New Dorcy lights?

Gunner12 said:

I agree with kramer, though shipping will take some time, I'd rather get a DX thrower like the WF-600.

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mikekoz said:

I have been thinking about trying it with 2 CR123's. The battery that comes with it is 4.8 volts, and 2 CR123's are of course, 6v. I am just not sure if I will do the light any damage...

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ninjaboigt said:

hMM so this flashlight wont be safe to use Cr123A primaries at all? or am i gettign this wrong?

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ninjaboigt said:

Dang the cree light looks good, but i hate rechargeables....

i'd perfer the 123 primary light, but seems to be weaker

Kramer, how do u over charge a Ni-cad? ( or more specficlly, would the cree dorcy over charge? and how do i prevent this? )

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kramer5150 said:

Be careful Mike... Li-Ion cells can become explosively hazardous when used improperly. If say you overloaded the Dorcy circuit with the 6V, something fried and it were to internally short + to -... the CR123 cells could

(cringe, hoping you have good medical insurence)

IMHO you should just look for an OEM supplier of those raw Ni-CAD cells and wire up your own pack. That would be a LOT safer. They should be easy to find. If you buy them in bulk it could work out cheaper per milliamp than a bunch of quality primaries. You might even find some higher capacity than the Dorcy OEM 700mAh.

**edit**
found these 2/3A cells in 30 seconds of www searching. Just get a bunch of these and hot wire them into packs of 4 for a few bucks. Ni-CAD may be old out-dated technology by todays standards, but they are reliable, durable provided you don't over-charge them, and are a great way for the noob-hobyist to get into it. I have lost track of the number of times I have over-charged Ni-CD cells for my RC hobbies, many of them still work. They get HOT, vent and hiss... but they will not instantly explode... you'll see/hear signs of distress before they really go out.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/q1ed-g23a700p.html

Good Luck!!

The above comments are directed towards THIS light NOT the 3xCR123 light merged below...
http://www.dorcydirect.com/p-158-41-4299-rechargeable-cree-xre-led-flashlight-w-adaptors.aspx

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kramer5150 said:

3 primary methods to charge Nicad cells...

1- PEAK DETECTION
NiCAD battery voltages will slowly rise as the cells are charged, stabilize for some time and then DROP rapidly once the cell is fully charged. Charging the cells past that voltage drop point does nothing to increase their capacity, as the voltage plates internally are already "loaded", the cell at that point begins to heat rapidly. It is this heat and the internal expansion of the chemicals inside that causes the cell to "vent". (thats what the little holes are for on some types of NiCAD cells).

Most well designed chargers have a built in circuit to monitor battery voltages, and stop the flow of current once that voltage levels off and begins to drop. This is called a peak detection charger.

2- WALL WART
I have seen some wall-wart type chargers that charge at a very low rate (~30 milliamps). You just plug the cells in overnight and let them soak it all up. There is no peak detection circuit, as the charge current is too low to heat up the cell and cause thermal damage. These are not the best chargers, but they get the job done... cheaply.

3- MANUAL PEAK DETECT
The third way is to manually monitor battery voltage with a digital multi-meter. You connect your meter terminals across the cell as it charges and manually watch the voltage climb & drop. The user cuts off the charge manually when the voltage begins to drop. This is how RC enthusiasts used to charge their batteries in the mid-80s, before peak detection circuits became the norm.

So.. that dorcy charger most likely has scenario 1 or 2.... most likely scenario 2 (speculating). An email to Dorcy should clear that up.

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