Question On Primary CR123A's

[Wassernaut]

I've educated myself on rechargable Li Ions, but have a simple question on primaries -

What should the voltage read on new CR123A 3v cells?

What should the voltage read when the cells are reaching total discharge (or when a light like a P3D will shut down)?

Or simply, what should they read when fully charged and discharged?

Thanks, Larry

 

[Lighthouse one]

Fully charged...a touch over 3 volts.... but they will still read close to 3 volts even when almost drained...since there is no load on them when checking voltage. Many members use a ZTS PULSE LOAD METER which puts a load on the battery and gives a much more accurate reading for this battery. About $30 from several sources...google it.

 

[WildChild]

Yeah, they will read around 3.23-3.28V when new, then quickly drop to 3V (open voltage, after resting a few minutes) and they will stay at this point for almost all their life. A quick way to tell the left capacity is with the flash amp test. You put a DMM on the 10A amp test then you short it for 1-2 sec max. When new, it will read around 10A and around 5A when almost dead. Don't try this with Li-Ion or NiMH/Alkaline cells bigger than AA. And don't try it to often and no more than 1-2 sec, just enough to take a reading. ZST tester would probably be better but I don't have one.

 

[DM51]

Unfortunately, voltage is no indicator of the state of discharge / remaining capacity of lithium primaries.