ZebraLight told me i need a specific battery

jlittle

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I emailed zebraLight about the H600Fd MKIV i ordered asking if the ncr18650b would be ok to run and the response was
"The H600Fd Mk IV requires a high drain battery, capable of supplying at least 10Amp of current. The NCR18650B won't be able to supply enough current for the H1 level. Other lower output levels will work.
The battery has to be flat top."

so so being a complete novice can someone help me out on battery that will be best? I ordered a VP4 Charger last week should be here soon now just need batteries and a the light whenever it ships.

I will more more than likely purchase a sc64 as well so hopefully the batteries can jive. Thanks guys
 

ChrisGarrett

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They generally offer up the Sanyo-Panasonic NCR-18650GA 10A naked, flat top cell with their newer high current lights.

Assuming that these others fit, anything from Sony, Samsung, or LG will work, if they can handle a continuous 10A load, or better (Samsung 30Q, Sony VTC-5/5A/6, LG HE2) among others.

Width and length should be considered, but naked cells are shorter and without button tops, you 'should' be fine with any of those.

Chris
 

jlittle

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They generally offer up the Sanyo-Panasonic NCR-18650GA 10A naked, flat top cell with their newer high current lights.

Assuming that these others fit, anything from Sony, Samsung, or LG will work, if they can handle a continuous 10A load, or better (Samsung 30Q, Sony VTC-5/5A/6, LG HE2) among others.

Width and length should be considered, but naked cells are shorter and without button tops, you 'should' be fine with any of those.

Chris


Thanks Chris!
 

WalkIntoTheLight

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They generally offer up the Sanyo-Panasonic NCR-18650GA 10A naked, flat top cell with their newer high current lights.

Assuming that these others fit, anything from Sony, Samsung, or LG will work, if they can handle a continuous 10A load, or better (Samsung 30Q, Sony VTC-5/5A/6, LG HE2) among others.

I'd be surprised if any of the Zebralights (even the new ones that use the Cree XHP50.2) actually use 10A continuous current. Has anyone measured the current draw on these lights?

That said, I totally understand why you'd want a battery capable of at least 10A continuous draw, just so the voltage doesn't sag too much at 6A or 8A or whatever is actually being used.
 

ChrisGarrett

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I'd be surprised if any of the Zebralights (even the new ones that use the Cree XHP50.2) actually use 10A continuous current. Has anyone measured the current draw on these lights?

That said, I totally understand why you'd want a battery capable of at least 10A continuous draw, just so the voltage doesn't sag too much at 6A or 8A or whatever is actually being used.

I'm just going on what they gave away with the Mk II what-evers, which was the NCR-GA. I think that they get close to 10A, so having a bit of wiggle room is always a good thing.

You can go back to the FLASHLIGHT forum and search it, as it's been a while.

Chris
 

NPL

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I emailed zebraLight about the H600Fd MKIV i ordered asking if the ncr18650b would be ok to run and the response was
"The H600Fd Mk IV requires a high drain battery, capable of supplying at least 10Amp of current. The NCR18650B won't be able to supply enough current for the H1 level. Other lower output levels will work.
The battery has to be flat top."

so so being a complete novice can someone help me out on battery that will be best? I ordered a VP4 Charger last week should be here soon now just need batteries and a the light whenever it ships.

I will more more than likely purchase a sc64 as well so hopefully the batteries can jive. Thanks guys
Zebralight should mention this on their website. The MK4 xhp50.2 headlamps only mention an 18650 battery with no mention of it needing to be high drain.
 

Bazsy

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Zebralight should mention this on their website. The MK4 xhp50.2 headlamps only mention an 18650 battery with no mention of it needing to be high drain.

I guess the XHP50 needs about 6A. Considering that spikes can occur and flashlight electronics never have 100% efficiency 7-8A is a realistic need. If you count in that batteries do age with each usage 10A is totally advisable to future-proof it a little. I guess the most common and easily accessible battery with 10A is the mentioned Panasonic NCR18650GA.
 

StorminMatt

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Here's how I see things. Even if the XHP50.2 draws 6A and the maximum draw on the NCR18650B is 6.8A, you are probably better off NOT running so close tonthe limit. Your battery will run cooler, be safer, and last longer. And better cells than the NCR18650B don't really cost much more than that particular cell. Of course, the NCR18650GA will also give you a little more capacity. So why NOT go for a better battery?

You also don't NEED to run the GA. You could run orher 10A 3500mah batteries like the LG MJ1 or Samsung 35E. Likewise, you can run true high draw 3000mah batteries like the Sony VTC6, LG HG2, or Samsung 30Q. Contrary to published numbers, these batteries give up little capacity compared to 3500mah 10A cells. They maintain their voltages better. And they can accept a faster charge should you need them charged in short order. They might also last longer since you are running them even further from their limits (compared to 3500mah 10A cells).
 

WalkIntoTheLight

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Here's how I see things. Even if the XHP50.2 draws 6A and the maximum draw on the NCR18650B is 6.8A, you are probably better off NOT running so close tonthe limit. Your battery will run cooler, be safer, and last longer.

Will the Zebralight really use more current than the battery can handle? Let's say you use a battery rated for only 4A, and the Zebralight wants to draw 6A. Will it really draw 6A, or will the higher internal resistance of a low-drain cell prevent it from drawing too much current? Or something in-between?

I sometimes use old laptop cells in lights with FET drivers. (Usually outside, because yeah I'm a little paranoid.) What I find is that the lights just can't draw as much current as they can with "good" cells. They might draw 3 or 4 amps, rather than 5 or 6, for example. I've never found the cells get hot, unless they get heated up from the driver after a long run, and that's just with the good high-drain cells (because they provide more power).

Also, I understand that drawing more current than your battery is rated for is probably not good for its longevity. But is it unsafe? If you're using a name-brand cell, those things are tested by almost dead-shorts for safety. Even if it vented, it would have to get very hot before doing that. I find it hard to believe that drawing a couple of extra amps would cause that much internal heating.

What am I missing?
 

oeL

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You also don't NEED to run the GA. You could run orher 10A 3500mah batteries like the LG MJ1 or Samsung 35E. Likewise, you can run true high draw 3000mah batteries like the Sony VTC6, LG HG2, or Samsung 30Q. Contrary to published numbers, these batteries give up little capacity compared to 3500mah 10A cells. They maintain their voltages better. And they can accept a faster charge should you need them charged in short order. They might also last longer since you are running them even further from their limits (compared to 3500mah 10A cells).

Here's a comparison chart of all 6 mentioned cells at 5A.
http://www.dampfakkus.de/akkuvergle...8&akku3=577&akku4=645&akku5=592&akku6=586&a=5
It shoes quite well the different characteristics of the cells. On 6 A the curves will be similar. Remember: Runtime of our flashlights depends on capacity in Wh under heavy load (until a certain voltage), not in mAh under low load (as specified by the cell manufacturers).

What's the best cell for the SC600 variants depends on the voltage where the driver automatically steps down from H1 to H2. Didn't find a source for that, maybe someone knows it?
I prefer the VTC6 for my Zebras (and not only for them), because of the excellent high voltage curve over all it's capacity. Rated current limit is 20A.
 

tripplec

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I'd be asking them if the flashlight has discharge protection built in. Most flat tops are NOT protected. I have always used button tops w/protection in my lights. They aren't built for flat tops like yours is. There is no way to know how low the cell is in use and if you read LI-ION safety threads likely a Sticky at the top on this. Over discharging a cell and recharging can turn it into a bomb (it can explored, burst into flames etc). Non of what happens is wanted anywhere anytime. I personally refuse to use non protected celss despite my technical background and understanding. There is no gauge or indicator on discharging below the min safe voltage and throwing them out if you do gets costly.

Be Aware and be Safe!!
 

WalkIntoTheLight

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I'd be asking them if the flashlight has discharge protection built in. Most flat tops are NOT protected. I have always used button tops w/protection in my lights.

All the Zebralights have low-voltage-protection. They won't overdrain your cells.
 

tripplec

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I see the light good for him then, those GA high drain are easy to find and cheap in that flat top design. Just stay away from eBay and use reputable sources. Plenty of threads on that here.
 

jlittle

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Will the LG HG2 work? Sent my wife to buy the HE2's and the guy said we must have hard him wrong bc all he had were HG2's and she bought 4.
 

iamlucky13

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