Davis Vantage Pro2 ISS Battery Life

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

It’s the same thing in the end but I think the ISS always runs off the supercap, and the battery charges it when the solar panel doesn’t.

I got the low battery message today, that 03-2019 battery was down to 2.832 volts, so that’s only 6 months since it was installed. This VP2 ISS doesn’t get much sun but even so I don’t recall ever losing a battery that quickly before :frowning:

Like Chris, I haven

The one for the wireless transmitter for the anemometer takes just one Tony.

Chuck

Just changed a leaking super cap from a soil/temp. transmitter, after “eating” two batteries. Both batteries lasted for about 2 months each, I first suspected the solar panel since it lost the glossy look after 2 years of operation, but on a closer look I found the cap. I should have ordered more than one when I did but?.. sure a 3.6 V rechargeable puts a strain on the cap since the circuit is designed for 3.0V .
Peter

p.s. this is a leaking super cap


cap8.JPG

Uh oh, bad news, BatteryJunction has burned, no more cheap CR123’s :frowning:

I ordered some from them on the 5th of March and had no problem. So everything seems to be ok.

Steve

Interesting, I tried yesterday, and again after seeing your post, and get this notice:

[color=red]Dear Customer,

At 3:30 AM on 2/17 there was a fire in our building that has forced us to temporarily suspend operations. As a result we are not accepting new orders at this time. We value your business and are working diligently to restore full service as quickly as possible. We do not yet have an estimate as to when we will be able to ship orders but we will be posting updates regularly to this space.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,
BatteryJunction.com [/color]