Rechargeable 3V Li-ion 123A (pic)

AW

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These are actually 4.2V R123 650mAH cells. They are 3V only when they are empty.



PICT0122.jpg
 

AW

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Paul,

I have 20 of these cells with me and I'm 100% positive. I don't think they are the same cells you are referring to. In fact, I remember I have sent one of these to wptski for testing a few months back.

AW
 
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taiji

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Paul_In_Maryland,

the cells discussed here are different from the ones you had linked to on the other thread. Most rechargeables available as 3.0v truly are above the advertised voltage. Some new cells as the ones Markcm carries come off the charger at 3.7 v and drops to <3.7 due to the ic particular in that cell. I've tested this cell in my XO3 without damage to the LED / circuit although it runs at half the time, ie - ~ 1 hour instead of 2 hours for peak output.
 

Markcm

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Paul_in_Maryland said:
Are you sure? According to this thread, if the cell is IC-regulated, it could come off the charger above 4V but instantly drop to 3V plus change when a load is applied.

Hi folks, thought I would pipe in here.

I can only speak for my IC cells. My IC's do come off the charger at nearly 4 volts when measured with a high impedence ohm meter when there is no current flow. The moment the battery is loaded, the IC does regulate the output of my cells to a max of 3.2 volts. You can see this in the data I plotted in the other post which Paul mentions above. In addition to this, I have the manufacturers data sheet to show the specification which they are built clearly stating a loaded output max of 3.2 volts and nominal of 3.0.

I really don't know what other manufacturers are doing, I have personally tested others rechargeable CR123 cells that stated "3.0 volts, safe for flashlights" that were ~4 volts like any standard Li-ion cell. You can test your cell with a light bulb, a set of electronics jumpers with aligator clips on each end and your volt meter. Measure the cell with no load, then rig the light bulb up to your meter probes of your voltmeter, when you measure again the light bulb is now in circuit (glowing) and you will see the applied loaded voltage to your bulb. My point, The voltage of a cell when freshly removed from a charger and measured with a high impedence volt meter could greatly differ from the voltage you device will see.

Several CPF members are now using my IC cells now and I am getting positive feedback regarding their performance.

If you have any questions about how these cell work or how to test yours, let me know.

-Markcm
 

andrewwynn

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I would take a resistor hook up a meter lead to each side and measure the voltage under load.. maybe like a 20-40ohm resistor. if it's 'safe' it should drop immediately.

-awr
 

David_Web

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I have just bought this charger with one battery to use with my Surefire E1W. Should I return it or keep it?
Cost about 20$. had cost about 35$.
 

Markcm

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I want to know, is it crap or not?
Is the charger ok to use with regular rcr123? like AW or similar.
Mine came with car adapter as well.

Hi David,

I'm not exactly sure what you are asking but here is a bit of info that may help you. Keep in mind there are quite a few versions of RCR123 on the market and some do have different charing requirements and are not compatible.

A "regulated" rechargeable 3volt battery typically uses a 4.4volt charger which is too high for standard RCR123 batteries which require a 4.2v charger.

Check the label on your charger, it should say what its output voltage is. For standard Lithium Ion RCR123 without any "voltage regulation" you need 4.2 volts at 350mA (the current can be slightly higher or lower than 350mA but don't exceed about 500mA or you will over heat it).

If the charger does not say what voltage it is you may be able to check the open voltage of it with your volt meter when there is no battery in it although some chargers have an open voltage that floats up to 5 volts or so.

If your not sure, the best answer is to get the right charger for the right battery. There are too many different batteries available and it is not worth the risk of fire or explosion.

-Markcm
 
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Windscale

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I use 3v RCR123As in some of my lights. All the ones I have are protected and Made my UF. At full charge they are 3.6v and 2.0v when empty. These are stated 800mah. They are happy with most, but not all, lights which normally use CR123A batteries. For example, the Inova 24/7 is happy with one (albeit with shorter runtime) whilst my Favourlight 3 Watt headlamp is not. It all depends on the design of the circuit.

As to chargers. I would only use my UF 138 switchable charger. A charger for 3.7v RCR123As will not do as they charge to 4.2v. This is dangerous. The 138 will only charge to >3.6v so it is OK.
 

Markcm

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I use 3v RCR123As in some of my lights. All the ones I have are protected and Made my UF. At full charge they are 3.6v and 2.0v when empty. These are stated 800mah. They are happy with most, but not all, lights which normally use CR123A batteries. For example, the Inova 24/7 is happy with one (albeit with shorter runtime) whilst my Favourlight 3 Watt headlamp is not. It all depends on the design of the circuit.

As to chargers. I would only use my UF 138 switchable charger. A charger for 3.7v RCR123As will not do as they charge to 4.2v. This is dangerous. The 138 will only charge to >3.6v so it is OK.

Good comments,

I would like to expand on what windscale has added. Be aware that the UF-138 is not a catch all RCR123 charger; it only charges standard Li-ion and LiFePo4 batteries, it does not charge Li-ion IC regulated RCR123 3.0ic.

The UF-138 has two modes,

Mode A) is a 4.2v output for charging standard Lithium Ion "3.6/3.7v nominal working voltage"

Mode B) is a 3.6v output for charging Lithium Iron Phosphate (LifePo4) which operates at a nominal 3.0 volts.

The UF-138 does not charge the "Internal circuit regulated" RCR123 3.0ic battery.

I want to re-iterate, if your not positive.....don't use it. $15 for the correct charger is a very small price to pay for safety. I know Many people get frustrated buying multiple chargers; think of it this way, would you put an oil filter from a Honda Accord in your Corvette? They're both oil filters but surely have different applications.
 

Markcm

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That ad seems to be misleading.

I agree, the Vanson ad states "output- CR123 320mA", they are using CR123 in place of the voltage which does not tell anything. In this case, they are stating the battery is "3 volts", I would not trust it without testing the battery voltage with a load applied or monitor the voltage while the battery is charging and make note of what the voltage is when it stops charging, if it's at 4.1 - 4.2volts it "should" be okay to charge a standard Li-ion RCR123 but would then imply the label of 3 volts is incorrect.
 

David_Web

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Thanks all.
It would probebly be better to return it and buy a real charger with known batteries.
As it was local and on sale I thought I would buy and ask later.
I'm not sure if this is the same as earlier in the thread as it is indicated as *new* on their site. But the battery looks identical.
 
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