RECHARGEABLE Surefire L4 ? ~~~~~~ YES!

I tried the Copia 168B in it tonight and it is just as bright as with two 123 batteries to my naked eyes. It fits perfectly. For some reason it will NOT fit the A2.

Now I can enjoy guilt free L4 lumens!
John

How much runtime did you get from your setup?

Thnx!
Alex

Since the A2's battery tube has a different design to an E2e tube, i.e. the batteries are loaded in the rear rather than front, the outer diameter of A2's tube had to be increased. However to keep this at a minimum, the inner diameter (where the batteries go) is reduced too.

-YC

Hi there, do you know where i can buy copia batteries from? i looked at their main website wolfeyes.com and i dont see anywhere where i can purchase
thanks for any help
cheers
des

You can buy them from here:

http://www.1esa.com/pilaacc.htm

Are you sure that the site you're talking about is about batteries?
I don't think so. Nothing about batteries there.

[ QUOTE ]
AlexGT said:
How much runtime did you get from your setup?

Thnx!
Alex

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe at most 40 minutes.

The Copia 168B will fit any E2e or P6 body with no modification - is that correct?

How well do these Copia 168B batteries work on the unregulated incandescents? Provide the same brightness?

Edit: I think I see now that the voltages are lower on the 168B batteries, doesn't matter for a regulated light, but for incandescents you need to use the Pila brand of Lamp assembly for best results. Is that correct?

How well do the Pila lamp assemblies work? Their specs show them to be between the SF Standard and HOLA.

Are you sure that the site you're talking about is about batteries?
I don't think so. Nothing about batteries there.

I don't know what screen you're lookin' at, but on the link I gave, there's 4 distinct "Add to Cart" buttons right in the "Specifications of Pila Li-Ion batteries" that you can click on to order them...

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

FlashlightOCD, they'll fit in the body of the E2e and/or 6P with no modifications... They, meaning the 168B (or 168S for Pila, both of which are the exact same thing)...

[ QUOTE ]
Mike75 said:
Are you sure that the site you're talking about is about batteries?
I don't think so. Nothing about batteries there.


[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif Could you please tell me where that link took you? It is definately showing the PILA Accessories page regarding Li-ion batts for me... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif
If needed a PM will work too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Falcon,

Could you clarify this for me? Which Pila batteries replace/fit for 1, 2, or three 123 lights? Do you use them yourself? What has your experience been like? It's tempting to not buy 123's anymore... Any more info is appreciated!

Phaserburn,
I do use them, quite extensively, too... They're quite awesome...

(*note: keep in mind that Copia and Pila have the same A designation for the slightly larger diameter 18xxx sized cells and the B or S designation for the smaller 17xxx sized cells)

I use 1x 168B in my E2e to power the KL1, the MNO3 bulb, or I sometimes put a McLux head onto it. The McLux head uses a BB400Q3L... I can also use it in my 2X123 McLux body as well... Do not use it for the MN02 or MN01... I haven't tested it out with the MN02 yet, but my MN01 flashed on me, so be warned.

I use 2x 150Bs to direct drive my Space Needle and Space Needle II... It is equivalent to the size of 3xCR123s, and it will power a 9P sufficiently (P9x bulbs can be driven with it). I have used it to power (or underpower, actually, my C3, and it works fine, albeit a little dimmer than with 3xCR123s...

Pila doesn't offer a battery size that would replace only 1 CR123... It's only in the combination of 2xCR123s (1x168-size) or 3xCR123s (2x150-size)...

And you have to be careful about putting more voltage into a bulb, as it could flash the bulb... Undervoltage is fine, as I can underdrive my MN03 with a 168B, but I wouldn't put a 7.2V (2x150Bs) battery pack into a 6V bulb...

Lets just say if I really wanted to, I can actually refrain from ever buying CR123s again... Only reason why I still do, and still keep them handy is because of convenience and the occasional camping trip or trip away from a wall socket... Plus, if you drain these guys too low, they can immediately cut off their current to your lights (internal damage prevention)...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In Antwort auf:</font><hr />
FlashlightOCD said:
The Copia 168B will fit any E2e or P6 body with no modification - is that correct?

How well do these Copia 168B batteries work on the unregulated incandescents? Provide the same brightness?

Edit: I think I see now that the voltages are lower on the 168B batteries, doesn't matter for a regulated light, but for incandescents you need to use the Pila brand of Lamp assembly for best results. Is that correct?

How well do the Pila lamp assemblies work? Their specs show them to be between the SF Standard and HOLA.

[/ QUOTE ]

Regarding the PILA Lamp assambly:
I have just made a test with a unit I received for 3 Weeks by a friendly Salesman. Here's a beam Shot of the PILA LA:
Judge for yourself. It is about the same brightness as a P60-LA for 39 Minutes (with noticable yellowing after 20 Minutes). Alfter 39 Minutes it's dead from one sec. to the other. No real warning... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif
I may well be used in a regulated (LED) Light. I would not recommend it because of the PILA LA. But this MVHO!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
Holger

I don't use these batteries with anything but LEDs. I don't understand battery discharge, but I do know that the 3.7 volt Copia powers the 5 watt LED much better than a 3 volt 123A battery. I have one in the Cyan Turbo 5 watt Surefire that I bought from MrGizmo too, and it works great.
John

The 3.7V 168B actually direct drives a McLux with a BB400 board and a Q3L 1Wer quite nicely and very brightly.

I'm tempted to say that the Li-Ions discharge flatter over their time, and keep their voltage drops to a smaller step than CR123s do... But it's all guesses, since I haven't plotted any volt/amp drops on any of these setups yet...

Out of need for a solution, I have found myself going to the copia batteries more and more. The single 123 cell is only capable of so much power and if you want to drive a 1W at say 700 mA, using a BB700, the single 123 just isn't up to the task. I also swapped out a 5W with a 1W in a KL4 and the copia b series batteries will drive the circuit fine whereas a single 123 *may* have enough power but it's voltage is too low.

I find it interesting that the voltage of a single Li-Ion is typically very close to the Vf of nichias as well as 1W Luxeons and 2x Li-Ions is very close to the Vf of the 5W's. Boost circuits are not required to exchange amps for volts to any great extent.

I haven't had a chance to watch the discharge cycle of the copia in the L4 so I don't know if a moon mode is seen and there as an alert prior to the battery itself shutting down. This along with other intrinsic safety issues may well have bearing on the desirability of the use of these cells with the L4.

- Don

I was a little concerned about the abrupt cutoff as well, because on the KL1, it gave very little warning before going blank (about 2-3 seconds)... Peter G was suggesting a rechargeable Arc, and that was one problem that had to be solved, probably with a programmable function that would sense a drop in voltage, and trigger moon mode in a Li-Ion based light earlier than normal... Probably a steeper drop into moon mode as well... Who knows...

What do you guys charge these Li-Ion's with? Does Copia or someone else make chargers for these? Now you guys got me going. Some more spending to do, and so little cash. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


Ed.

Ed...



http://www.1esa.com/pilaacc.htm

Copia's charger for the Li-Ions being talked about...