Tenergy rcr123a differences?

[6linkslam]

I have been looking around at some tenergy rcr123a batteries and I noticed that they make 2 different 3.0 volt batteries. One is 750mah and the other is 900mah. I see that truesmoker.com uses the 750mah with the prodigy. What if anything would be wrong with using the 3.0volt 900mah batteries in a prodigy or chuck?

 

[Col. Gaunt]

I have been looking around at some tenergy rcr123a batteries and I noticed that they make 2 different 3.0 volt batteries. One is 750mah and the other is 900mah. I see that truesmoker.com uses the 750mah with the prodigy. What if anything would be wrong with using the 3.0volt 900mah batteries in a prodigy or chuck?

Nothing would be wrong in using the 900 mah batteries. I have been using them for a while with no ill affects. When purchasing Lithium Ion batteries just make sure that they are protected batteries and you are using a protected charger. In some cases such as with CR2 batteries they do not come in a protected format so it is suggested that when you are charging them, you might want to be at home while doing it just in case of an accident. So far, I have not had any problems with charging unprotected batteries, but it never hurts to be safe.

If you purchase batteries from deal extreme, read the user reviews. You will find that many batteries with high mah ratings have been tested by users and found to have much lower mah ratings then stated. Remember the high the mahs, the longer the battery will last.

 

[RenaissancePuffer]

Col. Gaunt has good info. One other thing of point which is important is the chemisty of the Lithium cells. The Tenergy 750mAh are LiFePO4 chemistry, the 900mAh are Li-Ion. There are also other brands who make LiMN batteries.

The chemistry has a lot to do with the overall performance of the battery. mAh is a decent measurement of the capacity, but discharge rate, etc, are also important factors.

I use Tenergy 750mAh LiFePO4 batteries, and have had some good performance from them. They obviously perform best straight off the charger, but I get fairly consistant performance for several hours (most of the day in fact), before they eventually taper off dramatically, then I know its time to recharge.

 

[Col. Gaunt]

Col. Gaunt has good info. One other thing of point which is important is the chemisty of the Lithium cells. The Tenergy 750mAh are LiFePO4 chemistry, the 900mAh are Li-Ion. There are also other brands who make LiMN batteries.

The chemistry has a lot to do with the overall performance of the battery. mAh is a decent measurement of the capacity, but discharge rate, etc, are also important factors.

I use Tenergy 750mAh LiFePO4 batteries, and have had some good performance from them. They obviously perform best straight off the charger, but I get fairly consistant performance for several hours (most of the day in fact), before they eventually taper off dramatically, then I know its time to recharge.

Thank Renaissancepuffer, once again you have added your well rounded knowledge to a subject and have increased the value of the information.

I salute you!

 

[ViZi]

Maybe a stupid question and wrong thread but is RCR123A and RC123A the same thing?

 

[youngunner]

yeah pretty sure they are the same...

about mAh- ive found that the mah rating doesn't really have noticeable performance differences (obviously im talking 100-300 mAh differences)

I posted this a bit back- While I was waiting on my Tenergy LiFeO4 3v 750mah bats to show up I was using surefire throw-away bats. While I was at radio shack picking up some stuff I noticed that they had digital camera batteries on clearance. The kit was for 2 RCR123a 3v and 400mAh bats and a charger. They were on clearance for $9 w/ tax included. I figured what the hell and bought them to give a shot- I was paying 5 bucks for the surefire disposables anyways so why not. They ended up working GREAT. I ended up going back and buying another of the 2 rcr123a bats and charger kit just to have.

At that point I realized that the mah really doesn't have enough of a noticible effect o pass up on a good deal. Now that I have my Tenergy 3v 750mah bats I still keep the radio shack bats in rotation (not always but I still like to throw them in my SB mainly because the have a higher fully charged voltage reading than my LiFeO4). In case your curious the Tenergy 3v fully charged are at ~3.5-6v and the Radio Shack 3v 400mAh fully charged at ~3.9v.

 

[TWalker]

While I was at radio shack picking up some stuff I noticed that they had digital camera batteries on clearance. The kit was for 2 RCR123a 3v and 400mAh bats and a charger. They were on clearance for $9 w/ tax included. I figured what the hell and bought them to give a shot- I was paying 5 bucks for the surefire disposables anyways so why not. They ended up working GREAT. I ended up going back and buying another of the 2 rcr123a bats and charger kit just to have.
.

I paid that much at Walmart for disposables. You have a link? I see no RCR123A on RS site.

 

[WillyB]

Col. Gaunt has good info. One other thing of point which is important is the chemisty of the Lithium cells. The Tenergy 750mAh are LiFePO4 chemistry, the 900mAh are Li-Ion. There are also other brands who make LiMN batteries...

Which means the 900mAh start as 3.7V batts are are resistered down to 3V.

 

[Cisco]

Which means the 900mAh start as 3.7V batts are are resistered down to 3V.

LifePo4 chemistry is 3.2v nominal ( why the Tenergys say 3v I don't know) they will full charge up to 3.6v, chemistry doesn't require protection circuit

Lith-Ion / Li-Po is 3.7v nominal, they will full charge to 4.2v ( protected cells are much safer then unprotected)

Li-Mn (3.7 nominal, 4.2v max) is a safer chemistry similar to LifePo4 ( doesn't require protection circuit) and is capable of higher continuous outputs.


Cisco...

 

[WillyB]

LifePo4 chemistry is 3.2v nominal ( why the Tenergys say 3v I don't know) they will full charge up to 3.6v, chemistry doesn't require protection circuit

Lith-Ion / Li-Po is 3.7v nominal, they will full charge to 4.2v ( protected cells are much safer then unprotected)

Li-Mn (3.7 nominal, 4.2v max) is a safer chemistry similar to LifePo4 ( doesn't require protection circuit) and is capable of higher continuous outputs.


Cisco...

I guess I wasn't clear, the Tenegy LifePo4's start as 3V cells. Their 900mAh Li-ions start as 3.7V cells with Internal voltage regulators to bring them down to 3V.

• Replace the most of CR123A primary Lithium battery for a digital cameras and most flashlights.
• Internal voltage regulators. Initial cell voltage of 3.6V switches to 3-3.2V within 12ms.

I've noticed in the past you aren't too keen on the LifePo4's, saying they aren't well suited for heavy current demands. Would the Li-ions with the internal voltage regulators be a better choice?