Chargers, batteries and confusion.....

[mick53]

moderator dano,

Please let this post stand. I explain why I'm re-submitting it a little lower in the post.

Hi,

Confusion reigns here and I have done a lot of searching. If you're feeling tolerant maybe you can supply some advice.

I was searching for an inexpensive charger and I think I found one here:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.936 It got a ton of good reviews.

I will be using it to keep an Ultrafire C2 fed. But I keep reading about protected and unprotected and CR123a and RCR123a and 16340. Are 16340s the same as the CR123a battery? (and I won't even get into 18650 with and without nipples and spacers and blobs o' solder).

Does anyone make protected RCR123a batteries?

From what I have read a pair of CR123a batts. will give me a longer runtime than a single 18650. True?

Would someone tell me the best type of rechargeables I can buy that will give me the best throw and runtime while still being safe for use in this light? It is regulated (from everything I've read here).

Here are the battery specs:

- Takes both 2xCR123A and 1x18650 batteries
- Accepted voltage input 3.6V ~ 9V
- Note: this light's the battery compartment does not have contact spring on the positive node. So protected 18650 cells (those with recessed positive node) will not work with this light without a small spacer.

I'm sure there are also quesions which I should be asking which I am not. Sorry.

If there is a reference thread somewhere which explains this please point me towards it. Believe me, I have looked.

I now see I had posted these questions in the wrong forum. I took your suggestion and came to this one to do a search and I found the following and thought "Eureka! A flashlight/battery compatibility chart, now we're talking!"

http://www.wiki.tjtech.org/index.php/The_Rechargeable_Battery_Compatibility_Chart

but the hot link, as you can see, brought me to what you see below in boldface, please note it seems to be some sort of sex site link and I couldn't find a way to get to the chart. does it really exist and if it does, how do I get to it?

[The Rechargeable Battery Compatibility Chart
From CPFWiki
{Objectionable links & text removed}

And though I searched this particular forum I couldn't find answers to my specific questions so I reposted the questions here in the correct forum.

I hope you don't feel as if you must lock it again. And if you do, will you please show me where to find the answers to my questions. I can't find them and I've tried.

Sincerely,

Mike

 

[Lighthouse one]

Can't answer everything: AN 18650 has almost double the power as two rcr123a batteries (rechargeable) . The 18650 is much safer then 2 rcr123a batteries. Some lights will be a bit brighter on 2 123a batteries than an 18650...but usually not enough to be worth the difference. Unprotected batteries require a bit more care. They need to be monitored while charging just to make sure they don't overcharge...most good chargers will stop at around 4.2 volts...even with unprotected batteries. Just don't leave the house or go to bed with them in the charger. I put mine in a cake pan while they're charging. I have had no problems with unprotected batteries...but occassionaly someone will. The C-2 is a great light...very bright. You should be happy with it on an 18650. I think I may have seen someone selling protected 2400ma batteries with the nipple. Might be mistaken- since new things are constantly coming out. Don't run an unprotected battery totally dead...charge them even if you only use it 15 minutes. Topping them off is no problem....Don't store them in the charger...they hold a charge very long sitting on the shelf.
Good luck!

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Mike,

CR123 cells have around 1400 mAh of capacity and starts off at around 3.0 volts. Using 2 of these cells will give you around 6.0 volts and a capacity of around 1400 mAh.

An 18650 cell has around 2400 mAh of capacity and starts off at around 4.2 volts. It is usually rated at 3.7 volts which is the mid discharge voltage.

As you can see, the 18650 has more capacity, but at a lower voltage.

If you lights regulation circuit can step up the 3.7 volts and work properly, the 18650 is the way to go, plus it is rechargeable. If your light needs a higher voltage to work properly, then you need to go with the 2 CR123 primary cells. It sounds like your light can handle both types, so you have a choice.

Look up CPF member AW on the CPF Marketplace forum. I believe he has a good cross reference for various batteries and their metric sizes. You can also google "standard battery sizes" or "standard battery size" also PowerStream has a nice chart of the various battery sizes. When all else fails, you can go to a battery manufacturers website and view a data sheet for a particular battery. In the data sheet are the dimensions of the cell.

Tom