Quark 123 Regular R5: Lego my Eggo!

Hello everyone, I am a new flashaholic and have been doing research for quite awhile on power sources, especially concerning my first real flashlight, the Quark 123 standard. I am posting this question because my several hours of research, on this forum and elsewhere, have not turned up the specific answers i am looking for. I understand that the voltage range of my Quark 123 head is .9 to 4.0 volts, and that a lithium CR123 battery is about 3 volts. If I wanted to get the Quark 123 squared body, but still use my lower range voltage head, what are my options to power the light? I need specifics, as in brands, their voltage, and if they will fit in the tube. I would be thrilled if there was a disposable lithium (like just using 2 CR123) that would be best for me. I am sort of frustrated that I didn't know more before buying the 123, because I would like to have the higher range voltage head of the 123 squared for more options to lego with...

Thank you in advance for your knowledge and assistance!
On a side note, If i get the 123 squared body, and use two CR123 batteries of 3.0 volts each, does that make the total 6 volts? Yes, i know it is a stupid question, so please keep the flaming to a minimum. :fail:

To answer the last question, yes 6v, when batteries are in series (end-to-end, + to -) you add the voltage.
You can get a 1xAA body for it and use alkaline,NiZn,NiMh,L91,or14500 lithium
2xAA body and use alkaline,NiZn,NiMh,or L91
2x123 body and use one 17670 lithium
1x18650 body and use one 18650 lithium
The quark bodies are all legoable, just be sure to stay under 4.2v!

albinlee said:

because I would like to have the higher range voltage head of the 123 squared for more options to lego with...

Click to expand...

The higher voltage head doesnt make a lot more light, and theres not more options with it lego-wise.

Go for the single cell head and make sure you get get the AA - 123 and the 18650 bodies and you can lego anything you want (if you'd like longer runtimes on alkalines/nimh you can also get the AA2 body but for that you could just as well use the 18650);

123 for pocket-ability
18650 for long runtimes
AA (or 14500) for 'emergency' situations when the more exotic cells are not available/empty.

I am going through this myself, trying to determine the minimum number of bodies to give me the options that "fit" best. I was also looking at the turbo head vs regular, but that is a whole 'nother topic

The AA body give you the most options as it can use all forms of AA and also 14500 (which has the same specs as CR123, 3.7v/750mah, just not as small/compact).

the next option up (IMO) as stated would be the 18650 body, since it gives a significant boost to the capacity (up to 2600mah) and still @ 3.7v. The 18650 is just a bit longer than 2 X CR123 (equivalent P17670). So same light intensity (as a single CR123, P17670 or 14500), longer runtime. Going straight off of the specs it would come out to more than triple the runtime of the 123 or 14500 and a bit less than double what a 17670 would last.

P18650-22 - 18.30 x 67.60mm ( +/-0.05 )
P17670 ----- 17.02 x 67.30mm ( +/-0.05 )

then the 123 body, since it is the smallest (unless you cound the mini cr2).

Here is a chart that I have also. The notes in () are what they are equivalent in size to:

10400/10440 (AAA) 3.7v 600
AW 14250 3.7 300
AW R14500 (AA) 3.7v 750
AW 15266 (CR2) 3.7v 300
AW 16340 (CR123A) 3.7v 750
AW R17670 (2x123) 3.7v 1600
AW R18500 3.7v 1500
AW R18650 3.7v 2200
AW R18650B 3.7v 2600

HTH

albinlee said:

Hello everyone, I am a new flashaholic and have been doing research for quite awhile on power sources, especially concerning my first real flashlight, the Quark 123 standard. I am posting this question because my several hours of research, on this forum and elsewhere, have not turned up the specific answers i am looking for. I understand that the voltage range of my Quark 123 head is .9 to 4.0 volts, and that a lithium CR123 battery is about 3 volts. If I wanted to get the Quark 123 squared body, but still use my lower range voltage head, what are my options to power the light? I need specifics, as in brands, their voltage, and if they will fit in the tube. I would be thrilled if there was a disposable lithium (like just using 2 CR123) that would be best for me. I am sort of frustrated that I didn't know more before buying the 123, because I would like to have the higher range voltage head of the 123 squared for more options to lego with...

Thank you in advance for your knowledge and assistance!
On a side note, If i get the 123 squared body, and use two CR123 batteries of 3.0 volts each, does that make the total 6 volts? Yes, i know it is a stupid question, so please keep the flaming to a minimum. :fail:

Click to expand...

:welcome:

And don't be afraid to ask questions. After all, how do you think people learn on here. If no one asked questions, there would be no info.

Like previously mentioned, the only other battery combo you could run with the 123-2 body on your low voltage head is a 17670 Li-ion (e.g., AW17670). I'm pretty sure you already know this, but I'll mention it anyway. If you use a higher voltage than the rated 4v, you will do two things- (1.) The emitter will be destroyed in about 5 seconds (don't ask me how I know). (2.) The circuit will be damaged, and will no longer work with a voltage lower than 3 volts. So if you replaced the emitter, you could use the light again with a single CR123 Lithium Primary or a single Li-ion battery, but AA Alkalines, and Lithiums (Energizer E2) would no longer work in the light.

Click here for lots of Quark lego pictures, but be warned, it's a LOT of pictures.

Hey everyone thanks for your outstanding help! IT sounds like buying the 2x123 body and a rechargable 17670 is just the ticket. I really want to be able to switch between a keychain size light, to a clip on your pocket light, without breaking the bank. Again, thanks.

Just out of curiosity TF, when you state the 4v limit, how does that play into the 3.7v batteries that are typically charged anywhere up to 4.2v ? Would a "fresh"ly charged battery toast one of the low range heads ? Or is there enough headroom in the circuit to accomodate the + .05% voltage ?

As always, TIA for sharing your knowledge and experience

Sparkss said:

Just out of curiosity TF, when you state the 4v limit, how does that play into the 3.7v batteries that are typically charged anywhere up to 4.2v ? Would a "fresh"ly charged battery toast one of the low range heads ? Or is there enough headroom in the circuit to accomodate the + .05% voltage ?

As always, TIA for sharing your knowledge and experience

Click to expand...

As soon as you put any load on a cell the voltage will drop pretty quickly..... And the 4v is indeed stated with some caution, the lights can take fresh li-ion without a sweat! Read around here on cpf, members have been running quarks on these cells like forever.

Hang on to your wallet,as this may be the last time you see it intact.(This flashlight hobby gets expensive...)

Sparkss said:

Just out of curiosity TF, when you state the 4v limit, how does that play into the 3.7v batteries that are typically charged anywhere up to 4.2v ? Would a "fresh"ly charged battery toast one of the low range heads ? Or is there enough headroom in the circuit to accomodate the + .05% voltage ?

As always, TIA for sharing your knowledge and experience

Click to expand...

Well, the Quark low voltage head is actually rated from .9v-4.2v, so it's not an issue. I should have stated 4.2v previously, but sometimes I forget to include the .2 behind the 4 . At any rate, even if the heads were only rated to 4v, Li-ion cells actually deliver roughly 3.7v nominal (under load). That's why you see them advertised as a 3.7v cell most of the time. The voltage actually varies depending on how much load is applied to the cell, but 3.7v is what the manufacturer rates their nominal voltage at, due to their test results. Open voltage (no load) should yield 4.2v when measured if the cell is fully charged, but like I said, that will drop quickly under load, so no worries :thumbsup:.