Nitecore EC11 issue?

Beck77

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May 30, 2014
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I have owned an EC11 for about 6 months which I use only for walking my dogs at night, so it isn't used much at all. For the last week or so the light has been killing a fully charged battery from one night to the next. I even tried a CR123 in it to see if the 3 18350s I use have somehow become faulty. Any ideas what could be wrong or some additional ideas on things to check would be great. I own several Nitecore lights and haven't had any problems with any of them till now.
 

LAMPARITA

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Aug 20, 2013
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I have owned an EC11 for about 6 months which I use only for walking my dogs at night, so it isn't used much at all. For the last week or so the light has been killing a fully charged battery from one night to the next. I even tried a CR123 in it to see if the 3 18350s I use have somehow become faulty. Any ideas what could be wrong or some additional ideas on things to check would be great. I own several Nitecore lights and haven't had any problems with any of them till now.

:thinking: hmmm...I was reading several negative complains on Amazon regarding same battery issue with this model. Maybe Nitecore can give us an explanation of what's going on with the EC11?
 

NitecoreStore

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Most lights use non-rechargeable CR123As or rechargeable RCR123 (16340) batteries with 3-3.7V/1-2A output. To reach 900 lumens with a single cell, it requires a higher current supply. IMR18350 has similar size and voltage output as a regular CR123A but much higher current output (7A). It is commonly used in Vapor products. However, the high current flow puts high stress on the battery so it is more prone to be damaged. The factory recommends not to over-charge (rarely happen since most chargers have protection circuit) or over-discharge the battery. Over-discharge usually happens when you keep using the light until the battery is totally dead -- cannot even support the dimmest mode. Once over-discharged, the battery could enter a dormant status and will no longer be able to charge again.


When we use the light, we usually charge the battery when it can no longer support the maximum brightness, or just once a week if occasionally used. You can also check its voltage by loosening and tightening the tail cap. Once the voltage drops below 3.2V it will be the time to rechargeable the battery.


I am not an expert on this but this is my understanding from discussion with the factory. Hope it helps. If you continue to have issues or if you have any other questions, you're welcome to contact [email protected] and we'll do everything we can to assist you.
 

jasandper

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May 18, 2016
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I'm also experiencing issues with my EC11 and IMR 18350 batteries. I'm using a Nitecore UM20 and both batteries show a reading of "EE". They won't charge. I contact Nitecore customer service and they brushed me off by telling me there's nothing they can do because my batteries were likely "over discharged". My immediate thoughts are..."then my EC11 is faulty. Is it normal for a flashlight to over discharge? Am I expected to check the voltage of my battery constantly to make sure it's charged above 3.2v?" I'm not a flashlight guru but is this common knowledge? Is this the case with all high end flashlights or is it just a problem with IMR batteries? If this is just the case with IMR batteries then I totally regret this purchase and Nitecore as a whole. Who would make and sell a flashlight that can't be discharged fully before recharging? And if you must why not be more transparent about this when your'e selling the light. I have a feeling this isn't common knowledge otherwise I would have seen this information surface in the many EC11 reviews and videos I watched. No one mentions "but be sure you keep these batteries topped off because otherwise you'll over discharge and won't be able to charge the battery again". That sounds ridiculous to me.

Can anyone else weigh in on their thoughts? Have you experienced this with the EC11 or any flashlights that use IMR batteries or any light at all for that matter? Is it normal for high powered flashlight batteries to over discharge if not topped off at a certain point? I saw some battery discharge issues in another thread on other Nitecore lights as well.
 

neksium

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I have a similar problem with my new nitecore ec11.

When i bought the flashlight i bought one 18350 nitecore and one rcr16340 olight.

When they came i tested the light with the two batteries.

  • with the 18350 worked fine
  • When i used the rcr123 the light didn't work. It only made a quick flash when i pressed the button. After that i pressed again the power button but i didnt show that flash again.

Then i charge both batteries and test again

  • 18350: the red light flash four times. then i turned on and worked perfect
  • rcr123: the red light flash four times, and then another two.(4,2v). then when i pressed the power button the central led made a only a quick flash once. Then i tried again but nothing happened.
  • **When i use the rcr123 and before press the power button the red led works perfect.

in the mannual the rcr123 is on the battery options of this flashlight.

What's the problem? Flashlight or battery?
 

Phlogiston

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Jan 7, 2015
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Scotland
I have a similar problem with my new nitecore ec11.

  • with the 18350 worked fine
  • When i used the rcr123 the light didn't work. It only made a quick flash when i pressed the button. After that i pressed again the power button but i didnt show that flash again.

Is the RCR123 a protected cell?

If it is, you might be having a problem with the protection circuit - either the light trying to draw more current than the protection circuit is rated for, or a defective protection circuit.
 

neksium

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Jan 30, 2013
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Finally i saw light from my nitecore ec11 using olight rcr123!

I learned that the light can work with olight rcr123 so i was wondering if the problem is on the battery which i received in a closed box or on the light.

I made one last effort to make it work.

I placed again the olight rcr123 on the nitecore i4. ***Note that from when i received the battery i have charge it once.

The i4 showed that the battery was full so i took the battery and placed on nitecore ec11 and it worked!

Really before write here, to nitecore and ask others i have tested it enough times using 18350, and this and the i only thing thing that was working was the red led.

I don't know what was the problem but i know that after i placed the battery again on the nitecore i4 it worked.
 

[email protected]

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Jul 21, 2018
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Re: Nitecore EC11 issue? Same here.

My Nitecore EC11 is by far my favorite torch, or was until last week. Since then, I've put battery after fully-charged battery (Nitecore 18350As) into it, and find them fully discharged and dead a day or so later with minimal or NO use. I see a 2016 entry for a similar problem with this model. Did they ever get to the bottom of the issue?
 
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