The big LIGHTS thread 2011-2014
Comments
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iirc lithium cells should not be charged if they are below 1.5 v as the stuff inside can bind together, causing it to short. See the battery university 's website0
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+1 and throw them away.
This is a quote from Battery University's website
" Do not boot lithium-based batteries back to life that have dwelled below 1.5V/cell for a week or longer. Copper shunts may have formed inside the cells that can lead to a partial or total electrical short. When recharging, such a cell might become unstable, causing excessive heat or showing other anomalies."
For the whole article http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/arti ... ge_cut_off0 -
night_porter wrote:"showing other anomalies."
Sounds dodgy - best not risk having an anomaly!0 -
OK, off charge, going in bin later.
If I manage to source another laptop battery what's the odds that all the cells are useless in that one too? Just my luck.
WilliamMTB Trails - The user created Mountain Bike trails resource for the UK0 -
I thought that too but was given an old laptop battery and all 6 cells were at the 2.25V mark so I thought I would try and charge them. They all charged up to between 4.17V and 4.22V so I am happy that they work okay.
I also had a couple of old video camera batteries that contained 2 18650's in each, 3 out of the 4 cells have also charged up fine but the 4th was no good.
The moral is it is worth looking because you never know what you might get....for free.0 -
I just pulled 9 out of a Lenovo all were 3.7v - i.e. perfect.0
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The ones in the acer battery I had were all around 2.6v. They have all charged nicely to 4.1-4.2v now.0
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Does anyone know if any of the fenix diffusers fit the 501b torches?0
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snownrock wrote:Does anyone know if any of the fenix diffusers fit the 501b torches?
Any particular reason for this? I have often found making the led hole bigger is the best way to make the head a little more floodier as the LED can get closer to the reflector.0 -
I think the Fenix Diffuser is like a stiff condom that fits over the head of the torch and glows like a lantern like this http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/fenix/fen ... users.html
I don't think a drill will help but I could be wrong?0 -
Just a quick question.
After some mates seeing my Cree XML t6 light they all very interested in them:)
Question is is this T6 still a good light atm or have their now been advances sinse i got it?
Light in question is:http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t6-waterproof-xml-t6-3-mode-1200-lumen-white-led-bike-light-with-battery-pack-set-904482510London2Brighton Challange 100k!
http://www.justgiving.com/broxbourne-runners0 -
Your light is using the most powerful/brightest Cree LED currently available, the only advances have really been by using multiple LEDs and to be honest if you put 2 of what you have side by side they would be just as powerful and half the price.
If your mates are happy with your light then why worry about any others for the money it is an awesome light for power and value.0 -
Not quite - the U2 is available and is about 10% better than the T6. The only problem is they look identical, so you wont be certain that your U2 money doesn't get you a T6 anyway. U2s are about £1.50 more.
e.g.
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... ht-1-18650
vs.
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... flashlight0 -
+1
But of course that is only true if you are considering using a torch, I have yet to see a U2 Magicshine or clone sporting one of these (which is what he was referring too).
I think torches are preferable but to run XM-L LEDs at max power means you need larger headed torches to dissipate the heat and pocketfuls of charged cells.
With the MS clones costing around £30 including quad cell packs torches just don't make as much sense they used to.
NOTE: Flashaholics please ignore this post as I do not need the hate mail0 -
what tail lights do you folk use? After something cheap and effective.0
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You'd think somebody would do an adaptor for these lights that allow you to plug them into a Shimano dynamo hub (6v, 3watt)
At 483g it's roughly the same weight as a Deore rear hub or twice the weight of a Deore front hub. So 200ish grams more, which is surely lighter than a pack of Li-On batteries.
Supernova do a high output LED light that runs off said dynamo (with standlight capability of 5mins unpowered)
Cree XP-E LED up to 305 lumens brightness (approx. 60 lux) with overvoltage protection
If they do one based around a Cree XP-E maybe they'll get round to doing one based around a Cree XML T6 and then you could forget about the battery pack entirely.0 -
3w is nowhere near enough to power most of the torches or lamps though. Maybe ok for commuting, but off roading I wouldn't personally.0
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What sort of wattages are the single 3.7v 18650 powered '501' style torches consuming?0
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On max power, 9-10w.0
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You wouldn't get anything like that lumen output for 0.5A input (6v / 3w) even with an XM-L which is substantially more efficient than an XP-E/XR-E. Whereas a single 18650 will give 5 hours run-time for the same given output.
an XM-L 501b could work ~ 200 Lumen on that ampage. to answer the above they normally run at 6-12w0 -
pound shop x many but for my road bike I am thinking of creating something a little more powerful.roverthehill wrote:what tail lights do you folk use? After something cheap and effective.0 -
At 6v and 3w that equates to only 500mA and as an XM-L T6 is rated up to 3A (3000mA) you can see it too would be underrated.
Watts = Volts x Amps so the simple equation of 3.7v x 3A gives you about 11 Watts so the easy answer is to buy yourself a trike and put a dynamo in each wheel...
What may be viable though is to install a battery pack and use the dynamo to charge it, providing it was also charging during the hours when you were not using the light and they would need to be quite plentiful.0 -
After reading all of the What Light threads multiple times and changing my mind constantly, I think my first bike light is going to be a MagicShine type all-in-one jobbie.
I have had a quick look today and found a couple of options. Can anyone advise which would be better please?
Option 1. Ebay - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120836982040&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en
The seller seems to have good feedback and he has a few to bid on (or buy it now at a few quid more than direct from China).
Option 2. Lightmalls - http://www.lightmalls.com/upgrade-bicycle-light-lm-cree-xml-t6-1200-lumens-bike-light-kit This one states it is "Waterproof grade: IP-65". I guess this means it is the slightly better waterproofed version, but I can slap some silicon in the right places if needed.
I'm leaning towards the Ebay route as I would like to have a go at night before summer! TBH there are so many variants of the same thing, my head is hurting narrowing it down to 2.
Any feedback appreciated, thanks :-)0 -
If I were you this is how I would decide:
Limit your ebay search to UK sellers and so that you don't have to wait use buy it now, sort into cheapest 1st including P&P. find the cheapest one with a seller with no bad feedback and a reasonable quick delivery time and buy it.
They all look like the same lights and price/service is all that should set them apart. If you are unlucky it might not be working right at least you can send it back within the UK fairly easily.
If you wait for an auction to finish you might save yourself £3 or £4 but not much more and £33 seems to be the cheapest buy it now you will find.
Go for it and enjoy your riding.0 -
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Thanks for the advice and the link. If I were to order from the DX UK warehouse and it was a faulty item would I have to send it back to China, or do they also handle returns from the UK?0
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UK returns :-) Mine arrived in 3 days.0
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great advice supersonic i got some no problems yet.n
supersonic wrote:I put together a simple package here:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... 5#17265285
Just buy that and you are away. The risk is low of the cells blowing up. More chance of crashing in the forest and the torch going up your aris.0 -
