How to Make Your Battery Last Longer
SIMPLE TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR BATTERY LAST LONGER
The learning you will do here is not a formal education by any means. There are no classrooms, no professors, and no exams. Rather, it is a learning environment where I think out loud about what I know and share my experiences of what has worked well for me and my colleges in the past 10 years. Regardless of who you got your loupes or lights from, I believe the time you invest here will help you get the most out of your loupe and light. With that said, let’s get started…
Dr. Ray Nguyen
Snap On Optics Manager
Introduction:
Clinicians often ask me how to make loupe light batteries last longer. It’s understandable since you’ve invested a lot of money in your loupes and light. In the old-days rechargeable batteries came in the form of nickel metal hydride cells. Now-a-days nearly every rechargeable device has lithium ion batteries. Lithium ion batteries are fairly maintenance free so you can recharge anytime without waiting for the batteries to run low. This does not harm your battery. In fact, it is best not to allow lithium ion batteries to run dead because they may not recharge if the voltage falls too low. If this happens to you, just call. We will help you get a new battery or trade in your old loupe light for a new one.
Recharge Often:
The more often you recharge your batteries, the longer they last. Battery chemistry changes dramatically between charged state and discharged state. Each time you recharge a lithium ion battery from a depleted state, it loses a little bit of its ability to hold a charge. Because of this, it is best to recharge these batteries before they go dead. If you chose a Snap On Optics Light, you got two batteries with your kit. I recommend using the first battery between morning and noon. Place it on the charge when you go to lunch. Use the second battery when you return from lunch the rest of the afternoon.
Cleaning Lint Out of Ports:
In the clinic, you keep your battery pack under your white coat or scrubs. Lint and dead skin cells build up in the plug-in ports of your battery packs. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve found inside old battery packs. Once a week just use your 3-way air and water syringe to spray air in the charging and output ports. It works better if you do this once a week because it keeps debris from building up and becoming compacted.
Expected Battery Life:
Most loupe light batteries last about 1-3 years. Some Snap On Optics customers have made their batteries last as long as 4 years. Eventually, batteries do lose their ability to hold charge. This is normal. It happens to lap-top batteries, cell-phone batteries and loupe light batteries. Because your loupe light batteries will inevitably have to be replaced at some point in your career, we charge very little to replace batteries if you have a Snap On Optics product. I feel it’s the right thing to do.
How Do I Know When to Replace My Battery?
Usually your loupe light battery will serve you well for 1-3 years. I know it’s a wide range. A good time to replace your battery is when it doesn’t hold a charge like it did when you first got your light. Please don’t wait until the battery holds so little charge that it becomes un-usable especially if you only have one battery. Once you notice run-time starting to decline, it will continue to decline rapidly. Your battery will become un-usable with-in a week. Please replace your battery immediately when you notice the battery only runs ½ as long as it did when it was new. If you have a Snap On Optics Product you are protected because you have got two batteries with your kit. When you order and receive your new battery it‘s always a good idea to take your old battery to the recycle center at Lowe or Home Depot to have it recycles. In addition to protecting the environment, you are also protecting your loupe light. Running your loupe light with a weak battery could damage your light over time. I always recommend keeping old batteries and new batteries separate.