My question, shouldn't this work with the solar cell as a backup? What's the solar thigh even for if the battery is dead? It had a seemingly regular lithium cr2450 in it, and I replaced it with the same.

I think the solar is only an assist to give longer battery life. Also, those coin batteries need to be tested under some type of load, otherwise, the test is pretty useless. At least that has been my experience.

The data sheet at data.energizer.com/PDFs/cr2450.pdf shows the voltage at 0.39 mA.

 

I'm at work and don't have access to it now but I just realized there was a 3350 helmet and a newer 3350 with 4c lense. I got excited because I thought it was the nice new 4c but I have a feeling I bought the older model (mojo graphics).

 

you got a great deal either way.....

 

Leave tithe sun for about 20 minutes.

 

A good name brand battery lasts about a year in mine, dollar store batteries don't really have a consistent life span.

 

Is there another battery the solar panel is connected to that would charge? I don't think the one it came with is rechargeable. I replaced it with an energizer from the drug store. The one that came out seemed like regular lithium.

 

The helmet is not capable of charging the lithium battery...nor is the battery capable of being recharged. I believe the sole purpose for the replaceable battery is to provide the helmet with the very fast response time of 1/25,000 of a second (40 microseconds). Solar cells are not capable of responding that fast. The helmet uses special arc sensors to auto-darken, than the solar cells provide the majority of the power to maintain the darken state.

 

So why do I keep hearing people (not just this thread, I've done some browsing for this question) suggest leaving a helmet in the sun for a while. That doesn't seem effective when there is t a battery to charge.

 

Because you will find all sorts of things on the internet.

"Information and Product Offerings for CR2450 Coin Cell Lithium Batteries
The CR Lithium battery is a 3 volt, non-rechargeable battery but the good news is that these batteries do offer a very long shelf life, ranging 7-10 years."

There are "rechargeable" CR2450, but they are special case offerings and require a higher rate charger than the solar cells on the helmet are capable of.

Take a look in the Viking 3350 manual? (http://www.lincolnelectric.com/assets/servicenavigator-public/lincoln3/im10095.pdf)

Lincoln would say it is a rechargeable battery and if dead, place helmet in a light source. In fact, the very first line in troubleshooting section states:
"Filter does not darken when TEST button is pressed." "Possible Cause: Low Battery" "Solution: Replace Battery"

 

Exactly, it doesn't say "put it in the sun for a few hours", but I've heard in other forum threads people suggesting others to try that. Some were 3350 threads. I guess people may be sharing experiences based on other helmets that do recharge.

 

I find the 3350 to use up batteries kind of quickly. Twice as fast as the Miller Digital Elite. Still like the hood, just have to keep buying batts.