Having some trouble with batteries.

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Hello, I just received a pair of protected NCR18650a today from HKequipment. They came at around 3.6v each and I charged them. I put one into a flashlight and started switching modes. Everything seemed fine until I tried switching to high. The light would switch to high for a split second and then the light will go off. I could switch back to med and low just fine. The only mode I seem to be having problems with is high. I tried both batteries and the same thing happened and also with three different lights.

The list of lights for those wondering:

-XinTD c8
-Solarforce L2p w/ low voltage XP-G drop-in from Solarforce
-Solarforce L2m w/ Ultrafire XML drop-in from Manafont

I have been using Xtar 2600mah batteries and they worked with all three lights without a problem. I am hoping that someone can tell me what my problem is. Thanks for reading.

2

sounds like protection is tripping…why it’s tripping? no clue…it shouldn’t tripping with your xp-g drop-in…

3

yup sounds like a buggy protection circuit on those cells.

4

Is my only option to return the cells or is there some way to fix this?

5

The easiest way is to return the cells.
They sell protection circuit boards separately but I have no idea how to do that kind of repair.

6

Would it be possible to just take off the PCB and use the cells unprotected?

7

That would depend on how well shrink-wrapped the cells are, and how effectively isolated B+ is from B- at the positive end of the cell.

8

Well, the cells are clear-wrapped and it looks pretty easy to slip a pair of scissors underneath the negative end of it. I’m not sure what you mean by the second part though.

9

there should be a doughnut / ring insulator around the +nub. I think its there as a double layer insulator to better isolate the +B from the -B.
Use caution when doing this. Theres a metal ribbon wire that runs down from +B to the B end of the cell to power the circuit board. If you slice through the heat-shrink while cutting the metal ribbon wire you will short + to.

Sanyo cells for example have a blue ring insulator.
AW IMR black
Samsung ICR is white
Panasonic CGR is white

10

you can cut the pcb off and wrap it in electrical tape if you destroy the wrapper…i’ve done it before and the cells work fine…

11

Alright, so I took off the PCB and everything works now. However, There’s still small remnants of the metal ribbon that are stuck on both the positive and negative ends of the cell. I was wondering whether or not this will pose any problems in the future if I just leave them on (can’t seem to get them off).

12

You should be fine as long as they are not sharp. I usually just dremel off those little pieces.