Surefire Batteries

[SureFreak]

Hi, My name is Steve. I have a surefire 6Z, and absolutely love it. But the batteries are eating me alive! I've been searching for some rechargeable equivilents but can't seem to find them. Does anyone know if there are some rechargeable batts that could replace the 2 123 cells without having to buy an expensive convo kit?

Regards and thanks in advance,
Steve Chism

 

[Glow Bug]

I've been told by someone I talked to at the site below that they will be offering Li-Ion rechargeable 123 batteries and chargers in a short time from now. What is a short time??? Who knows. If others inquired about them, it may help speed up production.

Phone# 306-955-1836

http://www.plantraco.com/main.html

 

[x-ray]

This site has rechargable 123's, It's based in the UK but does ship to the US

 

[Whistler]

Rechargeable 123's ?! Here I'am!

Read this first before you order!!!
rechargeable 123 topic

my rechargeable 123 site

secret of the rechargeable 123's

I think you may be disappointed about the rechargeable 123's in a M6. Short runtime and you will have a significant lower voltage than with lithium 123's.

 

[Glow Bug]

Read this thread before deciding on those. I don't think they will power a Surefire incandecent for long at all. The KLx might be a different story.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000602

 

[Quickbeam]

and here was the review...

http://thelightsite.cruxial.com/reviews/123a_rechargables.htm

 

[McGizmo]

Hello Doug S. !!!

You have been using Li-Ion. Do you have any insight or comments to add here, please.

Thanks,
Don

 

[Doug S]

Originally posted by McGizmo:
Hello Doug S. !!!

You have been using Li-Ion. Do you have any insight or comments to add here, please.

Thanks,
Don

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I use li-ion for a wide variety of applications. I can honestly say that with the exception of the batteries that start my vehicles, they are the only rechargeables I own. I have some very weight and volume sensitive applications. They really excel in these. High rate performance is pretty good but not quite equal to NiCds. Discharge up to a 2C rate is OK. Depending on rate, typical midpoint discharge voltage under load is in the range of 3.6 to 3.7V. They do require careful control of charging and discharging conditions. In a nutshell: current limit charging to under 1C and never exceed 4.20V, never discharge below 2.5V. Sounds simple, but can be tricky when using in series. Not for the careless of incompetent: can eject flaming solvants if abused. Probably the easiest way to get ahold of these is to salvage from laptop computer battery packs. By far, the most common size cell in these packs [>90%] is the 18650. A note about sizing: for cylindrical cells, they are denoted by a 5 digit number XXXXX. The first two digits are the diameter in mm, the second two are the length in mm, and the last will be a 0 which is the designator for cylindrical. Capacity of current production 18650 cells ranges from 1350 to 2000 mAhr. I would say the 1500 and 1600 mAhr are the most common. Existing, but not common, is a 17670 cell which is the diameter of a 123 but twice as long.
BTW, I am currently building a mod using a 1W Luxeon Cyan side emitter, a MiniMag head and reflector, powered by a single 18650. I dislike colored LEDs for flashlights but wanted to play with a side emitter and a colored one was all that I could get at this time.

 

[Glow Bug]

You know I was going to ask this question:-) Where can I get 17670 cells from. Is there a place to buy them from outright that you know of???

 

[SureFreak]

Thanks for all the replies:) Seeing the 100 dollar price tag on 2 batts and a charger I decided to go with a sf convo kit, only 75

and a full 40+ minute run time at 50 lumens, which is quite enough light for the small tasks I use it for. Thanks again.

Regards,
Steve

 

[SureFreak]

Ok, another question:

Can someone post or point me too a picture of a 6Z/Z2/C2 with the rechargeable conversion kit on it? search yielded no useful results...

Regards,
Steve

 

[Glow Bug]

To follow up on my previous comment. I talked to Jason at Plantraco and he said the 123 Li-Ion would be available near the end of November. The batteries are 3.7 volts each, cost somewhere around $15.00 Charger will charge 1,2,or 3 batteries. It cost around $49.00.

My question is: would these batteries be too powerful to run the E2 series lights with incandecent bulbs? The KLx LEDs should be fine I would think.

 

[Doug S]

Originally posted by Glow Bug:
You know I was going to ask this question:-) Where can I get 17670 cells from. Is there a place to buy them from outright that you know of???

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">No to your second question. Checking my records, I see that the only ones I've ever gotten came from a Toshiba PN PA2490U battery pack. Contains 9 cells rated at 1200mAhr. My notes indicate that the cells therein had a somewhat inferior discharge curve compared to more modern cells. This was perhaps 4 years ago so any of these packs around are liable to be a bit old. You could probably have some success on EBAY. I see several listed now.

 

[McGizmo]

Doug,

Thanks. It is as I feared. Bummer Man!

- Don

 

[B@rt]

Not being hindered by much electronic knowledge

, what about the possibility of integrating an IC like this...

 

[Doug S]

Originally posted by *Bart*:
Not being hindered by much electronic knowledge

, what about the possibility of integrating an IC like this...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">This is one of many viable means of implementing the required protection.

 

[Glow Bug]

Check these Li-Ions out.

http://www.mbi.panasonic.co.jp/oembatteries/english/e_ion/out_eion/cireion.htm

 

[McGizmo]

Doug,

Thanks for the info. You're a gentleman and a scholar! It has been stated elsewhere that the Li-Ion can't handle the current requirements of the KL1 and yet you are running a 5W on one cell? Do you think the Li-Ion paired (7.2V) would have tha ampacity for the KL1? Probably draw around 250 mA or less. I guess more important, is it likely that the KL1 would pull the batteries down below 2.5 volts each and we be in ca ca?

Thanks,
Don

 

[Doug S]

Originally posted by McGizmo:
Doug,

Thanks for the info. You're a gentleman and a scholar! It has been stated elsewhere that the Li-Ion can't handle the current requirements of the KL1 and yet you are running a 5W on one cell? Do you think the Li-Ion paired (7.2V) would have tha ampacity for the KL1? Probably draw around 250 mA or less. I guess more important, is it likely that the KL1 would pull the batteries down below 2.5 volts each and we be in ca ca?

Thanks,
Don

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I am not familiar with the KL1. Whatever it is, 250mA is no problem. For that matter, 2A is no problem. If the KL1 is a 5W Luxeon with resistive ballast only, I would be tempted to operate without low voltage cutout circuitry if I had a cheap source of cells. As a general rule, series operation of Li-ion cells without protective circuitry is a bad idea.

 

[McGizmo]

Doug,

Broaden your horizons man!!!!! :-)

KLx series from SureFire

The Kl1 will accept from 3 to 9V and has a buck/boost constant current driver. I am concerned that it will gladly eek all the juice a Li-Ion is willing to provide, and then some more..

- DOn