Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Are Dinotte AA's waterproof?

Just got my 200L helmet light and 140L tail light. I notice the fabric battery packs for the rechargeable AA batteries is not even remotely waterproof. What happens in heavy rain? (ppphhhiiiittttzzzz? Or is it okay?)

It doesn't need to be water proof, just water resistant.
When you get caught in rain with any gear, you should remove it from the bike and let it dry out. In the case with the battery pack, pull it out of the case, remove the batteries and let them air dry.

I've been commuting with the Dinotte 200L for a year, sometimes in heavy rain, and have never had a problem.

I've been commuting with the Dinotte 200L for a year, sometimes in heavy rain, and have never had a problem.


Bent42,
Thanks for the reply...Just the experience I was looking for. Is your battery pack exposed to the elements or is inside a handlebar bag or something? In other words, if the whole Dinotte system gets rained on does it still continue to function during the ride? I'm pretty sure you are saying yes but just checking.

The 4.8 volts nominal with 4AAs isn't that much voltage and the rain, or acid rain, isn't a great conductor. I have had my dinotte pack partially submerged in water and it continued to work fine the whole way home.
I put two 4AA packs in the front part of my nashbar front rack bag. They just fit and then I usally zip it up but sometimes forget or only half zip it. The bag is water resistent and keeps water out well enough. Open in heavy rain though it kept the water pooled a good inch from the bottom of the pocket.
One of the springs on my 10 4AA packs is pretty rusted but was still working fine before I took it out of rotation. I keep it as a spare but I have so many and they are only $2 or less at the radio shack if I needed to actually buy one.

You could get some fabric water proofing spray if you were really concerned.

My headlight and taillight are both fully exposed to the rain and they continue to work well, the taillight on my wife's bike that hardly ever gets ridden developed problems though so go figure. We dont' get tons of rain everyday but I have a long commute and have done a whole 21 mile leg in a downpour with no problems.

For the first few months I used the stock fabric battery thingy, then I started putting the battery holder in a handlebar bag (also not waterproof), and now I use a small digital camera bag (not waterproof) mounted on the down tube. The batteries get damp or wet when it rains, but the light functions with no problems. I charge the batteries every day I use them, so they do get a chance to dry out.

Zip lock bag, wrap the part of the opening that you obviously can't seal in on itself.

Zip lock bag, wrap the part of the opening that you obviously can't seal in on itself.


A slightly better idea some people told me of that they hav e used in downpours. Get a thick small freezer bag and 2 rubber washers that fit the cable diameter. Cut the wash open on one end and put on the cable. Cut a small hole in the thick plastic bag or freezer bag. Gentle pull the 9v cap through without stretching anymore of the bag then needed. Now have one rubber washer on the outside and one on the inside of the bag on the cable then epoxy the rubber washer t the plastic bag. Don't epoxy the cable (unless you want to).

Now every time you want to change the battery pack you can unzip the plastic bag and pop off the old battery pack and put a new one in then zip up and you'll be able to ride in the woest of downpours.

======||=||============[ ] should be how it looks like. The gap in the middle of the ' ||=||' is the plastic bag and the '=' is your cable.