Electrical engineering question

[Royal]

Originally Posted by jcamacho

Just received new 18650 battery from Nhaler that claims to be high drain battery, honestly I don't see the difference between this and my other 18650 batts. What are they supposed to do? There's no difference in performance but I'm going to see how long it lasts.

Originally Posted by Rick

What's the stated mah of the two? Although batteries might have the same number, they don't always have the same mah reading, and that is what counts, the number is merely the size of the battery e.g 18mm x 65mm

Like Rick said,
Li-ions are identified first and foremost by size.
But also, any given sized Li-Ion battery can be of a wide array voltages, (most common is 3.7 volts), and milliamp hour ratings.

Naturally, the larger the battery in size, will in most cases have more capacity than a smaller one. And also, because of it's larger cell, heat build up from a high drain takes longer. So in this respect, and considering that an 18mm X 65mm battery is larger in size than most of it's counterparts, I suppose any 18650 could be considered a high drain battery if compared in such a way.

So jcamacho, You ask what is the difference? The only way to tell would be to look up the manufacturers specs of the two you have and compare.

[mcquinn]

My 18650's are 3.7 volts and 2400 mAh ,I have used one for two days and it was still going but use my passthrough's when I am not on the move.My wife does not like for me to carry the pipe bomb looking mod around it makes her nervouse.It sure is a conversation starter ,when you toke on something that large and shiny.

[jcamacho]

So really we're just wasting money on a new fad-high drain. I suspected so but had to spend $14 on one to convince myself.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by jcamacho

So really we're just wasting money on a new fad-high drain. I suspected so but had to spend $14 on one to convince myself.

I guess the question should have been. What is the difference between Li-Ion and LiMn batteries. I would like to know that one.

LiMn High Drain 18650 Batteries 1500 Mah
Li-Ion 18650 3.7V 2600mAh Rechargeable Batteries with PCB(protected)

It is often all about marketing and some vendors are unscrupulous.

[BillyBlack]

Originally Posted by jcamacho

Just received new 18650 battery from Nhaler that claims to be high drain battery, honestly I don't see the difference between this and my other 18650 batts. What are they supposed to do? There's no difference in performance but I'm going to see how long it lasts.

Unless you have a very specific need there is really nothing to be gained and much to be lost... extremely short run times. Why would we need batteries that can handle 4+A discharge rates? A Joye 510 atty at 3.7V pulls about 1.7A (all other atties less). Something all 18650 li-ions can handle with about 80% longer runtimes.

A little harder to find this a very good battery with accurate mAh ratings.

DealExtreme: $9.78 TrustFire Protected 18650 3.7V True 2400mAh Rechargeable Lithium Batteries (2-Pack)

A better choice than the more common red UltraFire 3000mAh one.

Also there is no protection circuit because these are 'safer', but in the event of some sort of problem, a short or inadvertent switch activation the protected Li-ions should shut down at about 2.5V, the LiMN's will keep going till empty.