3V Lithium AA!!!

[soloco]

Is anyone interested in using 3V lithium AA batteries for mods and such? Make a 6V Mini-Mag mod or 12V TEC40 mod! Just crack open a Duracell 245 or Energizer 2CR5 and you get 2 3V lithium AA batteries! I've already started thinking of mods for this battery. You can direct drive a stubby 1D form factor 5W LS with one of EL 3-to-D adapters. I think this is such a cool find! I've already converted my cheap 2AA lights to 6V lights. What do you guys think?!

This is incorrect!!!! Please don't get 245s or 2CR5s. The CRV3 is the one with the AA cells in it! Check for the Made in Japan anomoly later in this string as well.

 

[paulr]

I thought the cells in 2CR5's were a little thicker than AA's. You can get lithium 3V AA's from some (not all) versions of the CR-V3 pack. However, paying over $5 a cell for lithium AA's just doesn't seem that attractive, with CR123's costing a buck or so apiece.

 

[MR Bulk]

I just did one for somebody here, a regular Legend 2AA with 1W LS (same as the Lambda "Safety" Illuminator) except I used SAFT AA-sized lithiums, 2.9V @ 650mah. Thing lit up as bright as an LGI Classic, about 760 lux...but if you want just adequate light output you can use lithium AAs, or regular AAs, or even Nimh AAs. Should call it the MGI (Multi Gun Illuminator)...and it remained ice cold after running for a couple of hours on regular alkaline AAs.

 

[soloco]

2CR5s are thicker only because of the case. When opened, each cell is identical in dimension to a AA. These have much more power then the SAFTs. Listed at 1500mAh at 3V. Pretty nice and pretty cheap if you get a bunch from cheapbatteries at $3.50 a 2CR5, or $1.75 per AA. Cheaper than the Energizer L91 and double the power capacity.

 

[MR Bulk]

I couldn't use them in a direct drive light the way I did this one. That's why I searched for those SAFT's.

Good idea, though it would underdrive a 5W slightly in a 2AA format -- wonder how long they last at that output?

 

[soloco]

shoptronics.com has a box of 48 for $176.48. That's a $1.84 per AA. Either that or cheapbatteries.com has it for $1.75 a AA for orders of more than 24 2CR5s.

 

[lemlux]

Soloco:

At the moment, I can only find Sanyo 2CR5's at Cheap Batteries.

I could see using one of them plus a NiMH in my Lambda Safety Illuminator Q2H.

I could see using a pair of them in a PT20 with a 4 cell PR bulb.

I can imagine using one of these 3V cells plus a 1.2 or 1.5 V cell in another PT20 application. They would drive in parallel a pair of R2H's mounted in aluminum heads that are mounted through the lexan lens of the PT20 and wired to a PR bulb base. (See Hotbeam's thread re the removable donor heads)

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=UBB14&Number=282698&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=21&fpart=1

I could see using 2 @ 3V AA's in several waterproof energizer 2AA lights that have PR bases. (I bought these for $3 each.)

I could see using the OEM bulbs from the Brinkman Legend 3AA in a MiniMag or Legend 2AA with a 3 V cell plus a 1.5 V cell.

Most lights that use 4AA are heat limited with high current bulbs and NiMHs, so I probably wouldn't use these cells in those lights.

 

[NightStorm]

Looks like its time to cut down and retap the LS MM for a even more compact EDC!! Thanks soloco!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Dan

 

[soloco]

No problem. I'm going crazy with all the mod ideas too! 1 AA sized LS MM? That's too cool!

 

[soloco]

Does anyone know what kind of bulb the Legend 3AA uses? Might try these batts in that torch.

 

[lemlux]

Soloco:

The legend 3AA bulb looks identical to the legend 2AA bulb except for color coding. It will fit in a Mini-Mag also.

It's not a whole lot brighter than the NexStar 2AA bulb.

 

[dat2zip]

Group Buy!

 

[Zeppert]

Thanks for the info. soloco !

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif What project can I start on...

 

[Wylie]

So Rothrandir,/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif
This makes me think of your stunt lights a.k.t.o.a. (also known to others as) mini mini mags what do you say?
I don't know about the reflector but some slick optics along the line of Slick's /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gifgoing into his Spyder could be a sweet thing.
I think my brother could be interested in something like this. So which one of the L/S mods for mini mags have adjustable focusing?

 

[Rothrandir]

seems like a good canidate /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
i've found that a regular lithium aa works incredably well though.
i would imagine this would greatly improve runtime at least though, as it should be easier for the converter than a regular lithium...

slicks turned down optics were very nice, but i'm unsure how good the beam would be if it were turned down to a size similar to the nx05. i personally use nx05's with the tabs turned off /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

 

[LEDmodMan]

<font color="red"> Old News!!! </font> /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Really though. There was a couple of threads awhile back about this. Seems that not all 2CR5's have the 3v AA's though. It was determined in that thread that only the Japanese made 2CR5's had the 3v cells in them. Others had two regular 1.5v lithiums wired in series instead. Go do some digging and I'm sure you'll find that old thread (somewhere a few months back I think). I was thinking of putting one of these in CNC Dan's 1AA LS light that he was designing to use a MadMax pill (wonder what's going on with that project anyway).

 

[lemlux]

The 2CRV5 battery is described by Cheap Batteries as a 6V battery. I'll admit to have never seen one.

I have difficulty imagining how 2 cells in a battery pack can deliver 6V unless they are either 3V @ or 6V @.

I too, read the previous threads, but assumed (apparently mistakenly if Cheap Battery's product description is accurate) from the discussion that the 2CRV5 battery was a 3V battery.

 

[LEDmodMan]

I apologize. I beleive I may be somewhat mistaken. The older threads I mentioned may have been talking about CRV3 batteries, not 2CR5's. Now I'm gonna have to go look for myself and double-check...

*edit*
Yep, my bad! They were talking about the CRV3's. Apparently CRV6's are also made (see this link from the first thread below).

See this thread
this thread
and this thread for more information.

Looks like we now have a for-sure source ov 3v AA's! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

It appears that the 3v AA'a only have a 1500 Mah capacity though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif You can't win...

 

[lemlux]

LED Modman:

I think we do win if the 3V AA's are 1500 mah.

The 1.5 V L91's are rated at 2900 mAh.

This seems like more than a 3% pickup in watt hours assuming voltage drop under load is equivalent for both.

 

[LEDmodMan]

True, but I would imagine the drop under load would be greater with the single 3V cell than it would be with a stepped-up L91, but that's only a guess. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif Runtime test anyone?

Just noticed on the energizer data sheet, the two batteries in the 2CR5 are 2/3 A-P in size. They're 5 mm shorter than an L91, and since they are A size batteries, they're a bit wider too. So it would appear the batteries from the CRV3's are the only real "direct" replacement.