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proeddie

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I just recieved my ARC and it is nice. My only issue with the light right now is that the battery. I charged my battery for 5 hours before my night ride, and it lasted for about 1 1/2 hours before it went from hi to low mode. I know in the manual it states that the battery will not reach full capacity until 5-10 charging cycles, but is 1 1/2 hours normal for the first charge.

Can any Arc owner please chime in on this. Ive only had the lights a couple days so returning wouldnt be a problem at this time. But if this is normal for a new battery, then I can wait it out.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
#2 ·
Don't know what's normal ...

... but for sure they need a few charging cycles to reach full charging capacity. Just be patient - it's a great light, and the runtime, considering how small the battery is, is amazing.

Just make sure to have a fan handy if you decide to cycle a few charges without riding - those lights get HOT if there's no air circulating around them.
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Well, Ive just charged it up and ran it from full charge to blinking light and it took 1 1/2 hours. So that is 2 charges already, hopefully it will get better. I trying to get thru the first 5 cycles quick so that I can determine if I have a faulty battery, so that I can exchange it.

Can anyone else with the arc let me know if these are the type of runtimes I should expect for the first cycles. Thanks
 
#4 ·
My first guess is that the battery is not right. I have a two year old HID which had the old bottle battery so recently I bought one of the new batteries to use in my back pack. I never timed the new battery but I"m sure I rode more than 1 1/2 hours on my first few rides. To be sure it's not normal I would phone L&M and talk to them. They proved to be very helpfull when I called to ask what battery I needed to order.

Ronnie.
 
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Discussion starter · #6 ·
I have contacted LM and they said to go thru the 10 cycles and let them know what the burntime was after that. I have cycled it 4 times already and only get about 1 1/2, so Im planing on returning it for a new one and see what the new one does. Thanks for the responses...
 
#7 ·
High to Low Mode?

I just bought the Li-ion ARC system. Got a good deal on eBay ($249). Two clicks to power on... Click once to switch from 13w to 11w mode... When I click it again it doesn't go back to 13w mode. I have to power off then turn on again. Anyone else have this problem? :confused:
 
#8 ·
cycljunkie said:
I just bought the Li-ion ARC system. Got a good deal on eBay ($249).
Click to expand...
That's awesome.. I've recently been wanting a light kit (the one you got specifically) and was seriously discouraged by the prices of good kits ($450 at supergo for the one you got). Weight, Brightness, Money - pick two, at least that's what I've noticed. I don't want to settle for a three pound monster kit that shines like a flashlight. I hadn't thought of looking on ebay yet.. Thanks. I feel encouraged that there's hope for early AM pre sunrise rides in the coming months..
 
#9 ·
proeddie said:
I have contacted LM and they said to go thru the 10 cycles and let them know what the burntime was after that. I have cycled it 4 times already and only get about 1 1/2, so Im planing on returning it for a new one and see what the new one does. Thanks for the responses...
Click to expand...
Um, maybe you should try 10 full cycles like they suggest. That's pretty standard for most light systems and is stated right in the manual. Of course, you could return it now and then go through this whole thing again... :rolleyes:
 
#10 ·
My battery only lasted 1.5 hours after about a year of use. It may have been due to leaving it on charge for 2 days at a time, which I hear you are not suppossed to do. Not really your issue, but L&M's customer service is awesome. They sent me a new battery at no charge and the turnaround time was very fast. They will make you happy.
 
#11 ·
Didn't wanna start a new thread since this one fits perfectly.

cycljunkie said:
...Two clicks to power on... Click once to switch from 13w to 11w mode... When I click it again it doesn't go back to 13w mode. I have to power off then turn on again. Anyone else have this problem? :confused:
Click to expand...
*raises hand*

I'm on my third light and my bro will be replacing his shortly as well. These are the NIMH ARC, BTW. The light has 2 modes, one 13.5 and a 10. Despite some folks/L&M's site and manual, we both notice a HUGE difference in brightness between these two modes. So when the lamp randomly drops down from the 13.5 to the 10 in the middle of a fast downhill...well...it sucks. What's worse, you must turn off/on in order to bring the big beam back. Or you could wait 10-15 minutes and it will switch back on its own. I've spoken with L&M and they assured me this was not normal or something that will be fixed with breakin. The only thing I can think of would be a bad batch of lights. This happened again to both of us tonight. That's four lights from Performance in Chandler. The Scottsdale store doesn't have any, so it seems we might have to send them to L&M for repair. I'm not all that interested in waiting 2 weeks, so hopefully they can cross ship for me.

So...anyone? Has anyone had this issue? Will it go away in time? Thanks!!
 
#12 ·
Sounds to me like a bad batch of batteries to me, if it does not improve. The light is supposed to go dim when the voltage drops. If it happens only after a short time it could mean that you are not getting a full charge. I think that is why they said it would break in. Batteries need a few cycles to get to full charge.

I have only got good things to say about L&M. After a few years I needed a switch replaced and they did it free of charge. They also updated my older ARC to the current spec. I got it back very quickly considering I'm in New Jersey. You can't expect them to replace without checking out what's wrong. The lights may be perfect and you just need new batteries.

Ronnie.
 
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