Made me appreciate RailPro even more

[Alan]

Something doesn't add up. The statement about 2.5 months it will be dead absolutely isn't true in my case. I can assure you I have never charged my HCs that frequently even back when I was building modules and doing a lot of testing. It usually took me more than a month to complete a single module. I had only a single HC back then. In all, it took me 17 months to build all the modules. That would have been 7 HC charge cycles or roughly a charge every 1-1/2 modules. That did not happen.

FWIW We know RP uses PIC in the LM. A 16 bit PIC in sleep mode draws 0.2 uA. That's 1/2000 of 0.4 mA. The HC of course is not a PIC but at least it demonstrates that minuscule micro processor sleep currents are common.

I'll charge one to 100% and let it set. We'll find out for sure.

Following up with my battery storage life test. I charged an HC to full charge on May 31. I turned it on for the first time today Nov 11. It has been on the shelf untouched for 5 months, 11 days. The charge indicator showed 1/4 charge. Based on that I believe it could have easily sat another 2 months. I think it is safe to say an HC can safely be stored for 6 months.

[Alan]

Second follow-up to HC battery storage test. My railroad has been untouched for almost a year. Sad I know. Today, while doing some testing for Tim (G8B4Life) I turned on the HC for the first time since Nov 11, 2017 - six months and three days since the last charging. The red charge bar was flashing but it still turned on. The layout room is 65F - 70F degrees. Safe to say a fully charged HC can be stored for 6 months but not very much longer.