Halcyon Focus 2.0 (battery pack) care tips

[OrenH]

Hi,

I'm about to get my Halcyon Focus 2.0 in a few days and I went through the manual. I couldn't find any reference on care & maintenance for the battery pack.
I was looking for answers for the following questions, so if someone can help it would much appreciated

1. How do you store it after a dive? Do you charge it full and store it till the next one or leave it as is and only charge a night before the next dive? I know Li-ion batteries don't like being left at max charge.
2. How can I tell how much charge is left? I know that storing Li-ions for a long time should be on 50%-60% charge, but how can I tell how much voltage does the battery pack have?
3. Do I need to do a full cycle of the battery every once in a while?

Thanks!

 

[fmerkel]

I'm guessing you have no way to easily measure the voltage. In that case you kind of need to keep track of your intensity setting and use time to get a rough idea of percent remaining. That's about your only option for figuring that out.

Mostly, try to keep it below 80% for storage, and don't drag it down below 20% for max life. Do not charge it fully and then store unless you like paying for battery packs.
I'd say for the most part, use it, and put it away after rinsing as is unless you've used it hard and suspect it's pretty low. Then I'd charge it for awhile but not to full capacity. Middle range voltage is OK unless it is going to sit for months, then try to hit 50-60%. You can get the charge specs off the charger and do the math.

Cycling the battery is not desirable unless you do an .....occasional....run time test. It will not improve. It just uses up a cycle.

 

[OrenH]

Thanks for the tips! I guess I will have to "waste" a charge cycle if I used it hard and want to charge it half way for storage, but I hope it won't happen often.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Good questions, as I too immediately noticed how little information is in the manual. Since I don't recall reading any complaints from people that their battery isn't lasting as long as they expected, I concluded that I should be fine if I simply used it in a typical manner, charging it before each use, and storing it so long as it still had some charge in it after the dive. It has a longer burn time than any dive I would do, though I suppose the burn time will decrease with age. If it were a problem, for that price Halcyon could easily have made a "smarter" charger that gave you more information. Then again, maybe they figure their customers are so well heeled that they won't balk at replacing the battery sooner than they might otherwise have had to.

 

[wKkaY]

While we're on this topic, does anyone's Focus battery smell like uhmmm bad seafood? I bought mine used and the guy said it had that smell since the day he bought it. Reckons it's the lube they use.

 

[Lorenzoid]

While we're on this topic, does anyone's Focus battery smell like uhmmm bad seafood? I bought mine used and the guy said it had that smell since the day he bought it. Reckons it's the lube they use.

No, but I had a Light Monkey battery canister that smelled exactly as you describe.

 

[seeker242]

Leave it as is and only charge a night before the next dive. No reliable way to know how much charge is left. Although, you could probably figure that out with a multi meter if you are electronically inclined. Lithium batteries do not need to be cycled for maintenance. Mine does have a peculiar smell when removing the battery.

 

[OrenH]

Thanks guys, I guess I'll leave it till the next dive before charging.
I also think I'll do a burn test to find out the lowest voltage allowed so I'll have the ranges sorted out.

 

[fmerkel]

Thanks guys, I guess I'll leave it till the next dive before charging.
I also think I'll do a burn test to find out the lowest voltage allowed so I'll have the ranges sorted out.

Looked at the manual. Pretty lacking IMO. It does have a cut-off_apparently:
[Operational Limits
When the battery capacity runs low your Halcyon Flare ™ /Focus ™ lights will automatically switch to low light output
to insure additional operational time. This switch occurs around 9.8 volts. The lights will automatically shut off
when they reach 9 volts. The Halcyon Flare ™ /Focus ™ lights also maintain a protection against overheating and will
shut down when internal temperatures exceed operationally safe parameters.]

It also looks like you can (need to?), take the pack out for charging? If so you should be able to measure it with a voltmeter. Since it's Li-on the high/full voltage ought to be ~12.6v, and the bottom low voltage 9.0v. Middle pack would be ~ 11.3v. Keeping it above 11.0v and below 12.0v for short term storage should be fine.

 

[OrenH]

I just noticed that too yesterday when I re-read the manual, I was aiming for above 11.5v which will allow short/long storage but I guess for short above 11v is also fine.
Thanks!