How To Check The Charge Level On A Ryobi 4V USB Lithium Battery

Ryobi makes a wide range of useful cordless tools and equipment that can be used for everything from yard work to fixing up your car, as well as plumbing, woodworking, electrical jobs, and many other applications. Depending on just how much juice these power tools need, they can use different-sized batteries that are interchangeable with other tools that are part of that particular system. For example, the same 4 Ah battery that can be used with Ryobi's 18V Impact Wrench can also power the brand's 18V Flood Light. 

The most powerful cordless tools made by the company use 40V batteries that require robust chargers, while those that don't need nearly as much energy can use much smaller 4V batteries that can be charged with a simple USB cable. With so many products using different systems, it's important to know how to find the right Ryobi battery for your device. It's also important to know how much charge you have left in your 4V battery, as you wouldn't want your tool to stop working smack in the middle of a job. 

These batteries look very similar to standard Alkaline AA batteries, but instead are powered by Lithium and — more importantly — are rechargeable. While they cost more than a standard disposable battery, you can get your money's worth with this power source by using them over and over to power many of Ryobi's newest USB Lithium products — such as a desktop vacuum, multi-head screwdriver, or heated seat cushion. You can determine the charge level of a Ryobi 4V USB Lithium battery by checking the LED light that is integrated directly into the unit. How to interpret the lights, however, depends on which battery model you have.

There are different types of Ryobi 4V batteries that are compatible with the brand's USB Lithium line of tools, including both 2 Ah batteries and 3 Ah batteries. All models have built-in LEDs that will tell you the battery's charge level, though not all have a button to do so. Check the end of your Ryobi 4V battery — if it has a button, then all you need to do is press it. The LED that is integrated into the battery will then either light up red, orange, or green. If the light is green, it's fully charged or near fully charged, and if it's red, the battery is almost dead. If the light is orange, your battery level is somewhere in between.

Some 4V batteries don't have color-coded LEDs or a button. However, you can still determine the charge level by charging the battery — either by plugging a USB-C cord that's connected to a charger into the battery's port or by plugging the battery into Ryobi's proprietary USB Lithium charger. The LED that's built into the button-less battery will be solid if it's fully charged. If the charge level isn't full, the LED will blink instead.

That's all there is to it. You can quickly ascertain if your batteries need charging — and if they don't, you can get right to work by using them with any of Ryobi's many different USB Lithium tools and accessories.

Because each Ryobi 4V battery has a USB-C port built directly into it, you can charge the battery by inserting the male end of any functional USB-C cable into it, as long as that cable is attached to a power source. You can use the same wall charger that you use to recharge your smartphone, for example, or your laptop, tablet, or other USB-C device. You can also use any of the best power banks that have USB ports, and how fast your Ryobi battery will charge will depend on how powerful the charger it's connected to is.

You don't necessarily need a USB-C cable to charge Ryobi's 4V batteries. Instead, you can also use the brand's USB Lithium 3-port Charger, which is compatible with all models of Ryobi 4V USB Lithium batteries. The advantage to using the brand's proprietary charger is that it can power three batteries simultaneously, so you'll be ready to use multiple tools at once or work on extended tasks without stopping to recharge a tool. Not only that, but it's also 80% faster than using a USB cable, has an Energy Save Mode, and can even be mounted to the wall for a more convenient and organized workspace.

The charger also has its own graphics and LED indicator lights to tell you what the charge status of the batteries are — including whether or not they are overheating — giving you an additional way to keep tabs on your battery's charge levels. The Ryobi USB Lithium 3-port Charger is available from Home Depot for $40. You can also purchase a 4-pack of Ryobi USB Lithium 2 Ah batteries for $50 or a 2-pack of Ryobi USB Lithium 3 Ah batteries for $55 from the retailer.