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The Battery Thread: 2013
I thought it a good idea to start a thread on replacement batteries since a lot of people are considering changing or upgrading the battery for their light system. If you need information on batteries for a new light or just a replacement for the old one this is the place to ask questions. If you have links or suggestions on where to get good batteries ( or not so good... ) please feel free to post a suggestion.
For the sake of convenience most discussion will likely revolve around Li-ion batteries so I'm supplying a link to "Battery University" for people who might first want to read up on the technology. Regardless if you have posts or questions having to do with other battery chemistries please feel free to post up.
Likely there will be several conversations going on at the same time about different battery set ups. Just make sure you quote or mention "@" whoever you want to comment about. This will help keep all the conversations in order and avoid confusion.
Vendors with special offers on batteries please feel free to post up. I'm going to try to keep a list of Links that offer compatible batteries that work with the standard MagicShine/Bikeray/Xeccon/Clone ...etc...connectors. The list will be right here in the first post. I'll try to update it every week or so if it becomes a popular thread. Hopefully with people chiming in we will get quite a list going. If this works maybe get the moderator to make it a sticky. Thanks. CAt.
...................THE BATTERY LIST
Batteries will be listed in order of capacity, cell type and number, and voltage. To keep things more informative I've decided to issue alerts if any of the batteries listed have any disputed quality issues. The alert will look like this> ( ALERT) .
This doesn't mean if you buy one you will get a bad battery. It is just a warning. Buy at your own risk.
Last edited by Cat-man-do; 01-24-2013 at 10:27 AM.
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I have a couple Gemini Xera's that I use and have a few battery packs that I've put together. The most recent was this pack, All-Battery.com: AT: Tenergy Li-Ion 18650 7.4V 4400mAh Square PCB Protected Rechargeable Battery Module w/ 20AWG Bare Leads which seemed for the price a great deal. I soldered on a magicshine connector and all has been good. I get 14 hours of run time with the xera on low. (great for multiday bikepacking races where you inevitably end up riding long hours at night).
However, I was looking to build a 2 cell pack to mount on my helmet (to eliminate the weight of the extension cable) and saw these with Samsung cells All-Battery.com: AT: Samsung Li-Ion 18650 Cylindrical 7.4V 2800mAh Flat Top Rechargeable Battery w/ PCM Protection. Little more expensive, but higher energy density...
Thoughts on that? Is there a better source for these?
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mtbr member
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Im here also if any of you have some questions on batteries.
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 Originally Posted by Raybum
Good find if you have some DIY skills and the connectors. For people wondering where to get the connectors you just buy a MS type extension cord from almost anywhere for a couple bucks, cut the plug off that you need and splice the two sides together.
Interesting that All Battery is offering these at such a good price. A while back you had to kill to get a square four cell from All Battery. Still all things considered there are other good quality square four cell batteries available with the plugs already supplied. You'll see that once the list starts to get bigger. That two cell 2800mAh Samsung battery is a pretty good deal and will be hard to beat.
Thanks for posting those listings. Your recommendations are the first on the list > ( see post #1 )
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mtbr member
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I have the original Magicshine headlight, without a battery and could use a recommendation. I don't need the highest level of performance as this will be used for commuting. Two hr. at high power would be great.
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mtbr member
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Originally Posted by texas
Interesting link. The only thing that bothers me is the connector, which looks to be square. I own a MagicShine 808E which does not use a square connector. Tex, do you own one of these?
Originally Posted by pigmode
I have the original Magicshine headlight, without a battery and could use a recommendation. I don't need the highest level of performance as this will be used for commuting. Two hr. at high power would be great.
Well it all depends on how much money you want to spend. If you want to go cheap you could try something like this. I didn't put it in the " Battery list " because they don't list a capacity for the battery. It could be 4400mAh or maybe 4000mAh. If 4000mAh you should still get 2 hrs out of it. No telling what brand batteries these are. Buy one of these and you are rolling the dice.
I've up-dated the battery list ( in post #1 ). A couple there you might be interested in.
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Pudgy Old Guy
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I bought a couple of magicshines from geoman so was involved in the recall and received the replacement batteries. Never had a problem with the original batteries but one of the replacements died almost immediately - Sad because the casing/mount is really neat and now is just a chunk of useless plastic with a velcro strap. I ordered a replacement from ballistic batteries but haven't used it yet.
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Originally Posted by POG
I bought a couple of magicshines from geoman so was involved in the recall and received the replacement batteries. Never had a problem with the original batteries but one of the replacements died almost immediately - Sad because the casing/mount is really neat and now is just a chunk of useless plastic with a velcro strap. I ordered a replacement from ballistic batteries but haven't used it yet.
I just took a quick look-see at the "Ballistic batteries" website. Looks to be pretty much hobby batteries. They do offer a "replacement MagicShine battery" but the one in the photo they show looks like it is a 4 cell "flat pack",
( rather than the typical square pack ). As long as you have no problem mounting a "flat pack" then it should work just fine.
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I like the flat 4 cell packs for use with a helmet light. Fits more nicely than a 4 cell cube when carried in the jersey pocket.
For those using individual 18650s, I'll give a shout out for the Callies Kustoms Panasonic 3400mA cells. They run my micro helmet light nearly twice as long as my *****fire "2600mA" cells. Much more expensive, but worth it IMO.
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Originally Posted by Vancbiker
I like the flat 4 cell packs for use with a helmet light. Fits more nicely than a 4 cell cube when carried in the jersey pocket.
For those using individual 18650s, I'll give a shout out for the Callies Kustoms Panasonic 3400mA cells. They run my micro helmet light nearly twice as long as my *****fire "2600mA" cells. Much more expensive, but worth it IMO.
Agree on all points. Yep a flat pack in a pocket or backpack works fine but if you mount on a frame it is not as easy as a square pack although back in the day I used to frame mount a flat pack 4-cell Nimh battery.
Yep, when it comes to using single cells the Panasonics hands down are the batteries you want to use. I bought a set of 3100's last year and they are worth the extra money beyond a doubt. This year I will likely buy a set of 3400's just so I have some extra cells. Besides all my other cheap/single 18650's are getting quite old. Time for some more better cells. 
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mtbr member
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connector is round not sequre.
Originally Posted by Cat-man-do
Interesting link. The only thing that bothers me is the connector, which looks to be square. I own a MagicShine 808E which does not use a square connector. Tex, do you own one of these?
Here is the link again:Amazon.com: Panasonic Cell Open Light 4.5AH Li-ion Battery for MagicShine MJ-808, MJ-808E, MJ-816, MJ-816E, MJ-872 Bicylce Lights: Everything Else
I do have one of these. The connector is round not square, and is compatible with Magicshine lights. I think the picture shown is for a Lupine light which the same company also makes(here is a link to one of those: Open Light Systems LLC | Lupine 4.5 Ah (original 5.0 Ah) Li-Ion Battery - for all Lupine Lamp Heads (ideal for Lupine Betty, Wilma, Tesla, Piko, Edison & Nightmare) | Lithium Ion Batteries and Accessories for Lupine, Sigma, MyTinySun, MagicShine, Bik
Also the battery pouch that it came with seems nicely made. Only issue I have is it claims in the description to have a "waterproof rubber coating" , but like the picture indicates it is just shrink rapped. I plan on just using this inside my pack, so this isn't too much of an issue for me.
Last edited by texas; 01-20-2013 at 04:34 PM.
TEX
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mtbr member
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That 10000mah one says 8.4v on the website?
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I've been using a Open Light System battery on my Betty for nearly two years without any issues. I use it most morning and it has been a great battery for me.
Here's a link I started a few years back on Open Light System:
Open Light Systems?
I know they now have a USA site, which will make buying a little easier for the North American gang.
I would not hesitate to buy another from these guys.
Woody
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mtbr member
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Originally Posted by woody.1
I've been using a Open Light System battery on my Betty for nearly two years without any issues. I use it most morning and it has been a great battery for me.
Here's a link I started a few years back on Open Light System:
Open Light Systems?
I know they now have a USA site, which will make buying a little easier for the North American gang.
I would not hesitate to buy another from these guys.
Woody
This is the same brand as the amazon link above ($42.99 shipped).
Amazon.com: Panasonic Cell Open Light 4.5AH Li-ion Battery for MagicShine MJ-808, MJ-808E, MJ-816, MJ-816E, MJ-872 Bicylce Lights: Everything Else
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Pudgy Old Guy
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Originally Posted by Cat-man-do
I just took a quick look-see at the "Ballistic batteries" website. Looks to be pretty much hobby batteries. They do offer a "replacement MagicShine battery" but the one in the photo they show looks like it is a 4 cell "flat pack",
( rather than the typical square pack ). As long as you have no problem mounting a "flat pack" then it should work just fine.
The one I received is a square pack - mounting it in one of my original magicshine battery pack holder thingys (only turned in the batteries for the recall).
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mtbr member
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I'm no expert, but that battery looks as though it's leaking. Did you pay for ity on Visa? If all else fails, and Lt-Box refuse to refund your money, you could threaten to call your credit card company and dispute the charge for the battery. Merchants rightly fear this, since blacklisting from a card provider means loss of the ability to process credit card transactions from that company. However, as a first line of defense, I would still recommend diplomacy toward the merchant, and launching a dispute claim with Paypal. If Lt-Box are smart, they will be reasonable, and conclude that it's easier/cheaper for them to issue a refund rather than paying for the return of something that's broken and useless to them.
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Originally Posted by lanceuppercut
I decided to be a guinea pig and buy one of the 1000mAh batteries from Lt-Box. It did not work when I received it. I contacted their customer service and they had me send them a video of it not working hooked to a charger and a light. Next they told me to send it back and they said they would pay for return shipping. I informed them that return shipping costs as much as the battery itself. They told me there is a cheaper method to ship it back to China but they can't tell me exactly what that method is. My last request was that they refund my money or send a new battery. I haven't gotten a response yet.
I figured I should warn others not to buy this battery or anything else from Lt-Box....
I going to assume you had a type error and are referring to the 10000mAh battery. I agree with FuzzyD on this, the battery looks to be leaking and would be hazardous to return. Send them another e-mail with a photo and explain that returning the battery could be considered illegal.
If you do decide to return the battery just send it at the lowest postal rate available which is "First Class MailŪ International Parcel". This should cost about $11.60 USD for a one pound parcel. Also, take a photo of the parcel with all the postage before you give to the post office. The Chinese like photos. It shows steps being done right.
Keep in mind that they did offer to pay postage. Perhaps they can e-mail you the postage label ( which is the easy way to do it ). Also keep in mind that you did tamper with the product by taking off the shrink wrap. As such most companies are not under obligation to accept a return if the product was tampered with.
Send it back, let them give you a new one. If they don't credit your paypal or credit card you can complain to paypal or the card company. This is called doing the Chinese jig...yes it's a PITA but at least the people at Light box are working with you. My guess is the battery got exposed to excessive heat somewhere along the line. Hope the next one is better. Let's not blacklist Ltbox unless they don't follow through with their obligations. ( ** In response to your post I issued a warning on this battery ( see list post #1 ). If the issue is resolved please let us know. )
@JamesBass > Yes, 8.4 volt is the peak voltage. I am listing only the nominal voltages but 8.4 volt is typical peak voltage for all 7.4 volt batteries. Some websites list the peak voltage others the nominal. That's just the way it is.
Last edited by Cat-man-do; 01-21-2013 at 12:07 PM.
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Originally Posted by POG
The one I received is a square pack - mounting it in one of my original magicshine battery pack holder thingys (only turned in the batteries for the recall).
Okay, I'll edit the entry accordingly.
Posted by Texas:
I do have one of these. The connector is round not square, and is compatible with Magicshine lights. I think the picture shown is for a Lupine light which the same company also makes(here is a link to one of those: Open Light Systems LLC | Lupine 4.5 Ah (original 5.0 Ah) Li-Ion Battery - for all Lupine Lamp Heads (ideal for Lupine Betty, Wilma, Tesla, Piko, Edison & Nightmare) | Lithium Ion Batteries and Accessories for Lupine, Sigma, MyTinySun, MagicShine, Bik
Also the battery pouch that it came with seems nicely made. Only issue I have is it claims in the description to have a "waterproof rubber coating" , but like the picture indicates it is just shrink rapped. I plan on just using this inside my pack, so this isn't too much of an issue for me.
Okay Tex, I'll take your word for it. It goes up on the list. Some people will like that it uses Panasonic cells.
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Originally Posted by Cat-man-do
I going to assume you had a type error and are referring to the 10000mAh battery. I agree with FuzzyD on this, the battery looks to be leaking and would be hazardous to return. Send them another e-mail with a photo and explain that returning the battery could be considered illegal.
If you do decide to return the battery just send it at the lowest postal rate available which is "First Class MailŪ International Parcel". This should cost about $11.60 USD for a one pound parcel. Also, take a photo of the parcel with all the postage before you give to the post office. The Chinese like photos. It shows steps being done right.
Keep in mind that they did offer to pay postage. Perhaps they can e-mail you the postage label ( which is the easy way to do it ). Also keep in mind that you did tamper with the product by taking off the shrink wrap. As such most companies are not under obligation to accept a return if the product was tampered with.
Send it back, let them give you a new one. If they don't credit your paypal or credit card you can complain to paypal or the card company. This is called doing the Chinese jig...yes it's a PITA but at least the people at Light box are working with you. My guess is the battery got exposed to excessive heat somewhere along the line. Hope the next one is better. Let's not blacklist Ltbox unless they don't follow through with their obligations. ( ** In response to your post I issued a warning on this battery ( see list post #1 ). If the issue is resolved please let us know. )
@JamesBass > Yes, 8.4 volt is the peak voltage. I am listing only the nominal voltages but 8.4 volt is typical peak voltage for all 7.4 volt batteries. Some websites list the peak voltage others the nominal. That's just the way it is.
I'll keep you posted. It seems there is a bit of a language barrier even via email so it's slow going in dealing with the problem.
I didn't remove the shrink wrap until after I could feel that it was leaking. At that point I had decided there was no way I was going to ship it back and I'd rather just call it a loss.
I figure I've had good luck with the Chinese products and I'm about due for a bad one.
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Originally Posted by lanceuppercut
I'll keep you posted. It seems there is a bit of a language barrier even via email so it's slow going in dealing with the problem.
I didn't remove the shrink wrap until after I could feel that it was leaking. At that point I had decided there was no way I was going to ship it back and I'd rather just call it a loss.
I figure I've had good luck with the Chinese products and I'm about due for a bad one.
Been there....I've had a couple products belly up before there time. In my case one drop-in and one torch. Never bothered trying to return. For the money I spend I just called it a loss as well. Sooner or later we all roll a snake eyes...
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file a paypal dispute and get your money back. The "take pics/ send it back/ who pays for postage" dance around is a delaying tactic so that you'll go beyond the 45 day Paypal dispute window or just give up. If you don't get a refund notice on sending them the pictures, file a dispute. Most Chinese firms pay up within days, if that.
In the meantime, make sure you store the battery outside, far from the house/ garage, until you can safely dispose of or recycle it.
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mtbr member
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Come to think of it, new batteries shouldn't leak. A few MTBRers have made mention of Chinese vendors (allegedly) using rebuilt batteries (i.e. new casing, recycled cells). I wonder if this is the case with your battery? It'd be difficult to prove, but if the auction was advertising a new product, and they sent you recycled, that would be against eBay ToS.
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I bought it off their website using my Visa card, so no Paypal or Ebay to help resolve it. I sent them the pictures yesterday and they haven't responded. Up until then they had been returning my emails pretty quickly except over the weekend.
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