Beginner needs help

Hi guys,
My mom recently returned from a business trip to Hong Kong and brought me back a nice laser, the label says:
Max output power <1000mW
Wave lengh 532nm (green)
Class III Laser product
This products compiles with 21 CFR

The battery inside is labeled :
YXL
LC16340
1200mAh
3.7V

I used it on the 1st day for like 5mins and it died...
So I charged it all night long and it lasted 20seconds before dying....

So I researched and found this forum, I'm guessing the battery is crap

I just tested it and it said 1.7V ^^ so I started charging it again and I'll update tomorrow after the night ill test it and post results

The weird thing is that when I install it in the charger and plug it the led turns green (as is it was fully charged) and if i unplug it it turns red and fades...

Any ideas ?

Or maybe better, where can I find a good reliable rechargeable battery with these specs ??

Thanks guys,

Dwarkas

That is the easiest answer is yes, the battery is crap. And the charger more than likely as well. When trying to revive a lithium ion cell you shouldn't just pour full power into it, instead a pre-charge cycle should be used, charging at 20% or less of the normal charge voltage until reaching about 2.2- 2.5V.
As for why your charger is acting the way it is, it may have a safety feature that checks the voltage of the battery first, trying to determine the chemistry, or checking for a bad cell etc and is related to that. I dunno, not really worth the effort to figure it out.
A quality 16340 sized rechargeable battery will be in the range of ~700mAh (perhaps a bit more I am not up on the latest) but certainly not in the 1200mAH range, that's just pure fiction. You can't go wrong ordering AW cells.
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?230876-AW-s-LiIon-Batteries-Sales-Thread-*Part-12*

As to the charger, I will let others answer that as quite a few new chargers have surfaced since I last bought one. Perhaps one of the XTAR models would suit your needs.

Alright, thank you so much for the answer I wathched the "views" going up but no replies ^^
And regarding the mAh what difference am I to expect, or was it just a lie that it was at 1200mAh ?

Alright i'll look into that !
Yeah, please guys give me a little advice for a charger for the : IMR16340

Yah, the 1200mAH is just a blatant exaggeration
The AW IMR battery will work for you situation, but it's primary use is for high current draw applications. It's a different chemistry then your standard li-co battery (AW black battery). While it handles high current draw very well, the trade off is it has a lower capacity. 550mAh for the IMR vs 750mAH for the black cell. This is mostly my fault, I was in a hurry this morning when I replied and didn't give you the proper link.
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?230876-AW-s-LiIon-Batteries-Sales-Thread-*Part-12*
http://www.lighthound.com/AW-RCR123a-Protected-750-mAh-Battery_p_114.html

Again, I am not completely up on the newest chargers, but why don't you do a little searching on the Xtar MP2. It should fit the bill. If it can still be found.
Or perhaps the Nitecore I2, though it's a bit more than you are asking for, it's a nice charger.

Alright, dont worry its ok I havent bought anything yet... I'll buy the AW-RCR123a as soon as I find a charger for it, could anyone recomend one from the website VegasF6 provided ?

Thanks guys,

Dwarkas

dwarkas said:

Alright, dont worry its ok I havent bought anything yet... I'll buy the AW-RCR123a as soon as I find a charger for it, could anyone recomend one from the website VegasF6 provided ?

Thanks guys,

Dwarkas

Click to expand...

XTAR VP1 charger.

Ok so I found the charger !! It looks awesome

And I also look at the bateries they sell, and found this one :
http://www.xtarlight.com/05-chanpin/p-001-1.asp?styleid=199&style=Battery Series

But its a 3.0V and 1400mAh
Will it work on my laser ? (it came with a "3.7V 1200mAh")

If I follow what you guys said, I would buy 2 AW RCR123a batteries and the VP1 charger

EDIT: Ok so I checked the price for the VP1 and its about 50$ wich is too much for me because I'll only be needing a charger for 2 AW RCR123a batteries for my laser... And I wont be needing to charge them both at the same time... could you please orient me torwards a cheaper single charger around 15-25$

Thank you so much !!

Dwarkas

dwarkas said:

And I also look at the bateries they sell, and found this one :
http://www.xtarlight.com/05-chanpin/p-001-1.asp?styleid=199&style=Battery%20Series

But its a 3.0V and 1400mAh
Will it work on my laser ? (it came with a "3.7V 1200mAh")

Click to expand...

It is a primary battery, i.e. not rechargeable.

dwarkas said:

EDIT: Ok so I checked the price for the VP1 and its about 50$ wich is too much for me because I'll only be needing a charger for 2 AW RCR123a batteries for my laser... And I wont be needing to charge them both at the same time... could you please orient me torwards a cheaper single charger around 15-25$

Click to expand...

A cheap and good charger is the cottonpickers basic charger, get a 300 or 400mA model.
It also looks like the new generation of cheaper Xtar chargers has selectable current, i.e. they may also be good.

Thanks HKJ
Yeah, I'm going to go with a rechargeable one ^^

Super, I'll look into that : whats the difference between the 300mA and 400mA ?

EDIT : I found the XP1 charger : http://www.xtarlight.com/05-chanpin/p-001-1.asp?styleid=276&style=Charger Series
About 15$ I might go for it, just exploring my options,
what would be the best website(s) to order the AW RCR123a and the charger ?
You guys rock

dwarkas said:

Super, I'll look into that : whats the difference between the 300mA and 400mA ?

Click to expand...

100mA
The 300mA can also be used for 10440 cells, but will charger slower.

The Xtar XP1 can charger with both 250mA and 500mA, but I have not tested it yet and cannot say how good it is.

Hahahaha
I will only be charging the AW RCR123a...
Whats the advantage of choosing between 250mA and 500mA ? the charging speed ?
Apart from speed what does it change ?

Do you knowwhen you'll review it ?

Thanks HKJ

dwarkas said:

Hahahaha
I will only be charging the AW RCR123a...
Whats the advantage of choosing between 250mA and 500mA ? the charging speed ?
Apart from speed what does it change ?

Click to expand...

The mains differens is the charging speed.
For at 16340 (i.e. RCR123) 500mA is about the maximum charge rate, you might get slightly longer lifetime by only charging with 400mA (or 250mA).

dwarkas said:

Do you knowwhen you'll review it ?

Click to expand...

My guess will be between one and two months from now.

FYI it only affects the charge rate during the CC phase. While in the cv phase the effects will be less obvious. Just wanted to point out that it won't actually be as much faster as one might think.

VegasF6 said:

FYI it only affects the charge rate during the CC phase. While in the cv phase the effects will be less obvious. Just wanted to point out that it won't actually be as much faster as one might think.

Click to expand...

Sorry to ask but what's CC and CV ?
What happens if you charge at a higher rate ?

Thank you so much for your answers guys !!

Just to be lazy.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries

dwarkas said:

Sorry to ask but what's CC and CV ?
What happens if you charge at a higher rate ?

Click to expand...

CC=Constant current, CV = Constant voltage.

A charge cycle look like this:


When charging at a higher rate, the CC part will be faster and the CV part will take longer time. It will be faster to charge with higher current, but twice the current will not charge in half the time.

Awesome thanks guys I'm going to instruct myself a little before ordering

EDIT @HKJ have you reviewed the cottonpickers charger ? what can you tell me about them ?

dwarkas said:

EDIT @HKJ have you reviewed the cottonpickers charger ? what can you tell me about them ?

Click to expand...

I have reviewed some of them long time ago and I am going to post reviews of the basic and the dual in the near future.

Generally they work well, just be aware that the voltmeter draws power from the battery.

Alright, I just read more about them, and the fact that I have to keep an eye on the charger at all times bothers me because I'm just beginning with those batteries...
I'd rather go with a "smart" one that will stop once it reaches max voltage...

dwarkas said:

Alright, I just read more about them, and the fact that I have to keep an eye on the charger at all times bothers me because I'm just beginning with those batteries...
I'd rather go with a "smart" one that will stop once it reaches max voltage...

Click to expand...

The charger I have mentioned are the good ones, that do stop when the battery is full.

The advise about keeping an eye on the charger is general for LiIon batteries and does not relate to any specific charger.