Input: AC100-240V, 50/60Hz
Output: 4.2V with current up to 500mA per channel
Looks identical to the Klarus CH2, but I don’t think it is labeled as such.
_ And some Sanyo laptop pulls.
A buddy of mine just got his first torch and I’ve got a ton of cells floating around that I don’t need, so I was going to give him my spare charger and some cells for $10.
However, I’m slightly worried about burning his house down with this combination. I was thinking of telling him to charge the batteries in a ammo box out in the garage, but that may freak him out a bit.
+1 on a quality charger - I have gifted ML-102’s and even a Xtar VP1. I would not want to be the one to give someone a crappy charger that caused an issue.
Also go over some basics of Li-Ion cells with him - handling, checking voltages, etc, especially with unprotected cells. Does the torch have a low voltage cutoff? Reverse polarity safety?
Yea, Miller ML-101 should be good. They have changed the circuit a few times so it can be hard to be completely sure how the long term reliability is for the current version 6. Seems to be using the same ETA6002 chip as the more popular ML-102. Do note that protected batteries don’t fit.
Whenever I gift or loan out a light I give them an Xtar MC1. It’s a quality charger, and fits more cells than the Miller. They’re $6.50 on ebay, US sellers. Here is HKJ’s review
I bought a bunch of cheap chargers. Not only do they not charge at the stated rate but I always worry about the giftees leaving batteries charging when off for the weekend. Here are worthwhile alternatives from USA sellers.
Second that. I always give other folks quality chargers (specifically that one). Seems like the overwhelming majority of li-ion battery failures happen when charging. Apart from that all I think they really need to know is A. Don’t drain the batteries too low (all my lights for sale/loan have LVP, also only give out protected batteries), B. Don’t ever leave the battery on the charger for more than 6 hours at the absolute most, and C. Don’t leave the battery in your car’s glovebox in the summertime (it gets hot here).
I’m no expert, but having gifted/sold lights with batteries, I’ve taken it upon myself to read a whole, whole lot about li-ion battery safety. If you can get A, B, and C across and leave them with a battery and charger both of known quality, you’ve got 99.9% of potential problems covered. Honestly, I’d be infinitely more concerned about gifting/selling lights meant for 2xCR123 primaries than single-cell li-ions. One drained CR123 + one full CR123 = ’splosion.
It could only be worse if you used **Firc batteries.
However, luckily there are some good charges that arent expensive. From a few bucks for the Millers, upto $20 for XTARS and Nitecore. I think protection is a critical element for inexperienced users, including myself. Either the battery itself, or the light to prevent over draining of the cell. The battery is probably a good place as the user might put it in another light, or a friends etc that has no protection. They arent likely to really appreciate the dangers they can face if they get it all wrong so not likely to be looking for the hallmarks of decent lights in the first place.
Quality charger that soft starts or does not start when too low or shuts down when too high
I used to feel comfortable with battery protection circuits UNTIL I had two fail on me. One prematurely shut down the other stayed wide open and never tripped in a light that I was using that did not have LVP. To me the LVP is the first line of defense and now a must and an absolute in any headlamp (be careful of cheap ones because most on the cheap side do not have LVP).
There’s your first mistake (grin).
Tiny little circuit on a flexible piece of plastic made by who knows with who cares and hidden from sight — yep, that’s battery protection circuitry.
With rare exceptions, feeling comfortable with this stuff is like wearing only a belt, when it’s far safer to wear both a belt and suspenders.
I mean, one could fail.
Which is a wry way of saying I never feel comfortable with li-ions — if I ever do, I hope someone will take them away.
Anything except maybe an old familiar dog that requires the warning “if it vents, don’t inhale” belongs outside my comfort zone.
I recall reading that these protection circuits are set to protect normal users of stock electronics, too — assumptions about how much the voltage gets pulled down in use, for how long, before the protection kicks in are made and built into the devices. I’ve read mention of ‘hot’ lights burning the traces in stock switch printed circuit boards — and think about the thin little plastic protection circuits under that outer wrapper. We know surge protectors eventually quit working (cheap ones fail conducting not shutting off the power). Aren’t protection circuits basically doing that kind of job?
Just sayin’. I am making a big effort to repurpose 18560 lights with 1.2v-ish drivers, so I can give them away with 4/3AF NiMH batteries and a reliable charger — same size cell. 4000+ mAh on them, and some of them are brand name sources (or half price no-name, of course).
I wouldn’t want to give anybody incautious a setup with the “if it vents remember, don’t inhale while fleeing” caution. Just me.
I am with you. I have not put any time into it yet but I am sure there must be a driver already in existence (somewhere) or a driver that can be designed to give decent "out the front" performance with 4/3 cells.
I’m gifting lights w/unprotected cells this Christmas to some folks who are Li-on aware but may not have a charger, and this seems to be the cheapest good option so they’re ordered. I’ve got plenty of wall-warts laying around to complete the package.
I’d really like to extend the group getting these, but knowing those people I’d want some foolproof protection like a thermal fuse in the charger that would ‘break’ the circuit if things got dangerously hot. Coffeemakers have them and I can source some with different temp ratings so I know the concept is sound, but at what temp should it ‘break’?
I’m kind of astonished that chargers aren’t equipped with something like this already; everyone screws up now and then and a cheap last-resort safety device can’t hurt with any of us.
