Canister light battery charging question

[Dive Rite]

I unplugged it from the charger and put it back in the light. Low and behold the light came on, so it must have been charging. I left it unplugged for a couple of hours. I just plugged it back it and the green light is now flashing....weird.
Any idea why the burn time has dropped down to only an hour and a half? I'll be running it through a few more charge cycles to see if it increases.
Carrie

Hi Carrie,

What you're experiencing is normal. The battery is not a single cell, but a group of 10 cells all trying to communicate with each other. To get full charge out of a group of NiMH cells, you must charge the light 4-5 times. Sometimes you might get 4-5 hours of burn time from your light, the next cycle it might be 1.5 hours. Just be patient and give it the full 4-5 cycles. At the end of this process your light should be burning for the full 4-5 hours.

Also, remember to use your NiMH battery at least once a month. The more you use them, the better they perform. If you're not diving at least once a month, dive the light in your kitchen sink, just like you are now, to keep your battery in good condition.

Kathleen

 

[carrielsal]

Hi Carrie,

What you're experiencing is normal. The battery is not a single cell, but a group of 10 cells all trying to communicate with each other. To get full charge out of a group of NiMH cells, you must charge the light 4-5 times. Sometimes you might get 4-5 hours of burn time from your light, the next cycle it might be 1.5 hours. Just be patient and give it the full 4-5 cycles. At the end of this process your light should be burning for the full 4-5 hours.

Also, remember to use your NiMH battery at least once a month. The more you use them, the better they perform. If you're not diving at least once a month, dive the light in your kitchen sink, just like you are now, to keep your battery in good condition.

Kathleen

Thank you for the response. I didn't realize that some of the charge cycles would be so short. I think it has now gone through 5 or 6 charge cycles and the burn time is probably getting close to 6 hours.
Can you tell me how long it should take a fully depleted battery to recharge?
Thanks,
Carrie

 

[Dive Rite]

Hi,

A couple of hours should do it. I leave mine on the charger overnight, because I always forget to go back and take it off, but if you're better at taking care of your gear than I am, charge it in your kitchen or somewhere you'll trip over it and take it back off the charger right when it's done.

Cheers,
Kathleen