i am confident that in the end the poll result will be that overlong batteries support should be a given.
but it is clear why the manufacturer is asking the question. the UT4 charger is already done, ready for relabeling to "UC4 BLF". it is the charger we always dreamed of.
now you guys want the extralong bays. of course, this goes against the original product release.
Not too sure how it happened, but I’m embarrassed to say I voted the wrong way
Must be getting older than I realized.
Anyway when the votes are finalized, if it’s possible please add one to supporting the longer option and subtract one away from the other.
Is this because they have a die already for plastic ? Is this - “we are going with aluminium.” no longer the “case”? It would suck to have a buy another charger for the protected cells.
This seems an interesting workaround/solution (for people who want it, can purchase option). How difficult would it be to have such kind of connection (eg. in the future, longer batteries become available, we just need a longer external cell holder)?
I've not been into flashlights long, but it seems like I'm seeing increased interest in lights with larger cells than the old standby 18650. I haven't invested in any 21xxx lights (yet) but that will likely change no matter how much I resist "cell creep".
I voted for 78mm. compatibility (and/or banana plugs) just for future-proofing.
Usually, battery-charging devices are designed so that the only electrically-conductive exposed parts are the contact pads for the ends of the batteries. Making the entire thing out of a conductive material adds additional risks. Anodizing the aluminum would probably help a lot, but it’ll still be important to take care about things like scratches in the anodizing or damage to the battery wrappers.
On the plus side, an aluminum charger should handle heat better. On the minus side though, it increases the chance of shorts, so extra care should be taken during use and with the overall design.
Another alternative would be to use small heatsinks inside, but while that would decrease material costs, using injection molding would make the charger that much more expensive.
One alternative that would make this very nice would be a dual finishing process.
We’ve experimented this at my plating job, and it was a thick anodizing coat(30um) along with a powder coating finish for additional durability and electrical insulation.