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Frequently Asked Questions

Answers

Burn Time

How can I dertermine the burn time of my BLT Lights?
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The following formula is used to find out the hypothetical “Burn Time” of the systems and combinations available. Of course this will give hypothetical Burn Times of batteries when used at 25 degrees C, and that are in good condition. Burn Times will be shorter if your battery has not been conditioned properly as per your instructions, or the battery is damaged, tired, or used in colder temperatures. Also please note that wire resistance, circuit resistance, and LED displays will all adversely affect Burn Time as well. Formula as follows: Burntime = (Ah x V) / W
Ah = Actual Amp hour rating
* NOTE 1 - For SLA batteries, multiply the published Ah rating by 0.75 to get the Actual Amp hour rating.
* NOTE 2 - For NiMh batteries, multiply the published Ah rating by 0.90 to get the Actual Amp hour rating
V = Battery Voltage
W = Bulb wattage
This can be found in your literature
Example
If you have purchased a Gamma-Ray SL42, your equation would read as follows: (3.15Ah (4.2Ah x 0.75) x 6V) / 10W = 1.89 hours
I have scarcely used my rechargeable battery and now it has lost it's capacity, what can I do?
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The rechargeable battery is slow and tired and needs some training. It functions in a similar way to that regularly training a muscle brings back it's capacity. Try to widen the zone between FULL and EMPTY: To begin with, discharge your rechargeable battery by using the lamp at full power. (If you have a Gamma-Ray NH or X-Ray NH series light, your light will automatically drop down to the lowest setting and shut off when the battery capacity becomes too low. If you are using a Beta-Ray series light, then turn the system off when the beam starts to become yellow. Once properly discharged, recharge the rechargeable battery to its maximum (the rechargeable battery will grow warm when full). If your light system system is equipped with a Smart Charger and your battery does not become warm, then you will have to dupe the disconnection as follows: When the flashing green LED indicates: "rechargeable battery full", disconnect the rechargeable battery from the charger and wait about 5 seconds. Reconnect the rechargeable battery. It will be charged for another 30 minutes and increase your capacity. You can repeat this procedure two to three times (without doing any damage) and the rechargeable battery has reached its full capacity.

If you are using a SLA battery, and these steps do not work, then your battery has most likely sulphated (breakdown of cells due to improper charging, or being left in a state of discharge). Sulphation is not covered under your warranty, and you will need to purchase a new battery.

Battery charging, maintenance and storage

How do I store my rechargeable battery during the off-season when not used?
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Charge your battery completely (the rechargeable battery must become warm) and store it in a cool place for no longer than 3 months (2 months for SLA). Remember: low temperature = low self-discharge! Here’s a tip: store it in the refrigerator! Basically, cold storage does not harm the rechargeable battery - complete discharge is the problem and MUST be avoided. Total discharge will damage the rechargeable battery and reduce its life-span. *** After a longer storage period, the rechargeable battery will need 3-5 full charge-discharge cycles to bring it back to its optimum efficiency.
I have a smart charger: when I connect the empty rechargeable battery, the green LED on my charger flashes "RECHARGEABLE BATTERY FULL" after a short time, but I am not getting my full burn time. What should I do?
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The charger recognizes what it reads to be a "tired" rechargeable battery and stops the charging process too early. This can be caused by the battery actually being tired from going through many, or incorrectly performed usage cycles, or may be because the light has been left dormant for some time. (Please keep in mind that when you first purchase your BLT light, it may have been sitting on a shelf for some time, so you will have to restore the battery life.) You must complete up to 5 complete charge-discharge cycles before your battery will realize its full capacity.

Attention: The rechargeable battery must be hand-warm after the charging period, indicating that it is fully charged (the energy is transformed into warmth). After charging, discharge the rechargeable battery completely by using the headlight until the light expires. Repeat this procedure 3-5 times over.

Battery Info

How often can I charge a rechargeable battery-set, how long is its life-span?
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The durability of a rechargeable battery-set depends on various facts, such as type of cell, strain, as well as the maintenance regime. Basically the durability varies from 300 to 700 charge and discharge cycles before the capacity becomes ineffective (80% of its nominal value) - corresponding to a minimum period of 3 years when charging the battery twice a week. With good care, a life span of approx. 3-5 years seems realistic. To give an example, compare a rechargeable battery-set with a new set of tires: New tires have a sharp profile and therefore are of high efficiency. When in use, they slowly start wearing out. The same happens with rechargeable battery-sets having to be reloaded. The life-span is often indicated at 1000 cycles. After a 3-5 year period, the number of cycles is reduced by several hundreds of cycles and tired rechargeable battery-sets will therefore be of no further interest to their owner. For correct storage, keep the rechargeable battery fully charged and avoid complete discharge. This will give your rechargeable battery-set greater durability.
Which type of rechargeable battery has the highest durability?
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The smaller the specific capacity (mAh or Ah) of the rechargeable battery cells the longer its durability. Yes this is opposite of what you would think. With good care Ni-Cd batteries have the longest lifespan (700 cycles) (Reliable maintenance is some effort – please read “Memory effect on Ni-Cd batteries below.) Meanwhile, Ni-MH batteries last almost as long (approx. 500 cycles), but are free from many of the problems encountered with Ni-Cd. SLA batteries have an average lifespan of 350 cycles. After this point the capacity of the battery will drop to less than 50%, and at 500 cycles will drop to less than 30%.

Memory effect on Ni-Cd batteries: In use, the life-span of the battery is not the only important factor for actual service life, the maintenance regime itself is also of importance. Due to the fact that Ni-Cd batteries must be discharged from time to time because of the memory effect, charging- and discharging cycles get lost without having been used. Also, the risk of complete discharge and consequently the damage which will occur as a result is a factor of some importance.
How high (%) is self-discharge with regard to the rechargeable battery type?
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Due to the composition and the natural reactions within NiMH batteries, within 2-3 days they will lose approx. 10% of their power, continuing at a loss rate of at least 1-2% per day depending on the surrounding ambient temperature.

SLA Batteries discharge at a lower rate.
20 degrees C = 0.2% per day
30 degrees C = 0.3% per day
40 degrees C = 0.7% per day

Try to store your battery in a cool dark place to maximize its life. *(higher temperatures promote greater self-discharge).
How big is the loss of capacity at low temperatures?
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The loss of capacity of cells at a temperature of -20°C (-4°F) can be greater than 30%. Normally it is easy to keep the batteries at optimum efficiency. The following simple methods will be of help: After use, charge the rechargeable battery-set completely and keep it in the warmth. Take it outside right before use. Insulation of the bottles and bag, and Proton Packs will delay the cooling down process for about 2-3 hours. After this period the core of the cells go totally cold and the cells become tired. When this happens the capacity sinks. If you are using a helmet mounted light, try keeping your battery in an inner pocket of your jacket, or as close to your body as possible. This will give you optimum performance.
Will a NiMH battery pack work on my SLA system?
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With all older non-digital BLT systems, all of the batteries are interchangeable, so if you want to save some weight, simply ask your dealer to order you a NiMH Grenade Pack. With the new Gamma-Ray and X-Ray series’, SLA and NiMH sets use different voltage and connecting wires, and therefore are not compatible with these older systems.
My bicycle doesn’t have a bottle mount for a waterbottle style battery. How can I mount a battery?
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We have specially designed our new NiMH Proton Pack to be able to fit on ANY frame design. It can easily be fitted to any frame tube, or any modified frame design. All without any special brackets or the need for tools! If you have a SLA system, or another older system, there is a new “Batteryblok” mount available that allows you to mount almost any battery to any frame.
I have an NH series light, and after switching between functions on the trail, my battery tends to “lock up” on the lowest setting after a short time and will not allow me to switch functions anymore. Is something wrong? What should I do?
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Actually the battery is doing its job. The “Low power reserve setting” is sensing that your battery is going to run out soon, so for your safety it is ensuring that you stay in low brightness mode, so that you can get maximum burn time out of your battery. Please see BATTERY CHARGING, MAINTENANCE AND STORAGE for info on how to restore your Burn Time.

Fuel Gauge & Charger Info

My battery has a Battery Fuel Gauge. What do all of the lights mean? How do I know what level my battery is at?
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Your Proton Pack battery has a built in fuel gauge feature that gives you a real-time indication of what the power level of the battery is at any given time. There are 2 styles of gauges on BLT lights. 3 LED and 2 LED. Below you will find a full breakdown of all the functions of each system.

3 LED Gauge
OOO = Full Power
OOX = 80% remaining
OO = 60% remaining
OX = 40% remaining
O = 20% remaining
X = 10% remaining (automatically switches to low battery reserve)

2 LED Gauge
O O = Full Power
O X = 70% remaining
O = 40% remaining
X = 10% remaining (automatically switches to low battery reserve)

Legend O = indicates LED is illuminated
X = indicates LED is flashing
= indicates that LED is off.

* Warning: When your battery switched to low battery reserve, your system will automatically switch to the lowest light setting to preserve battery life remaining. You will not be able to change your settings once this has happened, and you will have 15-20 minutes of run-time remaining. Please be sure to make your way to a lighted area within this time, or have a back-up light ready.
I have a NH series light, and it comes with a Smart Charger. What does the LED light mean?
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Your Smart charger is equipped with an Multi-function LED indicator that shows exactly what is going on, and what stage your battery is at.

RED LIGHT = Charger is plugged in
GREEN LIGHT = Battery is charging
FLASHING GREEN = Battery is fully charged
When I plug my battery in to the Smart Charger, the LED on the charger stays RED, and my battery does not charge. What should I do?
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Either your charging jack is broken, or your charger is defective. Try another charger. If the new charger works, then the problem is caused by your charger. Simply replace the charger. If the second charger does not work, then the problem is caused by your charger jack.
I have 2 BLT systems. One is SLA, and the other is NiMH. Can I just use the same charger?
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No. SLA and Ni-Mh batteries should never share the same charger. Using the wrong charger will not only ruin your battery, but poses a risk of causing a fire, and will not be covered under warranty. The new Gamma-Ray and X-Ray series lights have different connectors for SLA and NiMH so you can’t make a mistake on these.
I have an NH series light, and after switching between functions on the trail, my battery tends to “lock up” after a short time and will not allow me to switch functions anymore, and gets stuck on the lowest setting. Is something wrong? What should I do?
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Actually the battery is doing its job. The “Low power reserve setting” is sensing that your battery is going to run out soon, so for your safety it is ensuring that you stay in low brightness mode, so that you can get maximum Burn Time out of your battery. Please see #24 for info on how to restore your Burn Time.

Bulbs

I read that BLT use MR-11 bulbs. Are these the same as the bulbs that I can get in a hardware store?
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No! Not even close! First of all, bulbs that you find in the hardware store are 12V, while ours are custom 4.8V (Gamma-Ray, X-Ray. And Beta-Ray), and 6V (Blitz, Explorer etc.). Second, we have designed our bulbs especially for the application in which they are being used, therefore the depth, lens focus, and voltage are different from anything else you will find. Also the 3950K bulbs found on the NH series of lights are up to 50% more efficient than a standard Halogen bulb. Replacement bulbs for any model of BLT lights are available through your local BLT dealer.
Can I use the old style BLT bulbs in my new Gamma-Ray or X-Ray system?
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Old style BLT MR-11 bulbs will not fit into new systems due to their receiver size. Also, electrically they are not fully compatible as the older sets used 6 volt bulbs and the newer models use 4.8 volt bulbs, so even if they do fit, the light output of the older bulbs will look quite a bit lower than if the correct replacement bulb was used.
What is a “K” rating on an MR-11 bulb? Why is this important?
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“K” stands for “Kelvin”, and when used on a bulb, it rates how white or intense a light is on a colour temperature scale. Other companies are using 2000 to 2900K bulbs in their systems, but new BLT’s are using 3950K bulbs, which yield a whiter, brighter light without compromising Burn Time. BLT 3950K bulbs are up to 50% more efficient than competitors Halogen bulbs.

General Questions

Can I use the headlights when I am not moving? They seem to become hot when I am standing still and there is no wind to cool them?
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No problem! Our headlights are absolutely heatproof. Attention: the lamp will become very hot, to the touch when switched on, so please take care not to burn your fingers!
Can I adjust the beam pattern (angle, or focus) on my BLT light?
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No. BLT lights use bulbs with custom designed reflectors that make optimum use of the light being emitted from the Halogen Filament. SL series lights use a 13° beam pattern, and the NH series of lights use a 15° beam pattern. These custom designed beam patterns eliminate the “Hot spot” that is normally associated with bicycle lights, and disperses it evenly throughout the beam giving more useable light.
I’ve broken the mount for my BLT light. Can I get a replacement?
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While BLT mounts are very durable, it usually takes a pretty good hit to break one, but hey, if you’re riding hard, you’re falling hard. Right? Replacement brackets are available through your local BLT dealer.
My light set did not come with a Warranty Card. Do I need this?
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Actually we are no longer sending out warranty cards as consumer protection laws protect you in the purchase that you have made. A warranty card is not required to qualify for warranty coverage. Most companies use warranty cards to build a customer profile database, or create a mailing list. We have no plans on sending you junkmail or SPAM emails anytime soon, so we don’t require this info.
*** PLEASE BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR BILL OF SALE AS THIS ENSURES THAT YOU WILL HAVE WARRANTY COVERAGE! ***
I already own a BLT lightest, but I have moved to a different country where the voltage requirements of the charger are different. Can I get a new charger?
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Most likely yes. While there are some models not compatible with some countries, most models of BLT lights have chargers available for most International requirements. Check with your local dealer or distributor to find out if and where you can get a charger.
“I am looking for BLT lights, but there is no distributor in my country”. Or “I am an International Distributor, and I am interested in selling BLT lights. Who can I contact?”
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If you live in a country that is not currently represented with a BLT International Distributor, we suggest that you to talk to your local bike dealer and have them in turn discuss the import opportunities with their favorite distributor. Have them contact our International Sales department directly at exports@norco.com for information on how to become a distributor.
Can I purchase BLT lights or parts directly from BLT?
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No. We feel that we can offer a much better overall service to you the customer when we do business through distributors. BLT does not sell consumer direct or on-line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Burn Time

Battery charging, maintenance and storage

Battery Info

Fuel Gauge & Charger Info

Bulbs

General Questions

Recycling Information

Answers

Burn Time

Battery charging, maintenance and storage

Battery Info

Fuel Gauge & Charger Info

Bulbs

General Questions

Headlights

Rear Lights

Helmet Lights

Signal Vest

Bar End Lights

Reflective