The new Li-Ion 18650 Batteries

Hey guys,

I've finally figured out how I'm going to wire everything in my saber(Rebel-700mA BuckPuck, LED switch, LED indicator)

I just haven't settled on how I'm going to power it.

Here's what I've decided on thus far:
- 4 AA battery holder
- Tenergy Li-Ion 18650 Cylindrical 3.7V 2600mAh
- TrustFire All-in-One Charger

I'm noob, and this is my first saber so I'm staying clear of the battery packs.

Would 4 Li-Ion 18650s be over kill?
Also, Would it be wise to still use a PCB to prevent any 'over-discharging'?

Thanks for all the help.

P.S. Any suggestions differing from this step up are fully welcome.

Uh, yes. That's overkill. By about three 18650s. Also, 18650s are larger than AAs.

My advice, especially for your first build, is to stick with alkalines - four AAs or AAAs will be more than enough to power a Rebel. Also, forget the in-hilt recharging for now. This is a hobby that is extremely difficult to try and dive in headfirst. I know whereof I speak on that - I have a ruined Crystal Focus 3 board sitting in my parts chest to remind me to take my time on things!

You may benefit from clicking the first and third links in the bottom of my signature.

Just a FYI but you cannot run a buckpuck on one li-ion battery so 2 in a 7.4v pack would be ideal.

Good luck getting 4x 18650's into any reasonably sized hilt.

They won't go in side by side without a lot of work (see Sunrider's post on how he did it)

FYI 18650's are 18-mm Diameter, 65-mm length roughly - MUCH larger than a standard AA (14500's are AA sized - 14mm diameter, 50mm length)

and if they are unprotected cells then yes you do need a PCB.

4 would be overkill for most applications.

Cool guys, thanks for the reply.

I also just looked up the size for AA and the 14500's look like they should fix just fine in a AA holder.

I'm going to start with 2 14500's. Maybe for my second saber(actually third cause I'm making one for myself and my sister), I'll try some other power methods and LED mA settings.

Thanks for the help, now I've got a wishlist to add to my cart.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Strydur

Just a FYI but you cannot run a buckpuck on one li-ion battery so 2 in a 7.4v pack would be ideal.

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Huh. I apologize for steering you wrong, then, Yin. I've never worked with a buckpuck myself, and assumed that it was closer in function to a simple resistor than it apparently is.

It has a minimum input voltage of 5v which is why a single 3.7v cell will not work.

not a problem, I went over those details before when I was wanting to use 4 rechargeable NiMHs.

I've got what I need, and once I get to working on it I look forward to returning to the forums with some (just a little) experience.

Thanks much.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Yin

not a problem, I went over those details before when I was wanting to use 4 rechargeable NiMHs.

I've got what I need, and once I get to working on it I look forward to returning to the forums with some (just a little) experience.

Thanks much.

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Rechargables are only 1.2v as opposed to the normal 1.5v for standard alkalines. So you would only be providing 4.8v with 4x rechargables vs. 6v for 4x standard alkalines.