V mount battery is named after the v-shape mounting port that it attaches to the device and inbuilt with lithium-ion cells. It has large capacity and other different interfaces that you can charge more than one device at a time. So you can power cameras, monitors, microphones, LED lights and other photography and videography equipment. And today we are going to talk about how to take care of it and extend its lifespan.
Benefits of taking care of vmount battery
Whether for ourselves or environment, the life extension is always essential.
For one thing, a relatively high quality one has higher cost and capacity hence it may increase 5%-50% cost in all your equipment overall budget than typical portable battery. Financially, it is wise to take some measures to prolong batteries’ lives.
For another thing, although v-lock battery uses lithium-ion batteries which are the most eco-friendly solutions nowadays, we should still care about deteriorating environmental problems caused by waste dumping, mining pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and take more friendly actions.
Three factors that impact battery health
Mainly three factors have impacts on v mount batteries’ health and cycle life, and these aspects are variable at actual uses.
State of charge: V mount battery could be affected by charging state. It should be under proper state of charge, which avoids causing loss of performance, characteristics of function. Before using, it’s advised that you read product specifications carefully.
Current: With other variables being same, over charge current and discharge current speed up working and consume more of capacity, but there is the risk of damaging the cell. In general, charge or discharge current should be at less than maximum.
Temperature: Charging and discharging battery under various temperatures influence relative capacity. For example, when setting charge temperature at 25℃ and the same current and voltage, the relative capacity are separately 40%, 97% and 97% at the discharging temperature of -10℃, 25℃, 40℃.
How to extend battery life?
Since battery life extension is significant and three factors influence it, how can we manage to it? Here are three tips for you to follow.
Avoid Complete Discharge
Cycle life of V mount battery is often described in the product specification, which means the cycles have relative limits. One cycle life means to discharge from 100% to 0%. Thus, if you discharge it entirely every time, the cycle life will reduce quickly. Draining it completely and the battery will go into sleep mode. Wakening it not only takes time but also harms its performance. Due to lithium batteries without “memory”, keeping small amounts of discharges and getting some charges between uses could increase useful life. It should be noticed that over-discharging may occur by self-discharge if the battery is left for a very long time without any use.
Store Properly
When you are planning to store a battery v mount or other types, you need to consider the level of charge, temperature and humidity. As mentioned above, long-term storage may cause loss of capacity by self-discharging. The cell should be used within a short period after charging. You could know about the charge through the gauge indicator.
Too high or too low temperature may cause loss of V mount battery characteristics, leakage and/or rust. Although you may not control the storage temperature in an ideal way, 50°F (10°C) would be the relatively proper and safe for lithium batteries. Therefore, it should not be stored near vehicles, working electric appliances, fire or a heated source.
Batteries should not be soaked or wet in the water because the components may melt to damage to functions. It’s difficult to define the precise humidity but around 50% is preferred, which is determined by area climate specifically. Low humidity is a better choice.
Generally speaking, it is suitable for a battery to be fully charged for short-term storage. While for long term, you should keep it with a charge of not less than 20% under dry and cool condition. For more scientific management, it’s necessary to check the charge in storage regularly and use a standard battery charger to recharge.
Transport carefully
Proper packaging and partial battery charge is beneficial for safe transporting. Using a box and shock-absorption bubble wrap to pack it up especially for a small v mount battery prevent damage from accidental drop and vibration. It’s required that 70% of the capacity should be discharged to ensure safety.
Click here to check for more caring ways of V mount battery: Tips to choose the right camera lithium battery and take care of it
Conclusion
Compared to other batteries, V mount battery has higher capacity and wider compatibility hence it may cost a little more of your purchase budget if you are looking for the best one. Refer to the above tips to maintain it and increase battery life, which is more cost-friendly than repair or replacement.
