Need some battery help for laserbtb HL 532 300mW please

Hey everyone. Just bought a laserbtb HL 532 300mW laser and can't get any straight answers on a couple battery related issues. I know nothing about batteries. I'm really just trying to get some good quality batteries to maximize my lasers performance and any help would be greatly appreciated.

So, first, it takes a 16340 Li battery. The laserbtb manual says it should be 2200-2800mAh. Is this really necessary? Seems awfully high. I've looked all over the Internet and haven't found any reputable brands offering this power. From what I've read, AW IMR batteries around 750mAh seem pretty popular? Maybe Nitecore, Sony, Panasonic...

Second, was wondering about size issues (aren't we all). Can this laser accommodate a protected 16340 battery? Can it take a 18650? I only ask because I read the protected ones are a little bigger and might not fit certain lasers. Then read somer lasers can take the bigger 18650 because the tube is a little bigger.

Third, do I need to be getting a certain volt? I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking all this battery stuff. Anyways, thats it. Once again, thanks to everyone for your help!

It's a mistake, there are no 16340 that are 2200-2800mAh. Any 16340 will work, just avoid the generic blue ones with no brand name on them, also Ultrafire are low quality. Also most sizes of Li-Ion and Li-Mn come in both button top and flat top, but I think all 16340 are button top so I don't think you need to worry about that. No you can't use an 18650, they are bigger around and twice as long. Buy batteries that are 3.7V. I buy my batteries and chargers from this place:
Batteries - Batteries, Chargers, and PowerPax Carriers
Or on Amazon. Be sure to charge your battery before using, they normally ship uncharged. Be sure to never insert the battery the wrong way.

Alan

Thanks Alan for taking the time to write back and answer all my questions. Saved me a lot of time and concern wondering if I was gonna mess up. Really appreciate it. No wonder you have the reputation as one of the coolest dudes in the forum.

Pi R Squared said:

It's a mistake, there are no 16340 that are 2200-2800mAh. Any 16340 will work, just avoid the generic blue ones with no brand name on them, also Ultrafire are low quality. Also most sizes of Li-Ion and Li-Mn come in both button top and flat top, but I think all 16340 are button top so I don't think you need to worry about that. No you can't use an 18650, they are bigger around and twice as long. Buy batteries that are 3.7V. I buy my batteries and chargers from this place:
Batteries - Batteries, Chargers, and PowerPax Carriers
Or on Amazon. Be sure to charge your battery before using, they normally ship uncharged. Be sure to never insert the battery the wrong way.

Alan

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Since on the subject of batterys I bought some GTL 16340 red batterys (they do say 2300mAh) I guess in the back of my mind thinking they were GL. Anyway are these GTL batterys garbage? I havent got the laser im planning on using them on yet.:thinking:

GSS said:

Since on the subject of batterys I bought some GTL 16340 red batterys (they do say 2300mAh) I guess in the back of my mind thinking they were GL. Anyway are these GTL batterys garbage? I havent got the laser im planning on using them on yet.:thinking:

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Yes GTL way overstates the mAh just like Ultrafire does. I never tried them but at least several people here have complained they aren't very good. In a powerful laser like 2W or more you might get as little as 10 minutes of use on a charge, in a low/medium power laser they should be fine. If you're buying something powerful that draws a lot of current you should get something better and use the GTL as a backup or in a low power laser.

Alan

It's likely that most 16340 that are rated under 800mAh are decent. I only use cheaper cells on builds that are inexpensive and don't draw much current. Why skimp on battery quality on a quality unit. Unfortunately you need to be able to discern if the seller also has genuine cells or fakes now too. Just expect to pay more for legits.

I'm using 2 550mah AW IMR 16340s in my 2+W 445nm laser and they work great. I also am using a Nitecore Intellicharger i2 to charge them that also works great. Stay away from those free chargers they sometimes ship with your laser, they can be a fire hazard or damage your batteries. Get good batteries and a good charger. Happy lasing!

Pman said:

It's likely that most 16340 that are rated under 800mAh are decent. I only use cheaper cells on builds that are inexpensive and don't draw much current. Why skimp on battery quality on a quality unit. Unfortunately you need to be able to discern if the seller also has genuine cells or fakes now too. Just expect to pay more for legits.

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Great advice, cause I even knew a 2300mAh rating was absurd. There is no substitute for good quality you get what you pay for I realize that but dont allways follow that I should know better,
on SciFilasers sight he directs you to DX (i think) witch shows the blue TrustFire 16340s that are rated at a much more reasonable 1000mAh. So I assume they are decent to at least start with? Im guessing 1000mAh is stretching it a bit also:thinking:

Lux Nitida said:

I'm using 2 550mah AW IMR 16340s in my 2+W 445nm laser and they work great. I also am using a Nitecore Intellicharger i2 to charge them that also works great. Stay away from those free chargers they sometimes ship with your laser, they can be a fire hazard or damage your batteries. Get good batteries and a good charger. Happy lasing!

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Do you mind telling me where I can find the AW batterys

GSS said:

Do you mind telling me where I can find the AW batterys

Click to expand...

I got mine here:

http://www.giantvapes.com/aw-imr-16340-550mah/

Great company, very fast shipping too. They are legit AWs too, not forgeries.

As of 2015 there is no way a 16340 lithium cell can supply 2300 mAh. If they mark(et) it as such, it is utter bullshit.

2300 mAh would be reasonable capacity for a 18640 cell from perhaps 5 years ago. Nowadays realistic values for quality cells are around 3000-3400 mAh, but keep in mind that the 18650 is almost twice as long an a far bit thicker compared to 16340.

I have seen these 'GTL' branded ones on ebay, and i'm quite sure they are BS. Something like 750 mAh would seem like a reasonable maximum for this battery size at the moment from a reputable brand.

As for the laser: it should make no demand on the capacity of the battery at all. I suspect they just copied that of a 18650 powered model without thinking. All that matters is the current the cell can deliver which depens on internal resistance and such. The capacity only determines how long it will take for the battery to go flat.

If it draws 1 amp, it will drain a typical 16340 in well under half an hour, while it would last 2 to 3 hours on a 18650 - provided you could somehow connect it.