[sketchy]

I've owned a L&M ARC nimh for about 1 1/2 years and use it 1-2 times a week. The last couple of times I've used it the light died after about 45 mins @ around 30 degrees. I assume the battery's shot:( .
A few weeks ago I left the battery plugged into the charger for about 24 hours, which I read was ok. I also brushed the light against a tree branch a few months back, which shorted out the light(L&M was really cool about fixing it, even though it was out of warranty for a month.)

Now I have a few questions:

1 1/2 years for a lightly used nimh battery is a short lifespan, isn't it?

If so, could my charger have fried my battery, or could the repaired short have anything to do with my battery dying? If so, think L&M would/should do anything to help?

Is it possible to buy a cheaper, longer lived, aftermarket battery for my light?

If not, any recommendations on a powerful, reliable light? LED?

Thanks in advance for any help.

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[Litespeedlouie]

I don't know your light specifically, but any battery can go bad, anytime. NiMHs should be good for several hundred cycles. Also, they will lose capacity in the cold. I think it's possible a direct short to the pack might have harmed it a little. The light seems like a good one, I think I'd just get a new battery, unless you are into taking the old one apart and replacing the cells yourself.

[Merriwether]

Is it possible to buy a cheaper, longer lived, aftermarket battery for my light?

If not, any recommendations on a powerful, reliable light? LED?

Thanks in advance for any help.


Your battery might not be shot. It's possible to rehabilitate the NiMH batteries, at least sometimes. Run the battery through at least six full charge/full depletion cycles. Just leave the light on until the battery goes dead. Put the battery on the charger immediately after the light goes out. Charge the battery to full, and then repeat as needed. If you stretch this process over a few days, make sure the battery sits unused only after it is fully charged.

If this works, the process will restore the battery to close to its original depletion time.

Good luck.

[socalrider]

I agree that you can do what is said above.. If you are doing this, make sure to put a fan in front of the light to keep the head from overheating.. I have the L&M Arc and is just starting to fade after 3 years. I still get a solid 2 hours out of it.. I mostly ride city streets that are fairly well lit, so I run in low mode.

[sketchy]

Thanks for the advice. I bought a Fenix to try out, so what I'll do is charge and run my L&M down on my commute, then use the Fenix for the remainder of the ride. I really hope I can refresh the battery, as another one will cost $200, and I'd probably have to buy another charger too.

[acidinmylegs]

How long does it take to recharge? If a cell is dead inside, it'll charge faster than normal also. I had a L&M battery go bad and it was short on run time and charge time.

[sketchy]

I think the battery recharges in 3 hours or so, but I'll pay closer attention to make sure. I've drained the battery and recharged it a couple of times, and the battery died right at the end of my 1 hour ride home at 22 degrees last night. The battery seems to last at least 2 hours at home when I ran it down, so it looks like the temperature really has an effect. Disappointing.

[aliensporebomb]

Have you called the L&M folks?

[sketchy]

Haven't called L&M yet. I thought I'd try the rehab suggestions 1st. After draining/recharging the battery 5-6 times this weekend, I rode into work last night. The light stayed lit the whole ride for the 1st time of late, but it was a spooky 62 degrees, as opposed to 22 degrees on Thursday night. It might've been my imagination, but the light seemed dimmer than it used to. I suspect I will have to contact L&M, but the lights been out of warranty for a while, so I'm not hopeful they'll be much help.