Hey lads so i tried my MT03 today and all the batteries where gone.
Sony VTC5 wasted i don’t really use the light so it drained the cells in standby some how. kinda angry now seeing as these are fairly new cells. I can probably save 3 but 1.1 volts is tad low.
Has any one else had this issue?
The voltages are as follows
1.1 volts was the lowest voltage.
1.8volts
2.2 volts
3.5 volts.
I can see the problem i think maybe one cell was not making proper contact and cause the rest of the cells to get drained more?
Wow, those differences between the cells are the most disturbing of all…
Were they not matched, or did you use some more often than others, or is your charger bad?
One of them is still good, apparently (3,5 Volts).
But i guess parasitic drain is at play here.
This is why it’s quite silly the switch lights up when the light is ON, not when OFF to remind you you should lock out by screwing the head half a turn from the battery tube.
Yes, this happened to me almost exactly with my VTC5s in a MT03 recently. After a week or so off and in standby, I go to turn the light on and nothing…. Measured voltages and all 4 were close around 0.65 volts!!
I know this is a scary deep discharge and bad chemistry goes on in cells discharged this low. I could not even attempt to recharge them initially as all of my chargers assumed the cells were NiMH. They have now, as I just checked after banishing them a week ago, recovered to around 2.2 volts. I just tried one and my Li-500 is now accepting the cell as a nominal 4.2v cell. Even if they do accept a charge, I expect the capacity to be shot. I don’t think I can trust the cells and I certainly don’t trust the MT03 any more unless I empty it of cells when not in use. Not sure I have the patience for that sort of nonsense!
Yes, anyone with this light should be very careful!
That reminds me, you may have seen my topic about modding the MT03, and the first thing i did was the mandatory bypassing of the springs with 18AWG silicone wire.
But it had some bits of glue on the + battery contacts which could cause some contact problems, although i didn’t notice anything wrong with the batteries.
It’s probably the glue they used for the reverse polarity protection rings.
You might want to check that out.
Yea my one is modded so the batteries fit proper. The standby current must be really bad! Honestly i have not used it since my review i have no need for so much light but i wanted a laugh so i thought id start it up that was an expensive laugh lol
I am honestly surprised the batteries have not been in here very long at all.
I always cycle my batteries but i dont worry about them for a few months at a time.
That problem there can only be caused in the battery tube or you may have used mismatched cells.
I use a set of four new VTC5 in mine (well, when it was still working ) which i will only use together in the MT03.
I just had a look and they’re all 3.61 Volts
Sorry, was away for a bit. My MT03 is one that Haikelite sent me new 2S2P plates and driver to replace my 4S about a month ago. I resoldered these in and I am not at all sure whether it is now V1 or V2 and I am not taking it apart again! Nor do I want to put cells back it it as I don’t trust mine anymore.
I’m really baffled now. Since all of my meters gave conflicting numbers, I tried a clamp. It reported ~22 mA with all the batteries connected. So a week should be enough to drain 3500 mAh batteries.
