Lithium Batteries in Trail Cams

[Jtaylor]

My biggest complaint about lithium batteries isn’t the price or any bad experiences. My gripe is that you can’t measure the battery level. An almost dead battery will give almost the same output as a new battery. This has made me feel like I need to replace batteries if I’m not certain how much they’ve been used

You can put them under load with a resistor like these: https://www.amazon.com/EDGELEC-Resi...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
and use your multimeter. I found this video that seems pretty helpful and will avoid tossing expensive batteries for just one thats bad.

 

[philsanchez76]

They are really expensive. I run cheap cams ($20-$60), so these batteries end up costing close to what I paid for the cam. BUT, I run all my cameras the entirety of the season so I need to run lithiums. Especially in the Wisconsin cold.

Years past, I would simply run batteries and toss them assuming they were done.

This year, I decided to test them before tossing and found that they are not all bad. Out of 56 or so batteries from last year, 7 were bad. Some zero voltage or some less than 1.5 volts. Each camera that died had at least one bad battery.

That’s not to say the used batteries were perfect. Baseline new, they run 1.8 volts. Used good batteries are considered higher than 1.5. Majority of the batteries I pulled after 4 or more months had 1.65 volts or higher. A majority still carrying more than 1.74 volts.

Take this information for what it’s worth. But I will no longer be blindly throwing these in the trash as I once did. I’ll use them in kids toys and reusing them in trail cams this year. Either way, if you run these expensive batteries, it might be worth buying a multimeter and testing them if you don’t already have one. Hope this info helps someone!

This is a great point! I have a pile of old lithiums in my truck that are my go to for tv remotes and especially my AA zebra light. It helps me justify the insane cost since im never having to buy alkaline for this other small devices. Who knows if the justification is accurate cost wise?!

 

[BenG]

I’d spend a small fortune if I ran lithium batteries, and most cameras will run for a long time just on alkalines.

 

[LoadedLimbs]

I’ve slowly considered solar. Does that completely replace the need for batteries? Or do you put rechargeables in them? Or how does that work?

@peteherbst - This is the Cadillac of trail cam solar panels, with 10W power generation, 6V, 9V, & 12V output jacks, 25,000mAh lithium battery storage capacity, and electrical cords to fit almost any trail cam’s external power input jack, it should power a single cell cam indefinitely, even with far less than ideal sun exposure. Search it on YouTube for more info. Costly, but in the end will save money with the current price of Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA’s, and you won’t have to make intrusions into your hunting areas to replace batteries…

Solar Power Pack SPP 1025 Trail Camera Solar Power

Specifically designed by for cellular trail cameras by Herd 360. 10w carbon fiber solar panel with 25,000mah lithium battery pack. Photos may show items such as cameras and T-Post mounts are not included in the package. Camera Cable Plug Sizes and Voltage 4.0x1.7mm: ALL Tactacam Reveal Models...

www.herd360.com

 

[2Sloe]

Another benefit, lithium’s won’t leak in your gear. If I’m not mistaken, Energizer will replace your gear if they do.

 

[peteherbst]

@peteherbst - This is the Cadillac of trail cam solar panels, with 10W power generation, 6V, 9V, & 12V output jacks, 25,000mAh lithium battery storage capacity, and electrical cords to fit almost any trail cam’s external power input jack, it should power a single cell cam indefinitely, even with far less than ideal sun exposure. Search it on YouTube for more info. Costly, but in the end will save money with the current price of Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA’s, and you won’t have to make intrusions into your hunting areas to replace batteries…

Solar Power Pack SPP 1025 Trail Camera Solar Power

Specifically designed by for cellular trail cameras by Herd 360. 10w carbon fiber solar panel with 25,000mah lithium battery pack. Photos may show items such as cameras and T-Post mounts are not included in the package. Camera Cable Plug Sizes and Voltage 4.0x1.7mm: ALL Tactacam Reveal Models...

www.herd360.com

May need to upgrade my cams first, but this should pay for itself after a few years. Especially if you’re running a couple cams off of it.

 

[NATHAN]

They are worth it to me.

 

[Rutman]

When you’re running cell cams that are hours away, you about have to run lithium’s….


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Robert loper]

I never use lithium’s
I run the orange colored aa’s from harbor freight.
havent had issues with them in two years.
most of my cameras sit fir 3-4 months at a time

 

[Sipsey]

I was perfectly content with lithium‘s until the 24 pack that I paid $33 for in may cost $73 now

Sam’s has these:

 

[bowhuntr09]

Sam’s has these:View attachment 71156

That’s an 18pk for what I paid for 24. Not horrible considering todays market, but I already built boxes and went with 12v external. I got 7-8 months off the lithiums, will probably get far more off the external and then I just recharge it. My cams are out year round so worthwhile for me.

 

[Sipsey]

That’s an 18pk for what I paid for 24. Not horrible considering todays market, but I already built boxes and went with 12v external. I got 7-8 months off the lithiums, will probably get far more off the external and then I just recharge it. My cams are out year round so worthwhile for me.

I understand. I only use 2 till about March and pull them.

 

[woodsdog2]

They are really expensive. I run cheap cams ($20-$60), so these batteries end up costing close to what I paid for the cam. BUT, I run all my cameras the entirety of the season so I need to run lithiums. Especially in the Wisconsin cold.

Years past, I would simply run batteries and toss them assuming they were done.

This year, I decided to test them before tossing and found that they are not all bad. Out of 56 or so batteries from last year, 7 were bad. Some zero voltage or some less than 1.5 volts. Each camera that died had at least one bad battery.

That’s not to say the used batteries were perfect. Baseline new, they run 1.8 volts. Used good batteries are considered higher than 1.5. Majority of the batteries I pulled after 4 or more months had 1.65 volts or higher. A majority still carrying more than 1.74 volts.

Take this information for what it’s worth. But I will no longer be blindly throwing these in the trash as I once did. I’ll use them in kids toys and reusing them in trail cams this year. Either way, if you run these expensive batteries, it might be worth buying a multimeter and testing them if you don’t already have one. Hope this info helps someone!

I do this as well. With how expensive these friggin' things are now, it makes sense to test them. To save myself some $$$ on the initial investment, I'll run alkaline batteries during the warm weather months and then switch out to Lithium Ion when the temperatures start to drop consistently. My cell cams always use LI batteries.