Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

[gratewhitehuntr]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

OK so I have a KUI socket on the way and will be ordering some 5761's here in the next couple of days.

Do I need a thermistor in the tail cap?

If so it should be easy to install. Let me know.


Back to the 2,000 lumen paintball light now.

 

[Northern Lights]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

I do not think you need an NTC in the tail cap, but if you find that you get an insta flash or that your Vbulb is greater than 7.0 volts you probably will. After you set up your light, take the Vbulb reading. If it is under 7.0 you should be OK. I have gone through enough 5761s I have learned that there is a variance in the manufacturers tolerances. All the bulbs would have met the speceification set by the manufacturer at 6v but I found one batch to be excessively sensitive to overdrive and I got some insta flashes at 7.0 or more. 6.9 is an ideal voltage for the 5761 although after soft starting they can run well at 7.1 V bulb.
The 5761 is about the same diameter as the ROP so you should not have any reflecltor fit problems. My last batch of 5761s were slightly bellowed out in the envelope where the bulb is crimped in the manufactuing process. This was a problem with one tight fitting reflector. I took a hard fine round Dremel grinding stone and dressed it to the diameter of the bulb and ran it through the reflector from behind. Blow off any dust on the reflector, never wipe.
If you find you need a soft start NTC, here is the one that has worked so well:
http://www.newark.com/jsp/Passives/Thermistors/AMETHERM/SL12+1R010/displayProduct.jsp?sku=72J6730

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=170972
The cooling and reseting curve is about the same as the filament so that makes it a match coupled with a low residual resistance. Maximum resitance is 1 ohm and it heats up in "miliseconds" per Ametherm. At the 5.5 amps of the 5761 it runs at about .06 ohms residual resistance. That is what the most important parameter of an NTC soft start, how much resitance is left over atfter start up because that stays in your circuit. Most of the other Ametherms are closer to 1 ohm, therefore this was the best choice. You have to do a few calculations to figure all that out. In this case we have done it and this NTC works. At 71 cents it is a deal!
Let us know how it turns out and your thoughts about it. Good luck.

 

[BSBG]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

Not trying to put a damper on the festivities, but why does this paintballer need 2000 lumens when real LEOs and soldiers get by with 65 to 125 lumen Surefires?

 

[Northern Lights]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

Not trying to put a damper on the festivities, but why does this paintballer need 2000 lumens when real LEOs and soldiers get by with 65 to 125 lumen Surefires?

Maybe because the real LEOs and Soldiers do not know the difference and that is because few people really care about night illumination or even give it a thought, those that do end up on these forums. I find that to be true with the LEOs I supply lights to and work with; they just do not know there is a difference or what a "lumen" is. They are not flashaholics and buy what the salesmen sell them. Once they see really bright lights, efficient lights they buy them.
I do not use less than the 5761 at about 854 Torch lumens to do the same as gratewhitehuntr has mentioned, to interfere with their night vision. Some companies have tried to disrupt night vision by introducing strobing or flashing modes. It works but if your light gets too "busy" to use you cannot remember how to use it once you are under dire duress and struggling with muscle memory and your biological fight or flight responses. I find more modes than off/on to be impractical. Shortly my 64430 will replace my other larger patrol light because of the 2k+ lumens. 65-125 lumens is enough to find your way around in the dark but lacks tactical advantage or the ability to illuminate details at tactical distances. You often see sales pitches about this light or this Sure something is a tactical light at 65 lumens, etc., all advertising claims by the sellers not knowlegable users. Who do the consumers believe? It is a trap and the best ad campaigns win. Been there, done that.

 

[jimjones3630]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

why someone needs 2000L - the question begs an answer. reframing the question why someone needs anything. the why is not as interesting as the need.

NL touched on last post advertising and salesmen, prospective buyers with limited experience and knowledge base. non flashoholics don't know the difference bewteen 1300blumen and 2000tlumen, or between 790 and 878 torch lumen. the proof is in the seeing that difference.

several people have commented on how much brighter 5761 looks on A123 as compared to on protected C cells. only that I have both or used 5761 enough can that brightness statement become meaningful.

if someone tells me oh this or that is brighter than this or that having no reference of comparison it's meaningless. Beam shots are helpful.

why is that worth writing about? well, for one I went through a lot of basic mods which is useful to gain ability and working knowledge of modding. Most early mods quickly stop satisfying. If had to do over some of them I'd skip.

The difference between 2000 lumens and 14,000 is worth the work to me. basically, the same amount of work and materials for either are about the same.

my understanding of risk to eye damage is same, which is none because at a certain lumen level you have to blink. for me having 900lumens in my eyes is enough to blink. I have been at traffic stops, felony search- cops with flood lights run off a generator, like ones used at a football statium aimed at the driver once he stops. No mass complaints or repercussions in media, etc.

 

[gratewhitehuntr]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

Not trying to put a damper on the festivities, but why does this paintballer need 2000 lumens when real LEOs and soldiers get by with 65 to 125 lumen Surefires?

My friend just came back from Iraq for a little leave.

He came to meet me at a post I was on one night, I said I wanted to show him my new light.
He has been issued a Surefire by Uncle Sam.

My cheapo CHINA with a P4 Cree blew his light away.


I have contact with LEOs almost every night (three times last night)
Before someone tries to say that "Maybe the BFEPD has crap lights, but not my department"
I would like to point out that I normally see either Orange County SO, Orlando PD, or Polk County SO.
It may not be LA but these aren't small forces.
Even FHP has MC's.

Most have Stingers or Magchargers. Every now and again someone will have a Gladius.
Even my WF-500
(which most would consider to be junk compared to name brands)
surprises and impresses them to the point that they ask where I got it/what does it cost/how can I get one?

One officer saw my ROP LO and asked what he could do to improve his MC.

Others were blown away by the ROP HI (run on 4 UF 18650's)

It isn't that police and soldiers wouldn't want better lights, it's that they don't know they exist.

To answer in another way...

when I turn on my 3D M*g (70 lumens) it is enough to irritate people and show basic shapes within 100 ft

when I turn on my Cree led (90 lumens but very white) it is enough to hurt their eyes and give me a good view within 100 ft

when I turn on the WF-500 (400? lumens) it is enough that people can feel the heat and I can see stuff 150 feet away clearly

when I turn on the ROP HI (so far as bright as I've had) people plaster their hands over their eyes and I CEASE TO BE SEEN BEHIND THE LIGHT

seems to work good out to 250 ft (clear view with some "washout" under street lights)

 

[paulr]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

I think the concept of an idiot proof, low tinker factor incandescent m*g mod at 2000 lumens is fundamentally out of reach of current technology. This is almost USL range and those lights are pushing the limits of battery capability, interconnects, switches, thermal management, bulbs, etc. You need to take care to avoid starting fires with the lights. You need careful charging regimens. You must turn off the light as soon as it starts to dim, to avoid damaging the battery stack through reverse charging. If you use lithium ion, there is an explosion hazard. If you use high current NiMH, there have been leakage problems. You can buy all the 2000 lumen large lanterns and spotlights you want commercially, because they are useful lights (Blitz 240 looks nice). But you can't buy commercial lights that bright in Mag size, even in the military/LEO market willing to pay basically infinite prices, because incandescent lights just can't be made that small with the level of simplicity and reliability that a commercial product requires, which is precisely what you're asking for. The manufacturers don't want to deal with the warranty and repair issues and the liability if someone gets injured from the light being used carelessly or if it breaks due to its inherent unreliability. So these are enthusiasts' lights which require extra care and attention to use properly, the opposite of idiot proofness. These lights are like top performance formula 1 race cars: they use technology that basically can't be made street legal, and even if it could, will still be unsafe in the hands of normal drivers and will constantly need maintenance attention from specialist mechanics. They are trying to solve a different problem than making an idiot proof light. The users have to be tolerant of issues and requirements that are rightly unacceptable to non-enthusiasts trying to use the lights for real purposes. If you really want a superbright light that size, better to use multiple LEDs and back off to 1k lumens or so. This is nicely in the range of many of the 7-Cree lights such as the Wolf-eyes Storm, Milky's SF M6 mod, etc.

Basic test of idiot proofness: turn on the light. Set it bezel downwards on a nice wood table and leave it running that way overnight. If it damages its battery pack from the deep discharge, or if it sets the table on fire or scorches it or suffers internal damage, it's not idiot proof. Even as a flashaholic I tend to prefer single cell LED lights because of reasons like this.

Then there is the eyesight issue, to which lux matters much more than lumens, and to which night vision is relevant. That 900 lumen highway floodlamp is making a lot less lux at 100' than a tiny hotwire bulb in a narrowly focused reflector pointed at a person. Basically I wouldn't take the opinions of any CPF'ers seriously on this subject unless they happen to be medical professionals. If something is making your eyes hurt, nature is trying to tell you something, and it's best to assume it's unsafe and what you're proposing is not so much more clever than putting live ammo into the paintball guns.

Also, the simplest upgrade to a magcharger is just replace the bulb with a WA 01160 with some thermal protection (mica disc) over the switch pedestal.

 

[Northern Lights]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

...
Also, the simplest upgrade to a magcharger is just replace the bulb with a WA 01160 with some thermal protection (mica disc) over the switch pedestal.

The next simplest is putting a 5761 into it. A MC is 6V. The WA 01160 is a hotwire by definition that it is overdriven.
The 5761 is rated at 6V, 765 bulb lumens by the manufacturer and that is more output than the 1160. BUT and this is why it is the next simplest, You would need to take a round grinding ball for a dremel type drill and enlarge the reflector hole for the 5761. It also draws 5.5 amps and reduces the run time. But it does simpley get the light out put up even at the specification voltage.

 

[jimjones3630]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

People can be sincere in their beliefs and sincerely wrong. other than my empirical experiences, I did ask if a light or laser could cause damage to human eye to my Ophthalmologist.

He related cases he treated of laser mishaps, prolonged exposure to lasers. One a clerk who intensionally looked at the laser scaner too long resulting in head aches, and other sysmptoms. His opinion was no lasting damage results from laser beams to the eye.

Friend of mine worked the NASA laser global mapping project using high powered lasers bounceing off the moon and back to earth, that is bouncing off the crystal lens left on the moon, tells me he worked with a fellow who got flashed in the eye with lab laser loosing half of his field of vision in that eye. He today gets nervous when I showed him my laser.

So, even MD's can be mistaken.

My concern comes because I carry a hand held laser on search and rescue call outs.

Also, concerned to know if an alternative to lethal force is actually not only non lethal but also no lasting damage done.

I would not want to scare people from using a non lethal means into use of something with lasting injury or to not use non lethal, non injurious means.

By all means become informed.

 

[gratewhitehuntr]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

Good point about the fire hazard Paul.

I was forced to consider that exact thing tonight when I went to see another security officer I had lent my WF-500 to for few days.

He and another fello had been sitting in their car, writing a IR when someone smelled smoke.

" Are you smoking?"
" No, you know I don't smoke."
" I smell smoke."
" Me too."
" I wonder what is on fire?"
" OOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW IT'S MY *** !!!!!"

well, he didn't get hurt badly but did manage to burn a decent hole in his BDU pants :twothumbs

Score
WF-500 === 1 :naughty:
Pants ==== 0

Soooo..... I suppose I should make sure that it isn't a light that will ignite leaves, ie. the forest, on fire if dropped.

maybe a 5761 for him too.........

 

[Northern Lights]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

Good point about the fire hazard Paul.

I was forced to consider that exact thing tonight when I went to see another security officer I had lent my WF-500 to for few days.

He and another fello had been sitting in their car, writing a IR when someone smelled smoke.

" Are you smoking?"
" No, you know I don't smoke."
" I smell smoke."
" Me too."
" I wonder what is on fire?"
" OOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW IT'S MY *** !!!!!"

well, he didn't get hurt badly but did manage to burn a decent hole in his BDU pants :twothumbs

Score
WF-500 === 1 :naughty:
Pants ==== 0

Soooo..... I suppose I should make sure that it isn't a light that will ignite leaves, ie. the forest, on fire if dropped.

maybe a 5761 for him too.........

Funny! But you are not alone:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2159289&postcount=12

 

[gratewhitehuntr]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

yeah

might be a good time to take that extra can of OC out of your bag

God forbid the light be aimed right at it !!!

What kinda run time you get on that MC61 ???
My Sheriff buddy was asking me the other day about a mod.

and where do you get the mica to shield the tower ??

BTW,

what is the absolute highest vbulb I can get away with with a 5761?

I think I'm gonna need a NTC....... had 7.0v after a 25 min run with ROP LO.
less than 30 seconds to rest before measured

 

[Northern Lights]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

I 4x bored the MC by hand! Before I built my boring machine. I put 12 cells, 4x3, 6p3s of Maha Powerex AA 2700mAh NiMh cells into it for 7.2 volts 5400mAh battery pack. The bulb draws 5500 mAh. Maha under rates this particular cell so I actually get an hour run time.
http://www.rechargeable-battery-rev...showdown-review.html#AANiMHBatteryPerformance
These as you can see are the best AA available, followed by Sanyo. They did insta flash one lot of 5761 so I put the NTC in the tail cap. You have to by pass the MC charger circuit in the cradle and wire in a 7.2 -12 or 12 -something smart charger. It helps to wire up the switch to reduce resistance I went as far as directly wiring the charging collars and not relying on the pressure contacts to reduce the internal resistace to the max.
Mica shields are common transistor insulators and can be had in packs from electronic supplies, you may have to drill the correct 4mm holes. I used them but have switched to ceramic blanket material, the same that I use under the reflector. i put a wad of that under the bulb. Have not melted the socket yet. In the MC the reflector has a plastic frame, I stuff that into the space between the frame and reflector and as I mentioned opened the refector hole.
Because you may find a variance in tolerances that meet the manufacturers specified voltage of a bulb when overdriving them you may find varialble limits especially as you approach the absolute limit. Some people have gotten away with 7.1 Vbulb with a soft start like NTC or driver and that is a stellar beam,white and full. Vbulb 6.9 seems to work well too and usually does not need a soft start until the bulb gets older, bulb life burns our the filament. 6.9 if a good number as most 5761 take it OK.
I know emoli cells have a weird nominal voltage of about 4.2 volts, a pair of them with an NTC and resistor may provide a steady Vbulb at 7.1. That is my next experiment, something to look froward to. To maintain a constant Vbulb you need some overhead voltage and a way to drop it to the desired Vbulb. Otherwise it you just make your desired Vbulb on direct drive, as your battery discharges you will naurally loose that edge, but that is how all lights direct drive works so it is no big deal.

 

[Pyros]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

Shortly my 64430 will replace my other larger patrol light because of the 2k+ lumens.

Northern Lights, I'm extremely interested in the details of your 64430 build. So far I've put together an ROP and a Mag64, each from a 2D (my favorite form factor), and I've read your 5761 posts closely and am considering building one next. But a well-sorted 64430 sounds most intriguing...

 

[Raoul_Duke]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

I 4x bored the MC by hand! Before I built my boring machine. I put 12 cells, 4x3, 6p3s of Maha Powerex AA 2700mAh NiMh cells into it for 7.2 volts 5400mAh battery pack. The bulb draws 5500 mAh. Maha under rates this particular cell so I actually get an hour run time.
http://www.rechargeable-battery-rev...showdown-review.html#AANiMHBatteryPerformance
These as you can see are the best AA available, followed by Sanyo. They did insta flash one lot of 5761 so I put the NTC in the tail cap. You have to by pass the MC charger circuit in the cradle and wire in a 7.2 -12 or 12 -something smart charger. It helps to wire up the switch to reduce resistance I went as far as directly wiring the charging collars and not relying on the pressure contacts to reduce the internal resistace to the max.
Mica shields are common transistor insulators and can be had in packs from electronic supplies, you may have to drill the correct 4mm holes. I used them but have switched to ceramic blanket material, the same that I use under the reflector. i put a wad of that under the bulb. Have not melted the socket yet. In the MC the reflector has a plastic frame, I stuff that into the space between the frame and reflector and as I mentioned opened the refector hole.
Because you may find a variance in tolerances that meet the manufacturers specified voltage of a bulb when overdriving them you may find varialble limits especially as you approach the absolute limit. Some people have gotten away with 7.1 Vbulb with a soft start like NTC or driver and that is a stellar beam,white and full. Vbulb 6.9 seems to work well too and usually does not need a soft start until the bulb gets older, bulb life burns our the filament. 6.9 if a good number as most 5761 take it OK.
I know emoli cells have a weird nominal voltage of about 4.2 volts, a pair of them with an NTC and resistor may provide a steady Vbulb at 7.1. That is my next experiment, something to look froward to. To maintain a constant Vbulb you need some overhead voltage and a way to drop it to the desired Vbulb. Otherwise it you just make your desired Vbulb on direct drive, as your battery discharges you will naurally loose that edge, but that is how all lights direct drive works so it is no big deal.

Here is a discharge graph for Emoli cells.

http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11910&d=1148246211

They are only realy about 2600 to 2700mah, depending on currend draw. But you can pull 15 C ~ 45A on them.

Looking at the graph though they drop below 3V on the 45A run, but I was told not to go lower than 3V.

When I run my set up as soon as the lamp yellows I stop and the cells measured straight away read 2.9- 3V

After a few minutes they have risen to around 3.2- 3.3V

I have heard from CPF member icantsee that two emoli in a 3C instaflashed the 5761, but the Rop hight held up ok. I dont think the cells were fully charged to 4.2V though.

In my 6C with 4 emoli I have a Kiu socket and tailcap resistance fix and I recently instaflashed the 64623 with the cells charged up to around 4.15V each to give a total of around 16.6V on the pack. The lower Watt lamps ( 20 ~50W 12V lamps) dont seem to have an instaflash risk and I use them to discharge the cells a bit for the 623.

Its the first instflash I have had as I usually take the cells up to around 4.1V. I think they come of my charger at around 4.18V and settle to around 4.14 or 4.15V

Its weird but each time I charge them they seem to get a bit higher each time, only charged about 4 - 5 times so far.

They are quit a tight fit, although I have heard they fit in some c mags with the card wrapper on, but in my mags ( 6and 7C, so they are the older design C, but stll with a C in the serial number) I have to use realy realy realy realy ( you get the Idea) thin parcel tape to insulate them, hardly any overlapping; I also pull the switch cover aside to allow the air out so that they slide in, otherwise there is to much presure built up to get them in quickly, So definatly tight fitting in my C's so far.

Still you could easily get 2 in a 2D with the card wrapper still on if you prefer that over a 3C.

Emoli cells ar very cool, I like the low, or no self discharge, High drain capacitys and li-ion type voltages, and If I had a good charger I could charge them at a very high rate around 15C I seem to remember, although I hear 1 to 1.5C ( from memory) is optimal from silverfox; The down side is no low cut of cuircuit & I worry I might damage them if I drain them past 3V Thats where the A123 are cool as they can be run flat, but they requre a specific charger to get the best results.

Oh and If you take the card wrapper off be carefull. My son disturbed ( fiddled with) one of my earlier "gheto" chargers while I was in the next room. and somehow got the +ve charging contact to short across the +ve terminal and the can (-ve) that comes right to the top of the cell. ( the card wrapper goes some way to prevent this)

The result was a BIG bang & flash and it melted the +ve contact of the charger. He was only 3 at the time, and didnt have many words to describe it other than fire and yellow. He looked quite impressed and exited when I ran in the room, I on the other hand aged about 10 years in a few seconds.

 

[Northern Lights]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

WOW!. Lots of good information, thank you! I have shorted A123 and know what you mean about Bang.
I charge the A123 on a BC-6. What a versitle charger, all chemistries, all lithiums and you can charge in many modes, balance, quick, series, etc. I replaced about 6 chargers just with it.
Would you charge an emoli a the lipo setting, 3.7 nominal or Li-ion at the 3.6?

 

[jimjones3630]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

+1 on A123 shorts.

picked up a tip recently on "shoe horning" tight cells. spray battery pak with silicone spray, picked up can from auto parts store and it works.

final fix will be spending more time with my new best friend, Mr. brake hone.

 

[martonic]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

I've got a 14.4 Volt CBP battery pack. Is there a good 20 to 50 W bulb available for a M@G mod using this?

 

[Raoul_Duke]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

Would you charge an emoli a the lipo setting, 3.7 nominal or Li-ion at the 3.6?

Hmmm. :thinking:

dont know. I was told buy the Guy at www.bigererc.com ( thats where I bought them, but he doesnt sell them anymore, but I hear they can be salvaged from a dewalt batterypack) that I could use a li-ion charger. so initially I used a DSD charger with the tabs bent out on one of the 17670 chanels to charge, with the cell ontop, but very slow, and the DSD soom failed with a nice melting smell. I didn't bother to investigate, knowing DSD's are pants, and this was my second DSD to fail, I dont think they like the UK's 240V mains supply.

shown here in the picture.
]

I now use this with extra tabs added to fit the emoli.
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=167839

One of these however doesn't shut of at 4.2 ( around 4.25 - 4.28 from memory) So thats probably not good for the cells.

dont know much about Lipo so thas something I will need to look into.

Oh and I was talking nonsence on the charging rates. Below is a copied PM between myself and silverfox.


I suppose the main questions from this is What type of cell did he tell the Schulze it was charging, and also what colour or type of C mag was he trying the cells in ie was there a "C" prefix to the serial number in the serial number or not. Oh , and max charging rate for the emoli was to be 9A or 3C.

The posts work back to front BTW so read from the bottom up.



Hello James,

Charging Li-Ion cells involves using a CC/CV algorithm. You charge with a Constant Current until the cell reaches 4.2 volts, then you hold a Constant Voltage and gradually reduce the current. When the current drops to around 0.05C, you terminate the charge.

When you charger at high currents, the voltage jumps up quickly and you spend a lot of time in the CV portion of the charge at reduced currents.

For example, if you charge at 2C, you may find that the CC portion of the charge only lasts 2 minutes. Then the voltage is held constant and the current drops off. On the other hand, charging at 1C may have you in the CC portion of the charge for 30 minutes.

Please note that this applies when you are going for a full charge. If you are only interested in 80% of the charge, then higher charge rates are faster. The transition between CC and CV occurs at around 70 - 80%.

The ideal charge rate is around 0.8C. Sometimes you can gain a little time by charging up to 2C, but the gains are not substantial. Above 2C is for bragging rights, and when you are not interested in a full charge, but need some power right now.

Understand that I am using the Schulze charger. There may be differences with other chargers, and there are differences when charging other brands of cells. I have some Sanyo cells, that I am testing right now, where the fastest charging rate works out to 1.5C.

Tom



Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul_Duke
You mentioned that charging at 2 amps resulted in the shortest charging time. How is that faster than 3A, these things can take a 3C charge, prehaps a bit gung ho at ~9A though, but as you probably realise from my first post I dont have the full picture...yet


Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverFox
Hello James,

I took the cell with its cardboard wrapper and it easily dropped into my C cell MagLite.

I wouldn't say that there are no problems running unprotected, but will say that they are more forgiving. You can still ruin your cells through neglect, but they probably won't catch on fire.

The 1 amp is the load I start the discharge tests with. I have found that the quickest charge rate is charging at 2 amps. I have tested charging at 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 amps, and using 2 amps for charging results in the shortest charge time.

I am now into the 2 amp load tests, and they are as good as the 1 amp load tests were.

Tom



Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul_Duke
When you say they fit in a "C" cell body, do you have anything wrapped on them, or are they bare.

I'm assuming from what I have read, there will be no problems running these unprotected?

1 Amp seems a slow charge for these. Do you think faster charging , i think max is 3C, will decrease the cells usable life?

thanks for the info.
James.


Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverFox
Hello James,

I am working on them right now.

They are a little bigger than Duracell C cells, but not much. They fit into a C cell body, but not into the tail cap recess.

I am using a Schulze isl 6-330d to charge them, and highly recommend it.

So far all I can tell you is that they handle 1 amp without any problems...

Tom



Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul_Duke
Did you get a chance to check ou the emoli cells that were sent to you buy "icantsee" yet?


From what I hear from Icantsee they com wrapped in cardboard, he had to strip this off to get in a c cell, but it was a tight fit and the cells were bare, althouth he said he found some thin tape, so I will be lookin for something thin to wrap them into as I dont like the idea of just relying on the anodise on the inside of the mag body.

Also do you think you could recomend a charger.
I could realy use somehelp here. I find all the charger suff a whole subject in itself, and have only realy been focusing on how I am going to build.

 

[Raoul_Duke]

Re: Wanted: 2,000 lumen M*g Mod -- MUST BE IDIOT PROOF -- LOW " TINKER FACTOR"

I've got a 14.4 Volt CBP battery pack. Is there a good 20 to 50 W bulb available for a M@G mod using this?

Any of the lamps in the pic above ( click on the thumbnail to enlarge the picture, and then click on the picture in the new window to zoom in more) Will work with that pack. Sorry dont have the pictures to hand at the moment, but you will need a kiu socket to run them.