Need alternate batteries or charger for screwdriver

[robw]

My wife loves the screwdriver, but the batteries are just horrible.
First one died the 3rd recharge, it only charges to 3.8 volts and wont heat the atomizer. The second one charges to 4.2 volts but goes down to 4 volts after 6 puffs and stops working after 12.

I feel that the problem may not be directly with the battery but with the over charge protection or in the charger it self. These LIon batteries are supposed to be good for hundreds if not thousands of charges. The Light turns green after 5 min on the charger so the battery may not even be charging at all after the light switches.

Is there a different charger or battery that actually holds its voltage longer?

[ApOsTle51]

DealExtreme: $11.54 UltraFire 3.0V/3.6V CR123A Charger

DealExtreme: $6.99 SpiderFire LC-16340 3.6V 880mAh Rechargeable Lithium Batteries (4-Pack)

got these a couple weeks back , but havent needed to use them yet.
Others may be able to give you an experienced opinion

edit:
I would not recommend this charger :
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4151
looks like a better deal beacause it multi-purpose , but mine and another forum members unit went bang...mine went big bang ;(

[PeteMcArthur]

The DX batteries that APO recommend seem to be the best. Have you talked to trog about the problem? Seems you have a duff charger. I'm still on the original batteries after six weeks +

[dc2k08]

i bought both those products in the links apos provided and have been using them this week. they seem to work fine so far and a good deal also.

[robw]

I did speak to him about it, he also recommended the same battery. It is although listed as unprotected.
This means that if you have a non intelligent charger that does not know when to shut of, the batteries could explode.

The batteries from DX SpiderFire LC-16340 3.6V are apparently rated at 3.6v and are unprotected. The charger Trog supplies is rated at 4.2 volts, so its chip will shut off at 4.2v which is higher than the spiderfire is rated for.

I want to know if the spiderfire battery has been charged on the charger Trog supplies with out any problems.
Other wise Ill order that charger.

[ApOsTle51]

the batteries you have now are unprotected too and rated at 3.6 volts the nano charger you have is a protected charger.

the charger i linked to is a protected model. the voltage marked on the battery is nominal voltage output.

if your in any doubt , buy them both . always wise to have spares around anyway.

edit:
protected cells will work on the screwdriver but as the protection circuit makes the cells slightly longer it prevents total closure of the screwdrivers body halves

[robw]

That is what I will do. Im ordering from the link you provided. Thanks for the help everyone.

[dc2k08]

that charger says you can flick it to charge either 3volt or 3.6volt. it says it's also fairly important to make sure the switch is in the correct position for which ever batts you are charging which is going to be 3.6v.

It also says on the back which isn't clear from the pics:
output: 3.6V¬250Ma : 2 x 3.6V¬250Ma

Anyone know if this means it is only designed to charge batts that are 250mah ? Those spider batts are listed as 880mah.

[ApOsTle51]

i think thats a 'per hour' rating.

the nano charger trog ships is rated 4.2V 0.45A (450mA)

found this in the DX review bit for the charger :

Pros: -Charges 2 CR123s in 1-2 hours. Works for either 3 or 3.6V.
-Auto shutoff prevents overcharging
-The switch to change between 3V and 3.6V is not easily accessible and makes it hard to accidentally change it.
-Nice compact design


Cons: -WILL NOT CHARGE cells if they drop below a certain voltage. For some reason, one of my unprotected CR123s dropped below 1V during usage. The charger refused to charge it until I upped the cell voltage with the nano charger for a minute. Then, it was fine. I'm not sure where the cutoff voltage is.


Other Thoughts: -Yes, the charge lights blink green periodically when charging. When no batteries are in it, you can hear a slight humming/sizzling sound from the electronics...
-The charge voltage is 5.2V for both 3V and 3.6V modes.
-The fully charged cells actually vary slightly (0.3V) in voltages, probably due to inconsistency of my rechargeables.


Bottomline: I use this often to charge up pairs for my flashlight. As long as you don't cells down completely, this will do a quick job charging them up.

[dc2k08]

DealExtreme: $5.75 SINCE Cr123A Battery Charger

DealExtreme: $6.12 Digital CR123A Battery AC Charger

They got those two also. I was tempted by the second but as i wanted a lead, i went went the ultrafire. the first one doesnt say if it protected as it has no reviews yet. They got a few other cr123 batteries also. some say they are 1000MaH but trog reckons they're all around 800MaH and i probably believe him. and if that "per hour" rating is correct, then the ultrafire looks like it beats the others in speed.