It’s not quite that simple. Emitters operate at 3V, but Li-ion batteries do not put out 3V; they usually hit LVP and shut off around there.
You really have to think in Watts. The maximum output of the Freeman driver is 2A@9V which is 18W. As you can’t get more watts out than you, you are pulling 18W from the cell. A nearly-full battery will be 4V and 18/4=4.5, so you will be pulling 4.5A. A nearly-dead battery will be 3V, and 18/3=6, so you will be pulling 6A from the cell… or at least you would be if the D3AA was not had-capped at 5.5A. There is a certain voltage where it cannot draw enough amps to get the 18W. As you can see, the amp draw depends on voltage.
And yes, the D3AA’s driver is limited to 5.5A maximum draw as that’s the maximum you can get from Eneloops. But that same 5.5A at one-third the voltage means your maximum wattage is also divided by 3 when running Eneloops, so you can only get 6W out. The emitters will still be getting 9V, but 6 Watts divided by 9 volts ~0.67A or one-third what you’d get with a full 14500 cell.
I think I must be asking the wrong questions.
I’m not sure that answer is anything I was actually after.
I really dont understand very much of it either, and I really hope I dont have to.
I just thought that a “9A driver” was telling me that I’d need to make sure I was using a cell with a CDR capeable of 9A. Which I thought was odd, because isnt that quite high for a 14500 light/cell?
seems your question is: What CDR LiIon battery should I buy for a D3AA?
Because Im not a Turbo user, one of my priorities is capacity instead of max CDR. From that perspective, I like the Vapcel F12 1250mAh, it has a 3A CDR.
People who prioritize Turbo, prefer the Vapcel H10 rated 1050mAh and 10A CDR.
in both cases I advocate for the Flat Top versions, because they also fit my Wurkkos TS10 and my Emisar D2. The button top Vapcel F12 and H10 do not fit those lights, the batteries are too long.
I also use the Wurkkos 14500 that comes w the TS10. It has a capacity of 900mAh and 3A CDR.
Another battery I especially like, because it is USB-C rechargeable, is the Lumintop 14500 rated 920mAh and 4A CDR. Note I do NOT use that battery for Turbo.
Because the Lumintop 14500 is Protected, sometimes the battery protection trips on Turbo and shuts the light off. (thats why Emissar says Protected batteries dont work). Ive also had one Lumintop 14500 battery not recover functionality, after testing Turbo repeatedly. I had to dispose of that cell.
as far as the correct specs, those are in post 1 (but those specs dont tell you what CDR battery to choose):
The CDR rating doesn’t really need to be that high for a D3AA, but there really aren’t many choice for 14500s that are above 3A. In fact, the H10 is the only one that comes to mind, so it wins by process of elimination.
“Ive also had one Lumintop 14500 battery not recover functionality, after testing Turbo repeatedly. I had to dispose of that cell.”
Is that the protection circuit that caused this? or did it get damaged from not being high enough CDR?
I feeel like i keep getting mixed information, or I just keep misinterpretting things…
I’ve been reassured multiple times that having to low a CDR in a light that pulls high amps is not that big of a deal, but now I’m wondering if they’re wrong?
I’m constantly getting information that convinces me that I’m “safe”, and then more information that suggests that I’m not…
Example of that last time I was reassured I was “safe”
Now I’m thinking I will kill my cells trying to put them in flashlights they dont have a high enough CDR for.
I feel like a crazy person. Constantly flip-flopping between - “My flashights are safe.” — “Oh no, theyre dangerous!” — “Oh no, they are perfectly safe!” Im gonna accidently kill my cells" — “Oh, no Im not, I just misinterpreted what I read.” — “Its defnitely possible I’m gonna kill my cells…”
The multiple tripped protection events finally left the protection circuit tripped and it would not reset.
The D3AA draws 3A at level 7 of 7. The Only output on a D3AA that uses more than 3A is Turbo.
imo, Turbo is counter productive. It generates excess heat, so the light has to step down. The excess brightness closes down our pupils so we are less sensitive to lower brightness. The net result is a brief event of excess brightness that is not sustainable, creates excess heat, and leaves us flash blinded so lower outputs are less effective for us.
I am the Anti-Turbo ;-), for me, a better strategy is to just disable Turbo completely.
otoh, if Turbo is important to you, the H10 battery w CDR of 10A will achieve a higher maximum output, higher sustained step down, and will produce more heat.
