitting on a shelf as the Eneloops, but as far as longevity of cell life Tenergy has beaten the Eneloops hands down. Keep in mind, I'm really hard on batteries, and lights. I may have gotten the Eneloops too hot or charged them too fast. Still, the Tenergy cells have taken a beating and are still kicking while being used the same way. Energizer rechargeables haven't held up worth a flip so far. In recent months I've been trying rechargeable Duracells. I'll know soon enough about them.

WyldOne said:

The things I like most about the H7R is; it's simple to use, throws out good light for distance & brightness, rechargeable via a USB cord so I can charge it in my car if I'm out camping. Are there other headlamps out on the market that are similar, but consider better than the H7R?

What would everyone's pick be for good quality rechargeable NiMh batteries?

Click to expand...

For the zoom and the dimming, I think this is a pretty good light. It is a shame that it takes AAA and the LED tint is rather blue. Eneloops are good and it will give you pretty good flat-ish runtime unlike the supplied rechargeable ones. Here is the runtime graph that a member here did for a German magazine.
http://taschenlampen-tests.de/files/2013/09/Led-Lenser-H7R.jpg
Original thread: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?371380-I-did-the-runtime-graphs!
You can see the difference between the supplied (in red) and the eneloops. I don't know why their NiMH batteries would be any different as I've used a few different types (currently Sanyo 1000 mAh) and they don't dim like the supplied.

I'm thinking Eneloop HR-4U-2BP (1000 mAh) would be a good choice?

What do you guys think?

WyldOne said:

I'm thinking Eneloop HR-4U-2BP (1000 mAh) would be a good choice?

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Yep, I posted them earlier but they aren't Eneloops. That is, they are not LSD. They are just Sanyo NiMH cells but they are pretty good. Unless you want to leave your light for 6 months without turning them on, which I have done and they still gave out some light.