Protected Battys in Protege

[NekoGurrl]

I'm waiting for my Protege to arrive in tomorrows post, then I see this thread. The batteries I have are the Ultrafire 14500 900mAh protected from Battery Junction:

Protected UltraFire 14500 AA sized 3.6V Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery 900 mAh CR14500 Lithium Ion

Bought them for a mod I never made, they list as 14 x 52mm, so a little longer (for the protection circuitry). Guess I'll find out tomorrow, if they do work will order more, if not will have to rush order some unprotected ones. I figured since I already had a stock of 14500 I'd just order the base kit instead of the full kit.

 

[Toots]

Thanks for the warning, Nevergonna. I just dumped some into a cup together. I am going to go organize them into cases right now.

 

[nevergonnaleavetn]

Thanks for the warning, Nevergonna. I just dumped some into a cup together. I am going to go organize them into cases right now.

You're welcome Toots.
Just think, we might have saved some poor little battery's life

 

[Chief-A-Lot]

I have read some good things about this brand of battery but I can't find it in 900mah. This one is protected but only 750mah. It also is not cheap, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

AW 14500 Protected Rechargeable Lithium Battery

Maybe someone with better research skills than me can find it in 900mah. Please let us know if you do.

Thats where I get mine from, its right near my house

 

[nubee]

I've read on other forums a lot of hobbiest (robotics, R/C, etc...) really like the AW brand as well.

As for the 900mah vs. 750mah - I wonder if the 900 is just an over rated dream anyway.

 

[NekoGurrl]

The Ultrafire 14500 protected battery does fit! It's a little long but no problems with width.

So small, so shiny. Neko likes shiny...

 

[CaSHMeRe]

guys ... Protege's are tested with Grey Ultrafire Protected Batts before shipping.

The spring in the end cap completely springs in to the cap if need be (if you decide to use protected batts) and should entirely still thread on .... The battery just pushes the spring in to the end cap fully

 

[frankie1]

Neko: Do we need a new charger as well or does the one that came with the device work for the protected batteries?

 

[d0kieSmok]

yes the charger works for protected batts..And im using ultrafire protected batts in it, and theres still room for a longer batt.

 

[tvujec]

I'm quite sure anyone vaping will notice the drop in performance and switch batts long before they get down to even 3.2v. As for traveling, you'd have to leave one of these lying around for a loooong time to allow it to discharge completely. I would NOT leave one for days in the cold however.

There is also an issue of shorting the atty, if repeatedly screwed too hard on the adapter. In that case, protected batteries will also protect against over-current discharge, which can damage the unprotected battery instantly. It will almost definitely not explode, but you can throw it out after that. Also, one might destroy a few of them in a row, just by switching out batteries before actually testing the atty.

I am not saying that the above means that unprotected batteries shouldn't be used, just that I feel a lot more comfortable with protected.

Off topic, but relevant to other messages in the thread, stating that JS and cigars use unprotected batteries is not a fair comparison, since both of them have PCB built into the device.

 

[lotus14]

There is also an issue of shorting the atty, if repeatedly screwed too hard on the adapter. In that case, protected batteries will also protect against over-current discharge, which can damage the unprotected battery instantly. It will almost definitely not explode, but you can throw it out after that. Also, one might destroy a few of them in a row, just by switching out batteries before actually testing the atty.

I am not saying that the above means that unprotected batteries shouldn't be used, just that I feel a lot more comfortable with protected.

Off topic, but relevant to other messages in the thread, stating that JS and cigars use unprotected batteries is not a fair comparison, since both of them have PCB built into the device.

Umm...so don't screw 'em on too hard. That will over-tighten the adapter and can make the switch stick as well.

Also, Tenergy says they DO have undervolt protection:
Product Specifications:

• Capacity: Nominal 900 mah
• Dimensions: 14Dx49Hmm
  
• Weight (Typical) Approximate.21 g
• Nominal working voltage: Average 3.7V
• Peak Voltage: 4.2V
• Discharge Cut-off Voltage: 2.75V
• Internal Resistance: <80 mOhm
• Cycle Performance: 85% of initial capacity at 300 cycles
• Cycle life: > 300 cycles
• Max. Charging current: 1C ma
• Max. Discharging current 2.5C ma (for continuous discharge)

Apparently they learned that if you stick one in a flashlight or something, and forget to turn it off, a ruined battery ruined sales. ;-)

Everyone on this forum seems to think Steve sells the best products and in another thread seem to say they'd pay almost anything for them. Why didn't he ship 'em with protected batts? To save $1.50?

That said, use what you're comfortable with! I may get some protected ones as well, I just don't think it's NEARLY as big a deal as people are making it out to be.

 

[tvujec]

Everyone on this forum seems to think Steve sells the best products and in another thread seem to say they'd pay almost anything for them. Why didn't he ship 'em with protected batts? To save $1.50?

I think he mentioned in another thread that he wanted to support US company that sells them. And he does sell the best product, and I am not complaining about the fact that he ships unprotected batteries either. Just explaining why someone might want protected batteries.

That said, use what you're comfortable with! I may get some protected ones as well, I just don't think it's NEARLY as big a deal as people are making it out to be.

The thing is that the "big deal" is always personal. The fact that people are discussing where to find protected batteries, will they fit, and why to use them doesn't mean that they are complaining about it. Would I like to see protected batteries @ PS? Sure, but knowing that only about 1% of customers care about that makes it a non-issue. Especially since I can easily order them online and they will work.

Update: There will be trolls with "Unprotected batteries will explode in your mouth" messages, and they should be ignored or removed. However, responding to calm questions on where to buy protected batteries and why someone might want to use them by saying "Forget about it" or "No big deal" is not helping anyone including Steve, and is only inviting the trolls.

 

[a2dcovert]

About 90% of the problems with Li-Ions happen during charging. The charger that comes with the Protege will properly charge unprotected and protected batteries. It is rare for a chemical runaway to cause an explosion due to the relief valve on the positive terminal.

Protected batteries are really not a safety issue. The protection circuit simply protects the battery from becomming damaged due to discharging it below the lower voltage limit. It also prevents the battery from discharging above the current limit of the circuit.

Kevin

PS: The protection circuit doesn't protect the device, it only protects the battery.

 

[tparganos]

The Ultrafire 14500 protected battery does fit! It's a little long but no problems with width.

So small, so shiny. Neko likes shiny...

So how long does the protected battery last. Mine lasted 4 hrs. Does the unprotected last longer?

 

[d0kieSmok]

mine have been lasting 8-10 hours of semi-heavy vaping.

I use Grey Ultra fire protected

 

[eskimoroll]

Update: There will be trolls with "Unprotected batteries will explode in your mouth" messages, and they should be ignored or removed. However, responding to calm questions on where to buy protected batteries and why someone might want to use them by saying "Forget about it" or "No big deal" is not helping anyone including Steve, and is only inviting the trolls.

I've had unprotected batteries (cr2s) explode in my mouth twice (yes, I'm an idiot who doesn't learn) with the second time resulting in pretty serious burns on my hands. I'm pretty sure I'm not a troll either. I posted both stories here at ECF after they occurred including pictures.

Since I threw away all my lithiums after that incident (including a bunch of 14500s), my protected batteries that I ordered finally were delivered to my house today. Now I can try out my Protege which has been sitting in my cabinet all week.

edited to add: I just tried my protected batteries in my Protege and this thing rocks! The fit was pretty tight (for both the Protege and my charger) but it works fine. I think I actually prefer this to my PS PT which is surprising since I used to be a total high voltage snob.

 

[gjrhine]

I don't get the connection between unprotected and exploding. I would think they would just stop working.

 

[KonaNeil]

mine have been lasting 8-10 hours of semi-heavy vaping.

I use Grey Ultra fire protected

Does anyone know if there's a difference between Grey Ultrafire and Blue Trustfire? Are they the same company? The names appear to be interchangeable on chargers.

 

[a2dcovert]

Does anyone know if there's a difference between Grey Ultrafire and Blue Trustfire? Are they the same company? The names appear to be interchangeable on chargers.

I feel like you, they seem to be the same.

Kevin

 

[Misty]

Just got my Protege!..and found not much difference between the grey or the blue either..
Trustfire Blue Protected 14500 fit easily and work well!
DealExtreme: $5.64 TrustFire Protected 3.7V 900mAh 14500 Lithium Battery (2-Pack)
Ultrafire 14500 fit a bit tighter as slightly bigger but work well!
DealExtreme: $6.90 Ultrafire 14500 3.6V 900mAh Protected Li-ion Rechargeable Batteries (2-Pack)