# Dead Magicshine battery



## Piker (Sep 18, 2005)

Yeah i know, China, cheap, if it looks too good to be true etc etc....

My light head switch started showing red early on last ride and now i cannot charge the battery at all. When i plug the battery pack in to charge the light on the charger runs green and the charger does not develop any heat.

I checked the charger and it is running correct current to the battery. Pulled my battery pack apart and while i can measure some residual current running from the batteries to the board that lies within, i cannot get any current between the board and the wires leaving the battery pack board (see pic), nor at the plug end...










I assume from all this that the battery board is somehow defective? I'm not electrically proficient enough to come up with the whole answer, but has anyone else experienced this and if so, were you able to source a replacement board? The battery packs are cheap as chips and i've ordered a replacement (i can't be bothered attempting correspondence with DX and warranty no longer applies), but if i can get the defective pack running again, that would be a spare.


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## ab138501 (Nov 6, 2009)

*You should report this in the Magicshine poll*



Piker said:


> Yeah i know, China, cheap, if it looks too good to be true etc etc....


You should report this in the Magicshine poll at http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=572827


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## mtb_robs-x (Dec 13, 2009)

once it's toast, it's toast
to replace the circuit, would also need to check the batteries, match it , test it,
before shrink, and seal. 
also the board looks like , it's to small to have a real protection circuit in it.
probably just a fuse, with the cells having protecting itself.
once you get new battery, recommend sealing it from the elements,
back to duck tape and chewing gum,... 
thinking of selling my original battery, seal it first,... 
since I'm not using it. build a double pack, in bottle, and a half pack for helmet .
coming soon in theaters near you (-bay) 
standard______4 cell_____________5500mah______204gr - ori 4000-4400maH
bottle,double __8 cell____________11000mah______502gr (around a lbs, need to write it down,..)
half/helmet____2 cell_____________2700mah______103gr
quarter/dime micro/backup_________ 900mah_______48gr
monster/quad xx_______________16000mah______940gr quad for 4x faster charge, 4x longer life, 4x capacity (almost) 
let me know if interested, so I'll build more than one , the quad monster is going to be more expensive than the lupine bottle,...everything else reasonable, that's the goal.
do try to improve things, appreciate feedback


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## dapedaler (Dec 26, 2009)

*Is that really a MagicShine battery*

I have had several MagicShine batteries apart, and they don't look like the one you have pictured. MagicShine packs have a large protection circuit on the end of the pack. Like the one shown here (which has the typical problem of getting wet). 









They are not sealed from the factory and should be. A little silicone sealer around the ends of the pack does the trick.









Jim Harger
Nova Bike Lights
[email protected]


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## Piker (Sep 18, 2005)

dapedaler said:


> I have had several MagicShine batteries apart, and they don't look like the one you have pictured. MagicShine packs have a large protection circuit on the end of the pack. Like the one shown here (which has the typical problem of getting wet).


Thanks Jim, seen your MS's on eBay. It's definitely a MS battery, bought in mid 09 (pic below), so maybe they have changed the circuit protection? There are two small chips on the underside of that board. I has never gotten wet/damp as far as i know and no evidence of dampness inside the pack.


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## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

Since we are all cheap bastards going with the MS lights, has anyone done this as a spare/replacement?

http://www.batteryspace.com/li-ion18650battery74v4000mah296wh4x186502s2psquarewithpcb.aspx


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## Jello Sundae (Dec 27, 2009)

lidarman said:


> Since we are all cheap bastards going with the MS lights, has anyone done this as a spare/replacement?
> 
> http://www.batteryspace.com/li-ion18650battery74v4000mah296wh4x186502s2psquarewithpcb.aspx


Good idea.

Which connectors does Magicshine use?

Will they work with the Trailtech connectors or is there a better solution?


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## dapedaler (Dec 26, 2009)

If you have a dead battery that you can steal the connector from, there's no reason this wouldn't work. However, it is lower capacity than the MagicShine which is 4400mah.


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## dapedaler (Dec 26, 2009)

Jello Sundae said:


> Good idea.
> 
> Which connectors does Magicshine use?
> 
> Will they work with the Trailtech connectors or is there a better solution?


The MagicShine battery uses the same barrel size, 5.5 x 2.1mm, however they will not snap together and would not be waterproof. The magicshine connector appears to be their own design. With $20 for the battery and $5 for the connector which won't work quite right, and lower capacity, to save $10. Probably not worth it. However, if you must, a Magicshine Y-Cable will give you 2 of the correct connectors. (I won't be offended if you buy it from me)  If you want longer run times batteryspace has some higher capacity packs. Or you could just hook 2 MagicShine packs together. If there is interest I have a source for "reverse" Y cables that would let you hook 2 batteries to one light.

Jim "dapedaler"
Nova Bike Lights
[email protected]


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## Piker (Sep 18, 2005)

*Protection circuit*

Jim, can you get me a MS protection circuit, even an old one that still works? My batteries have only been charged maybe less than 15 times since new, it just appears that the board is dead....

As i said above, i've ordered a new battery pack, but would be a shame to have the old one lying around uncharged if i can get a protection board and re-solder.

Cheers Mark


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## dapedaler (Dec 26, 2009)

Mark,

I don't have any good circuits on hand but this one would work. I think I'll order some for myself to rebuild packs with bad boards.
http://www.batteryspace.com/pcbfor74vli-ion1865018500batterypacks7alimit2round.aspx


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## Piker (Sep 18, 2005)

Thanks Jim,

I just tried to order one and they only have one shipping option at 80.00USD! If you order a few and are willing to ship one or two to Australia at a reasonable price, please let me know.

Cheers


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## Piker (Sep 18, 2005)

*Magicshine happy finish!*

Taken a while, but ended up getting a couple of these PCB's from https://www.batteryjunction.com/pcb-7-2.html. Couldn't handle having good batteries sitting around doing nothin'!

Thank to the fine motor skills of Mr J. Silins the old PCB is gone and the new one is in and functioning. See below:








Now just need to seal it all up... :thumbsup:


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## diylighter (Sep 4, 2008)

Hey Piker,

I bought one of these same PCB's for my dead Magicshine pack, hooked it up and my charger just goes from red to green. It used to flash red-green-red, etc, but this still doesn't seem right. You said yours is working normally? I've tried a different charger on the old setup and neither worked so I assumed that the PCB was the issue. Any ideas?

Thanks


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## Piker (Sep 18, 2005)

Mine works fine with the new pcb. I didn't wire it up though. Got a mate with soldering skills to do it...not sure what else your problems could be? I know some battery packs are just plain dead. Mine just stays solid red until it goes green once charged.


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