Batteries for Planet Bike Super Flash
 

I just picked one up. Neat little light. From an idea of Mech's, I think I'll clip it to the back of my helmet.

The question: Does this light dim noticably as the batteries weaken as the Cateye LD 1000 does? Should I put lithium batteries in this too?

Its not regulated. Put it on blink mode to save your batteries then jam lithiums in it.

I use NiMH rechargables and just charge them once a week or so. It's not like it's a huge hassle, it's 20 seconds total time (clip the thing off the bike when I get to work and carry it to my desk, throw the batts in the charger, put them back in around noon). So I'm charging them every 4-8 hours of use, out of 20+ hours of expected runtime on the light so it's usually pretty bright.

I also use NiMH batterries. No problem.

Batteries in flashers is an application that really calls for non-rechargables. Since the current draw is so low - on the order of tens of hours in flash mode - rechargables don't really make much sense. The NiMH have a pretty serious self discharge of around 30%. Even if you religiously recharge, you aren't going to get the best use out of the battery. An alkaline (or lithium) battery will last for nearly a whole winter riding season even in steady mode (up to 2 hours per day for 4 - 6 months) and perhaps longer for flash mode.

With rechargables, you are more likely to forget to charge the battery and have it fail when you need it. Go for rechargables for high current drain applications, like headlights but use alkaline for low current applications.

cycco I agree or disagree depending upon the specific light. The CatEye LD1000 draws a significant amount if you have even 1 row in constant lighting. I do recharge religiously and use high capacity NiMH batteries. You can see a noticable difference between 1.4 volts and 1.2 volts in how bright the light is. Now, on the Super FLash, it is less noticable and a Lithium is probably a good bet but not for heavier current draw requirements.

I generally recommend rechargables because they are much lower cost and you can have highest performance nearly all the time (frequent recharging versus running down a standard battery).

I have a Cateye LD-600 rear light, and use recharchables in it, they get charged about once a week (Ok, I swap out with the set that's on the charger whenever I notice that they're getting less bright)

Takes me all of a minute out of my week to swap them, and I have a spare pair of alkalines in my saddle bag just in case I forget. Well, ok... that spair pair of batts usually ends up powering my mp3 player, but I add a new battery when I get home or to work to replace the one I took. :)

We're on the same page here, actually. I don't have an LD1000 so I'm not familiar with their current demands but if they use power quickly, a rechargable makes sense. If, however, the light isn't using that much power, nonrechargables may be a more economical way to go. Spending a lot of money for a rechargable battery isn't a good idea if you let it self-discharge regularly because that shortens the life of the battery.

The discharge curve for either rechargables or nonrechargables is pretty flat, so you still get
good performance until the cell is just about dead in either case.

One other thing to consider is the way in which the battery is housed. If the battery is housed in a holder that requires a screw to hold in place or a snap, frequent opening and closing of the case can lead to breakage of the light which is far more costly than a couple of batteries

Both of my Superflash lights are brighter and run longer on lithiums. I never measured the time acurately.

Geez, you bought TWO super flash's?

LED blinkers are probably so low powered, you need a calender to time the battery life.

:lol:


:o

One in the bag for bikes without a rack. (no fenders, clean roads)
One in the panniers for the bikes with a rack (fenders for rain or dirt etc.).
Less moving stuff around in the AM if I'm late. Just grab the bag and go.