life of a battery pack

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Archive 2009 · life of a battery pack

kenji
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p.1 #1 · life of a battery pack

a friend of mine told me that I should keep charging the battery pack, or at least use consume the battery once a while, otherwise the battery will die easily. is that true? mine is a B2r Profoto battery pack. i just need professional advice.

thanks

Nov 22, 2009 at 02:29 PM

howardm4
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p.1 #2 · life of a battery pack

yes, basically, batteries like to be used. if you keep the battery on charge all the time, you will be poorly surprised when you take it off mains power and try to use it.

Nov 22, 2009 at 03:40 PM

PeterBerressem
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p.1 #3 · life of a battery pack

The battery is a SLA (AGM) type which in fact likes a constant full load, unlike e.g. NiCad /Mh batteries. What they absolutely dislike is deep depletion. Charge it asap after usage. When not in use, charge it at least after 2 month.
So your friend advised you very well

Nov 22, 2009 at 05:09 PM

Two23
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p.1 #4 · life of a battery pack

If you don't keep a battery charged, it will begin to turn to sulphur crystals inside and won't be able to hold much charge. I keep mine plugged in when not in use. The batteries used in packs are of the deep cycle type, so using them to the point of almost being exhausted isn't so hard on them. I'm using SLA batterieds designed for power wheelchairs in my Vagabond packs.

Kent in SD

Nov 22, 2009 at 06:15 PM

kenji
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p.1 #5 · life of a battery pack

Two23 wrote:
If you don't keep a battery charged, it will begin to turn to sulphur crystals inside and won't be able to hold much charge. I keep mine plugged in when not in use. The batteries used in packs are of the deep cycle type, so using them to the point of almost being exhausted isn't so hard on them. I'm using SLA batterieds designed for power wheelchairs in my Vagabond packs.

Kent in SD
so you keep the battery in charge even not in use. is it going to over charge it

Nov 25, 2009 at 06:48 PM

AndyKellett
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p.1 #6 · life of a battery pack

kenji> is it going to over charge it?

A good charger will monitor the battery condition and reduce the current as the battery gets 'full'. Most will then resort to a trickle charge as needed. If you want stuff like AA's and SLA's to last very long, buy one of the better chargers as the cheap ones will kill your batteries much faster.
Best,
Andy

Nov 25, 2009 at 07:28 PM

joezasada
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p.1 #7 · life of a battery pack

battery types and charging practices

LA / SLA = keep charged when possible. deep depletion is bad.
LA / SLA Deep Cycle = keep charged when possible. deep deletion is ok but dont' leave it dead for too long

for LA / SLA batteries use a smart charger so you don't overcharge the battery, which is bad.

NiCD = charge, then deplete before regarging
NiMh = charge, deplete, charge... use a smart charger made for NiMhfor better results
LiON / LiPO - keep charged when possible. deep depletion is bad.

Nov 25, 2009 at 08:50 PM

RDKirk
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p.1 #8 · life of a battery pack

LA / SLA = keep charged when possible. deep depletion is bad. LA / SLA Deep Cycle = keep charged when possible. deep deletion is ok but dont' leave it dead for too long

Just to add emphasis to this: With the smallish batteries we're talking about, leaving a deeply depleted battery even 24 hours without recharging can kill it.

Nov 27, 2009 at 03:57 PM

kenji
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p.1 #9 · life of a battery pack

joezasada wrote:
battery types and charging practices

LA / SLA = keep charged when possible. deep depletion is bad.
LA / SLA Deep Cycle = keep charged when possible. deep deletion is ok but dont' leave it dead for too long

for LA / SLA batteries use a smart charger so you don't overcharge the battery, which is bad.

NiCD = charge, then deplete before regarging
NiMh = charge, deplete, charge... use a smart charger made for NiMhfor better results
LiON / LiPO - keep charged when possible. deep depletion is bad.
is the profoto charger for the Pro b2 smart enough?

Dec 01, 2009 at 06:24 AM

rico
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p.1 #10 · life of a battery pack

kenji wrote:
is the profoto charger for the Pro b2 smart enough?

Yup. From Profoto's pamphlet "Pro-7b Chargers & Battery facts"...

Factors that will prolong the battery life:
· If possible, charge the battery while using it as well as on the shelf. This is valid using either a Pro-7b Multi Charger (#100218) a Pro-7b 12-24V Car Charger (#100219) or a Pro-7b Universal Power Adapter (#900728/29/30)
· Use the Pro-7b battery often.
· If the battery is to be stored for periods longer than 30 days, make sure to recharge the battery completely prior to storage.
· It is advisable to have a charger connected at all times.
· The life is doubled if less than 50% of the batteries capacity is used before recharge.

Dec 02, 2009 at 07:58 AM

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