Rechargeable batteries with LED lights

[David Ward]

Hi.

Has anyone experienced any problems with rechargeable batteries in LED
lights, other than reduced brightness?

I have a Cateye HL-EL200 front light and around the same time I
switched from non-rechareables to NiMH batteries, the lights now
frequently refuse to switch on or off. Disconnecting and reconnecting
a single battery sorts the problem.

The problem is independent of how much charge the batteries have.

Thanks.

David.

 

[Ron Hardin]

It sounds like a dirty contact problem.

Deoxit is almost always necessary pretty quickly on rechargeables
to keep them charging in the charger in any case; for some reason
the contacts oxidize or something.

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&DID=7&WebPage_ID=3

I find the brush-on vial most handy for batteries but if you wanted
to get into a switch or something then perhaps the spray would work
better. The vial lasts forever.

Also solves the intermittent audio cable connection problem.

So if that's not your problem you can probably find some other use
for the vial, is what I'm saying.
--
Ron Hardin
[email protected]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

 

[Jacobe Hazzard]

Ron Hardin wrote:
> It sounds like a dirty contact problem.
>
> Deoxit is almost always necessary pretty quickly on rechargeables
> to keep them charging in the charger in any case; for some reason
> the contacts oxidize or something.
>
> http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&DID=7&WebPage_ID=3
>
> I find the brush-on vial most handy for batteries but if you wanted
> to get into a switch or something then perhaps the spray would work
> better. The vial lasts forever.
>
> Also solves the intermittent audio cable connection problem.
>
> So if that's not your problem you can probably find some other use
> for the vial, is what I'm saying.

Lights refusing to switch *off* doesn't sound like dirty contacts to me.
Also cateye lights usually have pretty dependable, well-sealed switches
IME. More likely, the light doesn't like the lower voltage of the NiMH
cells (1.2V vs 1.5V).

Try switching back to alkalines and seeing if the problem disappears?

 

[[email protected]]

i read:

"In fact alkaline batteries only supply 1.5V during the early stages of
their discharge and this drops to below 1.2V for most of their life.
NiMH batteries actually sustain a higher voltage than alkalines during
the bulk of their discharge."


So im surprised if its voltage. Maybe something to do with different
capacitnce / impedence of the batteries. My electronics is a bit rusty.

David.

 

[[email protected]]

Definitely not a dirty contact problem. Its very predictable - happens
every time the lights have been left off for several hours.
Disconnecting *any* battery (without disturbing others) fixes the
problem instantly - no 2nd try needed.

Also the lights stay on sometimes.

Seems much more like an electrical problem.

 

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

[email protected] wrote:
> Definitely not a dirty contact problem. Its very predictable - happens
> every time the lights have been left off for several hours.
> Disconnecting *any* battery (without disturbing others) fixes the
> problem instantly - no 2nd try needed.
>
> Also the lights stay on sometimes.
>
> Seems much more like an electrical problem.

I think the Cateye model you're referencing is the type with a
magnetic/no-contact switch. My Pyramid 5-LED has this and has the
occasional hiccup with not turning on and off when requested. Look into the
switch assembly and take it to the LBS (after having it on for a while at
least).
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

 

[David Ward]

Yes it's most likely a magnetic/no-contact switch, since pressing the
switch repeatedly toggles various different modes. It usually happens
after passing through the lift on the way out of work - lifts mast
have large magnetic motors.....

Sounds like I should take it back under warranty and if it happens
again I'll take it up with the CatEye.

Thanks.

David.

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] wrote:
> > Definitely not a dirty contact problem. Its very predictable - happens
> > every time the lights have been left off for several hours.
> > Disconnecting *any* battery (without disturbing others) fixes the
> > problem instantly - no 2nd try needed.
> >
> > Also the lights stay on sometimes.
> >
> > Seems much more like an electrical problem.
>
> I think the Cateye model you're referencing is the type with a
> magnetic/no-contact switch. My Pyramid 5-LED has this and has the
> occasional hiccup with not turning on and off when requested. Look into the
> switch assembly and take it to the LBS (after having it on for a while at
> least).

 

[Tom Sherman]

[email protected] wrote:

> i read:
>
> "In fact alkaline batteries only supply 1.5V during the early stages of
> their discharge and this drops to below 1.2V for most of their life.
> NiMH batteries actually sustain a higher voltage than alkalines during
> the bulk of their discharge."
>
>
> So im surprised if its voltage. Maybe something to do with different
> capacitnce / impedence of the batteries. My electronics is a bit rusty.

A new alkaline cell will be typically be in the range of 1.58 to 1.62
volts (open circuit) [1].

A typical NiCad or NiMH cell will have much lower internal impedance
(and therefore higher current output into a given resistive load) than a
typical alkaline-manganese cell.

[1] Based on the thousands of commercially produced batteries I have
measured.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth (Illinois)

 

[Jim Adney]

On 14 Mar 2005 10:32:56 -0800 [email protected] (David Ward)
wrote:

>I have a Cateye HL-EL200 front light and around the same time I
>switched from non-rechareables to NiMH batteries, the lights now
>frequently refuse to switch on or off. Disconnecting and reconnecting
>a single battery sorts the problem.

Since you have problems both with turning the light on and off, that
can't be a poor contact problem. It seems more likely that you have
some kind of switch problem that just manages to get jostled any time
you install/remove batteries.

You might want to look at the + noses on your batteries. Some of them
have different diameter noses, something to separate rechargables from
non-rechargables. I can't imagine how that might affect you, but I'm
not familiar with your light.

You should also check the plastic sleeves over the battery bodies. If
some of them are torn, that might create a problem, depending on how
your light is made.

-
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Jim Adney [email protected]
Madison, WI 53711 USA
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