I have finally become fed up with the battery I'm using on my bike lights. For two seasons I've been using a portable DVD player battery, rated for 9V @ 5400mAh. It's pretty small and lightweight, because it is a Li-Ion battery. It worked great... until a few weeks ago.

This battery exhibits a strange behaviour, it automatically shuts off the juice if it detects a short/over-current. That's fine with me, because it saves the battery. However, the only way to reset it is to plug in the charger. How many people carry the charger with them, or for that matter, have a wall outlet handy? Exactly.

The other problem I've been having is the connector. The tiny 2.5mm jack just can't handle the constant strain and bumps of my daily commute, and it has become highly unreliable. For the past few days I've had to ride with one hand behind my back (literally), keeping constant pressure on the cable so my lights stay on!

So tonight, I ordered an 11.1V, 7200mAh Li-Ion battery kit from batteryspace.com. With more voltage, more capacity and *waterproof connectors*, I should be all set for the winter riding season. Now I just need to find a clever place to mount the battery on my trike...