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Cree Lights = battery problem

Old 11-28-20, 01:58 PM
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CanadianBiker32
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Cree Lights = battery problem

What do you think I should do about this battery light.

I use Cree lights for fat biking at night. Which for their price, being 25 dollars a light. Work well and a very durable light.
However recently one of my batteries will not hold a charge. I charge it all day long. Then i only get about 10 mins of use of it at med setting before it going totally dark.
Found this out the hard way, being in the bush and all dark, lol
What can i do with this battery?

Is my only option get a new battery only? thanks
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Old 11-28-20, 07:46 PM
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The battery shouldn't need all day charging. Do you have other batteries that work OK?

Might be time for a new battery pack.
https://kaidomain.com/bike-lights-and.../battery-packs
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Old 11-28-20, 08:34 PM
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Pack is toast. Nothing to do for it that wouldn't cost more than the pack itself is worth.
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Old 11-28-20, 09:26 PM
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Originally Posted by CanadianBiker32
What do you think I should do about this battery light.

I use Cree lights for fat biking at night. Which for their price, being 25 dollars a light. Work well and a very durable light.
However recently one of my batteries will not hold a charge. I charge it all day long. Then i only get about 10 mins of use of it at med setting before it going totally dark.
Found this out the hard way, being in the bush and all dark, lol
What can i do with this battery?

Is my only option get a new battery only? thanks
First things first. Before giving advise need to get some clarification. As far as I know the company that produces the Cree LED's does not manufacture bike lights. Now there are companies that make bike lights and torches that use Cree emitters, probably thousands. You also mention having a problem with quote, "One of my batteries". I noticed you used the plural ( meaning more than one battery ) This opens up the possibility of more than one type a light, either a torch ( flashlight ) or a light designed for bike use that is perhaps using a multi-cell battery pack. If you are using a torch as a bike light that uses single cells we need to know that because torches have issues that are different than a dedicated bike light that uses a battery pack. Can you provide a photo of the light or give us a better description of just what you are using as a bike light, batteries and charger.
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Old 11-29-20, 03:20 AM
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Originally Posted by 01 CAt Man Do
First things first. Before giving advise need to get some clarification. As far as I know the company that produces the Cree LED's does not manufacture bike lights. Now there are companies that make bike lights and torches that use Cree emitters, probably thousands...
Indeed! Cree, Inc., manufactures LED emitters, among other things. Other companies manufacture bike lights that use Cree emitters. (The website "creebikelights dot com" is *not" operated by Cree, Inc.)

Sounds like the original poster is having problems with the battery of some bike light that uses Cree LED emitters. Battery issues are common, including because all rechargeable batteries eventually fail! Sometimes one can repkace the battery, & sometimes that's difficult or impossible - it depends on the particular light!
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Old 11-29-20, 04:25 AM
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Originally Posted by CanadianBiker32
What do you think I should do about this battery light.

I use Cree lights for fat biking at night. Which for their price, being 25 dollars a light. Work well and a very durable light.
However recently one of my batteries will not hold a charge. I charge it all day long. Then i only get about 10 mins of use of it at med setting before it going totally dark.
Found this out the hard way, being in the bush and all dark, lol
What can i do with this battery?

Is my only option get a new battery only? thanks
You have not given enough information.

You may have a faulty battery. If that is the case, you can replace the battery.

You may be using a high wattage light that drains the battery quickly. If that is the case, you can change to a lower wattage light, or use a large battery pack.

Try to give more information.

I use solar headlights. They are bright enough for normal riding in the dark. But if I was on a dangerous trail in the dark, I would go slower.

If you want to go at high speed on dangerous trails in the dark, you want a bright light, and a large battery pack.

Last edited by alo; 11-29-20 at 04:31 AM.
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Old 11-29-20, 11:51 AM
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yes the light type i am using is this

https://www.amazon.ca/3800lm-Outdoor...672147&sr=8-19 this is type of light i am using on my bike and similar charger
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Old 11-29-20, 11:52 AM
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the lights are awesome actually, been using a few years now and can right on a dark trail for over 2 hours even in -30c.
just wondering if u can suggest a more powerful battery pack, that could give me longer power?
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Old 11-29-20, 11:55 AM
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OP Try one of these:


$13.56 8.4V 4500mAh Rechargeable 6*18650 Battery Pack - IPX8 waterproof at FastTech - Free Shipping
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Old 11-29-20, 03:14 PM
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When you buy a preassembled battery pack, you have no idea what is inside it and if the rating is anything but wishful thinking. The smart thing to do is to buy a battery pack that you can install your own batteries in and then choose really high quality batteries. The best I have found are NCR/Panasonic 18650b (3,400 mAh) batteries that are honestly rated. It is one of about three brands that are most frequently suggested on a flashlight site I often view. I tested a pair of these in a two cell bike light versus some li-ion batteries with the same wishful thinking ratings. The light ran for 16 hours compared to 2.5 to 4 hours with the ".....fire" brand batteries and their fictional ratings.
The 4 cell holder is available on eBay for around $13 from a seller in the US and even cheaper from a Chinese source.




A couple of years ago I bought a 7 LED bike light similar to the one you are using. It was very bright, way over what I normally need, and the run time was so short that I bought a bigger battery similar to your idea. The problem became the size and weight of the larger battery pack. It was just unwieldy so I ended up sticking the light on the shelf and not using it again.
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Old 11-29-20, 04:06 PM
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Whatever battery pack you use, it needs to be the same voltage.

If it has more amp hours or watt hours, it should last longer before the batteries go flat.

Having batteries in series, results in a higher voltage.

Having batteries in parallel, results in more amp hours or watt hours.
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Old 11-29-20, 05:06 PM
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Originally Posted by CanadianBiker32
yes the light type i am using is this

https://www.amazon.ca/3800lm-Outdoor...672147&sr=8-19 this is type of light i am using on my bike and similar charger
Okay, this tells me that the lamp you have is using a multi-cell ( 2S/2P ) battery pack. When these first came out ( at least 4-5 years ago , I own one of these too ) we just called them Tri-clones. Seems you need a battery pack but it's also possible that the charger is malfunctioning and not charging the battery you have properly. Since you've probably owned this for some years, I figure it's probably the battery. The Kaidomain battery that was recommended ( post #2 ) is a good choice. If you choose the pack with 4 x Panasonic 18650 3400mAh cells you will will have a total of 6800mAh and this should be good enough for more than 3hrs on high. If you need more than that go with the 6 cell. Not sure what quality of cells you get with that Fasttech pack but it's cheaper than anything else I've seen. That said I'm very distrustful of super cheap cell packs because you usually get what you pay for.

You can also buy a decent quality battery pack from Hunk Lee ( FMA battery, a Chinese vendor ). He is an ebay vendor with good rep. Once again he has both 4 and 6 cell 18650 packs with quality brand name cells but he also also has the newer 4-cell packs using the new Samsung 21700 50E cells ( 5000mAh ea. ) a four cell ( 2S/2P ) would total 10000mAh and provide much longer run times. I own one of the newer two cells using the 21700's that he sells although I have yet to test it. Others ( on MTBreview ) have bought the 4 cell packs ( 21700's ) and I've heard of no complaints so far. Since you already own a battery bag you might chose to go with the FMA batteries. FMA does not provide battery bags, just the shrink wrapped packs. You have the option with FMA to contact the seller and request the length of wire you need and get any clarifications if you have questions. Any time I've ask Hunk a question I always got an answer within a couple days. That said keep in mind at this time of year people are buying stuff so the wait might be a little longer. My last order took a little more than two weeks. ( to east coast USA ). If you are ordering from Canada I have no idea what import tax, other fees or how long it may take to get your order..

Lastly I'll add Hunk Lee has other cells. If you ride in really cold weather you might choose cells that are designed for cold weather. They will have less capacity but should run better in cold weather. Not sure if they are available in 21700 but Pansonic has the 18650 NCR18650F, that is rated for sub zero temps ( rated @ 2900mAh ea. ) Don't know if Hunk has these so you would have to ask.

Last edited by 01 CAt Man Do; 11-29-20 at 09:28 PM.
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Old 12-05-20, 04:11 AM
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Originally Posted by alo
Whatever battery pack you use, it needs to be the same voltage.

If it has more amp hours or watt hours, it should last longer before the batteries go flat.

Having batteries in series, results in a higher voltage.

Having batteries in parallel, results in more amp hours or watt hours
.
People often get this confused so I thought I'd add some clarification; Example.... If you have two single cell batteries with the same Ah rating in parallel you will get a set watt hour rating and double the Ah rating. Now if you take the same two single cell batteries in series with the same Ah rating, the total Ah rating remains the same ( does not double ) but the voltage will be doubled. This fact in turn gives you the same watt hour rating as the two like cells in parallel. This is why calculating watt hours is the more accurate way to judge how much run time a battery or battery pack can provide, especially if you happen to know the possible power usage of the lamp you are using. This being said, the more cells you provide either in series or in parallel is going to raise the total watt hours of the battery pack you are using.
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Old 12-11-20, 10:11 AM
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Battery building , an essential skill in these troubled times
It is the domain of the ebikers and Endlessphere. They have good resources.
Great thread that emphases the need to first get the terminology straight.
My mother would call and say her email was down when her modem didn't work.
Cree is as specific a term as bike.
The 18650 packs are durable and give good service , but are a PITA to charge and monitor. not plug and play.
I have used them to replace the $175 Night rider proprietary packs but it takes a bit of study.
It is a neglected art, to market to newbies stuff that requires a graduated understanding and schooling in making complex systems that have not matured into play.
We need better manuals and support in a day when that is the first casualty
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