How long they will last and how to prolong longevity. Our batteries are rated to give 200 to 300 uses when they are fully drained (discharged to 9 volts) each use. When using with lights always remove battery when light has dimmed to yellow. Letting the light drain the battery under 9 volts will shorten the battery’s life, If the battery is only used for 50% of rated capacity up to 500 uses are possible. In the same way using only 30% of capacity can result in up to 1,000 uses. Remember there is no such thing as memory effect on these cells. Only use them for the time needed; after you’re finished recharge them fully and then store away till next use. Proper Charging, Care and Maintenance... It is always best to recharge a fully discharged battery as soon as possible (usually within 24 hours). Uncharged batteries will go bad if you wait too long before recharging. A partially discharged battery does not need charging immediately but if you are going to store it away do so after charging it to full capacity. These batteries (when 100% charged) can be stored up to six months, after which a topping charge is recommended. Always store the battery in a cool dry location. Do not overcharge or undercharge batteries. Constant over or undercharging will shorten battery life. We make two types of chargers. The first type is an inexpensive taper charger that provide overnight charging. They work great but it is necessary to monitor the battery and disconnect the charger when done. Whenever a battery has been drained only partially, the charge times must be adjusted. You must pay attention to how much the battery has been drained. An example of this would be, say your battery powers a light for 60 minutes. You have only used it for 30 minutes and need to recharge it. 30 minutes over 60 minutes means you used it for 50 percent of capacity. If it takes 12 hours to recharge that battery you would then take 50 percent of 12 hours and get a 6 hour charge time. The second type of charger we offer is an automatic shut off charger. Automatic chargers represent the best way to recharge and are fault free. For our 12 volt batteries we offer two models. The ATM-PRB is a 1 amp overnight charger. The BCQ-12 is a 2 amp quick charger. With the BCQ-12 you can charge a MM-7 in 3 to 4 hours and a PRB-24 in only 12 hours. How automatic shutoff chargers work. Just plug it in and a red LED tells you the unit is charging. When the batteries reach a predetermined voltage the digital control circuit cuts off the charge and the red LED goes off. Once this happens the batteries voltage will float downward. If the voltage goes below a certain point the charger kicks in again and the red LED turns back on. A blinking red LED is not uncommon at the end of charge. If the red light is off for at least ten seconds between blinks then you are fully charged. Once the battery is fully charged, all you need to do is remove it and store it away fill next usage. Any auto charger should be removed after 72 hours. Our 14 volt battery line uses the BCQ-14 a 2 amp quick charger with automatic shut off. The BCQ-14 charges a LA-148 in 4 to 5 hours and the LA-145 in 2 to 3 hours. The BC-151 is an unregulated overnight 1 amp charger that is an inexpensive alternative (great back up charger). It charges our LA-145 battery in 5 hours and our LA-148 in 10 hours.