Helmet mount battery packs are available as 2 cell or 4 cell. However 2 cell 8V packs are for the Trigon only.  The use of these with a MagnumStar is a No-No, there is an internal cut-out that will disconnect at a certain current level. The MagnumStar will work on this pack as single spot and all flood settings, but turn to power beam and the lamp will die and not come back on line for a few seconds.

Belt mount can be 4 cell or mega 10 cell with built in voltmeter.

All use yellow high performance XT60 connectors, however they are reversed between the different voltage ratings, his obviates the risk of them getting mixed up. All 4 volt battery cells have internal circuitry allowing them to be recharged using a standard Oldham charger.

All power packs of either voltage can be, and indeed its recommended, 'top up' charged. They cannot be overcharged.

There is a 4 X AA battery holder available for 4V series lamps, new technology introduced in December 2011 enables this. The holder is of very sturdy construction, nothing flimsy about it, and it incorporates self resetting short circuit protection.

I don't like anything that runs of 3 X AA because they come in twos, and recharge in either twos or fours, so three is a nuisance.

The price of this is £8 plus £1 p and p, total if purchased on its own is £9

Picture below shows an 8V 4 cell and a 4V 2 cell, note the high performance XT60 connectors. The fittings are reversed so that an 8V power pack cannot be fitted to a 4V lamp.

Belt mount is either the 4 cell (below) or mega 10 cell shown lower down.

The 4 cell has a sturdy aluminium mounting bracket.

The above10 cell pack is made from a recycled Oldham MF battery case, cut down to about 40% of its original height and the bottom closed by a solvent welded piece of the same blue PVC material. It delivers 12.5 ampere hours at a nominal voltage of 7.4 volts (8.4 volts off the charger), and is made up of 10 18650 Lithium Ion cells in 2 parallel arrays connected together in series by way of a self resetting fuse. The cells are solidly potted in silicone, the whole being both waterproof and shock proof.

There is a digital battery voltage meter in the lid that gives readings for each parallel array and then the total voltage, typical example; No 1, 3.94, No2, 3.97, ALL, 7.91 in 6 separate short duration displays. It draws 0.23 watts at a current that varies with the state of the battery, average being about 0.02 amps. This actuated by a non rusting button on the end.

The meter is LCD illuminated display and shows accurate voltage to 2 decimal. I feel that this far superior to led displays as used by other manufacturers. It’s especially useful after taking off charge to ensure everything has done what it’s supposed to.

In the picture can be seen a brass screw protruding from the lid. This is the connection for a charging balance lead, in conjunction with either a through the headset clip, or a plug on type charger. We can supply both types. The charging is each parallel array alternatively with each being measured and charge disconnected when the appropriate voltage is reached. This is a far superior charging method to simply pumping 8.4 volts into the lot with the attendant risk of one array being undercharged.

 The battery is slightly less than half the height of the standard Oldham and weighs just less than 1000 grams including the lid; the standard Oldham weighs more than double that.

I appreciate that some battery lid accessories such as the voltmeter or switch may become unserviceable in time, they are however very easily replaced and do not affect the performance of the lamp.

The only nuisance with the battery is that the belt mounts are not large enough to take a Caving Supplies belay belt which is my preference.

 Looking at the specification, it can be appreciated that either the single Cree Q5 or the MCE flood on medium setting giving would burn for more than 24 hours

My experience with the other lamps has shown that total amount of time spent on full power is a mere fraction of the total time spent underground on any one trip, with the time spent on the medium setting part way balancing the time spent on full power. The implications of this are that this lamp would probably last you for a week’s holiday away from charging facilities.

 Final word about the battery, if the lid wiring was ‘crossed’ to put all in parallel it would deliver average of 4 volts and run a standard bulb Oldham for 24 hours with a half the weight to carry.

Helmet mount power packs

The pack is secured by means of a simple 4mm length of shockcord utilising the pre existing hole for the tie cord. Extra holes can be drilled and an X loop fitted if required.

It is simple, effective, does not rattle about or move about, and not complicated to fit. It is quite possibly stabilised by the heavy genuine Oldham cable, this connects using the very high quality XT60 connectors which have been secured by copper wire wound into the outer sheath, and the whole taped and shrink wrapped. (Picture shows previously used red Deans connectors)

There is a length of cable from the battery to the connector, this is by design as the connectors would cause the cable to stick out at the side if up against the battery pack.

I genuinely feel that this eminently suitable for the underground environment and a better alternative to kit designed for toy racing cars..

Battery Pack Prices

AA battery holder for 4V lamps. £8

4V 2 cell helmet power pack: £18

4V 4 cell helmet power pack £30

4V 4 cell belt mount power pack with brackets £38

8V 4 cell helmet mount power pack £35

8V 10 cell belt mount battery pack with voltmeter £60

Above prices are excluding post and packing, cells are discounted if purchased with the lamp, see lamps.

Above prices plus p and p, please enquire.

Dedicated Charger for 4 volt lamps.

Although these lamps are capable and wired for recharging through any standard Oldham charger, there will be many who do not possess this. I have therefore developed dedicated chargers.

There WAS a through the headset charger but I have discontinued this as pointless.

A charging clip for the headset is not required because all power packs are detachable. The charger below is designed to charge either a single or 2 of the 4V helmet packs simultaneously.

Charge indicator LEDs are on the base, red is charging, green is charged or no battery connected.

£20 plus p and p