Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are the lights waterproof?
The lights are not waterproof, please treat them in the same way you would treat a camera or mobile phone.
2. What are the advantages of nickel metal hydride rechargable batteries?
Nickel metal hydride rechargable batteries have these five advantages when compared with other batteries:
- They are made of non toxic metals, iron and nickel whereas nickel cadmium batteries contain cadmium a toxic metal.
- They have an average of 1000 recharges (within a range of 600 - 1400), the more you use the battery the longer the life, whereas nickel cadmium batteries have a much shorter life.
- They retain their charge - when fully charged they will retain 75% of their charge if left unused for one year.
- They have a wide range of operating temperatures -35°C to 60°C but will be damaged outside this temperature range.
- Lithium Batteries are very expensive and can overheat.
3. How can I optimise battery life?
You can optimise the battery life by keeping the batteries charged: ‘ training the batteries’. Do not let the batteries run all the way down as this will cause a chemical change in the battery which reduces the effectiveness ‘stresses the batteries’. You cannot overcharge the batteries – see Wikipedia
4. Can you replace the batteries?
Yes, you can replace the batteries on the Ultimate Base and Jumbo Flex Tube Light by unscrewing the base of the unit.
5. How long do the solar panels last?
The solar panels are mono crystalline photo voltaic panels. They have been used on roofs in the US since the 1970s and generally carry a 20 -25 year guarantee when installed on roofs.
6. How long do the LED’s last?
100,000 hours (11.2 years) of use for the small LEDs, 50,000 hours (5.6 years) of use for the LED in the 1W Spotlight Head and 20,000 hours (2.2 years) of use for the LED in the 3W Spotlight Head.
7. How does the phone charger work most effectively?
For the phone charger to work, the batteries in the base unit need to be fully charged. There are two options for the phone charger: With the base unit fully charged in full sun light the charger will charge your phone in about 6-8 hours. Attaching your phone to a fully charged base unit without sun will give you 15 – 20 minutes charge – enough for one or two short calls. Do note that the base unit must be fully charged and the phone should have some charge left in it ie your phone should not be completely run down.
8. How does the phone charger cope with the different voltages required by different phones?
There is a transformer in the mobile phone charger which steps up the voltage to 5V. Most phone have a regulator which handles a variation in the voltage provided by the charging unit. Most phone require a voltage in the range of 3 - 4V. A few phones, including the iPhone and some models of LG phones, require 5.6 V - the current model of the charger will not work with these phones.
9. What are the uses of the green and red filters now provided with the Adventure torch and the Jumbo Flex Tube light?
The green filter is animal friendly. Animals will not react to a green light. For example - if you are out fishing or looking for animals at night the green filter will not frighten the fish or animal.
The red filter is to aid with night vision. The red filter allows you to read a map or instructions without blinding yourself with a bright white light. For example - red filters are used by the military and by sailors for reading maps and charts at night.
