14500 length issue

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mihail

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Aug 2, 2014
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Hi

I have bought a red Xeno E03 for my girlfriend and I have put a 14500 840mA Keeppower in it. When she turns the light on people get stunned. The problem is that the battery is a tight fit for the flashlight because of its length (52.5 mm long). It is so tight that I believe 0.2-0.3 mm more would make the contact impossible and the light would not turn on. I want to know if there is any chance that the flashlight would break or something because of the great pressure from the tight battery. What might happen? I am concerned about the flashlight (about its spring or the contact board at the top of the cell) an not about the battery (althought HKJ rated it as a very good one).

Thanks!
 
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Sounds like the issue here is that you are trying to use protected cells. Unprotected fits ALOT better. But there are a couple of things to consider. First, is the light protected? If so, unprotected cells can be used with zero issues in the light. If the light is NOT protected, then your girlfriend is going to need to become comfortable with using unprotected cells. Only she knows whether she is.

As far as damaging the light, this IS possible. It is especially possible if the battery is long enough for the tailspring to bind. This would cause the full force provided by the tailcap threads when tightening it (which is considerable) to be transmitted through the battery and to the circuit board. This can EASILY damage it.
 
Was in this kind of situation also before. What I did was to buy another 14500 that is unprotected. Now it fits perfectly. :twothumbs
 
I have already told her to take the battery off the flashlight! :ohgeez:

First of all, I think I have read somewhere that E03 does cut off at 3V. I can't find that information on Xeno site, so I am not sure about this. I really like this little flashlight (I do own a blue one and a black one, latest version both) so please tell me if you know something about having a built in protection circuit for Li-ion cells.
I don't think it's a good idea for her to use unprotected cells. If the flashlight does not have protection for 14500 she would damage the cell for sure. Not that she could not learn how to take care of it. The fact is that she doesn't care too much about it. I have an Eagletac 14500 that I use in my black E03 when I ride the bike at night. I'll give her that one and I'll buy another cell for me. HKJ does not rate that cell very high so I would buy something else. The 900mA Trustfire seems acceptable and short enough, although in the same class with Eagletac. I could buy an Olight but it is too long and would certainly not fit. Are Nitecore's cells shorter? Do you have any suggestion about a short enough protected 14500?

@UnderPar: What cell is that?
 
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The problem with protection circuits on 14500s is that an extra 3mm (or so) of length more adversely affects a smaller cell (like a 14500) than a larger cell. So they tend to not fit in lights too well. If you are worried about giving her unprotected cells, you might consider getting her some IMR 14500s. These are significantly safer if overdischarged than ICR cells. However, capacity is somewhat lower (which may or may not be a big deal for her).
 
Yeah, I like the IMR in this scenario too, as for rechargables, its not a big deal to have a spare cell or two, and recharge one while the other is in use, etc....so the runtime is not as big a deal. Many lights are brighter with the IMR depending on their regulation, etc....but none are dimmer.

The IMR is about as safe as the protected ICR, but smaller, so it fits more easily into the shorter lights, etc.
 
AA NIMH Cell

Have you tried using an AA Eneloop/Duraloop NIMH cell in it? You will get longer run times and much less heat. Probably a better fit for the situational use of the light.
 
I bought the Sanyo 14500 li-ion, 840 mAh battery. But currently, am using the Eneloop XX NiMH for longer runtime


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Used the Keeppower 840mAh in my Eagletac D25A Titanium(2014) and could not screw the head all the way to reach turbo mode. After a while the cell became damaged and does not work anymore. The cell is roughly 2-3 months old.

The cell had connection issues inside due to overtightening. Been using Fujitsu High Capacity Rechargeable (2550mAh) ever since. The cell is actually the same cell as the Sanyo Eneloop XX with "HR-3UTHB" printed on it.
 
She doesn't care about the runtime at all because it is my job to charge the cell(s) as quickly as possible. She doesn't really "use" the light; she just plays with it. It's more about the wow factor and E03 on 14500 is perfect for this.
I use eneloops in my blue E03 and brightness/runtime ratio is good. I do have various other AA lights and all of them run on eneloops, but I want at least one running on 14500.
Ok then! IMR! I see it's a different chemistry Li-ion cell. From where I live I can buy this one . You say it's more safe. Does it mean: by the time the cell goes beyond 3V the brightness would be already too low, so it will be a sign for me to consider charging the cell? If so, then IMR cells are perfect for me. In HKJ's tests I see that protected cells's PCB turns them off somewhere around 3V. Unprotected IMRs, like the one in the link above, keep on going and do not seem to reach 3V... I don't get it. Someone please explain that graph to me.
 
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I have bought a couple of 1400 IMR flat top Efest as in the link above and put one in my E03. I was interested if the flashlight have protection for unprotected cells. I set it on med (around 370 lumens selfbuilt estimate) and when I saw it got dimmer I pulled the cell away. The voltage was ... 1.6 :eek:.
So, E03 does not have protection for unprotected 14500s. This sucks! This means I'll give my girlfriend my protected 14500 Eagletac and I'll use the Efest. Even so, I am not sure I won't damage the cells ...
 
I run unprotected Sanyo 840s in my E03 v3 with no problems. I bought some EVVA protected Sanyos and those two cells don't fit in anything, lol.

Just the nature of the beast sometimes.

Chris
 
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