Backup light power indicator thresholds

[elgoog]

Hello Deep6 -

I was wondering if you're able to provide the battery charge levels, voltage, etc which trigger the green, orange and red on the power indicator. The reason I ask is I've done a handful of dives with this light and the indicator was in the red from the very beginning - it did, however, last the entire ~60min of the dives. This was in 51F water and I was using fully charged batteries which I have tested to be in the 2000-2200mAh range.

Thanks in advance,
elgoog

 

[lexvil]

It's in the book that comes with the light in % above 70% green, 40 to 70% orange, 10 to 40% red. I got from 1.5 to 2 hours total hi output burn time, I bought some DGX batteries and got 3 hours on hi, switched to low power and pulled another 6 hours burn time.

 

[bamafan]

I have a buddy of mine who bought a Big Blue handheld primary and he dives in the Baltic. The led indicator goes to red shortly after starting a dive in the cold water but functions normally in the Florida spring water of 69 - 72 deg F. If you are getting the appropriate burn times I am betting you are having the same issue. How does it do in warmer water?

 

[fmerkel]

Which batteries specifically? And how did you test capacity? Capacity is not output capability.
I looked at the Deep6 site but they don't say squat about anything but bare bones specs. Does it come with batteries?
What's the charger?

 

[lexvil]

These, 18650 Li-ion Rechargeable Battery 3.7V (3000mAh) , I rarely use the light so burn time is all I pay attention to. I bought 4 batteries and 3 gave me long burn times and hold the charge over several weeks of non use. I usually test them in my pool which is 45° f right now.
The light comes with a generic battery and a generic dual charger, spare o-rings and a lanyard all packed in a nice ridged fabric case.

 

[bamafan]

Put it in a bowl of warm / room temperature water in your house and see what it does

 

[fmerkel]

If the DGX battery is the same as comes with the light (probably?), I'd suspect it's OK. No telling what it really is since they are re-branded 'somethings' and seem to change depending on sourcing and pricing I suspect. One set I tested for a friend that came with the light were 2200mA (labeled 3000). He was buying some 'special high capacity, 5300mA' batteries off eBay and wondered why he was only getting 15-20 minutes out of them. Those turned out to be 800mA....pretty much crap. Good AAA batteries have that much capacity.

I have 2 chargers that look like the Deep6 one, but those kind of chargers are very generic and common. One, the red charging LED on one side died in the first hour of use. The green FULL light still worked and the charger operated correctly, but it didn't inspire confidence.
The 2nd unit apparently was designed for the 4.35v battery chemistry but came with protected batteries....so THAT combo worked. But if you didn't know about that and didn't check, and put a 'standard' 18650 unprotected battery in it would over charge to 4.3v. Not good.

If you want better batteries, I'd get some 18650 Panasonic 3400mAh NCR18650B Flat Top. Much better battery for less. OTOH, you have 4 already and they should be good for a single hour dive on high.
Those are NOT protected, so YOU have to be careful not to over discharge them. If you want protected look for some in that site. 18650 KeepPower 3500mAh Sanyo NCR18650GA Protected Button Top - Batteries, Chargers, and PowerPax Carriers
Pretty much anything they sell will be OK.

 

[elgoog]

It's in the book that comes with the light in % above 70% green, 40 to 70% orange, 10 to 40% red.

I saw the percentages but that number doesn't tell me much if I don't know what the circuit thinks 100% is - that's what I was looking for.

I have a buddy of mine who bought a Big Blue handheld primary and he dives in the Baltic. The led indicator goes to red shortly after starting a dive in the cold water but functions normally in the Florida spring water of 69 - 72 deg F. If you are getting the appropriate burn times I am betting you are having the same issue. How does it do in warmer water?

Put it in a bowl of warm / room temperature water in your house and see what it does

I'm pretty sure the water temp is having an impact. I was thinking of doing the tap water test, just haven't gotten around to it.

Which batteries specifically?

I used Intsun 3400mAh batteries - they've never given 3400mAh but are always consistent at 2100mAh.

And how did you test capacity?

I'm charging and testing the batteries with an Opus BT-C3400.

Does it come with batteries?

Yes, it's a generic gray one listed at 2600mAh and tested to be 2400mAh. Haven't used it yet so can't comment on the long term performance but I'll be testing out with it on my next dive.

What's the charger?

Generic 2 battery charger, I never use them.

If the DGX battery is the same as comes with the light (probably?)

DGX battery is listed at 3000mAh and tested at 2800mAh. I've had these for almost 2 years and they're the best ones I have.

If you want protected look for some in that site. 18650 KeepPower 3500mAh Sanyo NCR18650GA Protected Button Top - Batteries, Chargers, and PowerPax Carriers. Pretty much anything they sell will be OK.

Cool, I'll check these out - I'm always looking for good 18650s.

 

[fmerkel]

I use the same Opus, never bother with generic chargers except to test them out to see if they are functional, generally for other people that only want 'plug and play' capability.

The % remaining should be based strictly on voltage it monitors, not voltage it sees when starting out. Lithium batteries have a somewhat predictable discharge curve that allows gross estimation of remaining capacity. The better a battery supports the amp draw (less voltage sag), the higher it should show on the % remaining. (note-that will also likely make it drop more abruptly at the end). Temperature will have an impact. In actual use the battery will warm up a bit if the current draw is fairly high.

 

[elgoog]

The % remaining should be based strictly on voltage it monitors, not voltage it sees when starting out. Lithium batteries have a somewhat predictable discharge curve that allows gross estimation of remaining capacity.

That's what I was thinking - the voltage the power indicator triggers on is what I'm looking for. Maybe someone from Deep6 can provide the info after the holiday season.