Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

My VLE is working great. I'd like to have guidance about discharging it when I've done a shoot that has used some capacity but has not run the VLE to exhaustion -- should I hook it up to a desk lamp and discharge it to exhaustion? Should I store it fully discharged if I'm not going to use it for several weeks? When I take the VLE out of storage should I run it through a charge and discharge cycle before charging it to use in the shoot? Thanks in advance for the help! Aloha, Chris Barber

You will want to charge (or discharge it) it to about 40% for long storage. Do not store it completely exhausted, and do not store it completely full for extended periods.

You can charge it for about an hour from completely discharged, or run a small load, like a model lamp, for a while to discharge it. You will want the yellow LED to be on for long term storage.

Once out of storage, simply charge fully and use.

Thanks very much! That is exactly the information I needed.

Does the same storage protocol apply to the Vagabond Mini?

The safety precautions apply to all rechargeable batteries, our or otherwise, and especially lithium batteries.

Mainly, you will want to keep them away from flammable material and well ventilated. A metal container adds an extra margin of safety.