I’m looking for a cheap sleeve for 2*CR123 to fit into a flashlight tube that is made for 1*18650. I have an Olight S20-L2 Baton that comes with a sleeve that would be ideal for any 18650 flashlight. So, I looked around online and finally found the Olight branded one, which is part number BM20. Here is the cheapest place I’ve found for the BM20 so far. But, that is still close to $5.00 and I’d like to find something cheaper. Does anyone know where I can find something just to fill the void and keep the CR123 batteries from bumping around? Any non-metallic tube of the right size? Or a battery magazine (that’s what Olight calls it) like this one, but cheaper? I know we like 18650’s a lot better than CR123’s around here, but some lights, including the Olight S20-L2 Baton, will put out more lumens with the 2*CR123 than with a single 18650. I suppose the extra couple volts help a bit.
You could do what batteryjunction do and use clear shrink-tube to bind a pair of cells together. They’ll still be loose but I imagine it won’t rattle nearly as much as before.
Are you sure the S20 puts out more light with 2 123 than 1 18650?
Either way it’ll run longer on 1 18650.
Make your own spacer out of PVC (you can make about 40 spacers from one $5 piece of pipe) or even just use an index card in the tube to stop the rattle.
Cereal_killer;
You know of PVC pipe with the right ID and OD for that? Talking of wall thickness of only 1mm here and all that I have seen is much thicker walled than that. As I have a lathe I could make a spacer out of Delrin or a similar plastic but any more few people have a metal turning lathe in the basement or ready access to one.
Well, the S20 documentation “claims” that the light puts out 550lm on high with 2*CR123 and 500lm with 1*18650. I don’t currently have a way to test it. My S20 came with a tube to hold the 2*CR123, and I still have that and I’m using it. But, I was thinking about other lights that I and my friends have that didn’t come so equipped. None of us have tried using CR123’s inside our 18650 lights without the magazine, so I don’t even know if a rattle is a real concern or not. But one of my friends happened to ask me about the CR123 magazine I have, so I told him I would try to find out.
Do you know what kind of PVC pipe is the right size for this? It has to be thin, because the nominal size of a CR123 is 16340, right? That means the circumference of the 18650 is only 2mm longer around. I know there is thin tubing available, but I don’t know if it is available in the right size. If I had a digital caliper, I could measure across the diameters of the two battery sizes, to know what the inner and outer dimensions of the tube would need to be.
Since I just realized that I’d never even tried using the 2*CR123 configuration without the magazine, I decided to try it with my Olight. I have to shake it very hard to get it to rattle. But, other lights may have more wiggle room and/or a spring that doesn’t hold as tightly as mine. The Olight S20 has dual springs, and they both compress quite a bit when the batteries are installed and the cap tightened.
Maybe just look for a material with the right wall size and wrap it. Even a tube can be slit lengthwise to open or close a bit.
My magazines…
Not sure that I would call 1mm diameter material O rings magazines. More anti rattle spacers as they take up the space between the 16mm battery diameter and the 18mm diameter battery tube… To me a magazine at the minimum also holds things together so they can be inserted all together. They do function though as individual battery sleeves or spacers to prevent battery rattle which may meet the OP’s requirements.
While I’m a little flexible on the “holds things together” part, I’d rather at least have just one piece to deal with, like a piece of tubing or something. I may try GottaZoom’s advice, find a tube with the right wall thickness and split it length-wise so that it will adjust to the right ID and OD for the batteries. But, it would be nice if it did hold the batteries together. Is there not anyone who knows where an actual 2*CR123 magazine, like the one in the Olight, can be bought for less than $5.00?
I looked quite a bit about 6 months ago and found nothing less than the $5 Olight one. I do however buy them in wrapped pairs from battery junction to help with this problem and to be sure I do not mix batteries with different charges.
Thanks, bikenber73. I guess I know what my options are.
Dude, simply wrap a couple layers of paper tape round each cell.