Which RCR123A for LF HO-M6R?

[JNewell]

Which RCR123A should be used with the HO-M6R? I see Tenergy RCR123A cells spec'd at 3.0v nominal x 750 and 900 mAh. I also see Battery Station RCR123A cells spec'd at 3.6v x 900 mAh and various mfr's RCR123A cells spec'd at 3.6v x 750 mAh. I was only looking at protected cells. Obviously mAh, if correctly quoted, are just an issue of run time. What about the spec'd voltages? Looks like the quotes from MDOCOD in another thread were working on the basis of 3.6v RCRs. What's the best solution here?

Thanks!

Mark, I'm really excited to see that you went ahead and did it!!! Great job! I'll add it to the charts as soon as possible....

I'm not aware of a definitive way of getting 3 17500s into an M4... but with a 1 cell extender it might be doable, maybe with a spacer or spring stretch.... unless someone is making 1/2 cell extenders I am not aware of?

The 3x17670 will work with 2x 1 cell extenders on an M4, or 3x 1 cell extenders on an M3T.

To use 18mm cells, boring the M3t or M4 (and extenders) or buying leefbodies will be necessary.

IMO, the best places for these lamps will be in M6s with 6xRCR123s and 3x18650 leefbodies with M heads.

For those who just want the all important answer "how bright." I'll try to break it down to the best of my ability... use these numbers to compare within this comparison only. So if you own one of these flashlights, you can assign this "value" to what you have, to get a better idea of what you get when you switch to a lithium-ion setup with a LF lamp...


An M6 with HOLA on lithium primary cells, Will ramp from around 650 torch lumens down to around 550 torch lumens, in about 15-25 minutes. (depending on cell quality)

An M6 with LOLA on lithium primary cells, will ramp from around 350 torch lumens, down to around 275 torch lumens, in about 50-70 minutes. (depending on cell quality)

An M4 with HOLA on lithium primary cells, will ramp from around 425 torch lumens, down to around 350 torch lumens, in about 15-25 minutes. (depending on cell quality)

An M4 with LOLA on lithium primary cells, will ramp from around 275 torch lumens, down to around 225 torch lumens, in about 40-60 minutes (depending on cell quality)

Now... for comparison with the above statements, I Figure the following.

An M6 loaded with RCR123s and a HO-M6R, will ramp from around 500 torch lumens down to around 300 lumens before you should recharge. Runtime will be anywhere from 25 minutes to 35 minutes depending on the cell quality.

An "M4" style setup with 3x17500s, 3x18500, 3x17670, or 3x18650, will all have a pretty similar ballpark behavior as far as beginning and ending brightness with an HO-M6R. the difference is actually more noteworthy from brand to brand than from size to size... Pila cells seem to really hold the highest voltage under a load, and will deliver the best performance.. larger sizes will of course deliver more runtime, with 17500s delivering about 30 minutes, and 18650s delivering about 60 minutes. Brightness will ramp from around 550 torch lumens down to around 350 torch lumens over the course of the run.

In conclusion, the HO-M6R is positioned very appropriately. I can say with confidence that the 2.1A draw is IDEAL for maximum power while maintaining safe operation in an M6 loaded with RCR123s. It's a perfect balance point. Most cells on the market right now are delivering about 500-550mAH at ~1A (will be 1.05A per cell in this configuration)... so we're right at ~2C on this lamp, which is safe for continuous operation. This was really an ideal and respectable design decision. Mark, you ROCK!

 

[Mark@LF]

Which RCR123A should be used with the HO-M6R?

AW's RCR123A, they are what we recommend.

AW's rechargeable batteries are what we recommend to be used with all our lamps because of the high discharge rate and stable quality.

Cheers :laughing:

 

[mdocod]

to clarify further, AW actually sells 2 RCR123 cells right now(that I am aware of), one is a lithium iron phosphate cell that is very safe, but operates at a slightly lower capacity and lower voltage (~3.2V 500mAH).. Those won't run the HO-M6R as bright as it is supposed to be. You'll get good results with AW's Protected 3.7V "Lithium Cobalt Oxide" cells... Which he just calls "Lithium Ion" for the general audience.

To answer the question more "generally" you are looking for the 3.7V variety. But you are also looking for protected cells (very important in a pack of 6 cells), ALso, you need a protected cell that has a high enough current threshold set on the protection to allow lamps like this HO-M6R to fire up. This is why we tend to just go straight to recommending an AW cell. His RCR123 meets all the requirements.

 

[JNewell]

Those are 750mAh? What do you think about the protected Battery Station 3.7v 900mAh? Lighthound has both of those.

While I'm asking - best charger?

to clarify further, AW actually sells 2 RCR123 cells right now(that I am aware of), one is a lithium iron phosphate cell that is very safe, but operates at a slightly lower capacity and lower voltage (~3.2V 500mAH).. Those won't run the HO-M6R as bright as it is supposed to be. You'll get good results with AW's Protected 3.7V "Lithium Cobalt Oxide" cells... Which he just calls "Lithium Ion" for the general audience.

To answer the question more "generally" you are looking for the 3.7V variety. But you are also looking for protected cells (very important in a pack of 6 cells), ALso, you need a protected cell that has a high enough current threshold set on the protection to allow lamps like this HO-M6R to fire up. This is why we tend to just go straight to recommending an AW cell. His RCR123 meets all the requirements.

 

[mdocod]

The batterystation cells are also considered pretty decent. Both the 900mAH rating of the BS cells and the 750mAH rating of the AW cells are inflated. In My experience the new generating of the AW cells are about 450-600mAH depending on the load.., and the BS cells have tested about the same according to others.

 

[cmacclel]

The batterystation cells are also considered pretty decent. Both the 900mAH rating of the BS cells and the 750mAH rating of the AW cells are inflated. In My experience the new generating of the AW cells are about 450-600mAH depending on the load.., and the BS cells have tested about the same according to others.

I tested a few BS 900mah cells and they where just under 600mah at a 1amp load.

Mac