Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Lithium Ion battery

I bought a Night Rider headlight kit (with battery and charger) and a taillight at the same time. This was at a bike swap meet in my town, Maplewood, NJ. The gear was never used but had sat in the seller's home for some time. The battery gauge doesn't read full, even after charging overnight. I discharged the battery by running the light at full intensity for an hour or two. Again, the battery gauge doesn't say full. Can I expect it to give me a full charge ever, after a few cycles? Or is this the price I pay to buy old stock?

Any other tips?

Maybe the gauge isn't accurate ?

Li Ion don't have a memory affect, but do degrade steadily from the date of manufacture.

I doubt that charging it overnight will have any different effect as the charging will stop completely at a predetermined battery voltage.

You have what you have, best advice is accept that the battery is what it is and use it.

:)

Good point. I was thinking about complaining to the seller, but hey, he gave it to me for well under retail, so overall, I can't complain. Eventually, I'll have to buy a battery. Maybe soon. Even still, that's OK.

Thanks!

Cycling the battery may calibrate the gauge.

If the battery measures close to 4.2V/cell the charger is doing its job.

Thanks again. I'll drain it and charge it again and see if I can find my voltmeter.

I understand lithium ion batteries last about 2 years from the date of manufacture.