Quark AA not quite 14500 compatible

The Quark AA tailcap cannot be fully tightened when using an AW14500 battery. This makes it a hassle twist the head for max mode. I also worry that the pressure of tightening the tailcap all the way could damage the battery or the flashlight circuit board.

I believe this makes it 14500 cell incompatible and 4sevens should modify the light.

Does anyone have a fix for this problem?

Use a cell which is the correct length...

Check this page out, especially post #368

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/238846&page=13

Are the AW 14500 cell protected?

I just checked my ultrafire 14500 and have almost the same lenght as a normal nimh.. maybe 1 mm longer.

Is it the cell that doesn't fit the light or is it the light that doesn't fit the cell? If other AA batteries fit fine then I'd say it's the former.
A lot of protected cells are longer than specified.
Norm

Norm said:

Is it the cell that doesn't fit the light or is it the light that doesn't fit the cell? If other AA batteries fit fine then I'd say it's the former.
A lot of protected cells are longer than specified.
Norm

Click to expand...

I agree, it's the former. I have protected 14500 cells which are actually shorter than NiMH cells.

Yep, my QAAW works great on AW 14500's (thanks DHart for the tip!).

I have 2 x QAAWs & they seem to have some differences.

The 1st QAAW has a warmer orange tint & I initially had some problem using it with AW14500. I cleaned the threads & contacts thoroughly & it's working fine now, with AW14500. I do have to use a little more force when tightening the bezel though.

The 2nd QAAW has a cooler tint, compared to the 1st one. It's more "pinkish" in colour. I have absolutely no problem using this 2nd Quark with AW 14500.

I ordered the Quarks in 2 different shipments.

I wonder if anyone else has the same experience, especially regarding the different tints?

Im using Trustfire 14500, non protected, and it works fine.

Crenshaw

AW 14500s have always fit fine in my QAA. It's a warm tint if that matters.

AW 14500s fit in my QAAT but not in the regular AA...
I am rather concerned about squeezing the battery out of shape too...
Seems like a lot of people prefer AW here on CPF, the longer dimensions should have been factored in in the first place.

My AW14500 fits my QAA just fine.

Thank you for the link EngrPaul!

I will request the 14500 cell retaining ring that 4sevens is offering.

I also wish to clarify for people that there is no thread problem with the Quark AA. The problem has to do with 14500 batteries being longer than AAs.

Marduke, what 14500 cell is shorter than a NiMH?

I have some protected trustfires that are shorter.

ahhhh, mines a tactical...



Crenshaw

I noticed from pictures QAA regular and tactical rings are different. My QAA tactical works well with AW14500. Even with and without the battery, there's a very small gap in between the tube and tailcap. But it's not affecting the functions of the light. I'm guessing that the new rings might be similar or the same with the QAA tactical ones. It'll be great for those who have gotten their replacements can show us.

Among the cheaper 14500 protected cells I see a significant variation in length between brands and models within brands. I think 4Sevens may want to specify a maximum length for 14500 cells to be used in Quarks. I would be very surprised to see variations in the length of AW cells.

These blue label trustfires fit fine in my AA Quark
TrustFire Protected 3.7V 900mAh 14500 Lithium Battery
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3435

I also bought the 14500 Trustfires with flames on them which are too long to screw the tail cap on all the way.

Make sure to tighten the retaining ring in your tail cap.

I got the replacement retaining ring last friday. It works great. I will post pictures tomorrow (Tuesday).

Gotta hand it to 4sevens for great customer support.

psst, hey, got the picture yet :kiss:

Oops sorry guys

New retaining ring on left