Rechargable novice question

[Trident1]

I've collected a bunch of 1 and 2x CR123 lights (plus a few others) and think it's time to try the whole rechargable thing. Seems like Pila makes a good basic charger that folks seem happy with, so that's my plan. AW's batteries also seem to be well though of, so that's also my plan. I've got Nitecore, Quarks, Lumapower, and ITP lights.

Questions are:
- for least hassle and safety, I go with protected ony?

- what's plus/minus of IMR batteries (the MAC's custom I'm looking at requires it)

- flat tops or not?

- do I need to buy spacers for different batteries?

- will the basic Pila charger work for rechargables of different sizes(AAA,AA, as well as the CR123 variants)?

Help?:shrug:

 

[45/70]

Hi Trident1. Before you get into rechargeable Li-ion cells, I strongly recommend you read up on the relevant threads in the sticky and the Smoke and Fire sub forum at the top of this forum. Also, you will need a means to measure the voltage of your Li-Ion cells, such as a DMM. This is pretty much mandatory when dealing with Li-Ion cells. Your choices as to charger and cells are a couple of the best, no problem there.

- for least hassle and safety, I go with protected ony?

Yes, particularly when using cells in series applications, protected cells are the only way to go. Until you become familiar with Li-Ions, protected cells are best for all applications.

what's plus/minus of IMR batteries (the MAC's custom I'm looking at requires it)

IMR cells are a "safer" (note, I said "safer", not "safe") chemistry than LiCo cells. Their only drawback is that they have lower capacity when used at low current rates. The reverse is true at very high current rates such as in your Mac's custom.

flat tops or not?

The only difference here, is that in some lights, flat tops may not make a good connection (or none at all) in the light due to not having a protruding nipple. In some rare applications, flat tops are better because they are often a mm or so shorter.

do I need to buy spacers for different batteries?

This all depends on whether you need them, or not.......... OK, seriously, I'm not sure what you mean here. For charging cells other than those that are ~65mm (eg. 18650, 17650 etc.), or ~50mm (17500, 14500 etc.) long in the Pila, you will need additional spacers, or some sort of adapter to charge these cells. As for using spacers in lights, this is rarely necessary.

will the basic Pila charger work for rechargables of different sizes(AAA,AA, as well as the CR123 variants)?

The Pila will work for most Li-Ion cells of LiCo, or LiMn chemistry that have a capacity of 600mAh, or more. It is not recommended for LiCo cells of less than 600mAh capacity, as the charge current is too high. This means for cells such as RCR2 (15270), 14250, or 10440 (AAA), you will need another charger.

Kinda quick, but I hope this helps. Again, please do read through the threads in the links I provided.

Dave

 

[Trident1]

Thanks for the info.

I'll check out the sticky's and dig a little deeper in these threads. Being inherently lazy, I was hoping for easy, uncomplicated and inexpensive solutions - sounds like not much short-cut for using these rechargables.