500 lumen Surefire rechargeable using Pila Li-Ions

I just got a brand new Surefire 3" turbohead and decided to try out with a 500 lumen N62 lamp. I'm using Surefire Z3 + A19 that has been bored out to be able to accept the Pila 150A and 168A Li-Ion batteries.

Using 4 brand new SF123 batteries, I was able to measure 19,000+ lux. The brightness begins to drop fairly quickly because I can see the lux readings drop continuously.

I then tried using 2 of the 1800mAh Pila Li-Ion cells with the N62 and surprisingly I also measured 19000+ lux. The brightness using the Li-Ion also drops but not as quickly.

I let the batteries sit for a while and checked the brightness readings again. This time the SF123s gave a reading of around 14500 and the Li-Ion gave a reading around 17000-18000.

I have no idea why the Li-Ions are able to drive this lamp so brightly but so far it seems this is a good combination. I'm going to keep using it like this to see how it performs. Here is a pic of the light I'm using:

Just a short update:

I've been using the 500 lumen N62 lamp with the 168A and 150A cells and have been very happy with the results. To my eyes both of these batteries can light up the lamp as brightly as 4 fresh SF123 batteries. Using the 3" Turbohead, this light out throws every single light I own (It kills both my Tigerlight and US).

The runtime is more than enough for my intermittent uses and the beauty is that when the beam starts to dim you can just pop them into the charger and top them up. Even when the beam starts to dim, the light is still putting out a ton of lumens. These batteries also don't seem to heat up nearly as badly as SF123s.

My favorite configuration is using my SF Z3 + 2 of the 1200 mAh 150A batteries + N62 lamp + 3" turbohead. 500 lumens worth of very long throwing light in a small, rechargeable package!

This is very nice!! How difficult was it to bore out the Z3? and where did you source the PILA batteries from?

I had a friend of mine use a mill to bore out the Z3. There wasn't much material to be taken off because it only needs to be big enough to fit the cells. I think we took off around 1mm in diameter.

I think CM also did this on a C3 and he used a dremel to do his.

I bought my Pila batteries from Pila in Hong Kong and also from 1esa.com . It was cheaper getting the batteries from 1esa.com because they are located in the US.

I'm using Pilas to drive my M3 with the MN11 LA. It's great. The light stays nice and bright until the battery protection kicks in. I now use this light all of the time.

Tony - did you have to bore out the M3?

Sproing - Did you try with the 168S batteries? i see that the diameter is 17mm rather than 19mm. What combination of batteries do you use?

I think this mod is amazing! can't wait to try it myself.

Ross

Ross,

I have tried the 168S batteries and they work very well also. They should technically run brightly for longer than the 150A's because they're rated at 1400mAh. I've run them in an unmodified SF 9P + A19 adapter + KT1 turbohead. With this setup I have used a 225 Lumen MN16 lamp and also the 500 lumen N62 lamp and they both worked very well. The only thing is that the beam isn't as tight with the KT1 as it is with the 3" T2 turbohead.

I'll try it out more with the 168S more later tonight.

Ross,
No boring out with the "S" line of batts. The "A"s are the ones that require boring. I wouldn't bother boring out the tube if you're gonna use the 150's. You risk tearing up your light and only gain 200mAh per batt going to the A's. If you're gonna use the 168's, that's another story. You stand to gain 400mAh per batt by boring out the tube to accept the 19mm batts.

You could just do what I did and not worry about boring out the tube. Just get the "S" series of batts and use them in all of your Surefire and other 123 based lights. I use my G2 with a Pila 3.7v bulb alot. I made a spacer so that I can run the 168S's and the 150S's in it. I also power all of my KL's with the Pila's. I did indulge in two chargers so that I wouldn't have to keep fiddling with those spacers on the charger.

Sproing,
So the A19 is what I need to extend the body of my M3 to the length of 4 123's so that I can run two 168's, correct?

I am sooo confused. Isnt that a 12volt lamp... are you using 2 Pilas to replace 4 123's. Isn't that 12 volts vs 7.4 volts??? I have a 12ZM that is a battery eater but I love the light. If this would run the 500 lumen lamp but could be switched back to 123's by using the S model batteries. That would be fantastic. Please do post and fill me in.

Chop,

Yes the A19 is what is needed to extend the body of the M3. Keep in mind that the A19 only comes in black though.


JohnSidneyB,

The N62 is meant to be used with 4 123's but it doesn't need 12V to run it at full brightness. I suspect that because this lamp draws so much power, they needed 4 123's to supply enough voltage for the lamp (which I think is 7.something volts). The Li-Ions are around 4.1V fresh off the charger and since they have less of a voltage drop for these higher currents, they seem to be able to drive this lamp very brightly.

Keep in mind this lamp has a rated runtime of around 12 minutes so don't expect too much in terms of runtime. I also don't think the 150S batteries will be able to perform as well as the other batteries. The 150S already have trouble driving 9V HOLA lamps like the P91.

I've played with using 2 168S batteries tonight and they also do a great job at driving this lamp. They also don't seem to heat up like the 123's do so maybe they won't shutdown after 3 minutes from overheating.

from Brock's Regular Flashlight Page:
http://www.uwgb.edu/nevermab/flash.htm

Surefire 12PM & N62 lamp: 4 x 123 cells, 7.65 V, 3.7 A, 28.1 W.

Great post! Can you tell me where I could buy 2 1/2 and 3 inch turbo heads? Are the new 2 1/2" ones as effective as the older ones in throwing light? I am trying to maximize a light(s) 9p, M3 or M4 for hunting applications and trying to get the best concentrated beam out to 100yds. <font color="blue"> </font>

You can buy the 2 1/2" heads from SureFire. The newer ones do not produce as tight of a beam as the 3". At a distance of only 100 yards they would work fine though.

I too am looking for the 3 inchers. Anyone know where to get them?

Contact John at www.johnfjensen.com he still had a few brand new ones last time i checked. They are around $90 each.

Thanks!

Re: 500 lumen Surefire rechargeable using Pila Li-

Has anyone tried this (using 2 Pila's) on other 12V surefire lamps? Like the MN60 & MN61?

Re: 500 lumen Surefire rechargeable using Pila Li-

I just bored out another Surefire to take 2000mAH 18650 Li-Ion's. It's an M2 and took about 45 minutes with a Dremel. The Pila 3.7V lamp assembly appear noticeably whiter and brighter than the P60 lamp assembly. The fatter 18mm cells are the way to go since they're very easy to obtain and have the highest capacities. Now I need to get a 3" T-head, an M3 (bored out) and a few A19's. Wish someone could anodize the A19's to the same natural tone of the M3's.

Re: 500 lumen Surefire rechargeable using Pila Li-

[ QUOTE ]
Sproing said:

My favorite configuration is using my SF Z3 + 2 of the 1200 mAh 150A batteries + N62 lamp + 3" turbohead. 500 lumens worth of very long throwing light in a small, rechargeable package!

[/ QUOTE ]

Does this mean n62 can be used with m3t and 2*150s? Only difference between 150s and 150a is 200mah and 150s is little slimmer, right?

Re: 500 lumen Surefire rechargeable using Pila Li-

Well, the L6 works off of 2 Pila 150S cells. Too bad they don't fit in the flashlight though, they are too long. I thought 2x150's were the same length as 3x123 cells?