Do I smell 20W IR 18650 handhelds?

[Uranium]

lawl.

The medical principle of laser is a little complex. At present, it is mainly believed that the treatment result is realized by the hot effect, pressure effect, light effect, and electromagnetic effect produced by the laser radiation.

 

[hugo999999]

Also important with these batteries is they are much safer than lithium ion and lithium polymer and can be charged in 15 minutes to 100% (which is accurate). I have a friend using much bigger A123 cells with 60 sized RC helicopters. They are lower voltage and lower capacity ( 70% the energy density of Li-Polys) but the safety is worth it especially considering they can be charged quickly. They will not explode on you if you or your charger accidentally overcharge them.

what sort of charger is used to charge one of these?

 

[Arayan]

Class 4 Burning, Cutting Lasers :lasergun:

 

[Nanolaser]

I know about amazing1.com from some years ago.

Pulsed high power laser system is hand held and battery operated. Device is labelled as a class 4 laser product and meets all NCDRH requirements. It uses a 3"x1/4" Nd:Glass rod with integral mirrors as the lasing medium. Design is intended as an advanced science project or serious laser demonstration product.

Output is 1 to 3 joules at a 500 usec pulse width equating out to a 6000 watt pulse! This is sufficient to blast small holes in the hardest of metals once the beam is properly focused. Balloons can be popped from a distance or you "sharp shooters" may want to try a hand at popping some flys!

System is designed for very low duty cycle use eliminating the need for large batteries and cooling means. Normal operation from built in batteries is usually 20 to 30 seconds between shots. Good quality alkalines will supply 100 to 200 charges.

Construction utilizes readily available parts and materials. The cavity is shown using a simple yet effective two part ellipsoid reflector that can be fabbed in most home shops. The electronics uses our unique "loss less charging" where optimum efficiency is paramount. This electronics module is available wired and tested eliminating much of the assembly time. Energy storage capacitor bank and pulse forming inductor are also individually available.

Product is offered without laser rod or lamp for those who may already have these items. Rods and lamps may be individually purchased.

It is suggested for further information to purchase the paper plans. These contain a HAZARDOUS EQUIPMENT AFFIDAVIT that must be signed and dated before we can allow purchase of the hardware. Plans can be credited to product purchase.

 

[hugo999999]

on ebay for cheap if anyone wants them: 4PCS A123 NEW original 18650 Lifepo4 battery element - eBay Other, Rechargeable Batteries, Batteries Chargers, Electronics. (end time 13-Sep-10 19:58:40 AEST)
seem to cheap to be legitimate though

 

[xStatiCa]

You need a specific charger for these. Liion have 4.2v max lifepo4 have 3.7v max charge. Nominal is 3.7v for li-ion where nominal for lifepo4 is 3.2v. Most RC enthusiasts have the cells combined in a pack to give higher voltage and/or capacity and use a dedicated expensive high power charger to charge them very quickly. There are a few cheap 18650 lifepo4/li-ion chargers though from china that I found the other day but they will not charge the batteries quickly. I might have to order one at some point and see how good they are. Links will follow when I am near my computer next time.

Obviously the lower voltage might be an issue for some single cell applications. I personally don't care about the shortened run time. An hour is plenty of run time at 1amp. Most of my applications would be 300ma to 500ma which could last up to 2+ hours.

 

[Arayan]

I know about amazing1.com from some years ago.

Pulsed high power laser system is hand held and battery operated. Device is labelled as a class 4 laser product and meets all NCDRH requirements. It uses a 3"x1/4" Nd:Glass rod with integral mirrors as the lasing medium. Design is intended as an advanced science project or serious laser demonstration product.

Output is 1 to 3 joules at a 500 usec pulse width equating out to a 6000 watt pulse! This is sufficient to blast small holes in the hardest of metals once the beam is properly focused. Balloons can be popped from a distance or you "sharp shooters" may want to try a hand at popping some flys!

System is designed for very low duty cycle use eliminating the need for large batteries and cooling means. Normal operation from built in batteries is usually 20 to 30 seconds between shots. Good quality alkalines will supply 100 to 200 charges.

Construction utilizes readily available parts and materials. The cavity is shown using a simple yet effective two part ellipsoid reflector that can be fabbed in most home shops. The electronics uses our unique "loss less charging" where optimum efficiency is paramount. This electronics module is available wired and tested eliminating much of the assembly time. Energy storage capacitor bank and pulse forming inductor are also individually available.

Product is offered without laser rod or lamp for those who may already have these items. Rods and lamps may be individually purchased.

It is suggested for further information to purchase the paper plans. These contain a HAZARDOUS EQUIPMENT AFFIDAVIT that must be signed and dated before we can allow purchase of the hardware. Plans can be credited to product purchase.

Amazing1 has some interesting projects but, for me, is extremely overpriced and sometimes the components seem junk from a back-shop...

 

[Cyparagon]

I personally don't care about the shortened run time... Most of my applications would be 300ma to 500ma which could last up to 2+ hours.

So why wouldn't a regular 18650 be a better choice?

 

[xStatiCa]

Major benefits compared to LiIon: Safer chemistry, faster charging, more charge/recharge cycles (1000). Cheaper than AW cells.

Major cons: less capacity, and harder to find a cheap charger

Lower voltage but that can be a good or bad thing depending on the application.

The capacity is probably a big deal for a lot of people so I am sure it isn't for everyone. It is nice to know you can charge lifepo4 without needing to worry about the battery exploding if your charger overcharges it though. Lifepo4 batteries are very stable in over charge and short circuit conditions.

 

[DTR]

I know this thread has been inactive for a while but it is the only one on this forum that I have seen these batteries discussed. I have 3 of these A123 18650 Lifepo4 batteries and the only charging solution I have found is these two items from the same seller.
3S1P 9.9V2300mah A123 NEW Battery Pack for Models - eBay (item 190434480979 end time Sep-21-10 18:12:31 PDT)
and
Balancing charger for 2s3s lifepo4 A123 battery USA - eBay (item 190437977207 end time Sep-29-10 23:40:40 PDT)

Does anybody know of a less expensive and more conventional charger like the ones we use for regular 3.7V lithium's that would work with these batteries?

:thanks:

 

[Toke]

$13 for a charger is not that bad, and since it is made for the rather special batteries you will have less worries about hurting them.

I would go for that charger.

 

[DTR]

$13 for a charger is not that bad, and since it is made for the rather special batteries you will have less worries about hurting them.

I would go for that charger.

I would be great if all I had to buy was the charger but it seems that you have to buy the charger and the battery holder sleeve thingy which is another $35. Check out both of the links they work together to charge the batteries. Or I could try to rig the charger to the batteries in series which on these I am not comfortable with. On a more conventional charger the dock for the batteries is part of the unit.

 

[Toke]

???

I read the first post as if you have 3 of these special RC-stuff packs of 3 batteries heat scrimped together with plugs for charge and power out.
The $13 charger is for that particularly type of pack, and one other type.
It even have two different out sockets.

If you just have 3 18650 batteries, that charger is of no use for you.

 

[DTR]

Ok after some surfing on the CPF I think I found something that should work.

Smart Charger (0.7 A) for 9.6V (3cells) LiFePO4 Battery Pack, 100-240VAC, CE listed

This charger and with Tech_Junkies suggestion that I use some PVC to make a barrel that can hold three of these batteries in series. Any thoughts?

Also some members at CPF said that they were able to use a Ultrafire WF-138 charger set to 3.0 volt setting for an A123 LifePo4 18650 but the only ones I saw when searching that were switchable to 3.0V are for CR123A batteries. Maybe they made an adapter for it?

 

[Toke]

There does not seem to be any 3 or 4 cell chargers readily available anywhere.

Have you considered buying two 2 X 18650 chargers and then turning them on at the same time?
It would be a lot simpler.

 

[qumefox]

Um. You don't want to be trying any funny business with charging lithiums... I don't care how safe the lifepo4's claim to be.

You use the CORRECT charger, used in the correct manner, or you don't charge them. It's not worth losing fingers, etc, or burning down your house over.