I got the lights and batteries today and started assembling, and found that the batteries fit fine in everything but the M2. The battery will go in the M2 but there is resistance with the initial insertion and then when taking it back out it appears to get stuck when it’s almost out as well.
I’ve done the reading on the site about the lithium battery safety and them exploding and am certainly concerned now. Do I need to be worried about slowly nicking the outer plastic wrapper taking the battery in and out of the light for charging over time and causing a explosion? There is the gold colored metal strip running down the side of the battery and I believe thats the negative if I’m correct, will this getting shorted to the light cause it to blow?
Thanks in advance, as I’ve said, i’m a noob, but I know these batteries must be respected, so I want to start out right.
As long as the wrapper doesn’t actually tear, your ok.
How much resistance with the m2 and is the inside totally smooth? Nothing to catch or scrape the wrapper.
If the resistance is only initially going in & when almost out it sounds like the m2 is a bit narrower just at the back end. You could use a rounded file, dremel or drill to open it up a bit.
The metal strip along the side is the positive actually. Its going down to the protection board at the bottom. The metal sides of the battery (under the wrapper) are negative.
The positive metal strip along the side is prevented from shorting by the wrapper and / or yellow kapton tape (might be why it looks gold colored).
Ah, ok the strip is the positive, thanks for that link. Ya I’m guessing that shorting to the flashlight body would result in a big boom. And I’m hoping that kapton tape is on top of it so it’s assembled as: plastic clear wrapper, kapton tape, metal strip, then pink wrapper on the cell itself.
It is only going in and out at the very end where there is a problem. I looked closer at the light again and there is a brass colored metal band that is probably 1/4 inch wide and appears to be pressed in to the very end of the flashlight body. Sticking my finger in and following it around, I can feel where part of that brass colored metal ring sticks out father from the body on one side than the other. So I’m guessing there lies my problem.
I guess the questions are - is it brass? And what’s it there for (I’m guessing heat sink)? And filing it, if it’s brass I guess I can do that, any particulars I should watch out for? Like the easiest way to do it and keep the shavings from getting down in the light? And how to get it perfectly smooth as I’m sure it needs to be in order to keep from nicking the cells wrapper.
I unscrew the tail cap that has the switch contained, from the body of the flashlight. Am I doing it wrong? If not, then ya, there definately is a brass colored ring at the end of the body.
Its not wrong. Just might be wider for the battery at the head end. Then you could avoid filing / sanding the brass ring.
To get sanded surfaces smooth you finish it with fine grit. If you need to remove more then a little material you start with med grit (takes material off faster), when the size is right finish with fine grit.
If you needed to remove a lot of material, start with coarse then med and fine.
You likely wouldn’t need to remove much from the m2.
The brass rings may provide better electrical contact. Aluminum transfers heat better then brass. They often use brass for the pill, which the led board sits on, just because brass is easier to machine & it can be soldered.
If it's the whole width of the brass ring you could use a Dremel type tool or clamp a round file vertically in a vise and move the tube over it so the filings fall out the bottom. I think the head separates from the body tube so filings really shouldn't be an issue.
The M2 has a brass ring in the tail end of the tube for electrical contact and it’s ID is slightly smaller than the ID of the tube itself. I don’t see where it would be a problem if you opened it up slightly.
I have noticed it in mine but never had a problem as I have never tried a protected cell in mine.
Didn’t notice your post count.