Spark SD6-500CW and Batteries

Crypt750

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*Let me start off by saying that this is my first post on the CPF. I am using Tapatalk to access the forums and found no other post related to this with the search function. I hope this is not a repost.*

At Christmas of '13 I received a Spark SD6-500CW and a pair of cr123 SureFire cells as a gift from my father. I used it from time to time but never continuously.

Until last week.

I have started working at a job where we are constantly moving between unlit rooms in a brick building with no windows. The company that I work for installs a sound deadening solution that uses fabric as the cover. This means that there can be no imperfections in the field or seams, so a long lasting, high output light is needed to do the job.

The SD6-500CW does a great job of this. However, there is a huge downside of this light. It consumes batteries like a fat child consumes cookies.

As the cr123's are about 5 bucks for a pack of 2, they are a bit expensive to use on a day to day basis.

I like to use the light at the medium 2 level which gives about 12 hours of runtime. However, this is shortened from the times that I need to click it to the "Super" mode (1.8 hours RT)

Without further babble, I am looking for a 18650 cell with:
1: longest runtime / highest capacity available (must be 2600 Mah or above. 2 SureFire cr123 cells have a combined rating of 2600 (nominal))
2: a high quality cell that will LAST. (500+ recharges without noticeable degradation of light output)
3: a cell that will not go haywire and explode while it is on my brain case. (I have toured the fourms and have seen the damage of an exploding lithium cell and don't fancy that while it is on my forehead)

Info on the light can be found here: http://www.spark-light.com/2013/products/SD6-500CW.html

Thanks for your time,
Crypt750
 

kj2

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Take a look at ArmyTek or Zebralight headlamps.
As for 18650 batteries, I recommend Eagletac branded batts.
 

Crypt750

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My father also has a zebralight (not sure of the designation) and he really likes it. As for this headlamp, I am going to keep it and use it as it is good, it was free, and it meets my needs.

Thanks for the reply.
 

Mooreshire

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Let me start off by saying that this is my first post on the CPF. [...] I have started working at a job where [...] high output light is needed to do the job. [My] SD6-500CW does a great job of this. However [...] it consumes batteries like a fat child consumes cookies. [...] I am looking for a [high quality] 18650 cell with [the] highest capacity available [which] will not go haywire and explode while it is on my brain case.

Welcome to the forum! :welcome:

You've got a fine headlamp there and using a high quality 18650 battery in it should give you a little bit more time in the high/medium modes, but not a whole lot more. Using a rechargeable battery instead of disposables will save you a bunch of money over time though. In the long run it wouldn't be too much more expensive to get a second spare cell to swap in mid-shift so you'll know your highest mode will always be available.

These days some of the best 18650 cells are being made by Panasonic, with capacities between 3100mAh and 3600mAh. Since it sounds like you want to make sure they will be the safest cells you can get, you'll want a version with a good "protection circuit" added to it. Panasonic themselves don't make them with the protection circuits but there are several companies that take the Panasonic cells and add the protection circuits to them. Not all such protection circuits are created equally though, and you'll want to make sure you get a battery with a circuit that covers a short-circuit/overcurrent scenario as well as overcharging and overdischarging scenarios. It can get confusing, but there is a great non-biased website with the results of some important tests here: http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650Summary%20UK.html (One bit of advice to start off: Looking at the "Discharge, Capacity" graph on that site, you'll want to note that the (3A) yellow bar is closest to the power draw of your lamp on high mode and so that will be the amount of energy available to run the lamp in the brightest setting before it steps itself down.)

If you glance through those graphs, you might notice some brands like Itl-Outdoor, Keeppower, Redilast, Xtar, AW, Callie's Customs, Orbtronic, and Eagletac ranking really well - those companies are considered to be among the best options (I personally use Orbtronics) and they all use the same Panasonic cells inside of them and have similarly high-quality protection circuits added. Since adding the circuits adds both length and girth to the batteries some are longer or fatter than others, which might be worth noting since some devices can't fit the biggest cells (I think size is the first few graphs). There are also some generic protected Panasonic cells out there which do usually work quite well, are cheaper, and have clear wrappings with no other brand names printed on them... but as is the case with any generic product if they don't work there's nobody to complain to, so I usually suggest folks look at the brands I mentioned above first.

Having a high quality headlamp and a high quality battery is good, but you'll also need a high quality charger. Any charger made for 18650 cells should work well, just as long as it does what is referred to as "constant-current / constant-voltage charging". Sometimes that is abbreviated "CC/CV" (or maybe it's CV/CC). Most (not all) lithium-ion battery chargers these days are CC/CV... but it is good to double check before you buy. There are a lot of battery charger reviews on this forum, so I'll let you look around for options.

Hope that helps!

I've assembled a few sound studios and even helped build an anechoic chamber at a laboratory once - soundproofing can be hard work. Be safe and try not to blind your co-workers too often with your lamp, lol. :thumbsup:
 

Crypt750

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I know I don't want stuff blowing up in my face, but I would like to play Devils advocate for a second here.
Are in protected cells dangerous? Is it all possible to use genuine brand Panasonic non-protected cells and come out with the same level of safety if used with knowledge and care? The reason I say this is that Hi-cap cells with protection push the limits of the chamber on the SD6-500CW. .5mm smaller and I would be in the clear. :p
 

kj2

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Is it all possible to use genuine brand Panasonic non-protected cells and come out with the same level of safety if used with knowledge and care?

If you know what you're doing, I would say yes. Otherwise it's really recommended to use protected cells.
 

asval

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Pity he didn't get you the Spark SX5, it's got a lower high mode but lasts a long time with the 18650 battery pack.

Read the fine print on your light

Please note that high quality 18650 batteries are required to access and maintain the turbo mode of this light. 2 CR123s will likely not power turbo mode and many the protection circuit of many protected 18650s will kick in when the light is switched to turbo. Two batteries that we have tested and confirmed to power the turbo mode are the Eagletac 3100 mAh 18650 and the AW 2900 mAh 18650.

I use unprotected Sanyo's 18650 and I trust them more than protected cells since there's an increase risk of the PCB causing a short if you damage it.
 

Esko

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I know I don't want stuff blowing up in my face, but I would like to play Devils advocate for a second here.
Are in protected cells dangerous? Is it all possible to use genuine brand Panasonic non-protected cells and come out with the same level of safety if used with knowledge and care? The reason I say this is that Hi-cap cells with protection push the limits of the chamber on the SD6-500CW. .5mm smaller and I would be in the clear. :p
If you know what you're doing, I would say yes. Otherwise it's really recommended to use protected cells.

If you know what you do and constantly monitor your battery usage (or use devices that have their own protection features), then yes. I have chosen to use protected due to the ease of use and peace of mind. No need to constantly monitor the runtimes or change batteries when they are half full. In other words, if you will be changing your batteries after some ~2000+ mAh of use (to stay on the safe side hour after hour, day after day, in constant use), you could as well buy some protected 2600mAh batteries and get more runtime + no need to monitor your battery usage.
 

RI Chevy

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I use unprotected Panasonic 3400 mAh cells in many of my lights based on fitment. These cells are very safe if you just get familiar with the cells, and remove the cell for recharge as soon as there is a slight dim in output levels. The 18650 3400 mAh cell should almost double your run times over 2xCR123's.
 
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