Is there such a thing?

MojoLight

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I was wondering if there is a battery (4.5 volts ??) that would replace the 3 aaa battery holders found in so many lights. I haven't found one, but it seems like replacing the carrier will all battery would give a better run time etc.

Good idea, or am I :dedhorse: ???
 

matrixshaman

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I don't know of any single cell batteries that are 4.5 volt - maybe a single battery made up of several cells but the battery chemistry I know of doesn't yield that kind of voltage except maybe a RCR123 hot off the charger :D
 

Chucula

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it sounds like a good idea to me as well, but i am not experienced in this stuff.
As a followup question to the one posted, does the shape of the battery influence function, or is it purely for manufacturing reasons?
 

idleprocess

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The Pila 150A/150S (now the 300 model?) 3.6V li-ion cells will stand-in for a 3xAAA carrier. They're not "4.5V" like 3xAAA, but alkaline cells don't operate at 1.5V for most of their working lifespan either.

The length is slightly shorter than the carrier and you'll probably want a spacer or some sort to increase its diameter, but it works quite well.
 

teststrips

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I've found that li-ion batteries work well in these lights... i've used r123 batteries, rolledup paper + a spring in several cheap 3xAAA lights - somethink like AW's 18500 should work even better for more runtime.. you'll still need to shim the battery with something to make it stay in place though.
 

Mike Painter

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Chucula said:
it sounds like a good idea to me as well, but i am not experienced in this stuff.
As a followup question to the one posted, does the shape of the battery influence function, or is it purely for manufacturing reasons?
I suspect there is a good reason for the round shape but base my idea on heat flow into a circular object.

A round object tends to be a bit more comfortable in the hand and a circle maximizes the ratio of circumference to area and thus volume.
A 2 x 2 box has an area of 4 and a circumference of 8.
A circle with an area of 4 has a circumference that is only about 7.08 so material is saved.
 

Martini

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Tachyon said:
They list the dimensions of the charger, but not the battery itself! :ohgeez:

As for the voltage, alkalines quickly drop to ~1.3v and then steadily decline to 0.8v or 0.9v before they're totally shot. NiMHs stay ~1.2v from start to finish. Alkalines will give you higher voltage than NiMH, but only when they're fresh. Now, 3x1.2v=3.6v. So either of the rechargeable chemistries gives you the same voltage. Personally, I'd rather use 1 Li-ion than 3 NiMHs in a carrier.
 
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