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To over-volt or not? 6V vs. 7.2V.

1K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  msxtr 
#1 ·
I'm planning on building some new battery packs, using 4/3AF,4500mah Panasonic NiMh cells. They will be used with my original 6V halogen bulbs(10w bar, 15w helmet)Blt's. So is overvolting worth it? More light output, vs. diminished bulb life. Any thoughts, or suggestions are greatly appreicated. Also, am I going to require 2 chargers if I need to charge both packs simutaneously? Or can one pack safely wait(uncharged), until the first one is finished? Or is there possibly another alternative? Thanks, Ride On.
 
#2 ·
Go for it! The difference is amazing for such a small increase in voltage.

You should still get 200-300 hours bulb life, that's a lot of night riding.

You can just charge 1 battery at a time. It will take a little longer, that's all. For longer rides I take 4 battery packs, takes a while to get them all done.
 
#3 ·
200-300hrs would probably cover an entire season, and if your light uses MR11 or MR16 bulbs, they're dirt cheap. In this case, over-volting is totally worth it. I'm working on a "pond scum" style light, and hope to be taking some photos showing the difference between 12V and 14.4V on the same bulbs. Of course, I have to finish the lights first, which is taking forever...
 
#4 ·
Go for it Ride On, overvolting is a great way to rejuvenate an older system to gain a bit more light. You may find your old bulbs will be short lived once you over volt your system, but it's probably worth getting some nice high quality globes if you're going to the trouble of building a new pack up anyway.

I can't see any problems with uncharged packs sitting about for a short while either. In fact I recall reading somewhere that it's a good idea to let packs rest and settle for a while before recharging, especially straight after a heavy discharge. ;)

Let us know how you go!

Dave.
 
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