TrustFire TR-C2 Bites The Dust

[Akita]

Today I ran out of spare LI CR123s and was in the middle of an electrical repair job at work.

Grabbed two CR123 rechargeables off the charger and put them in my TR-C2...30 seconds later it's toast.

Both fully charged batteries reading 3.2V each on my Fluke MM.

???????

Are these TR-C2 lights that sensitive to burnout using rechargeables ?
My SF G2 never has this problem...LI or rechargeables work just fine for hours even after a year of hard use.

Guess I'll have to replace the module now :>(

Anybody got a light module part number so I can get it back operational ?

Any help and advice would be appreciated so I won't toast another one using rechargeables.

Thanks in advance :>)

 

[Gunner12]

That shouldn't have happened, the TR-C2 module is rated to 9v, well within the range of two fully charged Li-ion battery.

The TR-C2 uses a P60 Style module so any drop-in from this thread should work.

I'd suggest sending the dealer a email about the problem.

 

[Mash]

Where did you get your light from?
DX lists both their TR-C2s as up to 9V, while QCG lists an 18650 version. Anyway, its the module inside that matters, and if yours was running ok on 6V (2X123s) it should have been ok. Maybe you did a reverse polarity?
Or maybe the extra voltage just pushed a semi faulty circuit over the edge.

 

[Akita]

Thanks guys...but the P60 module is toast.

Something must have went haywire in the voltage regulator circuit and it blew an internal gasket.

Shouldn't happen,I agree.
It's rated up to 9V.

I will order another drop in replacement this weekend.

FYI: This is true,not meant as a joke to insult anyone's intelligence here on the CPF.

A friend at work got tired of buying LI CR123 disposables and decided to buy himself a charger and some RCR 123 rechargeables to save some cash.

Good idea...so far.
Being a total idiot the guy decides to pop in a pair of totally dead Duracells ( CR 123 ) and see what developed.

Believe it or not they actually recharged :huh: !!

HUH ?

He's been doing this now for about two months and so far no damage to the charger or the batteries.
The disposable Duracells are holding up about equal to the RCR 123 rechargeables.
Some of the Duracell disposables have been recharged at least 10 times or more and show no signs of failure or damage.
Run time of the recharged Duracell disposables is comparable to the real rechargeables in his SF G2.

I checked his cheapo charger with my Fluke MM and it's putting out 4.5V DC continuous.

Is there something going on here with Lithium Ion batteries in general the battery companies are not releasing to the public for profit reasons ?

Or,is this something everybody already knows and I'm just late getting into the game ?

I haven't tried this yet with my Ultrafire CR123 charger,but I'm going to this weekend.
I have plenty of old Duracell disposables in a drawer someplace.

I'll let everybody know how it works out...or blows up :>)

I have an extra charger in case of meltdown or explosion.

:devil::devil:

 

[nanotech17]

good luck with your battery test.
about your drop ins you can it at DX,they have plenty including the Cree 5 modes,single mode SSC P4 and single mode KLC8 LED.
but majority the drop ins from DX are for 1x4.2v only ( with 18650 cell)

 

[Mash]

but majority the drop ins from DX are for 1x4.2v only ( with 18650 cell)

Just from my memory, I think its the opposite? I rememeber very few "18650 only" drop ins.

Akita, now that you are going to purchase another dropin, have a look at the DBS and Malkoff stuff. I havent got either personally, but they have rave reviews almost universally. More pricey than DX etc, but they seem to be worth it.

 

[Lobo]

@Akita

About your friends rechargable nonrechargable, that sounds very VERY strange.

I advice you to drop by the electronics(and batteries)forum here at CPF. The knowledge gathered there is immense, they should know. And come back and report your results here in this thread, if I should forget to check out the electronics forum.

Good luck!

 

[krustypick]

I have been experimenting with charging non-rechargables also with good luck.

Will keep you posted as to the results i get.

Krusty

 

[DM51]

Very inadvisable! Some primaries will accept a certain amount of charge (not much) but you are just as likely to blow them up.

Akita, why not post that story in the Batts section, as Lobo suggests?

Krusty, we have the Itchy & Scratchy Fire Dept. on standby, ready to come along and extinguish what remains of your house following your experiment.

 

[fxstsb]

I was doing a Google when I came across this thread. My TR-C2 is one of my better lights because it uses 18650s and draws low current. It is adequately bright too.

 

[kramer5150]

The TR-C2 will host any of the DX drop ins.
IMHO your friend is just plain lucky... I would strongly advise against pocket carrying his light with those cells.

Why on earth anyone would do that, when you can get trustfire protecteds for $6 shipped, or better yet AWs for $7 each is beyond me.