Lithium Manganese (LiMn2O4) 3.7V/cell: remove Best in One and Shaotech as sources of IMR cells, since they no longer are available
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Revision as of 19:11, 21 February 2013
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Li-ion cells have fairly low self-discharge, but in order to prolong the life of the battery, should be stored partially discharged.
Li-ion cells have fairly low self-discharge, but in order to prolong the life of the battery, should be stored partially discharged.
−
'''Recommended batteries:''' Many CPF members recommend AW (available through some online dealers and directly from AW via [http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/forumdisplay.php?f=13 CPF Marketplace/Dealers] under the latest AW's LiIon Batteries Sales Thread) or Redilast cells (also on CPF) which use high quality cells and have their own protection circuits that may perform better than cheaper cells, but are very expensive ($12 each and up). Both of those brands use Panasonic
NCR18650A 3100mAh (and
NCR18650
2900mAh)
cells
which can also be purchased from other providers (but are still expensive). These are the highest capacity cells available in this size (in 2012, Panasonic introduced the NCR18650B with 3400mAh capacity). Trustfire has a line
of
li-ion batteries with flames on the label that are a decent budget alternative in nominal capacities of 2400 or 3000 mAh though actual capacity will be less (roughly 2100
and
2600
mAh
), however it is hard to find genuine ones even at DealExtreme which has been a reliable source in the past
.
eBay is a notoriously bad place to buy lithium ion batteries
, with
fake brand name batteries
and
false claims regarding capacity and battery
protection
. XTAR
(
using 2600mAh Sanyo cells
)
and Hi Max (using 2600 mAh Samsung cells) brands are better than Trustfire
, but
cost a little more ($14.50 per pair for XTARs via this [http://budgetlightforum.com/node/2476 BLF thread])
.
+
'''Recommended batteries
:''' There are a number of sources of batteries and quality varies widely. Some are outright frauds with brand name labels pasted over recycled cells or worse (one battery was hollow and contained a small Li-po battery inside). eBay is a notoriously bad place to buy lithium ion batteries, with fake brand name batteries and false claims regarding capacity and battery protection. '''Good:''' Trustfire has a line of li-ion batteries with flames on the label that are a decent budget choice in nominal capacities of 2400 or 3000 mAh though actual capacity will be less (roughly 2100 and 2600 mAh), however it is hard to find genuine ones even at DealExtreme which has been a reliable source in the past. '''Better:''' Sanyo 2600mAh and 28000 mAh cells are available from [http://www.fasttech.com/category/1420/batteries FastTech], XTAR, and others and are better quality than Trustfires. Hi Max cells are also good and use 2600 mAh Samsung cells. '''Best
:''' Many CPF members recommend AW (available through some online dealers and directly from AW via [http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/forumdisplay.php?f=13 CPF Marketplace/Dealers] under the latest AW's LiIon Batteries Sales Thread) or Redilast cells (also on CPF) which use high quality cells and have their own protection circuits that may perform better than cheaper cells, but are very expensive ($12 each and up). Both of those brands use Panasonic NCR18650
series
cells of
2900, 3100,
and
3400
mAh
capacity
.
The same cells
, with and
without
protection
, are available from other sellers
(
FastTech has very good prices
), but
may not have the same level of protection
.
'''Reviews:''' Here is [http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650comparator.php HKJ's comparison tool] of a large number of li-ion 18650 battery brands, mostly higher end, plus [http://lux.yi.org/batt/ this older comparison by DrJones] of budget brands. Here's [http://budgetlightforum.com/node/2581 Mitro's group of discharge graphs] of different brands at different currents.
'''Reviews:''' Here is [http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650comparator.php HKJ's comparison tool] of a large number of li-ion 18650 battery brands, mostly higher end, plus [http://lux.yi.org/batt/ this older comparison by DrJones] of budget brands. Here's [http://budgetlightforum.com/node/2581 Mitro's group of discharge graphs] of different brands at different currents.
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===Lithium Manganese (LiMn2O4) 3.7V/cell===
===Lithium Manganese (LiMn2O4) 3.7V/cell===
−
These cells allow higher drain ([[Terminology#C|5C]], up to 8C) than LiCo cells without some of the dangers. AW sells these as IMR (supposedly based on "LMR" for lithium manganese rechargeable, but the lower case "L" was mistaken for an "I" and never corrected), and Sony as Konion. They can be charged in most li-ion chargers, but some li-ion chargers will overcharge LiMn cells. LiMn cells should be charged at 1C to 2C. Due to lower overall capacity, these batteries fill a niche with flashlights demanding very high current where runtime isn't that important. While they are safer than lithium-ion cells (therefore they do not come with protection circuits), they can still be made to explode if provoked sufficiently, unlike the LiFePO4 cells which cannot
. As a budget alternative to AW or Sony cells, [http://www.bestinone.net/index.php?route=product/search&keyword=imr&category_id=0 Best In One] has generic LiMn cells in a number of sizes. These cells are also sold in the US by Shaotech at [http://www.shaotech.com/ his store] and on CPF Marketplace
.
+
These cells allow higher drain ([[Terminology#C|5C]], up to 8C) than LiCo cells without some of the dangers. AW sells these as IMR (supposedly based on "LMR" for lithium manganese rechargeable, but the lower case "L" was mistaken for an "I" and never corrected), and Sony as Konion. They can be charged in most li-ion chargers, but some li-ion chargers will overcharge LiMn cells. LiMn cells should be charged at 1C to 2C. Due to lower overall capacity, these batteries fill a niche with flashlights demanding very high current where runtime isn't that important. While they are safer than lithium-ion cells (therefore they do not come with protection circuits), they can still be made to explode if provoked sufficiently, unlike the LiFePO4 cells which cannot.
===Lithium Manganese Nickel (LiNiCoMn) 3.7/cell===
===Lithium Manganese Nickel (LiNiCoMn) 3.7/cell===