Do I need a new charger or not?

[Marlinaholic]

I just bought some SoShine RCR124 3 volt batteries, I have an Ultrafire charger that can be set to 3.0 volt. Is this all I need? I know that charger works great when its set to 3.7 volt and I charge my RCR123 AW 3.7 volt cells, so if I flip the switch to 3.0 it should work right? Or do I need to shell out for the Soshine brand charger? Someone smarter than me please let me know

 

[Marduke]

It depends on the type of 3v RCR123 cells. LiFePO4, or Li-Ion with integral buck circuit?

 

[Marlinaholic]

All I know is the are 650Mah 3.0V Soshine new in the box.

 

[VidPro]

you cant (usually) hurt either of the types of Rechargable batteries , when putting them on in the 3v setting, because that setting is low.
Wait Retract that, if it aint RECHARGABLE, then you put it on that thing in any postition, that would be terrible

the "regulated" li-ion has a voltage change occuring when you connect it to things, so that battery has a different charge type again, over the 3.6 and the 3.0

so mabey its good to know you cant destroy any of these 3 with the charger in the 3.0 position. (as long as they are rechargable)

you really needed to know or get the facts about the battery you buy, some sorta data sheet or something, so at least you know what you have , and a bit about how to treat it.
when you dont, there are tests that you can do, to get a good idea that it is one of the 4 common types.

 

[Marlinaholic]

Doing a little research, I found you CAN charge the 3.0 Volt soshines on a Ultrafire charger, BUT only if it is set to 3.6 volts! I am pretty dumb, but has something to do with the diode in the batteries stepping down voltage. Anyway, works fine other than the fact you don't get them quite plumb full, but NO charger does get them to the advertised capacity, so the Ultrafire is as good as you can do with these.

 

[Marduke]

Doing a little research, I found you CAN charge the 3.0 Volt soshines on a Ultrafire charger, BUT only if it is set to 3.6 volts! I am pretty dumb, but has something to do with the diode in the batteries stepping down voltage. Anyway, works fine other than the fact you don't get them quite plumb full, but NO charger does get them to the advertised capacity, so the Ultrafire is as good as you can do with these.

Depending on what type of "3.0v cells" you have, what you are doing could be VERY dangerous. Both types of "3.0v" RCR123 cells need a special charger type, separate from the typical Li-Ion charger.

 

[Howecollc]

Marlinaholic,

My response is dependent on if the batteries at the following link are the ones which you have: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13810

Trying to makes heads or tales of many of the items on this website is no simple matter. Every time I look at this site I can't help thinking of the Adam Sandler SNL sketch "Sabra Shopping Network".

Any of the Li-Ions I have seen using the buck circuit to step the voltage down to 3.2 volts have always either come pre-packaged with a charger, or have recommended charging the batteries only with a specific charger model made by the same manufacturer as the cells. Seeing that there is no such recommendation with these cells; and considering the low 650 mAh capacity rating, I'm fairly certain that the cells in question are LiFePO4s, and as such, should be charged with your UltraFire charger set to 3.0 volts.

There can be no harm in undercharging these batteries. There could be some risk in overcharging them, the least of it, ruining the batteries. Charge them on the 3.0 volt setting, and then try them in whatever light you bought them for. If they have been incorrectly charged, they are not going to last long at all, as they will be starting out almost dead. If they work well and last any amount of time over say 15 minutes, then 3.0 volts is the correct setting for them.

If they don't, then you can try charging them at the 3.7 volt setting. I would do this outside away from anything flammable, and would not touch them while charging, or for 10-15 minutes after charging. Then I'd check them with a multimeter (if you have one), and if they are over 4.3 volts, this probably wasn't the correct choice either. You can then surmise that they probably needed the Soshine charger; but as for which one, I have no idea. There are too many models on eBay, and no real differentiation between any of them.

Probably things will work out well with the 3.0 volt setting. If they don't, I think you're best option is to go with either of the following choices.

Option 1 works with your existing charger: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=125353

Option 2 comes with the proper charger: http://www.batteryjunction.com/4parc390reli.html

 

[Marlinaholic]

Check out THIS thread, http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2627023 it explains it all, these Soshines won't ever charge at the 3.0 volt setting. Gadget Guru explains it all, and yes, they charge fine and work fine with the Ultrafire charger using 3.7 volt setting :thumbsup:

 

[Marduke]

Check out THIS thread, http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2627023 it explains it all, these Soshines won't ever charge at the 3.0 volt setting. Gadget Guru explains it all, and yes, they charge fine and work fine with the Ultrafire charger using 3.7 volt setting :thumbsup:

If you read deeper, you'll see that those cells need a charger designed for them to deliver a higher voltage in order to achieve a 100% charge. That is precisely why the similar Tenergy 3.0v cells are always packaged with a special charger.


The other obvious downside is that they are NOT protected, which means they are somewhat dangerous to use, especially by anyone who is not well experienced with Li-Ion tech (which you don't seem to be).

 

[Marlinaholic]

I am experienced in using Li-ion 14500 cells and RCR123 3.7 cells, both protected and unprotected, but these are my first 3.0 volt RCR123A cells and I am aware these are not protected, and also aware that the they don't reach full charge on the Ultrafire charger. I do plan to get the Soshine charger so I can get the most out of these cells, but for the time being at least I can use them, with the same safety precautions one would take with any other unprotected cells.