SF + 18650 = Help please!

I have a SureFire 9P + A19 adapter. It was bored out to accept 18650 batteries. I can't get any LED or LA assembly to light up, not even a little bit. I was under the assumption that you could stack the 18650's end to end. Am I wrong?
The LED's and LA assemblies I've tried are KL3, KL5, and 12V G&P LA

Are the contacts touching between the cells?

What batteries are you using? are they flat top? perhaps they are not contacting eachother. I have several setups just like yours ans they work fine. I use a magnetic little disk provided by AW with his batteries from his sales thread. Oh, make sure your batteries are charged.

They are indeed flat-top batteries. They are charged and work well individually in a 6P. I will have to look into the magnetic disk. I think the contacts are touching between the cells, but as they are inside the light tube, I can't say for sure, but the batteries move freely inside the body of the light.

I don't think the batteries are making end to end contact with each other. Will need those disks mentioned earlier.

zx7dave said:

They are indeed flat-top batteries. They are charged and work well individually in a 6P. I will have to look into the magnetic disk. I think the contacts are touching between the cells, but as they are inside the light tube, I can't say for sure, but the batteries move freely inside the body of the light.

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If the batteries move freely inside the body of the light it definitley sounds like you need the magnetic spacer. Obviously, when you put the tail cap on it should snug them down and shouldn't be moving freely back and forth with play.

My AW 18650's do not make contact with each other. I need a magnet nearly every time. For safety, I have a small o-ring around my magnets that keeps them from making contact with the flashlight body.

zx7dave, if you don't want to mess about with magnets...the Ultrafire 18650 cells have button tops.

http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2573


CFU

I like the button tops, but prefer to stay with the protected cells I think. I appreciate the info.
I tried a small amount of aliminum foil between the batteries last night in the 9P + A19 setup and the light came on, but this time I had the exact opposite problem, the light came on and stayed on permanently. So not sure if the spacers will have the same effect. The foil I used was definately not makeing contact with the body, it was only with the ends of the batteries.

Other than the ultrafires mentioned, are 18650's typically flat tops?

Stop by Radio Shack and pick up some rare earth magnets. I have a few packs of 1/8" size, part number 64-1895, like $2 and change. They come 2 to a pack.

You can also wrap the cells in a sheet of paper to help diminish the likelihood of a short.

I will try this. Thanks.

For safety, I have a small o-ring around my magnets that keeps them from making contact with the flashlight body.

Click to expand...

thats a great idea, I always wonder if the magents wont move around.

imho the flats make no contact, mine would not.
The single battery worked inside the 6P because Your LA also has a spring, the flat contact was overruled then.

Another, simpler approach is to make solder blobs onto the positive side. Thanks to the protection circuit and its contact there is no chance to heat the battery while doing whis.
Advantage, except from cost, no further thinking/checking of magnet position or shorting when droppend, or...