Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Storing a rechargable light.

I am done riding for the year. Will start again in the late winter or early spring. I have a rechargable Cygolight and am putting into storage with all of my other gear. It has almost a full charge on it. SHould I run the light to drain it completely to store it and recharge it when I need it for riding in the dark again? Or should I store it as is and recharge it when I need to use it again? The instructions do not say either way. It just says to charge it if it has been sitting for a while with out being used.

Thanks.

I am done riding for the year. Will start again in the late winter or early spring. I have a rechargable Cygolight and am putting into storage with all of my other gear. It has almost a full charge on it. SHould I run the light to drain it completely to store it and recharge it when I need it for riding in the dark again? Or should I store it as is and recharge it when I need to use it again? The instructions do not say either way. It just says to charge it if it has been sitting for a while with out being used.

Thanks.

don't drain it ! charge it up, stick in fridge

if lithium, charge it, drain to 3/4 or 1/2 charge, stick in fridge

any type....2 months, let warm to room temp slowly, charge fully,
stick back in fridge. if lithium charge then drain to 1/2 again, fridge

do not freeze them.

Make sure you Disconect the battery from the light as it will drain your battery.
This is important all year round.

don't drain it ! charge it up, stick in fridge

if lithium, charge it, drain to 3/4 or 1/2 charge, stick in fridge

any type....2 months, let warm to room temp slowly, charge fully,
stick back in fridge. if lithium charge then drain to 1/2 again, fridge

do not freeze them.

It is a lithium ion. How would I know if it is drained to 3/4 or half? Would I just simply look at the instructions to see how long the light stays on with a full charge at full intensity then calculate from there about how much time is 3/4 or 1/2?

Why store it in the fridge?

Should the same logic you mention apply to MP3 players with lithium batteries that have to be kept recharged if they are not being used for an extensive period of time? Or should those not be put in a fridge because of the small electronics in them that allow for the screen display, etc? They are kind of like a lap top screen or cell phone. I am not sure a device like that should be stored in the fridge. But if so I have 3 MP3 players I will need to do the same to.

Make sure you Disconect the battery from the light as it will drain your battery.
This is important all year round.

Already did that. Right now it is in the box in my closet. I am waiting to hear more about the storing in the fridge theory.

Already did that. Right now it is in the box in my closet. I am waiting to hear more about the storing in the fridge theory.

Just ask Google already...

http://is.med.ohio-state.edu/policies/battery.htm
http://ckm.osu.edu/mobile/5483.cfm
http://74.125.45.132/search?q=cache:Zr7ZKOpKAaIJ:www.axessinternational.com/Downloads/Battery%2520Care%2520Tips.pdf+lithium+ion+care+and+storage&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=us&client=safari
(or the PDF: http://www.axessinternational.com/Downloads/Battery%20Care%20Tips.pdf
http://www.lumicycle.com/Pages/CMS.aspx?MIS=47

If your read those and still have questions, well, I don't know what else to say.

You need some battery education since your original did not specify the battery chemistry you were inquiring about. This website educated me about batteries and I now know who has a clue as to what they are talking about. Previous replies concerning Li-ion were right on.

http://batteryuniversity.com/

http://batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm
See Figure 1.

Even if you have a fuel gauge on your battery it may not be accurate if it has went through several recharge cycles without being drained to a low level. Nothing wrong with that scenario on an Li-ion other than the gauge is just not accurate. Only recourse is fully charge and discharge like you asked. Be careful the light does not get too hot as most lights are designed to run with the cooling wind from riding. Hopefully there is a shut-off circuit but just be aware.

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I have the perfect solution. Don't stop riding.....

lithium has been found to last longest when stored at half charge. yes run the light with a fan on it
for 3/4 or 2/3 advertised run time to get it to a partial charge

store in fridge ? this is to slow down any chemical reaction. you don't have to do it, but if you have a fridge and some space why not use it to get the wee benefit. bottom line, lithium lasts longer at half charge and all batteries last longer stored cold but above freezing.

some new bike battery chargers seen at interbike will now store a battery on the charger, but at half-charge for long term. flip a switch when you are in -ride every day mode- and it fully charges.

you see this on notebook computers quite a bit. you use your computer battery a lot, it will last twice as long as a notebook battery that is always on wall power, then a year later you need to use the laptop somewhere and the battery
falls flat quickly. lithium is lightweight that is the benefit, but longevity...that needs special treatment. like, use it. often.