Li-Ion Battery Management for Large Collections

[MVHI JEDI]

For those of you who have large collections of Li-Ion setups, how do you manage your batteries?  I know you're supposed to either keep them plugged in via recharge port or keep the batteries in the charger, but with a large collection it becomes a bit overwhelming / impossible to keep dozens of batteries constantly on charge.  Is charging the batteries fully and then removing them the best option in such a case?  What have you guys found to be the best solution?

[Fatalis]

For those of you who have large collections of Li-Ion setups, how do you manage your batteries?  I know you're supposed to either keep them plugged in via recharge port or keep the batteries in the charger, but with a large collection it becomes a bit overwhelming / impossible to keep dozens of batteries constantly on charge.  Is charging the batteries fully and then removing them the best option in such a case?  What have you guys found to be the best solution?

Great post. I also would like to know this.

[Galef]

Before I knew that keeping them in the charger was a "must do" I just always ordered spare batteries.
I also made the mistake of ordering a stunt staff in Li-ions, which for some reason drain the batteries far faster when idle than either of our V4 sound sabers.

Needless to say, I've sold that staff and will always get stunts in Standard from now on.

I only have 2 sabers now with Li-ion setup and 1 spare set of batteries. The spare set seems to hold most of its charge even when not in the charger. It only drops about 2% per week.
So I just swap them out each week.

For larger collections, I'd recommend getting Xtar vc4 chargers as they have 4 bays, so you'll need less charges plugged at once.
Just keep spares in the charger and swap every week or so

-

[Fatalis]

Before I knew that keeping them in the charger was a "must do" I just always ordered spare batteries.
I also made the mistake of ordering a stunt staff in Li-ions, which for some reason drain the batteries far faster when idle than either of our V4 sound sabers.

Needless to say, I've sold that staff and will always get stunts in Standard from now on.

I only have 2 sabers now with Li-ion setup and 1 spare set of batteries. The spare set seems to hold most of its charge even when not in the charger. It only drops about 2% per week.
So I just swap them out each week.

For larger collections, I'd recommend getting Xtar vc4 chargers as they have 4 bays, so you'll need less charges plugged at once.
Just keep spares in the charger and swap every week or so

-

I have 12 Li-on batteries with 3 2 bay chargers. Waiting on a VC4 andwill get another one later, but I agree... standard will be my next stunt purchase.

[GeneralMalice-]

I have a Xtar V8 that you can get for 3 large pizzas not to bad and has all the bells on it.

[DarthTrav23]

Wait so my sabers needs to be constantly plugged in via recharge port when not in use??? Am I understanding this right?

[eomund]

Little bit of battery knowledge to drop here.

If the saber is not going to be used, yes you don't want to store it with the batteries in it. The reason is if the battery has any problems, gains corrosion, leaks it'll destroy what it's in. So that's a yes. Store it with no batteries.

As for storing it in the charger, negative red rider. The included charger charges till full and stops charging it. It doesn't keep supplying power, and doesn't monitor the battery level keeping it full like a battery tender. So if you keep it in the charger, it'll do about the same as charging it and pulling it from the charger and storing it.

My recommendations with the batteries are 2 fold. 1, it's best if you use the batteries and rotate them as you use them. You don't want too many sets of batteries because that is just a nightmare. IF you want to store your batteries. I recommend keeping them in the fridge. Heat makes the batteries dissipate faster and wears them out faster. So keeping them cool helps keep them longer.

[DarthTrav23]

Little bit of battery knowledge to drop here.

If the saber is not going to be used, yes you don't want to store it with the batteries in it. The reason is if the battery has any problems, gains corrosion, leaks it'll destroy what it's in. So that's a yes. Store it with no batteries.

As for storing it in the charger, negative red rider. The included charger charges till full and stops charging it. It doesn't keep supplying power, and doesn't monitor the battery level keeping it full like a battery tender. So if you keep it in the charger, it'll do about the same as charging it and pulling it from the charger and storing it.

My recommendations with the batteries are 2 fold. 1, it's best if you use the batteries and rotate them as you use them. You don't want too many sets of batteries because that is just a nightmare. IF you want to store your batteries. I recommend keeping them in the fridge. Heat makes the batteries dissipate faster and wears them out faster. So keeping them cool helps keep them longer.

Thanks for the advice. It is much appreciated.
Have a point on me!

[Cyclops942]

Little bit of battery knowledge to drop here.

If the saber is not going to be used, yes you don't want to store it with the batteries in it. The reason is if the battery has any problems, gains corrosion, leaks it'll destroy what it's in. So that's a yes. Store it with no batteries.

As for storing it in the charger, negative red rider. The included charger charges till full and stops charging it. It doesn't keep supplying power, and doesn't monitor the battery level keeping it full like a battery tender. So if you keep it in the charger, it'll do about the same as charging it and pulling it from the charger and storing it.

My recommendations with the batteries are 2 fold. 1, it's best if you use the batteries and rotate them as you use them. You don't want too many sets of batteries because that is just a nightmare. IF you want to store your batteries. I recommend keeping them in the fridge. Heat makes the batteries dissipate faster and wears them out faster. So keeping them cool helps keep them longer.

Nope... the XTAR charger actually will keep the batteries topped off (read the manual), and so will the charger that comes with the recharge port.  Neither lithium-ion batteries nor Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries benefit from being stored below room temperature. Also, if you are using either NiMH or Li-Ion batteries, the risk of corrosion and leakage is GREATly reduced compared to alkaline batteries.

[DarthTrav23]

Nope... the XTAR charger actually will keep the batteries topped off (read the manual), and so will the charger that comes with the recharge port.  Neither lithium-ion batteries nor Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries benefit from being stored below room temperature. Also, if you are using either NiMH or Li-Ion batteries, the risk of corrosion and leakage is GREATly reduced compared to alkaline batteries.

Oh okay. Awesome. Thank you!