Battery level – Characteristic of the batteries

1 – Alert on battery level
2 – The battery level is low on a new logger
3 – The battery level varies in function of the time and the temperature
4 – Example of an end of life for a battery
5 – Datasheet of the XENO batteries used in the NEWSTEO loggers

RF Monitor software indicates the loggers’ battery level.
Green – high level – above 80%
Orange – medium level – between 40 and 80%
Red – low level – under 40%

There is a visual alert in RF Monitor to indicate if the battery level is below 30% that is when it’s time to replace it. (It is also possible to configure a sound alert or an email alert.)

The logger is not a voltmeter.
The battery level is indicative .
It aims to inform the user when it is time to change the battery.

When the logger is started for the first time, the battery level can be medium or low.
This is neither a defect of the logger, nor a defect of the battery.
This is due to the characteristic of the lithium batteries used in the NEWSTEO loggers.

Those batteries, which have the advantage of being able to work with extreme temperatures (-40°C à +60°C), have also the feature of the chemical passivation. This refers to the apparition of a chemical film on the anode of the battery which protects the battery from the self-discharge. This chemical layer increases the internal resistance of the battery. The higher the storage temperature is, the longer the storage is, the more important the passivation is.

Consequently, when the battery begins to be used after being stored for some time, the initial working voltage of the battery will be low. When using the battery, with the successive calls of current, the chemical film becomes thinner, the internal resistor decreases, and the battery level progressively increases.

This behavior is normal and is not an obstruction for the logger.

It should be patient during this period of normal running-chemical of the battery, it will take some time before the initial working voltage of the battery reaches the required value (This is what is called “voltage passivation”).

Do not attempt a handling (short-circuited the two poles, reverse polarity, charging, heat exposure ….) Which could cause a loss of capacity or even a partial or total destruction of the battery.

Restoration of the voltage of XENO brand Thionyl Chloride Lithium batteries after storage:

• The battery level is between 75 and 100% during the day depending on the temperature.
• At the end of its life, the battery level goes down gradually for one month  up to its minimal use threshold . Then, the  battery level varies between 25% and 50%.