CR123 Need help to choose

Hello !

My home’s doors and windows are protected with RF sensors powered with 3.0V CR123 alkalines.

I would like to replace with rechargeables batteries.

I really don’t know wich to choose. Some are 3,7V (too much for my sensors I bet), some are 3V (better I think)…

I think I have to choose the 3V ones but I can’t find if my charger can handle it (OPUS BT-C3100 v2.0) ?

Do you think it’s a good idea to replace non-rechargeable batteries with rechargeable ones for this kind of use or is it better to buy non-rechargeable CR123 once a year ?

If you think it’s a good idea and you think my Opus charger can handle it, could you please tell me what are the best rechargeable CR123 for my use ?

Thank you very much !

I suggest looking at LiFeP04 chemistry rechargable cr123a. They will be closer to the nominal voltage of the primary CR123a cells, using a li-ion battery that comes off the charger at 4.2v could fry the circuits of the RF sensors. Check manual or contact the maker to find the max voltage.

here are acople of american links for LiFeP04 cells

http://www.batteryjunction.com/2rc375reliba.html

http://www.all-battery.com/energycells_lifepo4.aspx

Once a year? Id just buy primaries.

I could be wrong but Id assume if they are truly CR123, 3.0v, they are lithium primaries, not alkaline.

Plus with rechargeables the internal self discharge will make them go dead alot faster than if you used primaries…

Tenergy makes a 3 volt Li-Ion if you decide to go with rechargables. Of course you would need to purchase one compatible with your outlets.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Card-Tenergy-4-pcs-Rechargeable-CR123A-3-0V-Batteries-Li-Ion-Smart-Charger-/290831224678?pt=US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item43b6e44f66

those were recently involved in a flashlight explosion.
i would wait to hear more about the incident.
and capacity is half or less than a cr123.
so figure recharging at twice the replacement interval.
edit.
forget these.if you read the link they are 4.2v charged.
any lifep04 would probably do if you can tolerate the extra maintainence.

Is it the cost of cr123 that is getting you? You can find good cells for about $1 vs buying them local at over $5. I have a system for my house that uses the same batteries and my instructions actually tell you not to use rechargeables. It would suck to chance it and ruin it IMO.

If you need place to buy online let me know.

Yes it is lithium, not alkaline sorry…

Yes it is to reduce costs. I have a lot of windows and here in France good CR123A cost ~$6 per unit !

So I was thincking to switch to rechargeable but reading everybody answers to my post, it seems this is not a good or simple idea…

Of course if someone knows where to buy GOOD CR123A with reasonable shipping costs (I don’t live in USA) I’m very interested !

Thank you everybody !

I have bought Energiser and Panasonic CR123A lithium batteries from ebay for less than $2 each - you can generally get a decent deal on packs of 4 or 10. The good thing is that they will keep for years, so buying 10 might be a good idea.

I am not sure what they charge for shipping but France is listed.
http://www.bgmicro.com/cr123a-battery-by-panasonic.aspx

I would stay with trusted brands and sites, there many knock or crap batteries out there. I think its more in rechargeable than primary but I’d still watch cheap Chinese batteries.

I personal buy all mine from battery junction, but some people here are upset with that seller currently.

I think you may be confusing these with something else. If you have a link to the explosion please post it.

All rechargable Li-Ion batteries have about half the capacity if Lithium Thionyl Chloride aka Primaries.

Perameters for the batts I linked to NOT the charger wich includes a typo.

RCR123A Features:

Rechargeable CR123A Li-Ion Batteries with 3.0V working voltage and 900mAh capacity.
Fully protected against over-charge, over-discharge, over-current and short-circuit.
Tenergy RCR123A can be recharged up to 1000 times. 1 RCR123A Li-ion = 1000 CR123A Primary Cells
Replace the most of non-rechargeable CR123A primary Lithium battery for a digital cameras and flashlight
Modified Voltage to achieve 3.2v at full voltage; once loaded, cell voltage drops to 3.0v.
Internal over-charge and over-discharge protection to prevent battery over use. The current will be shut off when the battery voltage drops below 2.5V.
Internal Voltage Regulators.
Dimension: 16 D x 34 H mm. (The height 34mm includes the button top).
Weight: 17 g or 0.6 Oz.

Tenergy Li-Ion RCR123A 900mah batteries reach more than 3.0v at full charge. These cells should only be used in high quality CREE LED flashlights. Not compatible with Surefire and other brands of incandescent (halogen, krypton, xenon, etc) flashlights.
Note*: Not compatible with Surefire type Flashlights.

Can replace the disposable (one-time use) version of CR123A Lithium Primary Batteries.
CR123A Also Known As:

123, 123A, 123-SANYO, 5018LC, 6205, BR2/3A, CR123, CR123-2, CR123-A, CR123A, CR123A-2, CR123R, CR-123, CR17335, CR17345, DL123, DL123A, DL123A2, DL123AB, DL-123, DL-123AB, DLCR123, EL123, EL123A, EL123AP, EL123-AP, EL123AP2, EL123AP-2, K123, K123A, K123LA, K123LA-1, L123A, PL123, PR123-1, PR123-2, PRCR123-1, PRCR123-2, RL123A, RL123A-1, RL123A-2, SF123, SF123A, SF123A1, ULCR123R, VL123, VL123A

Just remembered, I bought from this company, now selling on Amazon. Fast and cheap.

Not sure about shipping outside the UK - problematic for lithium batteries these days.

As per msgs post, bgmicro sell quality CR123s. I bought 20 from them (at the time they were $0.75ea for 10 or more), with postage to Australia it was still under $2 each. A bargain, thanks to another member here who posted the link originally, sadly I cant think who it was now.

The panasonics at bgmicro are good stuff.iirc they went up recently.
the other good place I get them from is batterystation.com.
they are u.s.a made in the same plant as most big names.
shipping might be a killer though.lots of issues sending by air.

You will get 20 primaries in the mail without an issue. Postage rules have a weight limit on the quantity in primaries, and 20 does not reach it. Re4chargeables are a different thing, apparently primaries are regarded as a safer postage item…

I dont think bgmicro has put its price up, its currently $1.19 but I cant be sure of that as I dont recall what it was, but even at $1.19 they are very cheap. What appears to have changed is they dont do a cheaper price for lots of >10 batteries, it was $0.75ea for >10.

Even with postage it will be less than a 1/3 the price he can source them locally. Not factoring in any customs duties…

I would stick with Primary/non-rechargeable batteries for use in a security/alarm system. Seriously. Stick with the batteries that the system was designed around. Primaries are MUCH more reliable than rechargeable lithium batteries in temperature extremes (cold/hot), impact resistance (probably not a factor here), have a higher capacity (mah), and more reliable in just about every other spec category you can think of. There are LOTS of places to buy authentic major ‘name brand’ cr123 batteries at decent prices. Buy them 25, 50 or 100 at a time and the price is more than reasonable ($1.50-$3 each). 10 year shelf life for most of them. If the batteries only have to be swapped once a year, I can’t think of a single reason to ever use rechargeable batteries - especially in a security system where reliability is a key factor.