Lithium AA's in Mag85: plus/minus

Lithium AA\'s in Mag85: plus/minus

What would the 1185 do with 9 lithium AA's (for example the 2900 capacity that Batterystation is selling)? Obviously the running cost would be more than NIMH's, but what would the output be like? More like the minimal alkaline output, or more like the NIMH output? And any guess on the run time?

Re: Lithium AA\'s in Mag85?

Run time would be in the 30-45 minute range, but Lithiums have a hard time above 1-2 amps max, so you would be SERIOUSLY stressing the cells, to the point that you would not get good output, most likely.

I think Wilkey had someone ask about this in the past and he may have more insight.

Bill

Re: Lithium AA\'s in Mag85?

It was a long time ago when I ran a Mag85 on 9xAA lith. I only recall that it was about as bright as on nimh. Since the power pack was so expensive, I never did a runtime on it. In the course 20-30 seconds of running, the output was stable. Beyond that, I don't know. Now I remember that these were with the EL V1 3-D adaptors with lots of built-in resistance.

Wilkey

Re: Lithium AA\'s in Mag85?

Yikes...thanks. I had JUST sent you a PM....but this answers my question, I think. I have Waion's 3 to D adaptor, so I assume the resistance would be similar. Thanks....

Re: Lithium AA\'s in Mag85?

OK....got my Batterystation Lithiums, threw them in the holders and lit it up. Had to put a washer on the bottom of the holder to get decent contact with the spring. It's raining here, so I couldn't do a beamshot, but I compared 2 Mag85's...one with 9 AA lithiums, and one with Litho's double stack of 123's plus two AA lithiums. The only problem in comparing them was that one light has an LOP reflector, the other a smooth. The two lights were very close. The double stack + was slightly brighter with a little more flood, but that was the light with the LOP, so I suspect that should throw much better with a smooth reflector (and they're on the way from Fivemega). It was also slightly more white than the lithium light. I ran the lithum light for about 7 minutes and it had no deterioration that I could see. Seems like a reasonable alternative to NIMH's if you don't want to mess with them and you're only going to use the light occasionally....but I haven't compared either one directly to NIMH's.

Re: Lithium AA\'s in Mag85?

Well if they work and have good output, the Lithiums would be good for a light that wasn't going to be used frequently but needed to be ready to go. With NiMH's you would have to rotate your batteries or top off their charge occasionally.

Re: Lithium AA\'s in Mag85?

That was my point in trying it. I don't use rechargeables but want a Mag85. Is it worth buying 10 or 20 rechargeables plus a decent charger, then have to recharge everything on a regular basis? So I've been trying to find something else. I suspect that the output isn't as great as with 1650's, but it's still pretty decent to my eyes.

Re: Lithium AA\'s in Mag85?

[ QUOTE ]

I don't use rechargeables but want a Mag85. Is it worth buying 10 or 20 rechargeables plus a decent charger, then have to recharge everything on a regular basis?


[/ QUOTE ]


Here's what I'd do in your situation: check how much 18 AA rechargeables (2 sets - one in the light, one being charged) and a charger would cost. Next, check how much a set of AA lithiums would cost. Finally, see how many sets of AA lithiums it would cost to cover the price of 2 sets of NiMH and a charger. If the result is a single-digit number (probably is), rechargeables are the only way to go.

One other thing - if you're stressing the lithiums with excess current drain, remember that you've got 9 of them in a confined space, so they're likely to heat up. Now what was the term the Brits use when they're talking about a flashlight? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/str.gif