Davis Vantage Pro2 ISS Battery Life

Davis, claims it will last 3 years, but really I would change it every year… pick a season…
I usually change mine twice a year… but then I have a real good deal on CR123’s from the Battery Station and I buy in bulk. I have all those 6 extra sensors running and of those, they do use the battery more.

Niko is right… do it annually. One of the things anyone needs to plan ahead is where are you putting the ISS and is it easy to get to to do the replacing and hence… pick the season so if you have mounted it on a roof, is the weather such you can go up and come down gracefully.

hello…

thanks for the links…does anyone know what the original battery that ships with the vantage pro2 “mah” rating is?

and what brand that battery is?

…chris

I think most of the ones I have gotten from Davis have been Panasonic. They are non-rechargeable lithium batteries so I don’t understand the mah question.

Panasonic CR123a, 1550 mah, 3.0V Lithium.

will this one work…

http://www.batteryjunction.com/1pcencr3voph.html

rated for use in temperatures of -40 F to 140 F

…CHRIS

That’s it.

Thanks Niko…

I just ordered 2…total price was $3.00…The shipping is cheaper if you choose USPS First class, instead of leaving it at the default choice of “Ground”. at least for my location it was…only $3.95 for shipping.

total was $6.95 for 2 batteries w/shiiping.

one is for the davis ISS and the other for the davis Anenometer transmitter ISS.

…Chris

It’s a good price, a lot cheaper than Safeway that’s for sure :lol: I also ordered 2 since mine are due for replacement. Be interesting to see what datecodes we get, although they have a very long shelf life so it’s unlikely to be an issue.

Hello niko…

Mine should be arriving in a few days now…perhaps even tommorrow. Ill let youknow what date code I get on them. When yours arrive, let me know what yours are.

after I purchased mine…the panasonic ones…I then found the Duracell “Ultra” one here…

http://www.batteryjunction.com/duraacell-cr123a.html

even though they are $1.70 each…Duracell is usually a good choice of Brand, either that or I have been brained washed into thinking Duracell is the best…lol

either way I dont think we can go too wrong at these prices. I may make it a routine to change mine every year in the Fall…

(I really dont know why either they show/have a MAH rating, since these batteries are not rechargeable.The solar panel on the ISS Doesnt charge these batteries, It charges a Capacitor in the the ISS Unit itself. The batteries are then used IF the capacitor runs out of juice. at least thats what I was reading on another website about all of this and how it works.)

…Chris

Hi Niko…

I received the batteries today. They were basically wrapped in bubble wrap and shipped in a bubble envelope with a receipt. Could not located any “datecodes” on the batteries themself’s.

…chris

This is a panasonic, the code is subtle but it’s there on this one:

Hi niko…

WOW…You were right…it is there. I needed a flashlight and Magnifying glass to see it, but found it on both batteries.

They both have the datecode of 6-2019.

Thanks…Chris

That’s good :smiley: Mine are on the way…

Thank you all for posting about the battery!

I have the classic Davis leaking capacitor going on, and didn’t realize it until I chewed up 2 batteries in the past month.
For the last battery I got before finding out about the capacitor issue, I just grabbed one quickly at a hardware store, and paid $11.50!!!

I just placed my order for 2 of the 123’s we need, and also stocked up on AA’s and 9V’s while I was there.

So, to replace my ISS SIM, plus 1 expensive battery, I am up to $83.50…

Anyway, thanks for sharing the battery site!

Got mine today, they are 03-2019’s which is good. I’l install my spare (a 2015) and one of these new ones, and have a good fresh spare. Good deal, thanks for the tip :smiley:

P.S. I discovered there are rechargeables made in this size, but of course that’s not what the ISS needs.

i have been using rechargable cr123’s for around 9 months now.
I will never last as long as the normal batteries, but they work ok.
I haev always got one spare so as soon as i get the “station 1 low battery” message up, the spare is charged and later that day, i swap them over.

I do however have a leaking “supercap” in my ISS, and soil station. Remote anemometer is fine at the moment.
I am hoping using rechargeables hasn’t caused the leaks :frowning:

What voltage are those rechargeables? I see both 3.0 volt (same as the regular battery) and 3.6 volt available, the supercap might not like the 3.6 volt ones.

Checked this morning, the ISS had 3.7v rechargable battery and the anemomenter had a lithum 3.0v.
All my rechargable batteries are eitehr 3.6 or 3.7v, which is good for my torches, but not the stations.

Will keep them away in the future JUST in case

Is is possible that is why the Supercap is leaking. They are rated at 2.7 volt, you are a full volt over that. I have look for higher voltage but they do not come in that size. Most are either 2.7 or 5.0 volts

Hello…

The Davis Vantage Pro2 requires a 3.0 volt Lithium Battery (Non Rechargeable).

The difference between Lithium and Lithium Ion is that the Lithium is NON Rechargeable,…and the Lithium Ion is rechargeable.

The solar panel on the Davis Unit ISS charges the Capacitor, not the battery…once the capacitor is out of juice…the battery is there for backup power. on most days the solar panel can charge the capacitor enough to make it through the entire night time hours, this is why the battery also last so long.

most likely, and I am guessing here…during the winter time when we get down to around 9 hours of daylight around X-mas time, is when the capacitor comes close to getting a good enough charge during the daytime to make it through the entire night.

I dont think it is a wise idea to place a 3.7 volt or any other volt… than the recommended 3.0 volt that the Davis ISS Requires.

…Chris