Batteries

Light & Motion uses only NiMH (Nickel Metal-Hydride) and Li-ion (Lithium-ion) in our rechargeable light systems. While there are other options (Lead-Acid and Ni-Cad to name a few), studies have shown that Li-ion and NiMH are the least toxic and most environmentally friendly. NiMH and Li-ion are particularly advantageous for lighting applications because battery output can be maintained consistently during use, unlike standard alkanline batteries whose performance falls off dramatically when discharged beyond 50% of capacity.

All rechargeable batteries should be recycled at the end of their service life. They should also never be incinerated due to a high risk of fire and/or explosion. To keep batteries out of our landfills, you may return your Light & Motion batteries to us for recycling at the end of their service life. Please use the contact [link to contact page] form for instructions on how to return your old or unwanted rechargeable batteries.

NiMH

NiMH (Nickel Metal-Hydride) batteries enjoy an advantage of being highly cost effective. Their ability to recharge hundreds of times can save a lot of money and natural resources. Our Multi-Chemistry Smart Charger controls NiMH charging by measuring the change in temperature over the change in time (dT/dt). This is sometimes referred to as the Delta-Temperature method. Since the charging voltage is nearly constant when the battery is charging from a depleted state, most of this power will be converted to chemical energy. However, when the battery is fully charged, most of the charging power will then be converted to heat. This results in an increase in the rate of change of temperature, which can be detected by an electronic sensor on the battery. This signal is monitored by the battery charger, which then stops the charging current. The dT/dt or Delta-Temperature charging method is recommended by most NiMH battery manufacturers.

Li-ion

Li-ion batteries are lighter than equivalent NiMH batteries—often much lighter. They also have a much higher energy density than similarly sized NiMH cells. However, Li-ion batteries are more expensive due to the Lithium compounds that are used in their construction and they must be designed with an electronic circuit to carefully monitor charging. The service life of a Li-ion cell is shorter than that of NiMH, and will provide approximately half the number of charge cycles as a NiMH battery (typically 500 charge cycles for Li-ion vs. 1000 for NiMH). Our Multi-Chemistry Smart Charger and dedicated Lithium Ion Smart Chargers control Li-ion charging with a protocol known as constant-current, constant voltage. The charger supplies a constant amount of current until the battery is charged to about 80% of capacity, and then changes to supply a constant voltage for the last 20% of capacity as the current decreses. This is the charging method required for proper, safe charging of Lithium Ion batteries.