battery issues

[djbordie]

hey guys, im not to smart on batteries and power usage and all that stuff...
so basically:

i know my 5w cyan or green is using 6x1.5 (AA Batteries)
this = 9V right?

so why not just use a 9v battery and save weight and space?
because it wouldnt last as long as 6 x AA right?

so what other options do i have here....my graflex will not fit the 6xAA pack
because its so tall and i am using graflexshop.com heatsink/blade holder (not cause i hate tcss lol, because my graflex is different, its just the head piece and i needed graflexshops parts because his heat sink is like 4 inches long, so i can bolt on sink tube and the graflex head piece...anyways)

[Novastar]

Well, a lone 9v battery does not have the same energy density as the 6AA configuration. And yes, 6AA = 9v (1.5 x 6 = 9, a.k.a. 3 x 3).

If you can't fit 6AA, you could try 6AAA--but again, that would likely be another drop in run-time.

What better fits a Luxeon V (6.85 fwd v) is a Li-Ion setup @ 7.2 or 7.4v. Granted, they are more expensive, and you'd want to wire in a recharge port (not hard to do)... but it might be more ideal especially if you're going direct-drive.

9v is overkill for a 6.85 fwd v. Although with a DRIVER board (are you using one?) that might be good.

[Jedi Ranger]

A 9v battey will last maybe 15 minutes.

Your best option will be getting a 2-cell li-ion pack putting out 7.2/7.4v and powering the 5w led with a driver, for constant current. There are different physical sizes of 2-cell packs; the larger it is, the higher the mah, meaning longer battery life.

[djbordie]

ahhh i see, well im using a resistor for this 1, its just a quick luke ANH dueler for guests...so im not going heavy on electronics.

so i definitely cant fit 6xAA....so can i still get some LithIons to use with that resistor if i match the specs of 6xAA? or what...

[djbordie]

where you from ranger?

[Hasid Lafre]

Well sence your using a sinktube for the rest why not make it a little longer?

The 7.2V AA rechargable batery pack sold here is only 4" long.

If you dont want to put in a rechage port cause of space then all you need to do is set it up so you can take the pack out easly and then plug it into the recharger.

Just need to find the other end of thoes style plugs for the hilt so you can plug your pack into it.

[djbordie]

ya the thing is its a luke ANH from a graflex head...so i dont want to stray far from the original design.

could i not get a battery pack that has 6xAA
but 3x3?

similar to the MR battery pack.

[Hasid Lafre]

Iam not sure about that.

But I know that all you got is the head piece Iam talking about making the hilt just a wee bit longer sence your using a sinktube.

How big is the heatsink on TGS heatsink?

Iam 100% sure you can trim it down.

[djbordie]

ya im pretty much settles here with this problem, i dont want to change much, because the hilt is already built, the TGS pieces are on the way, and if i recall the blade holder + heat sink is massive, which is good for my purposes @ about 4-5" total...

so
4-5" (heatsink/bladeholder)
1" (resistor/button/wiring(roughly))
+ battery ??

total size available from head piece to bottom of hilt is
9.5"

i need a battery about 4 inch max....

[Hasid Lafre]

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-880-6-24v-72v-nimh-smart-charger.aspx
http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-877-6-72v-aa-2600mah-nimh-rechargeable-battery-pack.aspx

[djbordie]

yes but that will require a different resistor or a driver right?>

[Hasid Lafre]

No. Look at the resistor chart and see what one you need for 7.2V .

If you find the opposit plug the pack needs then then do everything like normal.

[djbordie]

ok im all good, im getting nimh or using some i have from my rc cars....
they are 1600 mah, 7.2v, is that ok?
i know MAh is the total capacity, so that shouldnt matter right?
the more MAH the better run time for the saber i guess right?

as long as its 7.2v with a proper resistor i should be rocking ya?

for a 5w cyan that is...

[Hasid Lafre]

Yes it should work. and yes the mor emah you have the more runtime you got.

The resistor needed for 7.2V is http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/pc-644-36-1%20Ohm-2w-resistor.aspx

[djbordie]

sweeet, this shall be done as soon as my order arrives cheers.

hopefully ultrasound will be ready soon, so my order does ship....

so its my fourth sabre, ill have lots of pics of them all up soon

[chase]

ok...well i have a 5v cyan and running it off a 9v battery...should i get the li-on charger to run the led better? would it make much difference if i dont have a driver? i plan on getting an ultra board...just not right away. if so.... could you direct me on knowing these things.

[djbordie]

you will just get longer run times with NiMh battery
as long as your using 9v either the little square battery or the 6xAA it will look the same, just last longer with the 6xAA and even longer with a high capacity 7.2v 1600mah or whatever lion or NiMh

[Novastar]

I hope this thread I created helps:

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2866

If not, all I can say is that a single AA has more energy density than a single 9v style battery.

In the end, this becomes important if you're trying to get super long run times. Driver boards will almost always do better than a resistor-only setup.

[traydemark]

I know this is (kind of) an old thread but I have a question about batteries and didn't want to make a new thread...

Ok... so I understand that when grouping batteries (of the same type), you just add voltages to get the overall voltage. But for mAh... how do you calculate that?

I'm planning on using Energizer (Industrial) C batteries because I have a box of them and they're 1.5v 8350 mAh. I'm assuming, you don't just add them because of some other stuff that happens in the background like self-discharging...I think...

[Hasid Lafre]

The mah of the batteries stay the same no matter how many you add up.

At least thats what I gather.

[Novastar]

No Hasid, that is not correct.

You can wire batteries up for the voltage or the amperage... or a mixture of both! It all depends on the needs and goals of the project.

Example:
3.7v Li-Ion @ 2400mah

3 of them wired for 3.7v... would yield 7200mah
3 of them wired for 11.1v... would yield 2400mah.

You could also do 4 of them, "mix" parallel & serial... and yield 7.4v @ 4800mah. Whatever floats your boat.

http://sierranevadaairstreams.org/owners-guide/understanding/battery-config.html

I found that by searching online quickly, and I hate to post a link away from TCSS, but whatever helps people to understand. I can see that it is about wiring up RV batteries. So what. Also, I know Corbin had info on series vs. parallel on the "old" Corbinscomponents.com site, but anyhow.

As with all things, there are advantages and disadvantages to both setups--some of which affect the battery at the core level... not just your runtime!

This is yet ANOTHER reason why I like Li-Ion batteries... I don't have to do the "dance" of wiring up tons of cells when 3.7v or 7.4v will do just fine. I personally find it insane that some people are perfectly satisfied with wiring up 21 AAA batteries instead of 1 to 4 cells. One solder gone wrong with 21 cells, and you may slowly be eeking toward battery corrosion, warping, or worse yet--leakage that might wreck your [Plecter CF, MR, Ultra, Corbin, etc.]. With the PCB on the Li-Ions, I don't worry about much of any garbage like that.

[Hasid Lafre]

Well we were talking about regular rechargable batterys that you get in a clearance rack at walmart.

[pockets]

again hasid it doesnt matter, you can wire them for Voltage or current, if you wire them in series u get voltage if you wire them in parallel you get mAh

[traydemark]

I get it now. Luckily I know enough physics to understand what you guys are talking about.

Oh and I'm not using rechargeable batteries. I have a box of 12 C batteries that I'm planning to use up first (with a plain resistor) and then I might install a charge port. I won't be using any boards yet just in case the batteries do leak.

So this is what my set up is going to be using Energizer Industrial C batteries (1.5v 8350 mAh) for a K2 royal blue LED:

- 3 C batteries in series (should yield 4.5v 8350 mAh)
- 1 Ohm 5 watt resistor (as per resistor chart)

[Novastar]

Sounds correct.

That's going to be one mighty long saber! Long-lasting too, as the K2 "light sides" draw about 1500ma, so taking the @8000mah, figuring in the resistance and all... you should still get like 5.5 hours run time at the very least. :)

But 5 hours, that would be SWEET!

I'm surprised that on Erv's v1.2 boards, while running 1300ma, I get like 3.5 hours+ on a 7.2v 2400mah setup.

[traydemark]

It's my first blade and I'm shooting for a less than 13". It's not gonna have too many electronic parts so the batteries fit easily. I'll post pictures up when there's something to show.