Topic: Can cold weather shorten battery life?

[Jeremy Lykins]

I taped just my fourth show over the weekend and my first one outside, but it was also the first one where my batteries died before the show was over.  I could've sworn that they were fully-charged and I had changed the settings earlier that day on my Edirol R-09 to turn off the red recording light, but I did have the volume turned up halfway while in the past it was turned all the way down.  I was patched out of the soundboard and the R-09 was sitting by itself on a metal shelf on the soundboard.  So my question is, did the cold weather (it was approximately 40* out and slightly misting) have anything to do with my batteries dying on me?  Did having the volume turned halfway up drain the batteries? 

[anhisr]

I don't think having the volume up with nothing plugged into it, like headphones, would help "kill" the batteries earlier.  The cold is a factor, just look at what happens to car batteries when the cold hits.  I know we are talking a lot colder but, everything adds up.  Conditioning the batteries with something like the Thomas charger, which I use, definitely helps bring the battery back to a higher charging rate. Also, stay away from the rapid chargers if you can.  Over time the battery will not hold as much.  Try to charge them at the slowest rate you can. 

[Belexes]

I didn't have much luck back in my analog days with cold batteries and had some die prematurely on me.  I use to keep the batteries warm in my pockets and then install them right before the performance and had much better results.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Definitely the cold.  Do a search on the topic.  It is something photographers regularly deal with.

Lithium batteries provide the best performance in the cold.  You could also use those little hand warmer packets with regular batteries.  Putting the r09 in a case (esp neoprene) would also help since it generates some heat.

Another concern when you let your gear get cold is condensation when you warm it back up....

[Jeremy Lykins]

I have a charger from Thomas Dist. that does this as a function. It definitely helps.

Conditioning the batteries with something like the Thomas charger, which I use, definitely helps bring the battery back to a higher charging rate.

Which one do you guys use?  I checked out Thomas' website, but they have a few to choose from.

[willndmb]

my ipod battery will not work correctly if they its really cold

[GrandMasterMark]

From a photographer who spent many cold winter months in Yosemite the answer is a solid "YES." It is not so much that the battery life is shortened as much as the battery goes dormant until it is warmed up again. I ran into this with my R-09 a few weeks ago as I pulled fresh alk batteries out of the freezer, slapped them into my Edirol, and headed to a drum workshop. Meter showed a low battery and screen was dim. Pulled out the batteries and rolled them in my hands for a minute or so. Problem fixed!

[Chuck]

Batteries don't last as long when used in a cold environment, but they actually last longer if stored in a cold environment.