Cree torch and Battery pac tutorial (updated)

[Pushy]

Tutorial has been up loaded and is a MS word doc. If someone wants to d/load and convert to pdf please feel free, I don't think I have the s/ware.

Hope it all makes sense.
PDF flie courtesy of Andrew
also see this threadfor the list of torches, batteries and charger used.


Les

[Aushiker]

Hi Les

On the way to you as a PDF.

Andrew

[uMP2k]

I like it.

What sort of runtime are you getting?

Also, what are the model, etc of the lights you are using and where did you get them from?

Questions, questions....

Stephen

[Pushy]

I like it.

What sort of runtime are you getting?

Also, what are the model, etc of the lights you are using and where did you get them from?

Questions, questions....

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

Most Cree torches draw 1amp or a little under, the battery capacity is about 2200mAh so each battery will run the torch for just over 2 hours. 2 batteries in parallel will run a torch for just over 4 hours maybe even 5.

After several months of playing around with these things, I feel that for the handlebar lights, for helmet mounted lights and if you really must have highbeam.
18650 battery are rechargeable and use this charger.

I get most if not all this stuff from Dealextreme, the only issue I have is that they can take some time to get the stuff to you. The quality of the goods is reasonable and acceptable rather than excellent.

Les

[HappyHumber]

Most Cree torches draw 1amp or a little under, the battery capacity is about 2200mAh so each battery will run the torch for just over 2 hours. 2 batteries in parallel will run a torch for just over 4 hours maybe even 5.

Les....

Love your work mate. Thanks for taking the trouble writing this up. Certainly a great starting point - though I need to dust up on some basic electrical theory I haven't touched since High School Electronics - even then all we did was blow up capacitors. The theory got lost somewhere in all the fumes and shrapnel

Hopefully get a few things orderd from DX later this week. One more question - the charger you got - is that some funky mains socket on the unit? I thought it was just the old shaver 'figure 8' (or infinity symbol?) profile - but one half is square and the other round. Did you just change the plug on the cord from the US to AU standard?

Kym

[Pushy]

Love your work mate. Thanks for taking the trouble writing this up. Certainly a great starting point - though I need to dust up on some basic electrical theory I haven't touched since High School Electronics - even then all we did was blow up capacitors. The theory got lost somewhere in all the fumes and shrapnel

Hopefully get a few things orderd from DX later this week. One more question - the charger you got - is that some funky mains socket on the unit? I thought it was just the old shaver 'figure 8' (or infinity symbol?) profile - but one half is square and the other round. Did you just change the plug on the cord from the US to AU standard?

Kym

Thanks for the kind words Kym, basic high school physics is all I had to go on. Leds tend to confuse the basic principles due to the electronics used to drive the Led, multi voltage inputs and multi modes.

The charger comes with the chord shown and that has two flat prongs. Don't bother with an adaptor just twist them with a pair pf pliers til they fit our socket.

Les

[bigfriendlyvegan]

You should post this on instuctables. May is bike month and you can win fantastic prizes (like park tools and t-shirts).

Good work, btw.

David

[HappyHumber]

*knock*knock*

Yoo-hoo... y'there still there, Les?

Just wondering - since I've never had anything to do with Li batteries before I'm curious about the various 'standard' sizes. You and Kalgrm seem to have happily mixed & matched C123A & 18650 torches - assuming the voltages are close enough to the same I was wondering about general physical interchangeablity. When would you use one over the other etc?

Skimming around some other forums; I see the energy density is a bit better for the 18650.

A nice little summary article or thread from somewhere would be nice. Wikipedia has failed me on this front

[Pushy]

These Li batteries that we/I use produce a voltage of 3.6 to 4.2 volts depending on charge state. Generally 18650 relates to the physical size of the battery ie 18mm diameter by 65.0mm long. Energy density or mA corresponds somewhat to the size of the battery.
CR123A = 16340 is around 800mA
18650 is around 2200mA
I use both these but ther are several other sizes and capacities available. The important thing to remember is to use cells with protection circuits built in. This protection prevents over charge and discharge of the cell. There are some dangers involved in using unprotected cells, google Lithium-ion battery dangers.
I haven't conciously chosen one cell over the other. I use a pair of small torches mounted to my helmet and was using the CR123A batteries till got sick of stopping to change the batteries after about an hour of ridiing. I had a few 18650 torches floating around the house and work and decided to try and build an external battery pac to get better runtimes seeing as the voltage requirements matched. I was toying with the 18650 batteries while sucking on the mints and I looked at the Eclipse tin, the battery, the tin well the rest is history.

Now I ride from 7pm to 10pm with a total of five led lights unless you count the 1 SSC P7 as another 4 without any dimming or stopping to change batteries.

Les