Rechargable AA NiMH

[Jemsquash]

I am wondering what is the best option for my lights in terms of batteries. I have a Dinnotte 5W led light which should give me roughly 1 &40 min burn time on high power. It uses 4 AA batteries. This is ample for my comute since I usually cycle in one direction during daylight hours.

My concern is backup batteries. I want backup batteries but I am not sure if rechargables or just disposables are better. The rechargables should suffice for me with the backups hardly being used. When it comes to summer I will probably use neither sets of batteries. What I don't know is which batteries will last better. Will rechargables last through summer without being recharged?

If I do go for disposables will alkaline suffice or do I need those lithium ion batteries?

I guess this is not a huge issue since a set of batteries only costs 17 AUD.

PS. I am in awe of my Dinotte light that I got. I've only ridden with them twice now so I have yet to tell how they pan out over time.

 

[alfeng]

I am wondering what is the best option for my lights in terms of batteries. I have a Dinnotte 5W led light which should give me roughly 1 &40 min burn time on high power. It uses 4 AA batteries. This is ample for my comute since I usually cycle in one direction during daylight hours.

My concern is backup batteries. I want backup batteries but I am not sure if rechargables or just disposables are better. The rechargables should suffice for me with the backups hardly being used. When it comes to summer I will probably use neither sets of batteries. What I don't know is which batteries will last better. Will rechargables last through summer without being recharged?

If I do go for disposables will alkaline suffice or do I need those lithium ion batteries?

I guess this is not a huge issue since a set of batteries only costs 17 AUD.

PS. I am in awe of my Dinotte light that I got. I've only ridden with them twice now so I have yet to tell how they pan out over time.

Yes, go with the NiMH ... cheaper in the long run ... more environmentally friendly (if that is a factor) in the long run than 40-to-400+ sets of alkalines.

There are only a few things you need to know ... some are "better" (more juice ... akin to the difference between a Duracell and a regular alkaline battery) than others ... some chargers require only ~3 hours while others take up to ~18 hours ... and, ...

... if you use the NiMH batteries you WILL have to recharge them.

 

[Albert 50]

Go the rechargable. Ni MHs do not have the memory effect like Ni Cads so you can top them up at any time. Pick a charger that "times out" & also does AAA. Not sure of the cost of a charger/4 battery pack but 4 2300mA [have seen 2500mA higher the number the better] is often about $20. Look around the house for other uses for AA & AAA. Be aware that rechargables fade very quickly when exhausted. Don't get suckered into Grandcell rechargable alkaline, they are ****.
Edit:- {Quote The rechargables should suffice for me with the backups hardly being used.Quote} They also loose charge relatively quickly i.e. not the charged shelf life of alkaline, so when not in use top them up maybe once a week or they may be flat when you need them. Swap them around once a month.

 

[rcrampton]

http://www.powerstream.com/AA-tests.htm

There are some discharge curves here that compare NiMH to Alkaline. The voltage value corresponds to how bright the light is (assuming there no regulator in the light that compensates for it).

At the current levels your light will draw I suspect you won't see much difference between standard Alkaline and NiMH. The NiMH has a flatter curve so it will not vary as much over time, and they hold more total charge so they'll last longer.

I agree with the other comments that you want NiMH, not NiCd so you can top them off whenever you want. Also, a NiMH, once it starts to die will die really fast at slow discharge rates (see the curves).

Since batteries lasting long enough won't be an issue for you there's no reason to spring for Li+. The primary benefit of Li+ is high capacity for size/weight, capability to deliver higher currents at end of life, and other things that you don't care about.

 

[3Sensei]

I am wondering what is the best option for my lights in terms of batteries. I have a Dinnotte 5W led light which should give me roughly 1 &40 min burn time on high power. It uses 4 AA batteries. This is ample for my comute since I usually cycle in one direction during daylight hours.

My concern is backup batteries. I want backup batteries but I am not sure if rechargables or just disposables are better. The rechargables should suffice for me with the backups hardly being used. When it comes to summer I will probably use neither sets of batteries. What I don't know is which batteries will last better. Will rechargables last through summer without being recharged?

If I do go for disposables will alkaline suffice or do I need those lithium ion batteries?

I guess this is not a huge issue since a set of batteries only costs 17 AUD.

PS. I am in awe of my Dinotte light that I got. I've only ridden with them twice now so I have yet to tell how they pan out over time.

Use NiMH batteries, but instead of backup, consider using them in rotation. If you buy a total of 3 sets of batteries, you would use one in the light, one as the 'backup', and one in the charger at home. After using the light, move the 'backup' to the light and the ones from the charger to the 'backup', and of course charging the ones from the light. That way you don't have a set of batteries just sitting idle for days or weeks. That's not good for rechargables as they lose a few percentage points a day.

During your 'off' season, use the batteries in other devices to keep them from sitting idle. I alternate using mine between the bike headlight and one of my digital cameras.

I'm not sure what sort of smart charger the DiNotte light uses, but the best charger I've found is the Maha MH-C204W. It's very compact and lightweight and it's a world charger. My daughter used it to charge batteries for her digicam on trips to Australia, Great Britain, and France. So, if you do any traveling, that's a plus. It also has a deep refresh cycle that helps older batteries to maintain better performance.

Maha Powerex batteries are also very good. The AA size are usually a fairly good value. They have always been reliable compared to other brands, like Energizer or Ray-O-Vac. With those, sometimes I've had really good performance, sometimes really lousy. Panasonic and Sanyo are also fairly good, but the output isn't as high as the Maha batteries.

Lithium Ion batteries are very good, but too pricey to use in a light, even as backup. They do have an extremely long shelf life, though. Alkalines are a perfectly good emergency battery for an LED light. Just remember to buy a fresh set once a year and use the old 'emergency' set in a low priority item like a television remote.

Whatever you decide, good luck with the new light and hope the info helped

 

[Jemsquash]

Thanks for the info and links. It has been very helpfull. In a nutshell the batteries will lose charge if I don't use them for a while but they should be back to normal after a few charge cycles. Having NiMH as spares seems to the the way to go.

I'll be getting some spare NiMH batteries. 3 sets sounds good!

 

[Aussie Steve]

How much did your lights cost and where did you buy them? Me and my mate have Tioga 5 LED light, using 4 AAA (I use Rechargeable Arlec Nicads) not really much light but they are OK in traffic because they flash rapidly and they have that bright blue colour

 

[Burble]

Use rechargeables as your primary source of power. Leave a spare set of alkalines in your seat bag/backpack - enough so that you are never left without light. Since i bought my LED lights i'm using the batteries that came with the lights as my backups (tested first of course)

How much did your lights cost and where did you buy them? Me and my mate have Tioga 5 LED light, using 4 AAA (I use Rechargeable Arlec Nicads) not really much light but they are OK in traffic because they flash rapidly and they have that bright blue colour

I got a Cateye http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7249440680&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1 light from the states - $40 delivered (took about 14 days to deliver) which was cheeper than any of the same model in australia (either retail or ebay aus). Bit of a tip buying bike gear- esp small things - check the US ebay before buying locally. Cheepest price on ebay australia was $39.99 PLUS shipping($8-$10). The cateye is VERY bright and well worth it. (blinded my mum when i got it hehe) Then bought NiMH batteries from Jaycar (http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=SB1723&CATID=18&keywords=&SPECIAL=&form=CAT&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=583)

For the rear i'm running some BBB lights i got from Rebel. (not very bright but not dull either)

This is for traffic only - i have a Nightstick setup for when i need to actually see where i'm going.

 

[Jemsquash]

I bought directly from Dinotte. It was delivered to Perth within 3 working days or 5 actual days including the weekend. They do not give batteries or charger for international deliveries and use the money they saved on shipping.

I had to buy my own batteries and charger (which I already had except for the spares).

Review at:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=1377408

Homepage:
http://www.dinottelighting.com

I can see where I am going with this light. I have not had it very long so I am not sure about speeds above 30km/h yet. I have gone up to about 40 but there was some street lighting around.

I think the main reasons I bought this light is that I can use cheap NiMH batteries, it is very light (excuse the pun) and seems rock solid.

The blinking mode is super bright. I personally think too bright & will upset other cyclists. Time will tell.

 

[Burble]

I bought directly from Dinotte. It was delivered to Perth within 3 working days or 5 actual days including the weekend. They do not give batteries or charger for international deliveries and use the money they saved on shipping.

I had to buy my own batteries and charger (which I already had except for the spares).

Review at:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=1377408

Homepage:
http://www.dinottelighting.com

I can see where I am going with this light. I have not had it very long so I am not sure about speeds above 30km/h yet. I have gone up to about 40 but there was some street lighting around.

I think the main reasons I bought this light is that I can use cheap NiMH batteries, it is very light (excuse the pun) and seems rock solid.

The blinking mode is super bright. I personally think too bright & will upset other cyclists. Time will tell.

OOH thats very cool light! - I would be getting a larger battery pack with C size NiMH rechargeables i think.