Batteries Rehashed

There's been a lot of questions and individual emails discussing batteries and lamps. I took the best of them and just threw them together here for reference. Maybe someday I'll get some time to do a proper writeup - but for now, here's the info. I'll also post a paper I did on LiFE batteries just for general knowledge.

NiMH battery packs

Jim sent an email a few weeks ago about batteries and packs and cables and stuff. I am condensing it here to make sure everyone gets it....

There are a couple of varieties of battery packs available. A 10AH battery will last twice as long as a 5AH battery, but is twice as heavy. The choice is yours....
Fanny Pack Battery: 12V 10Ah (120 Wh) NiMH in Belt Bag + Fast Smart Charger for Portable Lighting $139.95
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2357 - Fanny pack, your choice

Belt Bag Power Kit : NiMH 12V 10Ah (120Wh, Dx10 Hump) + Fast Smart Charger for Portable Devices $154.95
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2990 - Belt pack, your choice

Belt Bag Power Pack: 12V 5 Ah (60 Wh) NiMH (Hump) Battery + Fast Smart Charger for Portable Devices $89.95
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3044 - smaller capacity, but lighter

For WTC owners one (or two or three) of the above is all you need. The lamp will plug directly into the pack with the cigarette lighter connector. I recommend at least two battery packs, and only one charger. Use one in the field while the other is in the hotel charging. I like the 5AH batteries - they are lighter; but you might consider 3 packs in that case just to be sure you have enough power.

For Superbright owners:

You will need the B215 cord from UV systems that allows your superbright to be plugged into a cigarette jack. Then the above batteries can power the Superbright.
B215 Auxiliary fifteen foot cord to operate your SuperBright II from your cars cigarette lighter jack. $29.95 (keep in mind this is a 15 ft straight cored instead of the 6 ft coiled cord found on the battery pack)

http://www.uvsystems.com/checkout/agora.cgi?p_id=3_5&xm=on


UV Systems offers a car lighter cord - that solves everyone's problems when hooking up to 3rd party batteries. All they have to do is buy that and one of the battery kits you suggested. I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis of the cigarette lighter connector - but that's what everyone uses. I use a different connector on my lamps - be sure to take a look at it this summer; it may work for you...

13.2V NiMH should not be a problem. They rarely get up to 16v, and if they do it will only be for a short time - rapidly settling in at 13.2v. Car batteries (lead/acid) are similar - they charge at 15v +/- and will initially put out around 14v or more for the first few minutes... When charging the car can put out 15+ volts so the lamps must be capable of handling that voltage...

So - sounds like the SBII cable problem is resolved - everyone get it?

5AH vs 10AH - more battery power (AH) is always good. The tradeoff is weight. A personal decision... But remember, two is better than one...


Here is a quick and dirty solution to convert your SuperBright to NiMH.

First choose one of these battery kits. The have the NiMH batteries in a belt bag or fanny pack with a cigarette style connector. They also include an appropriate universal charger.
Fanny Pack Battery: 12V 10Ah (120 Wh) NiMH in Belt Bag + Fast Smart Charger for Portable Lighting $139.95
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2357

Belt Bag Power Kit : NiMH 12V 10Ah (120Wh, Dx10 Hump) + Fast Smart Charger for Portable Devices $154.95
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2990

Belt Bag Power Pack: 12V 5 Ah (60 Wh) NiMH (Hump) Battery + Fast Smart Charger for Portable Devices $89.95
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3044

5Ah vs 10Ah
The Superbright draws 1.53A so the 5AH pack will last approximately 3 hours and the 10AH pack approximately 6 hours.
For guys like Mark and Howie that know where the rocks are and what they look like the 5AH pack is probably enough. For the rest of us that need to lamp dozens of square meters of ground to find the rocks the 10AH pack might be a better choice. Taking two 5AH packs up the mountain might be an advantage since when one dies you know you are exactly half way thru your power.

12V vs 13.2V
Don't exceed 12V without consulting the lamp manufacturer! The 13.2V battery pack when freshly charged will be putting out 16V. This may be to much for your lamp. The second step is to buy the B215 cord from UV systems that allows your supper bright to be plugged into a cigarette jack.
B215 Auxiliary fifteen foot cord to operate your SuperBright II from your cars cigarette lighter jack. $29.95 (keep in mind this is a 15 ft straight cored instead of the 6 ft coiled cord found on the battery pack)

http://www.uvsystems.com/checkout/agora.cgi?p_id=3_5&xm=on
I used the above system in Greenland in 2006. The Superbright and the batteries performed great but the cigarette jacks SUCKED ASS! They are always pulling out and make intermittent contact. I sort of solved this problem by using some rubber bands to hold them in. The other problems is the wires spin around inside the connector and then short out or break off. This happened to me but fortunately I brought two battery packs so I had a backup.

What I ended up doing when I got home is replacing all of the cigarette style connectors with 4-pin microphone jacks from Radio Shack. These can be screwed together to prevent them from pulling out.
4-Pin Panel Mount Microphone Audio Jack
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103996&cp=2032058.2032231.2032280&pg=6&parentPage=family

4-Pin Female CB and HAM Radio Microphone Plug
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103255&cp=2032058.2032231.2032280&pg=11&parentPage=family
The female connector goes on the battery side so there are no exposed pins with power on them to short out. The male connector goes to the lamp side. This is a panel mount device so you will need to use some heat shrink to seal up the back.

The other end of the cord goes to the connecter on the superbright

This is what it says on my Superbright II Connector:
Outer section says: Amphenol C16-1
Inner section says 3109
These are the pinouts for this connector that Don prints on the side of the superbright.
12VDC 1.53A
1 & 2 = +
3 & GND = -

The 4 pin microphone connecters are infinitely better than the cigarette jacks but they are still not perfect. The one problem I have found is if you insert them wrong you can get them in far enough to make contact which will blow the fuse. My solution is to be careful and carry extra fuses. I eventually want to get some mil spec connectors but have not had time to search.


Lamps and Batteries
I used the NiMH batteries last time and was very pleased with them. The new Lithium Ion batteries look very interesting. I send Mark a bunch of technical questions on those. My only electrical problem was with the cigarette style connectors on my battery packs. These SUCK! Here are the problems:
Wires break off inside. If you use these cigarette style connectors make sure you tape the wires so there is no movement of the wires going to the connectors. Otherwise the wires break off at the soldered connections.
Connectors do not make good contact. I was always fiddling around with he connectors trying to get them to make contact. I ended up using a rubber band to always keep pressure on the connector The connectors keep pulling out if you catch the wire on anything Cigarette connectors have high resistance. After using the light for a while the connector would get noticeably warm. This indicated you were dissipating power in the contact resistance. This is power that is not making it to your lights.
I ended up replacing all my cigarette style connectors with some 4 terminal microphone connectors from radio shack. These screw together and solved all the above problems.


Question comes up about lamps.....

There are two primary manufacturers of lamps (IMHO) - Way Too Cool and UV Systems. Each has advantages/disadvantages...

Way Too Cool - multiple wave lengths in one unit, bright, cheap - not very rugged
UV Systems - rugged, quite expensive IMHO

Having experienced both of these in the rugged environment of Greenland I've found the UV Systems SuperBright to hold up best. But neither will garner my endorsement (in the lingo of the times). Both have their problems, although the SuperBright reportedly has fixed the problem with the connector, and perhaps the Way Too Cool units are being built sturdier.

The SuperBright has been the industry standard for years. It is rugged but requires a damn lead acid battery :-( (as do all the other lamps). But you can reduce battery weight by going with NiMH or Poly-Ion.

Personally I'm so fed up with field lights that I build my own. This year I have what I believe will be the best of the best - we'll see. 26 watts in a light, sturdy handheld lamp.... I really only build these because I love tinkering, and have time on my hands.

I'd be interested in other opinions from the folks on this list. I know they all have at least one of the two mentioned above. FWIW - Howie and Don are gambling on my light this year.... (they both finally put their superbrights out to pasture).

You *will* see a constant theme in my responses to equipment, etc. Don't scrimp! Buy the best you can buy. You're going a very long way, to find the rarest rocks on earth, and will probably only do it once. Now is not the time to save pennies.

I have an electronics background, and will be happy to try and fix anything that breaks in the field. But I need to know what lights people are bringing so I can bring parts to repair them.


So, if I get:
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2357This one is 10AH - heavier than I like - but if you're happy with it, it's certainly ok. It's the complete package, case, charger and one battery pack and http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=4096] These are the individual battery packs.

FWIW - I prefer these: http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2387 - they're only 5AH, but lighter and cheaper. The charger is different, and the connection is also different. I sent an email previously describing all this. But what you have picked will certainly work, and it's a complete package - nothing else to buy (except for the Europe power adaptor)

I will be able to:
1) have 1 pack with me and 1 charging - both handling long hours of use10AH on each pack - will give you about 8 to 10 hours on your lamp, plenty
2) AC wall charging (assuming I bring an appropriate AC adapter for Greenland power)The charger is universal meaning it will operate on 220v, but you will need the special adaptor for plugging into European plugs.
3) Much lighter batter than my lead acid battery I have nowDunno - how much does your battery weigh now? This new battery weighs 3.6 LBS. If you have a 7/8AH lead acid ti probably wieghs 6 to 7 LBS

Subject: RE: NiMH battery packs

Sorry - forgot to answer that. "Dx10" means 10 each "D" cells. "Hump" is the way they are packaged. "D" refers to the size of the battery - i.e. - D, C, AA, AAA. That pack is comprised of ten D cells, in a "hump" configuration (don't know why they call it hump) - I guess it's how they stack the cell together.

NiMH cells are 1.2v each (as opposed to 1.5v for alkaline cells - Eveready type batteries for your flashlight). It takes ten of them to make 12 volts....

The best sized NiMH battery packs I've seen are those made with ten "C" cells, 5AH (at least I think they are C cells - or maybe a longer version of a C cell)

Batteries are spec'd in terms of [amp hours] or sometimes [watt hours]. It all refers to the amount of power a battery can supply. A 10AH (amp hour) battery at 12 volts will supply 120 watt hours of power until it is discharged (used up).

All we really need to be concerned with is the amp hours. If you have a lamp that uses (draws) 1 amp, and you have a 10AH battery, your light will work for about ten hours. This is not too far off for the WTC lights - they draw around 0.75A to 1.25A depending on how many lights you have on, how cold it is, and the phase of the moon. Figure that you need to feed it 1 amp - makes for easy calculations.....

I recommend multiple batteries, lower weight. Commonly folks use 5AH batteries (powers your lamp for 4 to 5 hours). They will carry two of these in the field, and perhaps have one or two charging back at the hotel for the next day. They take up to 8 hours to charge, so 3 would work fine assuming you don't lamp for more than 8 to 10 hours per day. One charges while you are in the field, the other can be charged overnight - and you'll have two fresh batteries for the next day.

Regarding use of your lamp: the "on time" will be much less than the time you spend in the field. You will only turn your lamp on when you are examining rocks under your tent - probably 15 minutes out of every hour at best. Plus you have travel time to get to/from the sites, so you will find you will probably use your lamp no more than 2 to 3 hours per day. If we go out at night it will get more extensive use....

Someone else chime in???? Maybe explain it better?