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Does laser 301 series work with CR123A batteries?

C

Cacique

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Hello guys, I have a question. Can I use CR123A batteries with my 301 lasers(violet 100mw,green 80mw?

Thanks for reading :)
 





the 301 and 303 pointers screw apart in the middle and you can take a part off of the battery compartment for use with a 16340 or cr123a's :)
 
IIRC, CR123As are 3 volt batteries. You should be using a 4.2 volt rechargeable battery with the 532nm at least.
 
paul1598419 said:
IIRC, CR123As are 3 volt batteries. You should be using a 4.2 volt rechargeable battery with the 532nm at least.
Click to expand...

i have used a cr123a with my 303 greenie and i dont see any difference at all in brightness or burning capabilities :thinking:
 
Well, whether you notice it or not, there is a difference. CR123As are not rechargeable and measure 3 VDC as apposed to a rechargeable Li-ion battery that will measure 4.2 VDC when fully charged. That is a full 1.2 volt difference, and the 808nm drivers won't output as much power using CR123As.
 
I see, what about those RCR123 batteries?, I was reading somewhere that those batteries are better than the CR123a since those are rechargeable :)

PD: It is hard to find a good 16340 or 18650 nice battery but the RCR123 batteries it´s easier to find high quality ones.
 
I'm not familiar with the RCR123 batteries, but 16340s are the same size and can be had in 700 mAh capacity. I have some CR123As and they state 3 VDC right on the side.
 
paul1598419 said:
the 808nm drivers won't output as much power using CR123As.
Click to expand...

Most of the green drivers I've seen are LDO. With a Vf of ~1.9V, what makes you think 1V or so isn't enough headroom for a LDO? Some of the green drivers I've tested go all the way down to 2.2V while maintaining their current regulation.

I have a couple of these lying around somewhere, so I'll have to test that. Unless the drivers in these are somehow worse than the other chinese stuff, I suspect you're quite wrong.
 
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My experience with these cheap 532nm lasers like the 301s and 303s is the drivers in these are not as good at regulating current as well as one might want. For that reason, I have found the output is determined by the input voltage to these cheap drivers. It has nothing to do with the Vf of the pump diode.........just a noticeable difference in the power output when driven with these ubiquitous drivers. Also, the OP is using it for a 405nm and the boost driver in that circuit might be close to cut off at 3 volts.
 
I got around to checking a "303" just now. Mine's fine at low voltage.

4.2V input yields 325mA
2.8V input yields 320mA
2.65V input yields 300mA
 
nice data cyparagon. so if some drivers are affected by the lower voltage and some arent... has anyone tested something similar with survival lasers 1.25A driver? thats the one that will be in my 638 build and was wondering if the difference in voltage would affect that driver much. im gonna buy myself some 16340s on amazon either way since my local battery store only sells rcr123s and the vape shop nearby overinflates the prices on their batteries.
 
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Good drivers should have no effect as they regulate the current to the laser diode. As long as there is enough voltage to drive the diode, it should remain constant. If the battery doesn't have the current to drive a diode, then I'm not sure if the battery voltage will sag, or the driver just won't pull the current and stop regulating.
 
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