Approximate Battery Life

[SigmaSaberSmith]

Hello all,


Just finished my first build (I will post pics... eventually. XD), and I have 3 questions.


1)

I was just wondering if anyone could give me a SUPER-rough "best case" battery life/run time estimate on a saber that sports:

TCSS 7.4v Li-ion 800mAh 14500 Battery Pack
Tri-Cree RGRb LED
PC v3.0 Board w/ PEx

vs.

TCSS 7.4v Li-ion 2600mAh 18650 Battery Pack
Tri-Cree RGRb LED
PC v3.0 Board w/PEx

We talking 20 mins? 40 mins? 60 mins? Again, just a rough ball park on what a maximum continuous "blade on" run time would be to give me a frame of reference.


2)

My wiring worked right the first time (which I am sure this was ONLY possible due to my having watched EVERY Genesis Custom Saber video ever made AND having scouring these Forums), but could "faulty" wiring reduce run time? Or is it always a "clear-cut" case of either:

A) it works

or

B) it shorts/is wired wrong and doesn't work at all

?


3)

What is the approximate charge time for those same batteries on a TCSS Battery Charger?


Thanks so much in Advance,

Sigma

[sgcdialler]

Alright, background/first-hand experience first. Your "best case" scenario is going to involve using as little power as possible. From the tests that I've run with two of my sabers (both running PC3.5 and RGrB crees, with 1050mAh 14650 and 1400mAh 18500 packs), normal operating conditions get about 25 and 33 minutes of runtime, respectively. For me, that's a mixed-color blade (1000mA, 450mA, 25mA on the RGrB channels). A single-color blade (say, red), which would only draw 1A of power would get you a longer runtime than that.

If I were using the packs that you listed for the color configuration I described, I would give the following *really rough* runtime estimates:
800mAh 14500 pack: 15-18 minutes
2600mAh 18650 pack: 50+ minutes

As long as your wiring is visually clean and everything works the way it should, that's as good as you can expect. Without the Force we can't make any of the parts work better together than they already do!

Each of mine take over an hour to charge (charger outputs 500mA).

Bearing all of this in mind, unless you're designing a saber around its power source, you will almost certainly find yourself needing to compromise battery life for physical space.

[SigmaSaberSmith]

Awesome.

Thank you for that, it was exactly what I was looking for.

I am glad I designed my next saber around the larger battery.

In the mean time, I will keep my fingers crossed for the whole "The Force Becoming Real" part, and I will simply say Thank You again. LOL

Sigma

[FenixFire]

Bearing all of this in mind, unless you're designing a saber around its power source, you will almost certainly find yourself needing to compromise battery life for physical space.

As is the case with all battery powered products. The batteries are usually the determining factor for size, and in most cases the single most expensive component. Even in most cell phones.