I noticed last night that there are some of the old Pannova style boxes on Ebay again. Prices are a little higher. Wonder if they really have stock. My last ebay order of one never showed up (though I had a tracking number).
Oh, and I finally ordered some of those DC extension cables.
-Garry
Better double chkeck it. I've checked it only once and got new version I didn't want. I doubt there are any old one left.
Right, that's why I'm doubtful about it. Perhaps it's a "clone". I got my 330ohm resistors in for the protection fix/mod (posted in the mtbr thread). I'm still debating whether or not to disable the USB. It's okay to leave the USB in place if you remove the cells after each use, right? (I have two of the original version cases where the button does not activate the USB output.)
-Garry
Garry, depends on use frequency and capacity of cells you have. I've calculated you are OK if you leave fully charged 2600mAh cells for a month (8.5mA drain). So it's up to you to decide wether to leave the cells in or not. Shurely it is no good to leave it almost empty after the tour. Just keep control of the voltage.
Thank you for your reply!
I did not understand what you meant when you said “take 2 at least”. Why should I take 2 or more?
They're good to have on hand (can cut to replace wiring on lights too), cheap, and the shipping takes so long (so next time you won't have to wait).
-Garry
So are the new ones fixed for parasitic drain? I have had batteries in mine for 3 weeks and the meter on top still shows full. I guess I should take the batteries out and test with a DMM.
Does your USB work with the button "off" (voltage LEDs off)? Or does it work regardless? Even with it off I believe there is still drain, just less (right ledoman?).
-Garry
The USB port only works when the power button is on.
msg1285, you have second version which has little less parasitic drain, but it still there. It is about 3mA versus 8.5mA in the first version.
So with 5600mah of batteries it would take about 80 days to drain…. I think.
Sounds like I have a little experiment to conduct.
Which 5600mAh batteries? You probably mean 2800 cells. If so, which ones?
Its 2s2p so that was how I came up with 5600mah. I guess really it would be 5200 since I have 2600 Sanyo ’s in it. I have some 3200 Panasonic I could use, but I didn’t think it would matter which cells I put in it.
On a side note, are you implying my 7000mah UltraFire batteries aren’t really 7000 :).
Well, I was suspicious on 5600, because 2800 cells (Sanyo, LG, Samsung) are all 4.35V ones. With 4.2V charge you get less capacity and the calculation would be more like 70 days ie. about the same as with Sanyo 2600.
On the other hand your UltraFires must be much better than any others 
Can anyone advise where to buy the ‘V2’ of the BC-2? That is, the one with the smaller parasitic drain.
Gearbest or Kaidoamin should have last variant by now. I've got the feeling the first batch wasn't too big and now there is second release out there. Of course just like with chinese flashlights you never know for 100% shure.
Thanks a lot. Yep, agree, you never know…
I just received the one from GearBest. It is the new version.
The switch only functions on the USB output. The power plug is always ~8.4V regardless of the switch. I wouldn’t charge it directly, but for a bike light, it is a nice alternative to the prebuilt packs.
And DX has a red one!!! http://www.dx.com/p/upgraded-4-x-18650-dc-usb-dual-interfaces-protected-battery-case-red-396777#.Vcbz4bXbJD8
And blue one to: http://www.dx.com/p/upgraded-18650-dc-usb-double-connect-battery-case-dark-blue-396773
Just to leave my comment about this battery box…
I’ve been using it for months as a power bank only and I’m surprised by the quality of it. Efficient and easy to use, I wish there was a power bank only version without the bike DC cable, and charges with a micro USB instead. I’m currently charging it with a hobby charger.