Quote Originally Posted by Stuart View Post
Well, wouldn't you just set it up to use your cell charger?

I'm interested in what you said about the voltage level. What is the difference between running the battery down till it won't turn on while it is powering a cell phone, or powering a light?
you could certainly use your cell charger-

the minimum voltage has to do with the chemistry of Li-Ion batteries..

a quote from http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-12.htm

"Extreme low voltage must also be prevented. The safety circuit is designed to cut off the current path if the battery is inadvertently discharged below 2.50V/cell. At this voltage, most circuits render the battery unserviceable and a recharge on a regular charger is not possible.
There are several safeguards to prevent excessive discharge. The equipment protects the battery by cutting off when the cell reaches 2.7 to 3.0V/cell. Battery manufacturers ship the batteries with a 40% charge to allow some self-discharge during storage. Advanced batteries contain a wake-up feature in which the protection circuit only starts to draw current after the battery has been activated with a brief charge. This allows prolonged storage."

this is a safety feature because:

"If the cells have dwelled at 1.5V/cell and lower for a few days, however, a recharge should be avoided. Copper shunts may have formed inside the cells, leading a partial or total electrical short. The cell becomes unstable. Charging such a battery would cause excessive heat and safety could not be assured. "

so what's the worst that could happen?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeWq6rWzChw