How am I going to know if I don't ask

No problem as long as the driver will accept 6 volts ...

Thanks for info but how would I know

If you know brand and make of your light and where you bought it, maybe we can dig up some specs about it!

edit: in case you have no idea, post a picture. I´m pretty darn sure some pro´s here can identify about any flashlight on planet :)

sst-90 specs

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/trustfire-x6-sst-90-5-mode-2300-lumen-memory-led-flashlight-with-batteries-set-3-18650-47754

It says: voltage input 8,4 -> 12V MAX.

If you use 4 pcs of CR123, you get 12V.

Most likely, you won´t get full power out of the light with those CR123´s but I believe you can use it at some levels.

My thinking on this is that in a power outage you are going to have some new favorite lights:

AA-driven lights, and Cr123 driven lights. You will also more than likely be running most of them on "low" setting to conserve all the battery power that you can. It is a good reason to have a couple nice AA lights in your collection and a package of 40 AA batteries stashed away in a drawer to use in them.

Also a good reason to have some sort of label or spreadsheet that shows which lights can run on Cr123's (that battery has a 10-year shelf life), as you need to know the capabilities of the driver.

@trooplewis

I do have a lot of cr123a battries and some hand crank lights and some AAA led lights for such occasions power outage.. power grid

going out from earth quake.etc etc. its just I got caught up in getting multi cell led lights that Im now afraid to use them when I have to charge them

I like the lights I got real bright.. trustfire x8 fandyfire stl v6 then I had to go really big and get that sst-90 that takes 3 18650s I heard so many

stories On CLF forums about exploding battries I think I bought pipe bombs.Hell Im thinking of selling all my new lights and starting over and

getting just I cell 18650 lights....... thats way in my other posts I just hopeing I could just use cr123a and keep my lights.....

Vawayne bro,

The exploding cell packs are just user errors who don't observe safety be it over-confidence and don't follow SOP (very experienced hobbyists with many years of good technical experience dabbling in customs even gung-ho enough to dabble in kW lights) or the noobs being under-informed. Just read CPF and all the incidents have something "which are not supposed to be done in the first place".

You don't often see injuries/deaths in RC, which deal with Li-Po and charge/operate stuff under conditions which are tens of times fold more dangerous and technically stressful for the components than flashlights. But the are more technically adept as the learning curve is subsequently steep....as in several hundred times steeper than flashlights. LOL! A newbie just does not fly a heli with a 6S1P pack properly for long even on his 10th flight! A 6S1P flashlight probably would be avoided like plague by the flashlight crowd. My friend does not even charge his 6S2P pack in the house and even then use a LiPo sack.... etc.

This brings me to the next question, how many of you charge in a LiPo sack here? You can ask the same question in CPF.

So I guess it is not the technology. Fireworks injure and maim more people every year i guess in the USA (also statistically speaking as more people are exposed to that). So do weapons. So does cycling (even as serious as being fatal), etc etc....

I have to agree with troop..14500 lights that take aa's are amazing..my EDC is an itp sa1 with a 14500..pop a aa in it and it runs for a good long while..great form factor to have around..

Hey guys.. Im so new to this stuff I would not know what a 14500 is if hit me in the face

All I know is I should have researched more before I bought these lights these lights sound more and more like toys you

pullout to use once in a while and you can't just pop in battries in... hell I would be afraid to let my kids wife use one with these 18650s

I think I will keep my my x8 and stl v6 since I can use cr123s in them since might be less of chance exploding.. then charging battries

do, you think maybe I can do the same with sst90 with cr123s I know it might be under powered but at this point I don't care.if

I cant use cr123s in it then I'll just dump it.. hell its still in the mail too...oh well....thanks

Oh yeah, I don't think you can power SST-90 lights with CR123s even if you modified them to fit say a shorter tube etc. They would probably explode sooner or later. They would be underpowered, simply because they are discharged at a rate that is just a hair away from being a dead short from the battery's point of view.

But I guess you can always use the low mode.....

You can use a shorter tube that fits like the Ultrafire U80, Dereelight DBS V3/V2 tubes, with your Fandyfire STL-V6. The voltage is the same. BTW, you do know you are supposed to match the voltages else you will burn out the driver right? I have a small laser which can use CR123a/16340, and with CR123a and 1.2A draw they seem to be pretty ok. The Fandyfire draws 1.32A with absolutely topped up 16340s, the thing is that it is regulated so after using for 20 mins or so, it would be touching 1.5-1.6A before voltage cut by the light/driver. Such cases it is much safer to be using IMR (another kind of lithium cells which is designed to supply high current, much higher than the regular Lithium Cobalt cells) esp if you plan to use high for over 60 seconds.

I just tested, you can't use 2 x CR123a primaries. Incorrect voltage, too low.

Seriously you just can't pop any CR123a primaries into lights and expect them to run.

the sst-90.... or fandyfire stl v6.. that light can run cr123s and I was told at another forum the trustfire t6 I have will also work too

I have tried these lights with cr123s and they do work good....so it must be the sst-90 you are talking about so I will sell it

when it gets here....

The Trustfire X6 uses a SST-90 LED. Someone measured 2.98A at the tailcap with 3 IMR cells in series. Perhaps with the usual Li Co cells they do around 2.6A? Not sure but that's too high. The X6 works with 3 cells of 18650. I just saw the pictures at Manafont, i suppose if you take out the extender you can do 3 x CR123a as 2 extender tubes are of the same length, so take out 1 extender and its like 1.5 x 18650 so that is 3 x CR123a. This should be the SST-90 you are talking about.

I don't understand what you said in your last post, you said you have it and it works ok. But then you will sell it when it gets here.

In any case, it should do well enough in low mode since it works above 8.4V and 3pcs of CR123a is 9V. But please don't gun the setup in high. Just asking for trouble....

The Fandyfire STL-V6 I have it, it can't do 2 x CR123a primary lithiums, just won't turn on at 6V. Yours can turn on, or you put 3 x CR123a plus a spacer like some magnet at the tail end? This light has low voltage protection at about 6.4V thereabouts.


>> Im just asking in case of emergency if this light is all you have....

Perhaps you have seen some recommendations from others (not trying to ridicule others here, pls do not misunderstand), but from my experience LED flashlights barely make it for dire emergency situations and it is a very bad idea. I often travel to my wife's hometown of about 200k population in Indonesia, and the blackouts there last for 1hr if you are lucky, sometimes 2-4hrs and occasionally over night 4-6hrs. The so-called standard of living is rising and if the guys want more protection money (they don't pay income tax there, at least not formally ROTFL! Innocent), you can get cut off for days. A proper gen set + 1 or 2 drums of diesel is always on standby, if not you really can't sleep properly as its hot, no entertainment no TV no nothing, plus the food in the refrigerator goes bad. Trust me, LED flashlights do not work properly in such situations, i guess in your country you may get power cuts when there is a huge storm. It is really just for "finding your way around" if you are talking about long run times. Rely on the old school methods, buy a 12V 12AH (or preferably more) SLA and connect via 12V plug-in to the 8W flurorescent light. A LED flashlight directed at you can only get you enough light to maybe do some simple stuff, it can barely let you read a book *comfortably* if it is under 30 lux and not floody enough (don't spoil your eyes buddy, not worth it).

Hey vawayne , you mentioned research . I can't recommend it enough .

There are plenty of LED lights with the potential to be good blackout lights , long runtime with an adequate amount of usable light .

Read , read , then read some more .

@2100

I was talking about my other two lights working good cr123.. not the sst-90 as it hasn't arrived yet.

I also have a multimeter comeing too I'm thinkig of sticking it out and doing what you guys do and checking volts

is this a good chart to go by...........

Here is a table that shows the voltage of regular Li-ion cells and the approximate capacity remaining of the cell:

4.2V = 100%
4.1V = about 90%
4.0V = about 80%
3.9V = about 60%
3.8V = about 40%
3.7V = about 20%
3.6V = empty
<3.5V = over-discharged

A DMM in this hobby is a very good way to start. Smile

Yes that is a good indication.

2100 said The Fandyfire STL-V6 I have it, it can't do 2 x CR123a primary lithiums, just won't turn on at 6V. Yours can turn on, or you put 3 x CR123a plus a spacer like some magnet at the tail end? This light has low voltage protection at about 6.4V thereabouts.

@2100 I checked out my light fandyfire STL v6 and it will take 3 cr123 if you unscrew the ext tub...and I need no spacer.

it will also take 4 cr123s also.you may already know all this already since your the pro at this stuff.Im just telling

Also I notice you guys take apart your new lights and check them out for defects or anything that may short out the light

what do you look for......thanks

The primary thing you need to look for is if the light was rated for 3.7-4.2v. If it was, 2xCR123 will not work, and may actually destroy the driver.

If you have lights that are rated at 6v or higher, then 2xCr123 will be fine. Best way to know is read the specs carefully when you order the light, or better yet, order the drop-in separately and get one that serves both battery sets.