123 rechargeable Lithium Ion in the Arc4

Jon sent one of the new rechargeable Lithium Ion 123 cells and a charger for testing this past week (thanks!). I have run several cycles through my personal carry Arc4+ already with good results. Run time at level 4 is about 30 minutes. I got about 15 minutes at level 1 with intermittant use. Charge time is fairly quick (haven't timed it yet). I will continue to test this cell and bring it with me to the SS.

Peter

Peter:

Got a link for those rechargables?

the times seem decent, heck i dont even use my lights that much everyday, these 123 cells might be more practical as primary cells to many people out there =) as long as they carry spares also

I'm using two of the 1/5 A NiMH cells in my LSL-P and getting 45 minutes continuous run time, almost uniformly bright until moon mode. Will try them in my ARC 4 second next week when it arrives and post results.

Of course, I may get one of the seconds that was downgraded for using too much juice . . .

Thanks for posting this Peter.

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Sprocketman said:
I'm using two of the 1/5 A NiMH cells in my LSL-P and getting 45 minutes continuous run time, almost uniformly bright until moon mode. Will try them in my ARC 4 second next week when it arrives and post results.

Of course, I may get one of the seconds that was downgraded for using too much juice . . .

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I'm using them in my Arc4+ right now. How are you charging them? Read my post in the thread "Temperature related Arc4+ Phenomenon"

Those cells came charged and read over 1.3v, a bit higher than other rechargables. Not sure if they'll remain that high after I charge them a few times.

Will the li-ion cell work in the older version LS's as well? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

Any over discharge problems?

There shouldnt be...The ARC4 is claimed to have overdischarge prtection built in, plus the cells themselves do too.

I have tried it in many Arcs and it worked in all of them, including the old colored Arc lS's but I held my breath in case it blew them, but it did't.
It is also been used in the Tvord benefit light and it currently in my edc brass Firefly and working well.

I also have the new rechargeable lithium ion cells, and although I haven't tested them for runtime yet, they work very well inside my Arc LSH-P and LSG (Grey kit). Nothing has blown up yet /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif and the brightness seems to be the same as a brand new 123. Hope these work well with other applications!

//Dan

I got in on Jon order last night. I am looking forward to testing this new battery & charger. With my Arc4+ and my many 123 single cell flashlights it will be interesting to see how they work.
Mike /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

Peter will using these cells have any bearing on the warranty of ARC LS products?

Cheers!

No, not on the Arc4 since it is designed for Lithium Ion use.

Peter

Peter said that runtime at level 4 is 30 minutes. With a non-rechargeable 123, the Arc4 is supposed to run at that level for more than 3 hours. Doesn't sound impressive.

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Peter said that runtime at level 4 is 30 minutes. With a non-rechargeable 123, the Arc4 is supposed to run at that level for more than 3 hours. Doesn't sound impressive.

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I agree. I don't think this is a good trade-off if there's that much of a difference. I'll find out soon enough. I have a couple of these rechargables on order.

For around-the-home/shop use, the lithiums might make alot of sense even with the short run time.

I don't use my ARC4+ as a walking light; I have an FT-3c for that. I usually use the 4+ for momentary illumination. These rechargeables may work out just fine for me.

agreed. I usually use the arcs in small bursts of time to illuminate this and that. Still, it seems like the runtime should be longer then that if they are supposedly some 650 mah.