Surefire

[nw5951]

Hi guys..yes im new here and need some help...ive just bought a lithium ion recharger and some batteries same supposedly as the cr123 for my m4 or e2 surefire and yes i was stupid and just stuck em in the m4 to try em and guess what....yep they blew the lamp unit then i look and see em at 3.7v not the 3v ...anyways i contacted the seller (ebay) and he seems to think they are ok or get some 3.7 lamp units of surefire ,well i emailed them and nope they dont do 3.7v lamp units so after all that ..the ? is where can i get a 3.7 lamp unit and what candlepower or lumen will it give the m4 or have i just wasted my money ( not to be refunded of course)and im sure they arnt safe in the m4 or the e2 and im not even sure they will be ok in my canon eos ...so some advice from you guys would be very much appreciated...thanks
Nick

 

[leukos]

Sorry to hear about your experience. Yes, rechargable CR123a's aren't the same animal as the primary cells. You might poke around this forum a little to see what combinations of batteries and bulbs work well.

Unfortunately, the quick answer is that those rechargable batteries you purchased are probably no good for the two lights you mentioned. In your E2e you are actually closer to 7.4 volts (lamp is rated for 4.8?) and in your M4 you probably have 12+ volts for a lamp that is probably only rated for about 9.5.

If you don't mind investing in a different brand of rechargable lithiums, you could make it work.

For your M4: 2 Pila 168s rechargable lithiums (7.4 volts) + Surefire N2 bulb (7.4 volts)

For your E2e: 1 Pila 168s (3.7 volts) + a custom 3.7 volt lamp here.

Good luck! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[code09]

Welcome nw, rechargables are great for LED's such as the KL1 or KL4, not so great for the incands /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif
But as for the e series, theres a guy on here called cheverofreak, and he has just come up with a new bulb mod that allows r123s to be used in the e lights

 

[daloosh]

Hey nw5951, welcome to CPF, and why dontcha stay awhile!

Look into the Pilas, it's great to get guilt-free lumens via rechargeables! You can try JonSidneyB, a Pila dealer here, who has always been very helpful to me.

welcome again,
daloosh

 

[nw5951]

Thank you guys for such a quick response ..any other suggestions welcome too...and ill see if i can find cheverofreak...thanks for help again guys
Nick

 

[nw5951]

Hi daloosh..yep i reckon i might stay awhile looks a great forum...as for the pilas yes my mistake i should have invested in them in the first place now however im down£25 on the recharger plus 4 batteries and also ive ordered 2 replacement m60s so thats another $50 so hmmm i might well have to wait now to get the pilas looks like im looking at approx $100 for 2 168 plus charger plus prob shipping to the Uk plus getting stiffed by our customs then stiffed by the post office blah blah blah...i just live in the wrong country!... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Nick

 

[daloosh]

Bummer about blowing the lamp, that always sucks. You'll find quite a few companies don't ship outside the US anyway, but our own ksbman has been instrumental in helping our brethren around the world get the right light supplies they need!

daloosh

 

[deranged_coder]

Just a thought (I have not tried this myself, hopefully some other CPF member can add info), can the buck circuitry in a KL1 or KL4 head handle the increased voltage from the R123s? If so, then maybe an LED head on the E2e will still allow you to use the R123s on the E2e body.

 

[MrMom]

Kl4 + 2(R123) = POOF!
Kl4 + 1(Pila168s) = nearly free lumens

 

[jeepinpaul]

You can run the 3.7v r123s with a surefire KL1. The maximum input for a KL1 head is 9.0 volts.