Halcyon Helios NiMH Lighting Systems Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery technology emerged nearly thirty years ago from research on the storage of hydrogen for use as an alternative energy source. NiMH development resulted in batteries providing enhanced capacities while retaining the well-characterized electrical and physical design features of the sealed Nickel Cadmium cell design. Halcyon is pleased to be at the forefront of dive equipment innovation by introducing Nickel-Metal Hydride technology in its Helios line of underwater lighting.
The discharge behaviour of the Helios Nickel-Metal Hydride battery pack is well-suited for underwater lighting applications. Halcyon’s NiMH battery pack provides a stable voltage for extended periods of operations. When compared to other battery technologies, Halcyon’s Helios Nickel-Metal Hydride battery pack offers three distinct advantages:

• Higher capacity: Halcyon’s Helios battery pack has more than 50% more energy density than their lead acid counterparts. As a result, the Helios light canisters can be a fraction of the size of the Explorer Pro line with equal or greater burn times.

• Environmentally green: NiMH batteries contain no cadnium, mercury, lead, or lithium which are proven to be a disaster in landfills.

• No memory effect: Unlike lead acid and NICAD packs, NiMH batteries are not affected by battery memory effect and can be partially recharged and discharged at will without shortening the life of the battery

The NiMH Advantage

Thanks to the compact size of the Helios NiMH battery pack, Helios lighting systems are able to drive a variety of HID lamps for times that exceed the much larger Explorer Pro systems. The following table provides burn times for the Helios 4.5 and 9 primary lights as well as for the Helios video lighting systems. Times are approximate and based on our measurements using properly charged and conditioned battery packs.