Magnets for buttontops? Help!

[Chrisdm]

Hi guys, I just had a set of 26500IMR's express delivered from Lighthound because I was so excited to run them in this new light I'm building... But their flat tops don't make connection to my charger... They do connect in the light though... Is there a hardware store fix I could use to charge them, or do I now have to order some special magnets? Or a different charger? Thanks!

 

[Potato42]

You could conceivably use just about any material that can conduct electricity. I order magnets from K&J Magnetics for a variety of uses. They come in handy for all types of things. K&J offers good quality, along with easy selection and reasonable prices and shipping.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

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I thought LightHound sold some magnets for this purpose ??

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[Chrisdm]

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I thought LightHound sold some magnets for this purpose ??

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They probably do, but I didn't think about the batteries not working in my charger or I would have ordered them... Now this flashaholic needs to run this light TONIGHT and I don't have time to place another order and wait 3 more days 🙂

I'm thinking of picking up some soldering wire or something at the hardwear store to charge these batteries... Any suggestions along those lines?

Thanks for the help guys,

 

[HKJ]

What about a small coin?
Or a washer?

 

[Potato42]

If all you need is a spacer, you ought to have something laying about that will get you by. How about a coin?

Edit; HKJ beat me to it. Order up something appropriate but in the mean time use what you have.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

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In a " Pinch " ........... see post #2 .

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[Chrisdm]

This litttle saga continues... I made a couple little buttons out of soldering material, and when I had them in place and plugged the charger back in, the charger made a faint pop noise and went dead... The charger is (was, I think past tense is appropriate now) a fairly new Titanium Innovations A/B/C/D NiMH "Professional Rapid Charger".. Is this (should I say "was this") the wrong charger to use for IMRs?

 

[HKJ]

This litttle saga continues... I made a couple little buttons out of soldering material, and when I had them in place and plugged the charger back in, the charger made a faint pop noise and went dead... The charger is (was, I think past tense is appropriate now) a fairly new Titanium Innovations A/B/C/D NiMH "Professional Rapid Charger".. Is this (should I say "was this") the wrong charger to use for IMRs?

Yes, IMR is LiIon cell and need a LiIon charger. Is is no surprise you fried the NiMH charger.

 

[srfreddy]

Oh god...Did you seriously just put Li-ions into a Nimh charger?

 

[jasonck08]

This litttle saga continues... I made a couple little buttons out of soldering material, and when I had them in place and plugged the charger back in, the charger made a faint pop noise and went dead... The charger is (was, I think past tense is appropriate now) a fairly new Titanium Innovations A/B/C/D NiMH "Professional Rapid Charger".. Is this (should I say "was this") the wrong charger to use for IMRs?

Oh my goodness! You're trying to use a NiMh charger to charge Lithium-ion IMR cells. Please stop right away, before something bad happens!

Only use a Lithium-Ion charger to charge Lithium-Ion cells!

😳

 

[Potato42]

Yes. NiMH and Lithium Ion batteries are two completely different chemistries. Mixing them is always a very bad idea. Lithium batteries have a nominal voltage of 3.7v and attain a peak of about 4.2v at full capacity. NiMH cells have a nominal voltage of 1.2v and achieve full capacity around 1.4v

 

[TooManyGizmos]

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Well ................ NOW you know you don't know what your doing .



Back to the drawing board and more studying ........

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[Chrisdm]

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Well ................ NOW you know you don't know what your doing .



Back to the drawing board and more studying ........

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Actually, I've always known I didn't know what I was doing... And I've been at the drawing board my whole life 🙂

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Actually, now we know that s/he doesn't know what s/he's doing.
LiMN is supposed "safer", but you should look through these.

Li-Ion protection technology and possible dangers
TK Monster Explosion
Ultrafire 18650 3000mA exploded

 

[Chrisdm]

Actually, now we know that s/he doesn't know what s/he's doing.
LiMN is supposed "safer", but you should look through these.

Li-Ion protection technology and possible dangers
TK Monster Explosion
Ultrafire 18650 3000mA exploded

Thanks, I had read a couple of those... Its why I keep my nice lights out of reach of my 3 year old son, even though he LOVES them!

 

[Chrisdm]

Yes, IMR is LiIon cell and need a LiIon charger. Is is no surprise you fried the NiMH charger.

I have searched & can't find a li-ion charger that will accomodate these 26500IMR's, can you recommend a charging method? I have an Ultrafire charger, but it only goes up to 18650.. Thanks for your help,

 

[srfreddy]

The 4Sevens charger does, but you'll need two. They're currently out of stock, as they rejected their shipment, deeming them underquality.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

You can always just tape up a wire from the charger to the battery if it doesn't fit, observing correct polarity of course.
I've used alligator clips to attach a wire to the charger terminal, and then another alligator clip with a magnet to stick it to the battery.

 

[VegasF6]

Hi guys, I just had a set of 26500IMR's express delivered from Lighthound because I was so excited to run them in this new light I'm building... But their flat tops don't make connection to my charger... They do connect in the light though... Is there a hardware store fix I could use to charge them, or do I now have to order some special magnets? Or a different charger? Thanks!

I don't want to sound TOO insulting, but if you didn't realize you couldn't charge li-on batteries in a charger designed for 1.2V, are you sure the light you are building is designed to run these? While yes, the IMR li-on batteries are safer than traditional li-co cells, they are not ready for the primetime average consumer either. They do require a certain amount of expertise to minimize any risks involved. It may be one of the reasons you can't simply run out and purchase a consumer cradle charger for these. Many people use a hobby type charger that will require either direct wiring or some sort of home made contact device. While it sounds like a nuisance, this is actually the most versatile way to go. Hobby chargers can have a pretty darn simply GUI/front end/interface but they to still require some knowledge. Again, because of there versatility. You can really get the most out of your cells an charger both, but if you don't know what you are doing, you can make a mistake as well. One thing you want to understand is safe charge rates. And discharge rates. Ok thats two things.

On a side note, there was a recent post by another needing conductive magnets on the fly and someone pointed out they could be scavenged from the heads of Sonic Care toothbrushes. I have bought magnetic push pins for the fridge from Staples too, and they have rare earth magnets that could be scavenged.