Battery removal vs recharger/killswitch

[Crystal Chambers]

The US 2.5 suggests not to leave batteries in for long periods of time. How long is that?..lol..seriously. I'll probably have it on for at least a few minutes everyday at first.

I can't imagine taking batteries in and out daily. This made me think I'd need a power switch to cut power along side my blade switch. I know the ideal solution is a recharge port and I'm planning on upgrading, but I was curious in the mean time. Don't wanna fry my board before I upgrade it.

[psab keel]

For my own sabers I always design a removable battery pack so that I can remove the batteries and recharge them without having to worry about tangling all sorts of wires. With my new series of sabers I'll also be adding power cut off switches for the ones with electronics that draw some power even when in sleep mode or off. I would never feel comfortable doing any in hilt recharge for fear of the batteries leaking. But again, those are my own personal preferences.

[Kal El Rah]

If your using rechargeable batts. then by all means wire in the rechargeport/killswitch setup sold in the store.

rechargeport/killswitch ;http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/21...-Jack-P37.aspx

killplug key ;http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Po...plug-P242.aspx

wire hookup diagram; http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...ead.php?t=2235

[FenderBender]

I hardly EVER not put a recharge kit in a saber anymore. It doesn't take that much more effort for a HUGE amount of gain.

[Crystal Chambers]

The recharge port doesn't seem too hard, mostly an added expense that I'll upgrade to later. In the mean time I have a grip sleeve that will slide off when you unscrew the pommel (with threaded port hole) to reveal a window under it with the battery pack/sound card accessible. I don't mind making the window in the mean time because my hilt is a bit heavy anyways.

Thanks for the feedback and links....handy. I've done some research on port installs but of course would have to look at it again when ready to go ahead.

The big question for me at the moment is how long is too long to leave batteries in without a kill switch/recharge if you run it for a few minutes everyday?

[Novastar]

It's a question of estimated battery capacity and board draw (when idle).

If, for example, a board draws 10mA while in "idle mode", and you have a cell pack that is estimated/rated for 1000mAh... it's a simple math equation (division!) that will give you an idea of how long the saber could be left in before the cells are almost totally drained.

In the case of Li-Ion cells--since using a PCB is basically mandatory--the cells should NEVER end up draining fully. It would be quite difficult to GET Li-Ion cells to over-drain... even IF they sat there, attached to a device employing a load of any type on them.

Also--there is little to no risk of battery leakage by adding a recharge port into your saber. There is no evidence that this would be relevant. Besides, I've been doing it since late 2005... and... no problems.

This is NOT to say that installing batteries haphazardly and foolishly won't create problems. Leakage tends to occur because the cell bodies get compromised (scratches? Screws are twisted INTO cells??) or the cells are simply being abused (forced over-draw, such as drawing 5A or more on certain cells and this sort of thing... or even "quick charged" by shoving 1500mA at them for charge rate).

[Obi-Ben]

I am using a custom NiMH rechargeable battery pack in my hilt. I didn't design it to be removeable, so it charges using the recharge port. I can't report any problems so far, but I am very weary of recharging it delicately on my RC battery charger because I'm not sure what charge rate I should be using.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

I also have been adding recharge ports to most of my sabers lately. It gives you more flexibility designing a saber when you don't have to plan for having to removing batteries.

[Crystal Chambers]

Thanks everyone!

So Novastar....that would mean 100 hours idle. Then I figure out the power draw with blade active, subtract time of use and be sure to change or recharge before near empty. Having a PLI would be helpfull...and/or a recharge port.

If that's correct I need to see what my 4AAs are rated, drain from US 2.5 with a blue P4 idle and active, and do the math.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Sounds like you've got a handle on it. Using that example, you've got a maximum of four days before your batteries are drained. If you're using Li-Ions, you probably have less, since they'll shut off when they hit the low voltage threshold. Keeping in mind that your LED will get noticeably dim when it hits it's minimum forward voltage, even a 25% drain will seriously eat into your run time.

It would be worth the trouble to put in the charge port, or at the very least, put a quick disconnect on your battery pack and unhook it when the saber is idle.

In the mean time I have a grip sleeve that will slide off when you unscrew the pommel (with threaded port hole) to reveal a window under it with the battery pack/sound card accessible.

I'd like to see that when it's ready to show off. I've done that style of slide off grip on three sabers, and I love it. It makes it so much easier to get at the internals.