Lithium battery packs for $30 each

MikeH · 10th December 2005, 05:57

I hope I'm not breaking any of the rules here....but I'm not offering these for sale, simply stating where they can be obtained in the US. I went to a local battery store, and had them build me a few different battery packs, including some for my Meg handsets.

These packs use two SAFT LS26500 C size lithium batteries to form a 7.2v 7700mAh pack. A standard pack with 5 AA alkaline batteries are rated at 7.5v and 2500-2800mAh. The lithium packs should last 3-4 times as long, and they are what the Meg was originally designed for.

TNR Technical sells these packs for $30 each. Their website is http://www.batterystore.com. Click on 'Contact Us', and call their store in Sanford, FL. Speak with Jeremy. He is the one that is familiar with the packs. He did say that shipping overseas means that they will be considered Hazmat(and must be shipped as such, possibly making it cost prohibitive), but shipping in the US they are NOT considered Hazmat(due to the small quantity), so they can be shipped UPS, Fedex, or US mail for a few dollars.

I assume that the battery connectors have remained the same for the handset batteries, but you may want to check with Leon or with Jeremy at TNR just to make sure. He has pictures of the connectors that were put on mine(my Meg was delivered in September).

Mike

lof · 10th December 2005, 17:12

Are you sure you would want a Lithium battery in your breathing loop? Although sealed, there is always a possibility of water getting to them.

Deep Thought · 10th December 2005, 18:12

I’ll be ordering some Lithium batter packs the next chance I can, as I started with them on my Meg’s with Smither’s electronics and was able to get about 400 hours between changes! Wow! I was disappointed when Leon switched battery packs, but I understand his shipping problems. Regarding floods and lithium in the canister? I have inadvertently flooded both my Megs when rinsing to the point of etching off all of the interior coating and all I had to do was hose down the residue, dry off the sensors and went diving again. The battery compartments are HD cased with o-ring seals, and I have yet to make them leak.

For battery changes if you wish to do your own, Leon recommended that I save the terminals for re-use, otherwise Leon will supply what you need. Recently on of my students sourced out all of the bits and pieces so if you need part numbers pm and I'll get you in touch.

ron

MikeH · 11th December 2005, 00:09

Quote: (Originally Posted by lof)

Are you sure you would want a Lithium battery in your breathing loop? Although sealed, there is always a possibility of water getting to them.

There is also the possibility of me converting to DIR....but chances are it's not gonna happen.

If the canister floods badly enough to get into one of the batteries(which, as you know, would only happen if there was a dual failure - loop and battery case), chances are all the sorb is wet and I'd be bailed out anyways. It's not something I'm concerned about.

Mike

Diver Den · 12th December 2005, 20:05

Alex at Custom Diver's has some Lithium battery packs in stock at just over £30. How anyone can be bothered to make them beats me.

Dennis

Skipbreather · 14th December 2005, 15:26

There’s been much poking around the subject of C cell based Lithium battery packs for the Meg. I got to checking out the whole situation when I wanted to find better life than the alkalines for my mine. I had a conversation w/ Leon & Steve and the straight poop on why Leon quit shipping rigs w/ them is that his shipping agent informed him of new (at the time) regs classifying the Saft LS26500 C cells as Hazmat. C lithiums have become very expen$ive to ship if one does it legally. Some folks either don’t know or don’t care and ship them anyway. Chances are they won’t get caught and geeze, just how hazardous can they really be? In my web search to find C cell lithiums, about 2 out of 3 suppliers charged the fee.

The attached .pdf file was downloaded from the Saft website and explains the situation. Perhaps the most important thing to note is that the hazmat designation is international, not just a USA/ DOT issue.

There just might be a ray of light. If I understood what I was reading correctly, the Saft C cells have just a tiny amount too much lithium in them to be listed as non-hazardous. Also, the Saft battery technology is several years old. There are supposedly some newer tech lithium C cells on the market that are a win-win situation: higher capacity than the Saft LS26500 (9 ah vs. 7.7 ah) and *supposedly* (unconfirmed) just enough less lithium so that they are not hazmat. The advertised price is about half the cost of the Saft cells.

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...OD&ProdID=2050

Once I get my hands on some & build up some packs I’ll post results.

Ken

TordoffR · 12th February 2006, 21:43

Can someone please help me out? I tried ordering some of these batteries from Jeremy, but he wasn't sure of the polarity. Could you please take a picture of the leads and connector on the batteries and send it to me at TordoffR@aol.com? Jeremy said we would keep it on file. I'm not home to take a picture of mine. Thanks for the help!

RMalahowski · 13th February 2006, 04:10

What worked for me:

When I replaced the batteries on my unit all I did was go to Radio Shack and purchase two 4-battery AAA battery holders and just use Energizer AAA Lithium batteries. Fry's electronics carries connectors that I used.

The nice thing about AAA batteries is that you can get them anywhere, anytime. You'll get about 1/6 of the life you get from the ones that came with the unit. I've got the old Wil Smithers electronics.

Skipbreather · 2nd March 2006, 18:51

I know this thread is a tad dusty, but Ive finally gotten around to buying all the bits, building several battery packs, and test diving them. They fit & function fine. Ron Benson will be torture testing a few at Truck later this month so will find out soon enough if the advertised 9 ah life is legit. My web order for the C cell lithiums went like clockwork w/ NO hazmat fee charged. Delivery took less than a week. I bought my connector parts from Digikey: http://www.digikey.com Digikey has always proven very quick & reliable every time I’ve ordered from them on line.

Molex part # for body is 03-06-1023. Digikey part number for same is WM1230-ND, “conn receptacle 2 pos .062”

Molex part # for pins is 02-06-5135. Digikey part number for same is WM1009-ND, “conn term female 24-36 awg gold”

Link to battery site:
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...OD&ProdID=2050

Batteries are available w/ tabs for just a 25-cent upcharge. It’s well worth it to keep from frying your nice new lithium C cells. The attached .pdf file is the data sheet downloaded from site. Note that this cell meets or exceeds all specs of the Saft C cells, and there’s apparently no hazmat designation.

For comparison, the Saft data sheet is also attached.

Ken

***schford*** · 29th May 2006, 20:54

I want some :-) so guys how are you all getting on with them?

Stuart

10th December 2005, 05:57	#1 (permalink)
MikeH Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Orlando, FL USA Posts: 178	Lithium battery packs for $30 each I hope I'm not breaking any of the rules here....but I'm not offering these for sale, simply stating where they can be obtained in the US. I went to a local battery store, and had them build me a few different battery packs, including some for my Meg handsets. These packs use two SAFT LS26500 C size lithium batteries to form a 7.2v 7700mAh pack. A standard pack with 5 AA alkaline batteries are rated at 7.5v and 2500-2800mAh. The lithium packs should last 3-4 times as long, and they are what the Meg was originally designed for. TNR Technical sells these packs for $30 each. Their website is http://www.batterystore.com. Click on 'Contact Us', and call their store in Sanford, FL. Speak with Jeremy. He is the one that is familiar with the packs. He did say that shipping overseas means that they will be considered Hazmat(and must be shipped as such, possibly making it cost prohibitive), but shipping in the US they are NOT considered Hazmat(due to the small quantity), so they can be shipped UPS, Fedex, or US mail for a few dollars. I assume that the battery connectors have remained the same for the handset batteries, but you may want to check with Leon or with Jeremy at TNR just to make sure. He has pictures of the connectors that were put on mine(my Meg was delivered in September). Mike
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10th December 2005, 17:12	#2 (permalink)
lof RBW Master Plumber Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Prism Topaz Sport Kiss Classic Kiss MK 15.X Other CCR RB80 / Clone Other SCR Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR RB80 / Clone Other SCR Home Build Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: USA Posts: 501	Re: Lithium battery packs for $30 each Are you sure you would want a Lithium battery in your breathing loop? Although sealed, there is always a possibility of water getting to them. __________________ Jakub Golem Gear ShopKeeper www.golemgear.com
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10th December 2005, 18:12	#3 (permalink)
Deep Thought RebreatherWorld Sponsor Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Sport Kiss Classic Kiss Optima Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Great Lakes Posts: 195	Re: Lithium battery packs for $30 each I’ll be ordering some Lithium batter packs the next chance I can, as I started with them on my Meg’s with Smither’s electronics and was able to get about 400 hours between changes! Wow! I was disappointed when Leon switched battery packs, but I understand his shipping problems. Regarding floods and lithium in the canister? I have inadvertently flooded both my Megs when rinsing to the point of etching off all of the interior coating and all I had to do was hose down the residue, dry off the sensors and went diving again. The battery compartments are HD cased with o-ring seals, and I have yet to make them leak. For battery changes if you wish to do your own, Leon recommended that I save the terminals for re-use, otherwise Leon will supply what you need. Recently on of my students sourced out all of the bits and pieces so if you need part numbers pm and I'll get you in touch. ron __________________ Creature Of Habits; Mostly Bad www.gudcscuba.com
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11th December 2005, 00:09	#4 (permalink)
MikeH Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Orlando, FL USA Posts: 178	Re: Lithium battery packs for $30 each Quote: (Originally Posted by lof) Are you sure you would want a Lithium battery in your breathing loop? Although sealed, there is always a possibility of water getting to them. There is also the possibility of me converting to DIR....but chances are it's not gonna happen. If the canister floods badly enough to get into one of the batteries(which, as you know, would only happen if there was a dual failure - loop and battery case), chances are all the sorb is wet and I'd be bailed out anyways. It's not something I'm concerned about. Mike
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12th December 2005, 20:05	#5 (permalink)
Diver Den New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: May 2005 Location: lincolnshire uk Posts: 22	Re: Lithium battery packs for $30 each Alex at Custom Diver's has some Lithium battery packs in stock at just over £30. How anyone can be bothered to make them beats me. Dennis
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12th February 2006, 21:43	#7 (permalink)
TordoffR Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 115	Re: Lithium battery packs for $30 each Can someone please help me out? I tried ordering some of these batteries from Jeremy, but he wasn't sure of the polarity. Could you please take a picture of the leads and connector on the batteries and send it to me at TordoffR@aol.com? Jeremy said we would keep it on file. I'm not home to take a picture of mine. Thanks for the help! __________________ Rich "It's better to burn out, than to fade away."
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13th February 2006, 04:10	#8 (permalink)
RMalahowski New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: California Posts: 18	Re: Lithium battery packs for $30 each What worked for me: When I replaced the batteries on my unit all I did was go to Radio Shack and purchase two 4-battery AAA battery holders and just use Energizer AAA Lithium batteries. Fry's electronics carries connectors that I used. The nice thing about AAA batteries is that you can get them anywhere, anytime. You'll get about 1/6 of the life you get from the ones that came with the unit. I've got the old Wil Smithers electronics. __________________ Bob M.
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29th May 2006, 20:54	#10 (permalink)
*schford* RBW Founder Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: UK Posts: 3,564	Re: Lithium battery packs for $30 each I want some :-) so guys how are you all getting on with them? Stuart __________________ Bailout and Kit Management account for Murphy's Law The only bad question is one you did not ask and later wish you had. Use of RBW is subject to the Rebreather World Terms & Conditions of Use
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