Did I just ruin my rcr123's?

[pbs357]

:mecry: A sad day today. Not only do I fly out of town this Thursday, but I find my trusty G2Z with Dereelight Q5 module and rcr123's accidentally twisted to the ON position in my coat pocket! There was a foul burned glue smell to the drop in, similar to when I fried by old Golston 7W with rcr's.

Now here's the issue - I put fresh cr123 primaries in and it didn't light. So, I'm assuming the heat (nitrolon head and body, and not in my hand transferring heat) destroyed the LED. But beyond this, the rcr123's were a pair of older, but reliable unprotected cells. Are these safe to recharge or did I just throw away an additional $12 on top of the $30 module? :shakehead

 

[London Lad]

It depends how low they had got when the module failed. Check the voltage of the cells if you can.

 

[pbs357]

I'll check it when I get home; what is the "ok to recharge" voltage I should be looking for?

 

[London Lad]

Personally if they are lower than 2.5 volts then I would bin them. Other more expert members may be more up to date than me.

 

[pbs357]

Thanks, I'll check them tonight.


**EDIT** hmm... both batts measured just over 3.8v so they're safe. Must have been an odd malfunction with the driver - checked the emitter by touching wires from a 3v directly to the emitter and HEYOOOO! Q5 blast in the face. Alan has agreed to send a new driver to replace it. :thumbsup: