my new flashlight hell

[arnold ziffle]

my birthday was a couple of weeks ago and my wife got me a 4 sevens x10. she forgot to order the 26650 batteries that it takes. the wait starts. I order the batteries and find out the chargers are backordered. arghh. I called today and the chargers are in so I ordered one. of course I called too late for Friday shipment so it'll go out Monday. grrr. good thing their shipping is fast as I should have it an hour after I leave for work for two days.

a question I have is now after two weeks fondling my new light lumenless how much juice do the batteries have as shipped and can I safely play er tactically test my new light til the batteries get low. I did light it up a couple times and this little sucker is bright and works the way it should. now the search begins for a bottle cap diffuser and an opaque bottle to turn it into a lamp.

 

[appliancejunk]

I called too late for Friday shipment so it'll go out Monday.

Sorry buddy, no mail Monday. It's a holiday. :)

 

[varuscelli]

Sorry buddy, no mail Monday. It's a holiday. :)

Ooooooo, you are the cruel one, appliancejunk... :shakehead :p

 

[appliancejunk]

Maybe it's being shipped UPS of FedEx?

 

[varuscelli]

Sorry, but you've already inserted the element of doubt. I'm afraid the damage is irreparable at this point.

 

[StarHalo]

A multimeter is REQUIRED for Li-ion battery use; this is the only way to know how much charge is left in the batteries, or if a cell has discharged to the point that it would be unsafe to charge, or if a cell is overcharged and would be unsafe to use, etc. You can pick up a basic digital multimeter from Harbor Freight for ~$2.

 

[nein166]

4Sevens 26650 3900 with PCB is a protected cell go ahead and fire it up right away, and run it down.
When the battery runs out of juice it will cut-out and show 0 volts until recharged.

These are different from the MNKE/IMR 26650 cells that are unprotected and can be harmed by discharge below 2.8v
But like StarHalo suggests get a DMM

 

[StarHalo]

4Sevens 26650 3900 with PCB is a protected cell

And you shouldn't run it down to where the protection kicks in; the protection circuit is like an airbag in a car, it's just there to prevent discharge to the point that the cell dies completely, but there are no guarantees regarding cell damage when the voltage is that low. The rule of thumb is to recharge at 3.6 volts, try to keep it above that.

 

[appliancejunk]

This cell sounds like a pain in the butt, so what's so good about it?

 

[StarHalo]

It's 4+ volts; the OP's light makes 600+ lumens off this one cell configuration.

 

[arnold ziffle]

thanks for the info. I'll go to harbor freight tomorrow. it'll be a good tool to monitor the batteries while I get used to the light. I lit up the backyard for a minute. I need a bigger backyard for this one as 140 feet to the fence is not far enough. I'm going to the Nevada desert camping and shooting in a little over a week. that'll be a good place to test this light.

 

[Scubie67]

Hmm...I wonder if she did it on purpose?

 

[lightseeker2009]

If I was you, I would have just made a sleeve for an 18650 and use it while waiting for the correct battery to arrive. I hope you have 18650's?

 

[appliancejunk]

It's 4+ volts; the OP's light makes 600+ lumens off this one cell configuration.

Wow, that's awesome, 600!

 

[arnold ziffle]

I don't have any 18650s. this is only my second foray into rechargeables. about a month ago I bought at frys a tenergy set with two li po 3v batteries and charger. I use them in an old hds u60xrgt for a trailer light which I stay in every other night at work because my work is a hundred miles from home.

 

[lightseeker2009]

Thats a pity. But you know what they say. Good things come to those that wait.