batteries for smaller applications?

[arcana]

So I have some tight spaces I'm looking at adding LED electronics to and am looking at smaller battery options. Would something like this work well?

6V battery (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062138&cp=&pg=10&sr=1&origkw=6v+battery&kw=6v+battery&parentPage=search)

I know the mAh are low, but the battery is small enough to really fit in smaller hilts. What are people's experience here with looking at smaller batteries?

[Novastar]

What are the dimensions? At 105mah, it seems like a really bad idea.

An 18650 Li-Ion cell of 3.7v is about 3/4" by 2.5", and usually runs about 2400mah. For the voltage and current, I think it's a pretty effective usage of space. Especially compared to 1.5v alkalines, and certainly compared to 1.2v ni-cads.

[xwingband]

Yeah 18650 li-ions are cool, but if you want higher voltages for good regulation they lack a bit.

I love CR123's. In the same way 18650's are use for the Blues/Green/White you can use a single one for the Red/Amber colors. Two of them for 6V and you beat out 4AA's amperage-wise (1000 vs. 1300) in addition to CR123's are normally lithium primaries (good voltage curve over discharge).

[Novastar]

Excellent point, X to the Z... I remember you saying you used that for the Emperor saber you made.... sweet!

My only issue is that they aren't rechargeable, right? :( Although I guess if I made some intelligent battery pack for them they'd be nice. So far, I can't think of anything other than a quick-disconnect, but you'd still have to resolder, I believe. Springs rarely work for me, and the only reason they work for the MR sabers is the pressure setup.

[xwingband]

Yup, I used a single one for the Sidious saber.

There are rechargeable versions but the amperage is not really satisfying (680mAh). I buy in "bulk" (20 at a time) which makes them not too different for buying premium non-rechargeables like E2's or lithium AA's, so it's not too bad.

If you want they fit in 2/3A battery holders. The ones I have aren't springed though, they are slide loaders and given how deep they are unless they are really free floating I haven't had an issue.

[Novastar]

Great info, X... thanks.

Yeah, one of the first BOP I sabers has a 4AA spring pack, and a momentary button with Corbin's driver. If you strike it hard against anything, the battery springs momentarily (oops, pun) release from any given battery, and shut the saber off.

I switched another BOP I saber that was similar in design to latching, so it just gives a "shock" power down and back up effect. Kind of lame, but what can I do. Pretty much makes me stay away from spring packs unless they are MR packs, or I simply solder rechargeables in with a corresponding port.

[xwingband]

That's usually easy enough to fix... I managed to break one of TCSS's pushbutton switch recently. I dropped a saber straight on the button. It pushed the back and guts out into the hilt.

CR123's were still snuggly in their holders though. :D

[arcana]

I totally forgot about the CR123as. I know that I've used them in flashlights before. They do make them rechargeable as well. Quick search found:

Rechargeable Li-Ion 3.6V 900mAh CR123A battery with short-circuit and low voltage protect board.

http://www.batterystation.com/cr123a.htm

Battery holder specifically for the cr123as:
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2320

[xwingband]

Awesome, I never saw any with that much amperage. I'm still not sure how useful they'll be because two in a stick is the same size as a 18650, and for side by side there are 900mAh 14500's out there. :?

[arcana]

Awesome, I never saw any with that much amperage. I'm still not sure how useful they'll be because two in a stick is the same size as a 18650, and for side by side there are 900mAh 14500's out there. :?

Well it would take two cr123s to make one 18650 in size right? Two cr123s would be a lot more voltage than a single 18650 or 14500. Of course 18650s appear to come in much higher mAhs (2700 or something crazy) but I would think the voltage would be more important in this particular instance? I'm thinking of reaching the required min voltage for some of the better leds out there being more important than extremely high mAhs?

[xwingband]

True two CR123's would make one 18650 in size. That's 7.2V @ 900mAh... two 14500's are also that voltage and amperage at a 2AA size.

Nothing wrong, but I guess my point is they are a limited set of scenarios where that would be the best option. Like a V with hardly any room, but unless it was a Yoda length and you want lots of goodies you could probably work something else out.

[arcana]

Well a couple of sabers I'm working on converting have very little space. I'm sure I could fix something AA sized but AA sized with battery holder is another story. I'll have to get some of the battery holders and see what I can cram in there. Thanks for the responses!

[Novastar]

If you can't fit a battery holder (and believe me, I know that feeling), you should simply solder your batteries in place. Best if they are rechargeable, but hey, whatever gets it done for the design.

I stick with Li-Ions for good reason, and those reasons can be seen on my Li-Ion thread:

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2519

As far as I'm concerned, Li-Ions make the most sense in almost every Lux saber at this point, since the forward voltage of most Lux LEDs so closely match the 3.6/3.7 battery setup for a single cell. I don't know any other batteries that provide that voltage for the space used. This is basically about energy density.

Or you could go with lead acid, hahahah :)

[arcana]

If you can't fit a battery holder (and believe me, I know that feeling), you should simply solder your batteries in place. Best if they are rechargeable, but hey, whatever gets it done for the design.

I stick with Li-Ions for good reason, and those reasons can be seen on my Li-Ion thread:

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2519

As far as I'm concerned, Li-Ions make the most sense in almost every Lux saber at this point, since the forward voltage of most Lux LEDs so closely match the 3.6/3.7 battery setup for a single cell. I don't know any other batteries that provide that voltage for the space used. This is basically about energy density.

Or you could go with lead acid, hahahah :)

hah lead acid. That would be kinda heavy I'm thinking. As for the li-ion thread, that's awesome. Thanks for the link.

Is a current limiting resister even necessary on a 3.6 li-ion setup? Since the fV voltage on some K2s is like 3.6 as well? Better safe than sorry though I guess.

[arcana]

Can one of you tell me what the voltage requirements are for the corbin's board sold here? Is it the same as the fV of whatever LED you are driving?

[neophyl]

Generally for most of the drivers (corbins, pucks, konlux, etc) its around 1v higher than the leds vf. Can be a bit less but if you work on that as a minimum its a good general rule.

The good things about the drivers is any 'extra' voltage means the current requirements drop so they are loads more efficient and dont waste power.

[arcana]

Hmmm so using a single li-ion 3.7 wouldn't work well on this board if the fV on the LED I wanted to use was 3.6?

[xwingband]

Not really. It will light for sure, but you probably aren't getting the most out of it. If you are driving it though you can go for a higher voltage and be cool.

[Novastar]

In my experience--you can barely tell a visual difference between saber X at 1000ma and a "copy" of saber X at (let's say) 800ma or the like.

Even my Plecter sabers (which have the Ultrablade/film stuff) are not all THAT much brighter than my "resistor-driven" sabers of comparable LED color. This is not to say that they aren't way better, but only to say the same old thing that I've been saying before regarding sabers, which is that there are about a dozen factors that can increase/decrease the perceived brightness... and also that things like a 20% change (brighter or dimmer) via lumens... is pretty insignificant.

I wouldn't say this unless I wasn't visually witnessing it all the time in the 14+ LED sabers that I have, all of which are driven in all sorts of different ways with all sorts of different blade films, blade lengths, depth into the emitters, LED colors, battery setups and all that yackety yack.