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Author Topic: Li-Ion Battery Setup HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Please Read Me)  (Read 328855 times)
Jawaslayer4
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« Reply #15 on: June 18, 2011, 07:18:28 PM »

Deep, I ordered a Consular with the Li-Ion setup and the charger. I was looking through the options for sound sabers and noticed that there isn't an option for the setup without the charger. Is there a way to just chose the setup in future orders w/out the charger since I have one?
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Jodaan
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« Reply #16 on: June 18, 2011, 09:00:49 PM »

I was wondering, what are the specs of the charger ? Because for the international customers, and we are a few in that case, we don't have the same plugs that in USA (I'm speaking at least for France).

And yeah, the idea of having a possibility to have or not the charger is interesting : two or three being the maximum I could think to be useful IMHO.

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keeth
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« Reply #17 on: June 20, 2011, 05:49:56 PM »

Just have a fast question regarding the Li-Ion batteries and shipping. I don't know much about Li-Ion cells but I read somewhere that they can be easily damaged when shipping by plane. Is this correct? Not throwing any stones here, just trying to learn something Smiley

Thanks!
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Ultra
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« Reply #18 on: June 20, 2011, 10:59:23 PM »

I was wondering, what are the specs of the charger ? Because for the international customers, and we are a few in that case, we don't have the same plugs that in USA (I'm speaking at least for France).

And yeah, the idea of having a possibility to have or not the charger is interesting : two or three being the maximum I could think to be useful IMHO.



The charger will accept both 100 to 240 volts, so all you'd need is a plug adapter if you don't have an American outlet in your home.

Just have a fast question regarding the Li-Ion batteries and shipping. I don't know much about Li-Ion cells but I read somewhere that they can be easily damaged when shipping by plane. Is this correct? Not throwing any stones here, just trying to learn something Smiley

Thanks!

How did your phone get to you from Japan?  Not by boat.  Don't believe everything you read.
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Artano
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« Reply #19 on: July 06, 2011, 12:30:16 AM »

Quick question - How long can two fully charged Li-Ion batteries be anticipated to run a single color saber with sound before needing to recharge?
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Maslac
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« Reply #20 on: July 06, 2011, 08:34:39 AM »

Quick question - How long can two fully charged Li-Ion batteries be anticipated to run a single color saber with sound before needing to recharge?

I just got my consular with he obsidian li-ion setup and i just cant belive how bright the colour is ! (guardian blue) It puts my Anakin FX to such shame lol. Anyway, ill let you know about lifetime. Im going to Metalcamp festival for a week and i figure ill be doing some sparing every night. Lol i can allready feel the nerds going "omg where DA F**K did u get that?!" "Ultrasabers baby. Ultrasabers..." Cheesy

Anyway the recharger for Europe users is only a matter of replacing the cable for the recharger. Or get a US->euro converter to plug in the wall. Since the cable is removable from the recharger and the recharger socket is a standard 8 shape like socket (good bet is you have on connected to your laptop power cable), it is no biggie if you have a spare. Just replace it. Got my li-ion setup and it works like a charm (Europe-Slovenia).

Again, i cant belive the brightnes the Li-ion puts out, both on guardian blue and blazing red !

Question:
Can the 14500 Protected Lithium Ion Cell be used to power a "normal" Blazing red LED unit in my Aeon without the transistor and if so, would that be overdriving the led ? Sorry, i couldnt find this answer on the forum, but since the blazing red uses 2x aaa (2x 1.5v) that do not pump "juice" to the LED for all-round max performance, i would like to redo my battery system to Li-ion setup so i dont have to worry if the blade looks bright enough, and that the LED will allways be the same brightness (max).

Thanks
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Novastar
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« Reply #21 on: July 06, 2011, 09:05:49 PM »

I'll probably place a post about doing some general calculations about runtimes, which are basically calculated from the estimated battery runtime the manufacturer provides ("mAh") vs. the actual amp draw the LED needs/wants during runtime.  Most LEDs though--draw around 1A (1000mA) to 1.5A (1500mA).  Of course, it varies, depending on if it's an RGB, a "single color" LED, or a Seoul P4 vs. a Luxeon III or Rebel, etc. etc.

@Maslac... your question is about voltage & current.  In general, most (high output) red-type LEDs are on the lower side of voltage needs--around 3v / 3.3v.  Therefore, using a single Li-Ion cell, which is ~3.7v average (~4.2v peak, ~3.5v min.)... you would want to resist somewhere in the range of 0.5ohms to 1ohm.  So... in general... no, you couldn't simply replace the battery pack without first being certain of what's going on inside.  Although it wouldn't hurt a thing to replace the pack and add the resistor no matter what... and see how it looks.  That shouldn't hurt anything.  But WITHOUT the resistor... you'd be taking a chance.

@Artano... "How long can two fully charged Li-Ion batteries be anticipated to run a single color saber with sound before needing to recharge?"

It depends, it depends, it depends.

If the cells are wired for the voltage (in other words, ~7.4v instead of ~3.7v)... they maintain the mAh rating the individual cells have.
If the cells are wired for the amperage (in other words, ~3.7v instead of ~7.4v)... they DOUBLE the mAh rating the individual cells have.

When using different cell types... they (of course) have differing estimated runtimes.  "mAh" is a measurement over TIME, based on a 1amp draw.  In other words:

* Seoul P4, let's say it's drawing ~1000mA
* 18650 Li-Ion cell, let's say the rating is "2600mAh"
* You should get ~2.6 hours of runtime off a full charge.  Your mileage may vary, since soundboards draw a little current, extra LEDs draw a little current, extra drivers draw current, speakers, etc. etc.

A general rule of thumb is to just ASSUME that your LED is sucking down ~1000mA.  Then, simply divide that by the "mAh" rating of your cell type--which does mean that you need to know that ahead of time.  It's usually on the battery cell label, but you may also need to request that Emory note the battery cell's "mAh" rating ahead of time.

So again, you have 2600 / 1000 = 2.6 (hours runtime)... APPROXIMATELY.

I usually just automatically shave off 0.5 hours runtime when I calculate, just to be pig-headed about it & safe (since you're not ALWAYS at full charge, lol).

Now... let's back up a bit.  If you have TWO CELLS... and they are (as I said above) wired for the amperage (so still at ~3.7v)... you'll DOUBLE runtime.  So... in other words, "2600mAh" will become more like 5200mAh.  ~5 hours runtime.

Larger cells will yield even better runtimes, although they become more and more difficult to fit into a saber (duh).

14500 cells are not known for having anything better than ~900mAh to ~1000mAh for runtime.

I hope that helps lots of people--since this question will likely come up a lot.
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Qui-Tom Helms
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« Reply #22 on: July 08, 2011, 05:42:45 PM »

I just put some of the batteries in for charging, and the red lights appeared (to indicate charging I guess).  When the batteries are fully charged, will the lights on the charger go off, change to another color, start flashing?Huh

Just want to know cause there were no instructions that came with the chargers.  I know the instructions that came with my cell phone states not to over charge the battery.
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Warlock Umbra
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« Reply #23 on: July 08, 2011, 05:43:53 PM »

I just put some of the batteries in for charging, and the red lights appeared (to indicate charging I guess).  When the batteries are fully charged, will the lights on the charger go off, change to another color, start flashing?Huh

Just want to know cause there were no instructions that came with the chargers.  I know the instructions that came with my cell phone states not to over charge the battery.

They change to green.  Wink
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Qui-Tom Helms
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« Reply #24 on: July 08, 2011, 05:58:25 PM »

Thanks, just like my camera battery charger.  Going off topic now, is there a specific usb connector I need to download fonts into the obsidian board?   

Found the info
« Last Edit: July 08, 2011, 06:12:40 PM by Qui-Tom Helms » Logged

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thatdecade
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« Reply #25 on: July 15, 2011, 01:28:01 AM »

Thanks Nova for the excellent write up on battery run times.  Any info on battery storage times?

I assume the obsidian goes into a deep sleep when turned off and continues to drain a very small current from the batteries.  How long can the saber last at 100% or 50% charge in storage before you recommend removing the batteries?
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« Reply #26 on: July 15, 2011, 11:54:57 PM »

@ thatdecade ... It's a little off-topic now, but I can answer your questions, heheh.  Smiley

The original Obsidian board draws VERY little current (something like 1mA if that?) when it's in the sleep mode... which I'm not sure how long it takes to get there, but... you know... once you've left it sitting there for a bit.  Let's say 1 minute.

In that case, honestly... you won't "notice" a big difference in:

* Leaving it with the batteries in for 2 weeks... vs.
* Leaving it with batteries out for 2 weeks

Your batteries will discharge on their own about the same as they would with the board still "running in deep sleep".

You could conceivably leave Li-Ion cells for MONTHS and they will hold a decent charge.  Even the protection circuit must draw a little current, so... even when you disconnect Li-Ion cells from a load/circuit... they STILL are being drawn from (a bit).

If you're DEAD SET on making sure you NEVER draw ~any~ power from the Li-Ions (that you can prevent drawing)... use a "kill key" in a charge port, or simply use a quick-disconnect for your batteries.  Easy.
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Creator of the "BALANCE OF POWER" live staged-combat shows
Licensed & experienced sabre fencing instructor
Sound font engineer for "Crystal Focus" & Obsidian
Creator of the NSCFCDs (CF Sound CDs)
Co-Founder of Golden Gate Knights (SF)
Co-Creator of NCSCS (Nova & Caine's Saber Combat System)

Maslac
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« Reply #27 on: July 21, 2011, 11:19:54 AM »

Thanks Novastar!

I hope people find this. All the good stuff gets answered on 7th page of threads that are not nesesarely on topic  Grin
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Nyte
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« Reply #28 on: July 28, 2011, 01:03:32 PM »

Since the cable is removable from the recharger and the recharger socket is a standard 8 shape like socket (good bet is you have on connected to your laptop power cable), it is no biggie if you have a spare. Just replace it.
This is exactly what I did. Now, has anyone else noticed a kind of whistling or hissing sound from the charger whilst charging the batteries? Should I be worried? Tongue
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« Reply #29 on: July 29, 2011, 09:00:05 AM »

I have actually heard this very light, low-volume "whistling" from a charger I bought that is a multi-charger (not from Ultrasabers)... which I use to charge all sorts of sabers, none of which are set up with Obsidians.

My guess is... you needn't worry about it... although I'm not sure why THIS charger that I have (newer than my old ones, which I bought altogether) sometimes makes the strange noise.

It IS odd, isn't it?  Smiley  But... I've used it quite a bit, and it's never caused any issues.

I'm not saying what is happening to me is the same as what is happening to you, but... it's just to let you know--I've had a similar experience with no "bad" repercussions.  Smiley
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Creator of the "BALANCE OF POWER" live staged-combat shows
Licensed & experienced sabre fencing instructor
Sound font engineer for "Crystal Focus" & Obsidian
Creator of the NSCFCDs (CF Sound CDs)
Co-Founder of Golden Gate Knights (SF)
Co-Creator of NCSCS (Nova & Caine's Saber Combat System)

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