AW icr 123 16340 protected battery question

Status
Not open for further replies.

Baditude

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Apr 8, 2012
30,394
73,076
71
Ridgeway, Ohio
I'm not sure anyone can answer your question except for the manufacturers of the Billet Box.

Just in the last year or more there has been a major shift from using protected ICR batteries to unprotected IMR batteries. When I first began vaping over two years ago, it was believed that the puny protective circuit built into the ICR batteries was all you needed to stay safe, and unprotected batteries were declared not to be as safe solely because they lacked the protected circuit. Most manufacturers and vendors recommended protected ICR batteries for the mods that they sold.

As more people became better educated with modern battery technology, it was realized that IMR batteries were actually a safer chemistry than a protected ICR and depending upon the application actually performed better. IMR's may still vent hot gas when they go into thermal runaway, but they should not vent as violently as a ICR battery can with flames and possible explosion. Presently, IMR and IMR/hybrid batteries are recommended by more mod manufacturers and vendors than ICR, although there are some who still recommend using only a protected battery.

I'm really not familiar with the Billet Box. I've only seen one in real life once. The 16340 is a relatively rare and uniquely-sized battery in the vape world. Perhaps the size of the battery was the reason the manufacturers chose to use this battery to keep the overall size of the Billet Box on the small size and still make it a capable variable voltage device. A saving grace safety-wise is the Billet Box uses two batteries in parallel as opposed to being stacked, so the pair should drain equally as opposed to unequally if they were stacked. In addition, being that the mod is a variable voltage device, I assume it has the usual built-in protection circuitry that all regulated mods utilize.

The Billet Box website was not much help. The product description says it needs two 3.7 volt 16340 batteries (no mention of ICR or IMR here), but then when you click the "more info" link it goes into more detail recommending a protected ICR with overdischarge protection. Billet Box Vapor Inc.

I'm generally not one to go against a manufacturer's recommendations. However, if I owned a Billet Box I'd be very tempted to use some AW 16340 IMR batteries to see if the higher drain of these batteries might actually improve its overall performance. I would think the higher drain ability would negate the couple hundred mAh the IMR's lose to the ICR's. Plus, I'd be continuing my personal policy to use only IMR batteries in my mods for their safer chemistry and burst performance.
 
Last edited:

hazozita

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jan 7, 2013
1,231
2,252
Virginia
Karlmetz -- I was able to snag a Billet Box over the weekend myself, and have been wrestling with this issue. Listed below is the Q/A about batteries on the Billet Box Owners FB page which I found helpful:

====below text cut and pasted from the Billet Box Owners Facebook group ======

Q. What kind of batteries does The Billet Box use?
A. The Billet Box is designed to use 3.7 volt, AW IMR 16340 (Red) or AW ICR 123 (Black w/silver label), button-top batteries.

Q. How long do those batteries last in the Billet Box?
A. Short answer: until they die. Long answer: Most users report anywhere from 1/2 to a full day of vaping with a freshly charged pair of batteries and a 3.0 ohm cartomizer. Depending on your cartomizer resistance and how you vape, YMMV.

Q. How do the batteries die - do they peter out, cut off, or...?
A. Red AW IMR 16340's tend to lower in voltage near the end of the charge resulting in a noticable performance drop before they stop working.
The Black AW ICR 123's tend to keep their output and performance constant almost to the very end with only the last two or three vapes showing signs of final discharge.

Q. Can I use other brands or types of battery?
A. The Billet Box battery compartment is very specifically designed for the physical size of the AW IMR 16340 and ICR 123 batteries and has very tight tolerances. However, any 16340 or 123-type battery that is button top, no longer than 34.2 mm or larger than 16.6 mm in diameter should fit. If you MUST buy a different brand/model of battery, CHECK IT AGAINST THESE DIMENSIONS.

Q. Aren't 123-Type batteries lower voltage than 16340's?
A. Yes, No and Maybe. Broadly speaking, 123-type batteries have historically been used in 3.0 volt applications such as flashlights and photography equipment. However, while there are standards out there battery manufacturers are not really held to them and can make and label their batteries any way they want that is relatively safe for a particular purpose. As a result there are some (such as the AW ICR 123's) that are 3.7 volts.
The Billet Box will work with 3.0 volt batteries, but the upper voltage range will be limited to 4.8 volts (no matter how much higher you turn the dial). They can be used "in a pinch" but probably should not be used as your primary batteries.

LAST NOTE on batteries regarding size and voltage:

Think about this: 123-type and 16340 batteries should, generally speaking, all be about the same size. But manufacturers label similarly-sized batteries almost interchangablely and are free to muck about with actual specs and dimensions. A battery labeled "16340" does not necessarily have to be 16mm in diameter, 34mm in length and need not even be cylindrical. To add to the potential confusion, the IEC international standard name for this type of battery package is "CR17345".

Confused yet?

Certainly, one can experiment and all of the information needed to make an informed purchase is in the answers above. If you know what you're doing and comfortable "taking a chance" then have at it! Properly informed, you will most likely find something that fits and works well.
However, if you don't know what you're doing and find all this battery talk confusing ... do you really want to risk wasting time and money on something that will not fit or make the Billet Box vape it's very best?

Bottom line: The recommended AW IMR 16340 / ICR 123 batteries are ALWAYS a safe bet. Moving on.

Q. The batteries fit in there awfully tight. How do I get them out?
A. The recommended method of removing the batteries from the Billet Box is to remove the back plate and smack the battery compartment over the open palm of your hand. Done properly, at least one battery should drop out allowing easy removal of the remaining battery.
Prying them out with a tool is not recommended as it could damage the protective covering of the battery.
Some users recommend wrapping a bit of tape around the batteries to create a handle to pull them out. Be advised, there is not much clearance between the batteries and the back plate, so the tape must be relatively thin.

Q. Can I charge my batteries inside the Billet Box?
A. No. Batteries must be charged in a dedicated battery charger.

Q. What battery charger should I use?
A. Many users have recommended the NITECORE Intellicharger i2 or i4, but any charger capable of handling 3.7 volt 123/16340 batteries should work.
 

Baditude

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Apr 8, 2012
30,394
73,076
71
Ridgeway, Ohio
Karlmetz -- I was able to snag a Billet Box over the weekend myself, and have been wrestling with this issue. Listed below is the Q/A about batteries on the Billet Box Owners FB page which I found helpful:
Hazozita, thanks for copying/pasting the FB Q/A information. That helps out immensely. I never thought about checking Face Book for info. I have found that some manufacturers are more likely to put additional/more current info on their FB pages than on their .com website.

:thumb:

Karlmetz, please do a followup of your comparison of the IMR and ICR batteries in your Billet Box. That should be interesting.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread