Lights that use uncommon battery types

Quiksilver · Nov 13, 2012

What are some lights (if any) that use uncommon battery types?

Specifically, battery types found in wide circulation such as button cell batteries, A17, A27, etc.

You'd typically find these inside electronic car keys.

Considering a post-SHTF barter trade, turning people's useless electronic car keys into mini flashlights.

AnAppleSnail · Nov 14, 2012

You'll probably have more important things to worry about after the excrement and oscillatory ventilation unit meet. Considering the widely varying voltages, maybe a butane soldering iron and a pile of LEDs will be your best bet?

Glo-Toob has a version using the A23, but they're rare these days.

JWRitchie76 · Nov 14, 2012

You know I was just thinking about this the other day. If SHTF everyone will be pillaging the aa, aaa, d and c cells leaving the perceived worthless button cells and cr 123 and cr2's. Not a bad idea to have a few lights that feed off odd sized batteries. Thinking outside the box will keep you alive.

Outdoorsman5 · Nov 15, 2012

Photon Freedom micro light.

tam17 · Nov 16, 2012

Modding a Mag Solitaire with 3mm LED of choice and feeding it with four LR932 is fairly simple. You can scavenge eight LR932 cells from one 23A 12V batt. Pure SHTF thinking - google it for more details.

Cheers

StorminMatt · Nov 16, 2012

Back when LED flashlights were still a new thing, I remember buying an old Coast lights with the three LEDs at Fry's (don't remember the model, but I still have it somewhere). It was pretty small, and looked like it used two AAA batteries. But I guessed wrong, and it turned out it used three N batteries! Not exactly something easily available at every grocery store! And where I could find them (I think Walgreens had them), they went for quite a bit more than AA or AAA batteries. NiMH? I don't know if they even exist. I guess that just goes to show you that you should always read the package before buying something.

NCF8710 · Nov 16, 2012

Speaking of Coast lights, I have a Coast 'Turbo Torch' which uses two 3V lithium BR435 cells. These look like small firecrackers with a crimped end and a small pin. Where the hell do you find these?

archimedes · Nov 16, 2012

StorminMatt said:
Back when LED flashlights were still a new thing, I remember buying an old Coast lights with the three LEDs at Fry's (don't remember the model, but I still have it somewhere). It was pretty small, and looked like it used two AAA batteries. But I guessed wrong, and it turned out it used three N batteries! Not exactly something easily available at every grocery store! And where I could find them (I think Walgreens had them), they went for quite a bit more than AA or AAA batteries. NiMH? I don't know if they even exist. I guess that just goes to show you that you should always read the package before buying something.

NiMH N cells are available, but are difficult to find ....

StorminMatt · Nov 16, 2012

archimedes said:
NiMH N cells are available, but are difficult to find ....

Not only that, but it would be necessary to make some sort of spacer in order to charge them in commonly available chargers.

Speaking of the light, I actually got curious and found it. Two AAA batteries actually fit and WILL light it. But as you might expect, it's rather dim on two AAA batteries. Not that it was terribly bright even with fresh N cells.

archimedes · Nov 17, 2012

StorminMatt said:
Not only that, but it would be necessary to make some sort of spacer in order to charge them in commonly available chargers.

Speaking of the light, I actually got curious and found it. Two AAA batteries actually fit and WILL light it. But as you might expect, it's rather dim on two AAA batteries. Not that it was terribly bright even with fresh N cells.

Yep, N-to-AA spacers work well

Two AAA are only approximately 3 volts (total), while three N cells (in series) are about 4.5v ....

Gregozedobe · Nov 18, 2012

My car remotes all use CR2016 coin cell batteries. Fauxtons use CR2016's as do the Photon freedom micros etc.

Two CR2016 batteries in series will direct drive a 5mm white LED pretty hard until the voltage sags a bit (which doesn't take long). No electronics, so a pretty simple setup. I've seen people just tape the LED leads onto two batteries - you can't get much simpler than that.

One CR2016 (or one CR2032) will drive a 5mm red LED comfortably.

bob4apple · Nov 18, 2012

[/QUOTE]Speaking of Coast lights, I have a Coast 'Turbo Torch' which uses two 3V lithium BR435 cells. These look like small firecrackers with a crimped end and a small pin. Where the hell do you find these?

Amazon has 'em. And yeah, they ARE weird looking.

Gregozedobe · Nov 19, 2012

Speaking of Coast lights, I have a Coast 'Turbo Torch' which uses two 3V lithium BR435 cells. These look like small firecrackers with a crimped end and a small pin. Where the hell do you find these?

Amazon has 'em. And yeah, they ARE weird looking.

I have some coast lights that takes one of these batteries (they have a red LED and are quite small).

And someone is adding a LED onto the end of these batteries to make a REALLY small light (that also looks weird).

google amazon disc golf light beacon to see them. I carry one in my wallet (they are so small I don't notice it).

sassaquin · Nov 19, 2012

archimedes said:
NiMH N cells are available, but are difficult to find ....

Ogaz Enterprises (TnC Products) sells rechargable NiMH N-cells (500 mAh) for $1.75 each and a N-cell to AA battery charging adapter for $2.25.

Monocrom · Nov 25, 2012

I'll play . . . My Streamlight Stylus. (Not the Stylus Pro.)

The SL Stylus uses AAAA cells. Three of them at one time. That's not a typo by the way. Yup, AAAA batteries. So uncommon that they're only available in alkaline form. ACE Hardware sells the batteries. Recently bought a few from REI. (Turns out one of their employees ordered a case of them by mistake. Had meant to order AAA cells instead of AAAA. Manager was confused and later not too happy from what I saw.)

bansuri · Nov 25, 2012

Monocrom said:
I'll play . . . My Streamlight Stylus. (Not the Stylus Pro.)

The SL Stylus uses AAAA cells. Three of them at one time. That's not a typo by the way. Yup, AAAA batteries. So uncommon that they're only available in alkaline form. ACE Hardware sells the batteries. Recently bought a few from REI. (Turns out one of their employees ordered a case of them by mistake. Had meant to order AAA cells instead of AAAA. Manager was confused and later not too happy from what I saw.)

There are 6 of these inside of the common 9V battery.

Monocrom · Nov 25, 2012

Yup, but the ones inside a 9volt battery are nipple-less. The ones sold separately have nipples. In the SL Stylus, where you've got 3 of them stacked on top of each other, that tiny bit of extra length matters.

eh4 · Nov 25, 2012

Photon Freedom and Pak-Lite are great.

Lights that use uncommon battery types

Quiksilver

Enlightened

AnAppleSnail

Flashlight Enthusiast

JWRitchie76

Flashlight Enthusiast

Outdoorsman5

Flashlight Enthusiast

tam17

Enlightened

StorminMatt

Flashlight Enthusiast

NCF8710

Newly Enlightened

archimedes

Flashaholic

StorminMatt

Flashlight Enthusiast

archimedes

Flashaholic

Gregozedobe

Enlightened

bob4apple

Enlightened

Gregozedobe

Enlightened

sassaquin

Enlightened

Monocrom

Flashaholic

bansuri

Enlightened

Monocrom

Flashaholic

eh4

Flashlight Enthusiast

Similar threads

Latest posts