Noob with 11 questions - can you answer any?

[coursemyhorse]

Intro: I am in UK. I have 3 x LED torches all 501B Cree/T6 clones with XML LED and take 1 x single 18650 each. They are 5 mode with High, Med, Low, Strobe, SOS. When I bought them I got them with "4000mah" Ultrafire batteries. I realise now these are fakes and not anywhere near 4000mah. I did not expect them to necessarily be any good, but I gather thay are supposed to be about 1500mah and not very good. I have a multimeter which I have never really learnt to use. I do not understand electronics very well but normally take on soldering tasks and electrical dissassembly/reassembly jobs so want to learn. Mine is a basic multimeter I have had for years. I also got bundled with the torches an Ultrafire WF-139.

I have the following questions. Apologies, I know they are noobish.


1: Why do people talk of batteries as running as for example "2000mah" capacity and/or "3.8v" and/or 1.5amps etc? Which is it? What do they mean? Yes I know, basic math and electronics. I need to go read.

2: How do I measure the output of a battery? As silly as it sounds I have searched and cannot find a how to thread for basic info like this. Use the multimeter two prongs and put them each end? I cannot get a meaningful reading as do not know what to set my multimeter to.

3: How do I find out what ampage(?) my LED torch runs at or the power draw? I need to find this out to help with things? Difference between amps and amp hours?

4: My WF-139, how can I tell if it is fake and dangerous? When I tap it the LED status lights change to green sometimes and often will not change back to red unless I tap it again.

5: My WF-139 supposedly (I am sure I read) can charge unprotected batteries without casing danger as it will stop when it gets to a full charge. What is the point then in buying the longer batteries that are protected if they barely fit in the WF-139? What pros do protected have if this charger would not overcharge anyway? Is it to do with not discharging too much?

6: I ran my ultrafire 4000mah batteries in my LED torches the other day until the torches noticably dimmed. Are these batteries now damaged? They are supposedly protected ones.

7: Is it going to be possible to get a 2 hour run time on my XML torches using a single cell 18650? I notice here in UK it is possible to purchase Panasonic 3100mah cells, or SenyBor 2800mah which are both good and easily output their stated capacity. Would the Sanybor be ok?

8: If one uses unprotected Cells in an XML torch and should not run them down too far, how does one know when to stop using the cells? Just simply test and time it and do not exceed this runtime? This seems very inpractical to have to time the usage?

9: I have access to a lot of laptop batteries that are "bad". I notice the thread where these are taken apart. Is it really worth it if the cells are likely to be <2500mah anyway given my above requirements?

10: What is a "drop in"?

11: Is it worth getting an orange peel reflector to aid flood on my torches since they tend to have a fairly bright center spot, although the spill is still adequate when compared to my old P7 LED torch!


Links to threads/places where I can find the answers is fine. I do not mind reading.

Thankyou

 

[fvdk]

As you say that you don't mind reading, I suggest that you search the forums as all your questions have already been answered multiple times.
A very good place to start would be: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ronics-Batteries-Included-Threads-of-Interest

 

[bstrickler]

1: Why do people talk of batteries as running as for example "2000mah" capacity and/or "3.8v" and/or 1.5amps etc? Which is it? What do they mean? Yes I know, basic math and electronics. I need to go read.
Different chemistries have a certain voltage range they work in, so they don't need to state the voltage when they say "2,000mAh, which is the capacity of the battery (think of a fuel tank). The 3.8V just states the state of charge (approximate amount of power left in the battery. Li-Ion have a working range of 2.9-4.2 volts [technically 2.6-4.25, but if you constantly discharge them that far, you WILL damage them, so the generally accepted working range is 3.0v-4.1 volts to maximize the battery's lifespan. Some people don't discharge beyond 3.6, to extend it even further]. )
2: How do I measure the output of a battery? As silly as it sounds I have searched and cannot find a how to thread for basic info like this. Use the multimeter two prongs and put them each end? I cannot get a meaningful reading as do not know what to set my multimeter to.
Again, different chemistries can put put different amounts of current. Alkalines in the AA format generally can only handle 100-200 mA draw before the voltage starts sagging a lot. A Li-Co (Li-Ion is the more commonly used name) Can handle up to 2C (2 times its capacity. 500mA LiCo/LiIon can handle up to 1A draw, a 1,500 can handle a 3A draw, and so on).
3: How do I find out what ampage(?) my LED torch runs at or the power draw? I need to find this out to help with things? Difference between amps and amp hours?
To determine how much your torch draws when turned on is to set your meter to the 20A (some are only 10A) setting, connect the leads to the proper ports on the meter, and then put the leads where the tailcap would be. One tailcap on the body, the other on the battery terminal. That will tell you how much the light draws. The LED current can be roughly estimated depending on the amount of batteries in series, the tail cap draw, and factoring a 75% driver efficiency. A 1.5A reading on the meter with a 2 cell LiCo/LiIon light would mean you are putting about 2.25 amps to the LED, assuming the driver is only driving one LED in series. The more LED's you have in series, the lower the LED current will be.
4: My WF-139, how can I tell if it is fake and dangerous? When I tap it the LED status lights change to green sometimes and often will not change back to red unless I tap it again.
I myself am unsure, and have no experience with that charger, so I cannot answer this question
5: My WF-139 supposedly (I am sure I read) can charge unprotected batteries without casing danger as it will stop when it gets to a full charge. What is the point then in buying the longer batteries that are protected if they barely fit in the WF-139? What pros do protected have if this charger would not overcharge anyway? Is it to do with not discharging too much?
Protection circuits are a safeguard to keep you from overcharging your battery if your charger fails to terminate properly, or your light from overdischarging your battery(ies) if it doesn't have an overdischarge protection in it (overdischarge protection is rare in most circuits)
6: I ran my ultrafire 4000mah batteries in my LED torches the other day until the torches noticably dimmed. Are these batteries now damaged? They are supposedly protected ones.
Doubtful, but possible. As long as they haven't dropped below the 2.6V level, they should be safe to recharge, but I would charge them outside, in case something happened.
7: Is it going to be possible to get a 2 hour run time on my XML torches using a single cell 18650? I notice here in UK it is possible to purchase Panasonic 3100mah cells, or SenyBor 2800mah which are both good and easily output their stated capacity. Would the Sanybor be ok?
For the SenyBor (which I have NEVER heard of until now):
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?274103-Senybor-18650-Battery-test-.
Just by that test there, I wouldn't trust their stated capacities. IMHO, Li-Ion/Li-Co cells should handle a discharge rate at the capacity stated on their label, without the voltage dropping very far.

8: If one uses unprotected Cells in an XML torch and should not run them down too far, how does one know when to stop using the cells? Just simply test and time it and do not exceed this runtime? This seems very inpractical to have to time the usage?
This is one way to do it, but another way would be to test the current draw of the light, and factor that it will draw that much out of the battery per hour. If it has a 1A discharge rate, that means it will pull 1,000mA from the battery per hour. If you have a 2,000mAh battery, it will last approximately 1 hour 45 minutes (subtracted 15 minutes, so you lower the risk of discharging the battery too far). At a 3A (3,000mA) discharge rate, you will have a runtime of approximately 40 minutes before needing to recharge the battery.
9: I have access to a lot of laptop batteries that are "bad". I notice the thread where these are taken apart. Is it really worth it if the cells are likely to be <2500mah anyway given my above requirements?
The best way to check if the batteries are any good, is to charge them (if they're above 3.2v, since they're old batteries), check their freshly charged voltage, then wait 24 hours, check the voltage again, and if they're below 4.1v, can em, or use em up, then can them (preferred that you recycle them at a battery store, similar to Batteries Plus, which is located in the USA). If you don't have a store like that, I would suggest researching your local waste management/hazardous material disposal laws.
10: What is a "drop in"?
A drop in is a module that contains the LED, reflector, and circuitry (if any) in itself (opposed to something like the new LED Mag-Lites, which have the aforementioned items "permanently" installed.)
11: Is it worth getting an orange peel reflector to aid flood on my torches since they tend to have a fairly bright center spot, although the spill is still adequate when compared to my old P7 LED torch!
This is all dependent on YOUR choice. Some people prefer throw, some prefer flood, and some are in between. This is one of the many joys of being a flashaholic. You get to play with and customize your lights!

Links to threads/places where I can find the answers is fine. I do not mind reading.

Thankyou

Beyond what I have written, I would look through many of the sticky threads on this forum. They are usually VERY informative. I personally learn something new here every visit.

 

[eh4]

One Thing!
Before you go sticking the multimeter to batteries, read up on how to use it right and how you can destroy it!! (or at least blow the fuse if not worse) if you use it wrong.
the first multimeter info I could find, there's plenty more:
http://www.saddleback.edu/ap/mse/phys/4b_labs/physics 4b labs pdf/multimeterlab.pdf