A sophomoric question for the CPF brain trust...

Will bad things happen if I use 3.6v lion 10440's in a light that was supplied with aaa 1.5v's?

Depends on the light. If you provide make and model would make answering easier. On the technical side depends on what type of circuit it has.

Yes or no, depending on the light. Though, personally, the first thing I do when I get a new model AAA light is try a 10440 in it.

What is the light in question?

Yes, it is bad. Very few retail AAA lights can handle Lion. Even if it doesn't go poof, it will get very hot very fast. It will also drastically shorten the LED lifespan. Do you have 10440's or were you planning on buying some just to see if it works? In my opinion, it is not worth it.

GordoJones88 said:

Yes, it is bad. Very few retail AAA lights can handle Lion. Even if it doesn't go poof, it will get very hot very fast. It will also drastically shorten the LED lifespan. Do you have 10440's or were you planning on buying some just to see if it works? In my opinion, it is not worth it.

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I've never actually had an LED wear out from overuse. Who cares if the lifespan drops from 50,000 hours to 20,000 hours. I think either way it will still drastically exceed the life of the other parts of the light.

The high heat could be a danger though. And depending on the circuit, the light might just go poof and never work again.

GordoJones88 said:

Yes, it is bad. Very few retail AAA lights can handle Lion. Even if it doesn't go poof, it will get very hot very fast. It will also drastically shorten the LED lifespan. Do you have 10440's or were you planning on buying some just to see if it works? In my opinion, it is not worth it.

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When you say 'very few', could you be more specific? I think I've tested a 10440 in just about every light in my AAA collection. The only one I can remember off the top of my head that wouldn't work was because of the battery not fitting the reverse polarity protection, not because of anything with the circuitry. In my direct personal experience, there's very few that won't work.

Fireclaw18 said:

The high heat could be a danger though. And depending on the circuit, the light might just go poof and never work again.

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With great power comes great responsibility! Though, agreed, if you are irresponsible, you run the risk of injury or damage to your light.

The light in question is a Nebo Larry, (a cheapo I know, but I like it so...) . Its surprisingly bright as is, but curiosity and all.

I wouldn't want to try it...3 series stacked 10440 at 12.6 volts in a light designed for maybe 5 volts? The cells you put in the light would be worth more than the light itself...

thats what I thought. wouldnt they be 10440s?

Oh, you are right...was thinking AA, not AAA. That's what I get for not reading carefully. Still wouldn't want to try it though, the voltages are the real issue.

Hah, not even I am brave enough to try multiple 10440's or 14500's, though I do own a couple 18650 lights that can handle 2 16340s.

But for single cell lights, yes, there's a very good chance you'd be OK. I don't think I've fried a single cell light doing that. My recent experiments, which all seem fine: Thrunite Ti2, Olight I3S and L3 Illuminations L10. All 3 have the newer XP-G2 emitter as well, though I have also tried the Nichia 219 version of the L10. If it takes a single cell, and it fits, I've tried it. And of course, the legendary LD01 and original I3 also both work fine. Pelican 1910 fine as well, though I think it's the Microstream that my blue Trustfires don't engage the positive terminal with. I could go on and on, but my point is that (single cell) AA and AAA lights working fine with li-ions is the norm, not the other way around.

But yeah, for multi-cell lights, no es bueno. I wouldn't do it.

Racer said:

When you say 'very few', could you be more specific?

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In this case, I meant from retail stores like Walmart and Home Depot.

Fireclaw18 said:

I've never actually had an LED wear out from overuse.

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Every time you turn on your light, it gets just a teeny tiny bit dimmer. It doesn't happen all at once. In this case, I actually meant if the light is severely overdriven, it may turn blue and get really dim. However, a lot of flashaholics buy quality lights that don't do this.

Rich2250 said:

The light in question is a Nebo Larry, (a cheapo I know, but I like it so...) . Its surprisingly bright as is, but curiosity and all.

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As I thought, it is a retail light.
No it most certainly cannot handle 3x10440s.
The result would be truly spectacular though.

On another note: Oh noes, it's a Nebo.

You should get yourself one good quality light.
Maybe look at the Nitecore EA4 4xAA for $50.

Since there is no documentation regarding Nebo Larry's working voltage range, don't even bother trying to stick any lithium rechargeables in it.

Here are two thing that might work;
- 3xNiMH rechargeables (Eneloops will probably work)
- 1x10440 and 2xAAA spacers ("dummy" batteries)

GordoJones88 said:

As I thought, it is a retail light.
No it most certainly cannot handle 3x10440s.
The result would be truly spectacular though.

On another note: Oh noes, it's a Nebo.

You should get yourself one good quality light.
Maybe look at the Nitecore EA4 4xAA for $50.

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This was a fluke. I keep sf backups for most of my general use. An m6, an m4, and a btu shocker for my blasters. Several 6p's and an aviator sprinkled in, among others. I like the larry, but I would never take it into battle.