Lithium-ion batteries are a crucial part of our business. They are just as important as the tools they power.  Discovering that you have a defective battery, after traveling hours to a remote project, cuts into the bottom line. 

In this article we cover the best practices for getting the most out of your Lithium-ion batteries.  We also share our experience with aftermarket / generic batteries, and which brand(s) that we recommend for powering your Trimble GNSS, instruments and controllers. 
  

# 1 Question: Should You Fully Discharge Trimble Li-ion Batteries?

Li-ion batteries do not retain a "memory" like NiCAD and older rechargeable battery technologies, so there's no reason to drain or intentionally discharge a li-ion battery before charging them again.  In fact, completely depleting Li-ion batteries can cause the cells to enter a protection mode or even damage them permanently.  Frequent short discharges are preferable to consistently fully discharging the battery.  When charging a Li-ion battery, it's not necessary to "top it off" and in fact, charging cells below 80% of full charge will greatly prolong the life of the battery.

How to Store Trimble Li-ion Batteries:

It's best to store your Trimble Li-ion batteries partially charged (40% or more).  It's also recommended to check or charge them every 90 days.  For optimal performance, store them at room temperature.

For Trimble data collectors like the TSC3, TSC7 and tablets, we highly recommend removing the battery while storing for long periods of time (14 days or more).  It is not recommended to store filed controllers plugged into AC power.

 # 2 Question: How Long Should A Battery Last in Your Trimble GNSS receiver?

Each Trimble GPS / GNSS receiver consumes power at different rates in different scenarios and radio options (base vs rover, 450 MHz vs 900 MHz).  For performance of your specific receiver, we have posted most Trimble datasheets on our Support page / Product Information >>

Here are some examples per Trimble's specification sheets using genuine Trimble batteries:

Trimble R10:

R10 power consumption is 5.1 W in RTK rover mode using internal radio.  Battery tested is 7.4 V 3.7Ah (P/N: 89840-00) R10 Datasheet >

• 450 MHz and 900 MHz receive only option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 hours
• 450 MHz and 900 MHz receive/transmit option (0.5 W). . . . . . . . 4.5 hours
• 450 MHz receive/transmit option (2.0 W) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 hours
• Cellular receive option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 hours

SPS986:

SPS985 power consumption is 3.7 W in RTK rover mode with internal radio.  Battery tested is 7.4V 2.6 Ah (P/N: 92670-00) SPS985 Datasheet >

• 450 MHz and 900 MHz receive only option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 hours
• 450 MHz and 900 MHz receive/transmit option (0.5 W). . . . . . . . 3.5 hours
• Cellular receive option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 hours

Trimble R8s:

R8s power consumption is 3.2 W in RTK rover mode with internal radio.  Battery tested is 7.4V 2.8 Ah  (P/N: 92670-00) R8s Datasheet >

• 450 MHz receive only option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 hours
• 450 MHz receive/transmit option (0.5 W). . . . . . . . 2.5 hours
• Cellular receive option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 hours

Trimble R8 GNSS Model 4

R8 GNSS Model 4 power consumption is 3.2 W in RTK rover mode with internal radio.  Battery tested is 7.4V 2.6 Ah (P/N: 92670-00) R8-4 GNSS Datasheet >

• 450 MHz receive only option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 hours
• 450 MHz receive/transmit option (0.5 W). . . . . . . . 2.5 hours
• Cellular receive option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 hours

# 3 Question: Trimble Li-ion Batteries vs Generic / Aftermarket

Due to their high cost, we are often asked to compare genuine Trimble Li-ion battery packs to aftermarket packs that can be found on eBay and Amazon. Like the other equipment manufacturers, Trimble battery packs are manufactured specifically for Trimble in China with very high standards using high-quality cells and protection control circuits.  This controlled manufacturing process produces batteries that are safe and reliable which will provide users with hundreds of charge / discharge cycles before they need to be replaced.  

From our research and experience, you simply can't beat the performance and longevity of a genuine Trimble battery.  Yes, they are expensive, but not as expensive as losing a day of work due to dead batteries.

Good cells make good battery packs:

Battery packs have multiple cells inside.  The popular 18650 Li-Ion cell is about the size of the AA battery - and there are over 7,000 combined to power a Tesla Model 3.

There are several battery pack and battery cell manufacturers out there with varying performance and safety standards. Panasonic / Sanyo, LG and Samsung produce high-quality 18650 Li-Ion cells.  Better performing cells command higher prices. So much so, that counterfeiters purchase blank 18650 steel tubes and only fill them partially with lower capacity, low-cost internals - which results in inferior battery performance, reduce battery life, disregarding safety and environmental standards.

Panasonic 18650B Li-Ion cell (pictured) 

Trimble uses high-quality battery cells in all of their battery packs.  You can often feel the weight difference between a genuine Trimble battery and a counterfeit or aftermarket battery which suggests that inferior battery cells are used in the latter.

Trimble 79400 pack opened - exposing Sanyo 18650 Li-Ion cells inside

Battery Safety:

We've all heard of Li-ion batteries exploding or causing fires, so it's important to consider the SAFTEY of a battery ahead of its cost.  

In this article from Battery University: What Everyone Should Know About Aftermarket Batteries >>, they point out: "Manufacturers do not object to aftermarket batteries - as long as they are well built and conform to safety standards". 

It's also important to note that an aftermarket battery is very different from a counterfeit battery.  We strongly recommend AVOIDING counterfeit Trimble batteries and chargers commonly found on eBay and Alibaba.  Only purchase Trimble batteries from a reputable source. 

Best Aftermarket / Generic Battery for Trimble R8 and SPS series GPS / GNSS:

For the R2, R580, R780, R8 (model 1-4) and SPS986 / SPS985 receivers, we've found great success with Kastar's D-Li1 battery. The Kastar D-Li1 battery specifications are the same as Trimble's 92600.  They also work with Trimble's current dual bay charger (109000), but are a tight fit as the plastic bay of the charger is a bit narrow compared to Trimble's previous dual bay charger (53018010). 

Kastar's website states their products pass the ISO9001 quality system certification and ISO 14001 environmental management system certification.

Buy Kastar D-Li1 for Trimble GPS >>

From our experience genuine Trimble brand batteries last longer in the field and over time, but at one-tenth of the price, the Kastar D-Li1 is a solid economical choice.

Best Aftermarket Battery for Trimble R10 and R12 GNSS Receivers:

Grade Control Products (GCP) is a U.S. based company that offers premium aftermarket batteries for Trimble equipment. Like Trimble, GCP sources their batteries from the highest quality overseas suppliers.  You're not going to save a lot of money compared to genuine Trimble, but you're getting a premium product that is as good, or better than Trimble's. The GCP51 battery works perfectly with Trimble's current dual bay charger (109000).

Other Aftermarket Batteries We've Tested - Good and Bad: 

We've had mixed results from Cameron Sino, a manufacture of batteries from China. While CS produces an excellent replacement battery for the TSC3 controller (CS-TRS300XL), we can't say the same for other Trimble products.

From our experience, the R10 /R12 alternative battery (CS-TRR100SL) typically performed well at first but were not reliable for more than 12 months.  Additionally, the longer they were stored (new, unused), the less reliable they became. 

Cameron Sino TRR100SL (above) for Trimble R10 / R12 receivers   

Cameron Sino TRS800SL (above) For the S, RTS and SPS series instruments.

We've also experienced very poor results with Cameron Sino's alternative for the Trimble S/SPS/RTS total stations, models CS-TRS800SL and CS-TRS800XL . Many of the packs that we received were dead on arrival and would not charge.  Other packs became defective when stored for only a month or two. 

Many of our customers also reported reliability issues, including partial charging and, in most cases, not charging at all. Additionally, the TRS800 is not fully compatible with any Trimble charger that we tested. Yes, they will charge, but every pack we tested required conditioning.  Even after using the conditioning feature (on Trimble's charger) they still showed conditioning was required (per Trimble charger's health check feature). 

On a good note, Cameron Sino offers excellent customer service and quickly replaced the defective units that we received (though many of the replacements were also defective).  They have also been very responsive to our feedback, providing access directly to their engineering team, but unfortunately, we did not seen any improvements in the product, and stopped offering them to our customers.

Buying Used / Pre-owned Trimble Li-Ion Batteries:

While we may include used Trimble batteries with some of our equipment, we don't recommend buying used batteries. This is because battery capacity decreases slightly with each charge & discharge cycle.  Li-ion batteries have a usable life between 300 to 400 charge / discharge cycles.  The only way to test a used Li-ion battery is to put it in the field and see how long it will last.  Additionally, if the batteries are low on charge and stored for long periods of time, they can go into protective mode.  Some batteries can recover from this state, but some cannot. For this reason, we generally do not recommend buying used batteries.  This also goes for new batteries that have been stored for many years unused.

Trimble Support Bulletin - Best Practices For Getting The Most Out Of Your Lithium-ion Batteries

For additional information, check out this support bulletin produced by Trimble that outlines the factors that affect battery performance - as well as offering best practices to enable Trimble batteries to perform to their designed specification: Download Support Bulletin >>

We hope this information is useful to you. Leave your comments below and let us know your experience with genuine vs generic batteries.