jamie N
Well-Known Member
My PLB-375 was bought in 2015, and tested for functionality every year (ish) since. Anyway, despite passing the test again this year, it's pushing it a bit to rely on it further when it's stated to replace after 5 years!
Checking it out, places wanted in the region of £130, to inspect, test and replace the battery.
Not an option.
I bought a new battery from XCELPLUS Security (UK) Ltd, which arrived after a few days.
During the fitting process, I measured the voltage on the old one, which was 9.72VDC, and the new one which was 9.26VDC.
Umhh; this being the case, I contacted the company supplying it, and got this response within the hour:
xcelplustore
Hi Jamie, thank you for your feedback and attention to detail. I'm familiar with these issues raised. I'll address them respectively. Firstly the voltage. Initially it does appear concerning, since the open circuit voltage (OCV) is lower than the original however, this can be described by a process called passivation on the lithium anode of a battery, which prevents self-discharge and ensures a long shelf life. I'll let you look it up, as to be honest, it's all a little over my head and chemistry wasn't my strongest subject. It is quite normal and once a load is applied to the battery pack the OCV will increase. More importantly is the NOM voltage will be higher than the used battery.
Hopefully I've addressed your concerns and you're satisfied with these explanations. If you still have any concerns and I'm able to answer them, I'll get back to you swiftly.
Kind regards
Darren Chapman
XCELPLUS Security (UK) Ltd
There was also a small issue with the connector, but that's irrelevant here.
I self tested the PLB and it responds just fine, so I consider that £100 saved. It should be noted though, that there's nothing at all tricky about this operation, it's 2 screws, a connector and taking care to reseal it, which is very easy to do.
Checking it out, places wanted in the region of £130, to inspect, test and replace the battery.
Not an option.
I bought a new battery from XCELPLUS Security (UK) Ltd, which arrived after a few days.
During the fitting process, I measured the voltage on the old one, which was 9.72VDC, and the new one which was 9.26VDC.
Umhh; this being the case, I contacted the company supplying it, and got this response within the hour:
xcelplustore
Hi Jamie, thank you for your feedback and attention to detail. I'm familiar with these issues raised. I'll address them respectively. Firstly the voltage. Initially it does appear concerning, since the open circuit voltage (OCV) is lower than the original however, this can be described by a process called passivation on the lithium anode of a battery, which prevents self-discharge and ensures a long shelf life. I'll let you look it up, as to be honest, it's all a little over my head and chemistry wasn't my strongest subject. It is quite normal and once a load is applied to the battery pack the OCV will increase. More importantly is the NOM voltage will be higher than the used battery.
Hopefully I've addressed your concerns and you're satisfied with these explanations. If you still have any concerns and I'm able to answer them, I'll get back to you swiftly.
Kind regards
Darren Chapman
XCELPLUS Security (UK) Ltd
There was also a small issue with the connector, but that's irrelevant here.
I self tested the PLB and it responds just fine, so I consider that £100 saved. It should be noted though, that there's nothing at all tricky about this operation, it's 2 screws, a connector and taking care to reseal it, which is very easy to do.
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