Question - 10 Year Old SF CR123A - Passivation?

[bigfoot]

Question about CR123A "passivation" for the battery experts here:

I've got quite a few SureFire CR123A cells from around ten years ago. Guess I've been slower to work through my cache than I thought.

One cell dates from 4/2006. Initially, out of the box, on the ZTS battery tester, it showed 100%. So I installed it in a SF T1A Titan and it sat for a few days with very little, if any, use. On pulling the cell out today and testing it again, it all of a sudden showed 20%. At first, I thought maybe there was some huge parasitic drain.

So for giggles, I ran the Titan on high for about 15 minutes, let the light cool, then pulled the cell and tested it on the ZTS. Now it shows between 80-100%.

Hmm... does this sound like passivation? :thinking:

 

[peter yetman]

For those of us, like me, who haven't a clue about this.
Here's a very interesting article on the subject..
https://www.creasefield.co.uk/technology/passivation-in-lithium-batteries/

Now, over to our experts.
P

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Bigfoot,

Yes...

Using the ZTS with older cells I start by taking a few tests and watching the readings bounce around a little. I then let the cell rest a few minutes and then take another reading. This usually gets you in the ball park.

Your method also works well.

Energizer had a white paper several years ago about applying a small load periodically in an effort to minimize the thickness of the passivation layer. In practice this may be more effort than it is worth.

The problem with moderating the layer with a load is that the capacity of the cell is reduced. I am aware of one effort that looked at applying a few pulses of charge in an effort to manage the layer. Aside from the safety issues involved the effort seemed to be lacking in definitive results. Some cells responded and others didn't.

All in all it seems the best method is to have a "candle" style light that runs on a single CR-123A cell. When you over purchase cells simply use then up in your mood lights.

Tom

 

[bigfoot]

Thanks Peter and SilverFox for the quick replies! :thumbsup: I'm always learning something new around here. lovecpf

Also, what it sounds like is that I "need" to get a new light just for using up old CR123's... At least, that's gonna be my story!

 

[terjee]

Also, what it sounds like is that I "need" to get a new light just for using up old CR123's... At least, that's gonna be my story!

That was also my story when I grabbed a FourSevens Quark Smart QSL, at 50% off (currently $32, down from $65). Looks like it's still discounted:

http://www.foursevens.com/products/QSL-AF

I disabled the disco and higher modes, so now I have a light that can sit in standby for a long time, yet work for a long time when I need it, or at least that's the idea.

 

[Gauss163]

For those of us, like me, who haven't a clue about this. Here's a very interesting article on the subject..
https://www.creasefield.co.uk/technology/passivation-in-lithium-batteries/

As I mentioned when this topic arose 7 months ago, it's worth explicit emphasis that this big voltage delay due to passivation applies only to primary (nonrechargeable) Lithium batteries, viz. Li-SOCl2 (Lithium Thionyl Chloride), not to secondary (rechargeable) Li-ion batteries. Many articles on the web do not make this clear, which often leads to confusion.