Rechargeable batteries

[orionz06]

Anyone running any 123's that are rechargeable? What do I need to know? I intend to run non-rechargeables in WML's, but for EDC, I would like to reduce the cost a bit.

[lethal dose]

dude... spooky... i was just about to post the same thing. picking up my surefire e1b from nate bell tomorrow. let's see what kind of answers you get.

[Vic303]

The biggest problem with Li-ion rechargeable batteries and primary lithiums is the potential for catastrophic venting with flame. It tends to occur when one battery in a stack(series) is at a significantly lower internal charge than the others, leading the other batteries to attempt to reverse charge the weak cell.

In a sealed light this causes a build up of heat, pressure & oxygen which eventually kabooms with toxic byproducts. Not a good thing. I will put a couple links here for you to read up on..


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...eferrerid=4688

http://flashlightnews.net/forum/index.php?topic=183.0

fire.tc.faa.gov/pdf/systems/Lithium-ion_battery_04112006.pdf

And read through all the threads in this small CPF forum: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...play.php?f=107

There is a lot of good info, and examples. If you can find an old thread by Newbie on CPF, he did a lot of testing of cr123 cells to failure (explosion/fire) and it was informative.


I have opted to run rechargeable cr123's in single cell lights, and use the non-flammable LiFePO4 chemistry batteries. You can get them at places like Lighthound.com, Batteryjunction.com, Batteryspace.com. I have done business with all 2 companies. This chemistry requires a dedicated special charger (inexpensive and usually is sold by the battery seller too).

[diverge]

RCR123s come in 3.0, 3.6, and 3.7 volts. Make sure your light can handle rechargeable cr123s. They run at a higher voltage initially. The 3.7, for example, is fully charged at 4.2V and fully discharged at 3.0V. RCR123s will have a shorter run time than cr123.

A benefit for me is that, since I regularly recharge the batteries, I can better estimate the run time. It is like always having "fresh" batteries.

I run an E2DL with 3.7 rcr123s.

[CAP]

And which charger for rechargeable 123s?

Am looking for a charger for 123 series batteries.

Apologies for the cross post.

[Vic303]

Which chemistry of rechargeable 123? I suggest ordering the charger recommended by the seller of your rcr123 batteries. They usually stay on top of the info necessary to charge the batteries correctly.