let me sing the praises of this little beauty, if you will indulge me
This is the Panasonic NCR18650B, 3400mah. For the time being, the very best battery money can buy. If you've seen 18650 cells claiming higher capacity, guaranteed, they are Chinese fakes (Ultrafire is a notorious example of this).
The rumored 22650 format Tesla's Gigafactory is supposedly going to manufacture will likely be an improvement, but there is right now loads of gear designed to work with 18650bs and it will take years for gear to be made that works with the new cell size
Why am I telling you any of this? I see a lot of threads about how to source electricity while /out/. Solar can be a great option if you buy way more than you need on paper, but a lot of people overlook the simpler option: Carry all the power you're gonna use with you.
This is a viable choice if you're not gonna be away from civilization longer than a week and all you need to keep charged is your phone and maybe an LED head lamp. Step 1 is to swap out any gear that uses electricity for non-electric alternatives.
A phone is justifiable due to the extreme utility (gps, maps, geocaching apps, etc.) but should be the single most power hungry thing you bring with you.
Now, how to build a battery pack with many of these cells? Good news, you don't have to! Search "6x 18650 power bank" on ebay or Amazon. There's 1 or 2 models of 6 cell battery enclosures with USB ports in it, the cells slot right in like AAs into a TV remote, it's that easy.
You can also get models for 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 cell. More is better imo and 6 is as high as it goes last I checked. The advantage of buying the cells and case separately over an all in one battery pack is similar to the value of building a PC instead of buying prebuilt.
You get way more for your money. Besides which, if one cell dies, instead of having to toss the pack you can just open 'er up, test for the bad cell, swap it for a fresh one and bob's your uncle.
>>627388
Excuse me? Are you seriously going to just post this giant word wall thinking an implication of that magnitude could slip by undetected?
I will fight you in the forest you nikwillied penny licker. Robert is not my uncle.
COMMIES GET OUT
SQUAAAAAAAAAAAWK
>>627388
when will stores begin to carry these? and my gear uses AA or AAAs
>>627388
I know I've been on /k/ too long when I'm looking at the batteries thinking they're shotgun shells.
>>627614
You can buy gear that specifically uses 18650s. They last way the fuck longer than AAs.
>>627972
Sounds expensive. How big are the batteries? Could I convert àà into this battery by soldering new connections or is the voltage given different?
>>627388
>test for the bad cell, swap it for a fresh one
Really not a good idea. Remove the bad cell, sure. Don't replace with a new cell. If you got the autism bad enough to keep track of your charge/use cycles, and if you have a cell that's within 10% of those cycles, use that.
It's not catastrophic or anything, it's just an equalized wear thing. I've noticed that mixing wear cycles tends to degrade both the older and the newer cells faster than keeping everything balanced. I have a half assed theory why that is, but no science or sources to back it up.
>>627998
Same shape, but different voltage and different size. They are not the least bit compatible with anything designed to use AAs.
>>627388
These are mostly found in USB power packs and high power headlamps and flashlights. As more devices begin to include a micro-USB port for charging, power packs with these cells will become as prevalent as the AA cell used to be. I'm looking forward to it.
>>628038
Me too, it's unbelievable how long they last. It's insane. A 5 or 6 cell pack is like having a little nuclear reactor you can carry with you.
>>627388
Where do you source your cells?
>>628503
Amazon.com. Just check the reviews to make sure the cells are authentic.
>>628503
www.greatwarrerectronics.chingchong
>>627388
this is faggotry, this cell is so expensive
basically i can buy 3 pieces of 10 pack of cells from ikea that perform better than most traditional commercial cells for that matter for the price of a single cell. that's 30 cell for one. they probably have somewhere around 1800mah do your calc.
>>628651
If you want to carry the same amount of energy in a larger, heavier package be my guest.
>>628653
well not much larger and heavier but 15 times cheaper... i guess that works for me
>>628651
ikea alkaline cells would be
>non rechargeable
>heavier/energy
>bulkier/energy
>lower power output
>perform worse in cold temperatures
>>627388
Why haven't you listed voltage or how long they last? You know, actual fucking specs?
>>628682
well its a li on cell at 3400 mah mr scientist.
so im going to go out on a limb its 3.7v that lasts around 3.4 amp hours.
crazy i know
>>628656
i can't dispute those point but they will not ignite and burn with the fury of vulcan accidentally in your pack either.
and they are a hell of a lot cheaper so much cheaper that a little more weight for the same capacity will never budge me.
and if they are done you can throw them in a fire to release the exhausted nature spirits.
>>628682
Oh, if only it were that easy. The picture is comparing the voltage/amp hours of a Panasonic (red line) cell and an Ultrafire cell (blue line.) You can find the AA/AAA results in the second link, but the curve is much steeper.
18650 comparison tool
http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650comparator.php
AA/AAA comparison tool
http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/CommonAAcomparator.php
>>628824
This. Panasonic cells are top shelf.
LG and Sony also make decent quality 18650s. Make sure you get unprotected cells if you mean to use them in battery banks or flashlights/headlamps.
VCT FOREVER!
(an anon can hope..)
