Battery Controller 18V for LYSON BASIC and MINIMA Honey Extractors

01 · 72 WATT-HOURS, NOT FIVE HOURS

What a 4 Ah battery actually holds

An 18 V, 4 Ah battery stores 72 watt-hours; the 2.5 Ah one holds 45. That is all there is, and it pays to translate it properly: the «up to five hours» figure is a working day, not a motor spinning. In a real extraction the drum runs in bursts and stops to change frames, and it is that pattern that stretches the battery.

The potentiometer sets the speed, and there lies the other half of the sum: fewer revolutions, less draw and more frames per charge. For a long day away from home, two batteries and the charger in the car.

02 · 18 V IS NOT ALWAYS THE SAME 18 V

The standard is POWER FOR ALL, not any battery

It runs on POWER FOR ALL 18 V batteries of 2.5 or 4 Ah, the standard shared by Bosch's garden and DIY range with other brands. The blue 18 V Bosch Professional packs are a different system and do not fit, however identical the voltage: this is the costliest buying mistake on this product.

The maker also rules out 6 Ah batteries. And battery and charger are sold separately: the product is the control panel alone.

03 · ONLY BASIC AND MINIMA, MOTOR ON TOP

Check compatibility on the controller you remove

It fits LYSON extractors in the BASIC and MINIMA ranges with the motor on top. It is no good for CLASSIC or PREMIUM, nor for any side-motor extractor.

The reliable check is not the trade name, which changes between catalogues: it is looking at the controller currently fitted and where the motor sits. If the present panel is bolted to the lid and the motor comes out of the top, that is this one's place. The supply cable goes to the motor just as on the original and the battery slots in underneath.

04 · TWO LEDS AND A WORKING RANGE

Green for on, red for low battery

Green tells you the panel has power and red warns that the battery is running down, which halfway through an extraction is the difference between finishing the basket and leaving it half done.

The declared working range is 0 to 40 °C. In a makeshift honey room in the shade in August, or an unheated shed in spring, it is worth bearing in mind: lithium batteries lose capacity in the cold.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

A controller replacement, not a universal accessory.