What if batteries suddenly drop

[Cappa57]

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Hi,
I experienced last night that if batteries run out while watering… water doesn’t stop!
I thought that the hose without energy will place itself in mode normally closed. It seems it is not so. It reacts only at hub commands, obviously receiving them if batteries are in order. Otherwise the stop command will not reach the hose and it remains OPEN.
If anybody knows this problem and has a solution, will be appreciated.
Another strange thing. The app has not given any sign of batteries running out. The battery level showed always 100%, which couldn’t be real, as another hose showed 68% and both had batteries replaced on the same time.

[tombammann]

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Sorry I don’t have any solution, but this is what I’ve learned.

It’s an interesting question. The devices do not know the remaining capacity of the battery, they can only measure the voltage. Rechargeable NiMH batteries which are 1.2V, will only display as about 70% to 80% when fully charged. Some rechargeable batteries like the LiOn which are available in a regulated 1.5V, will run at 1.5V until they suddenly die. Or, some better tech rechargeable batteries intentionally drop the voltage when teh capacity is low so that electronics devices can tell when they’re about to die and display a low battery warning to the user. (Note, no devices can measure the battery capacity, only the battery voltage). Disposable batteries are generally going to show a low voltage until they die, but some of the new lithium disposable batteries I think will push out 1.5V all the way until the very end until they suddenly die. So, for the bhyve to display a low battery warning prior to dying, they have to have batteries in which the voltage will slowly decay before dying. Note that the bhyve faucets work even for 1.1 to 1.2V. I assume that there’s a particular voltage state in which the bhyve sends out a low battery warning, but that there is not a particular voltage in which it prevents them from turning on, or, if there is, it is very close to the voltage in which the device can’t close or turn them off again. This is sloppy engineering for sure, and it’s bitten me twice. Before I go away on holiday, I will be changing all batteries over. I don’t rely on the % indicators at all, I just currently have NiMh rechargeables which every 2 months I remove them all, and charge them all up. (Actually, I have plenty spare, so I can remove-replace-charge in batches until they’re all replaced). But if going away on holiday for a month or so, you’ll probably want to grab some new 1.5V disposables to be sure that they last.

For what it’s worth, proper irrigation solenoids work by *requiring* power to stay on, but, for a battery powered device, this would be quite draining to require power to hold a solenoid open. With those, a loss of power results in them closing. You can also use irrigation main electric master solenoid valves, which open only when using the sub-circuit valves. This adds redundancy just in case a sub-circuit solenoid fails, particularly useful if you do go away for long periods of time I suppose.

Unfortunately for me, I have not worked out an easy way (yet) of converting to such a superior system, and hence why I have a whole bunch of these temperamental tap faucet valves. It is just sad that bhyve have never implemented the feature they promised that they would when the devices first came out, which was for them to work as a cohesive system working one at a time. But alas, they deleted the old user forum to cover that up, and here we are, still not smartly detecting the type of battery and cutting out at an appropriate voltage to prevent damage to things from leaving a zone on for days at a time until a good neighbor notices.

[Cappa57]

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Thank you for the interesting point of view.
I read that should be better not to use rechargeable batteries, so I only use disposable ones.
Good idea to change them before leaving, thus ensuring a wide period of coverage. I’ll do so.

[tombammann]

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Better to use disposable in that they are 1.5V, but, if you regularly change the 1.2V rechargeables then it isn’t a problem, and you reduce your environmental footprint. However, if you use 1.5V lithium rechargeables (only available in recent times, not too many brands available yet), then disposables have absolutely no advantage. Other than being cheaper up-front. So, you really could go to whomever gave you the advice of “best to use disposables” and update them on modern 1.5V rechargeable battery options. It really just depends! In fact, some of the 1.5V rechargeables now will seriously outperform a lot of the disposables, in many ways. It is really not that clear cut.

[Cappa57]

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Good point, saving the environment.
Actually, the manual says not to mix different type of batteries, eg: disposable and rechargeable. It doesn’t say I could not use rechargeable.
I found on Amazon BONAI AA lithium rechargeable batteries 1.5V 3000mWh High Capacity. Do you think they will be ok for our devices?

[tombammann]

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They would certainly work, but won’t give you the low voltage indicator.

“1.5V Constant Voltage Output ♻️: AA lithium batteries are continuously stable and output 1.5V voltage for the whole process until the charge completely depletes.”

Check out XTAR, they give a low voltage output indicator. I’m considering XTAR but they only do AA and AAA, not C, D, and 9V which I’d also like for a few other things around the home. Hoping to fully convert to a single brand and not mix and match. I might end up with XTAR for AA/AAA and Pale Blue Earth for C, D, and 9V. (Note, you can get ‘spacers’ to convert AA batteries into C or D batteries, but, 9V batteries are a bit more tricky to replace – might be easier for me to change my two devices that use 9V batteries to more modern alternatives!!)

[tombammann]

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Here’s an example of engineered voltage drop.

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[tombammann]

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I think consider this: XTAR New 8-Pack 1.5V AA 4150mWh Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries with Low-Voltage Indicator (LC8+8-Pack 1.5V AA 4150mWh)

In my local currency it is on sale and great value.

Actually, I’ve ordered a NiMH cross-compatible version of the above, which is more expensive, but allows for me to use my old batteries also in this charger. I will potentially only buy 1.5V lion rechargeables from hereon, as required.

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