Tenergy 3.0V RCR123a = 4.02V... Too high for 3.0V requiring 300mW 532nm laser?

ElectroMagneticFreak · Apr 12, 2012

I was looking for some 3.0V 16340 for my 300mW 532nm that seems to require a single 3.0V 16340. I had asked in a previous post if anyone knew if it could actually take a 3.7V 16340 as well.

I decided to purchase these 3.0V 16340 / RCR123a by Tenergy and having charged them they read 4.02V, 4.03V, 3.98V, 3.93V on the multimeter. I purchased these specifically for my 3.0V requiring 300mW 532nm laser, and now I'm wondering if these are too high a voltage.

Here are the 3.0V Tenergy batteries...

Vancouver Battery Corp - Canada's Retail & Wholesale Batteries Store, Rechargeable Batteries & Chargers

Here's the description of the laser requiring these batteries.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/lazerer-grenade-style-host-300mw-532-w-only-1-16340-3-0v-would-3-7v-safe-73152.html

:thanks: Does anyone have any suggestions?

Hiemal · Apr 12, 2012

That's.... strange.

Instead of getting Li-ion batteries find some LiFe batteries. Their max voltage is 3.2 volts, if I remember right and are much less finicky and much more reliable than li-ions.

ElectroMagneticFreak · Apr 12, 2012

I think the Tenergy are Li-Ion rather than LiFe like you mentioned so maybe is that why they are hard to keep near the specified voltage of 3.0?

LeQuack thanks for the suggestion, maybe I should stick to the LiFe 16340's. Would LiPO4 work as well? There are some I just found on lighthound. I'm just still really confused about all of these 200mW and less 532nm using 3.7V while mine is 300mW and came with a 3.0V. I'm just suspicious that it can handle more voltage but I'm very afraid to risk it as it was a good chunk of change to purchase!

Thanks!

Would this be a possibility maybe?

http://www.lighthound.com/AW-LiFePO4-3-Volt-Lithium-Rechargeable-Battery_p_112.html

Hiemal · Apr 12, 2012

Yeah, those would work fine actually. Any battery that's around 3 volts would work.

Alternatively you could add a silicon diode in series with your li-ion batteries to drop .7 volts.

ElectroMagneticFreak · Apr 12, 2012

Le Quack said:
Yeah, those would work fine actually. Any battery that's around 3 volts would work.

Alternatively you could add a silicon diode in series with your li-ion batteries to drop .7 volts.

Thanks again for the quick response! It seems it might be a good idea not to risk any voltage that is higher so I I'll go with your suggestion for those from lighthound. Just one other question, in the meantime it should be ok to use the Tenergy batteries once the voltage drops below 3.7V or maybe 3.3V after using them in another laser first to reduce the voltage? Sorry for all the questions, I want to treat my laser as nice as I can so it will last for a long time! :beer:

Hiemal · Apr 12, 2012

You'll need to be careful not to drain your batteries too much otherwise you run the risk of damaging the batteries!

If you really want to use your laser now just add a diode in series with your batteries.

Cyparagon · Apr 12, 2012

Did you use the correct charger? If so, your charger is probably broken.

ElectroMagneticFreak · Apr 12, 2012

Le Quack said:
You'll need to be careful not to drain your batteries too much otherwise you run the risk of damaging the batteries!
If you really want to use your laser now just add a diode in series with your batteries.

Thanks, yeah I will be careful to keep the voltage from getting too low. Although I don't know whether to go by the minimum voltage of a 3.0V or 3.7 since it listed on the label as a 3.0V but is 4.01V fully charged.:thinking:

Cyparagon said:
Did you use the correct charger? If so, your charger is probably broken.

The Tenergy 3.0V Li-ions came as a 4 set in a plastic package with an AC wall, and car charger so it should be the right charger for it... Could they just be really "overspec" for 3.0V , (if that's a word you can use w/ batteries) or maybe they are just mislabled 3.7V 16340's

Confusing....

Cyparagon · Apr 12, 2012

As far as I know, they're full at 3.6V and empty at 2V. Put a medium load on it and measure the voltage. If it drops to ~3V it is probably good enough. Your charger might be killing them, though.

BShanahan14rulz · Apr 12, 2012

Those cells usually have diodes to drop the extra voltage. Depending on how they drop the extra voltage, you may or may not need a special charger for them.

Tenergy 3.0V RCR123a = 4.02V... Too high for 3.0V requiring 300mW 532nm laser?

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