The big LIGHTS thread 2011-2014

diy

Generally speaking - end of august/early sept is the best time as you get the new tech out.

bamba

Is there any thing new in the pipe line at all ?

Cat12345

Hi Guys

I’m new to the forum and new to night rides, I’m currently trying to put together a cost effective lighting system, but wouldn’t mind some advice.
(i have read the full post but I’m still a little sketchy on a few details)

I currently have two ebay XML T6 LINK

Now i see from Ouija comments on page 33 that the batteries are only 3.2 V (2 x 18650 in parallel) and the handle bar mount is poor

Soooo i was thinking of changing the battery to an 8.4V 2S2P (hopefully the driver in the Light will accept this from Ouija comments)

Batt option I’ve been looking at are

4GREER 3100mAh protected
AW 3100mAh Protected
EagleTac 3100mAh protected

Or a selection of lower rated unprotected cells here..
http://www.allbatteries.co.uk/gsa/result/?q=18650

and then I’m looking to mount the cells in a 2S2P holder either;

Protected (if im using unprotected cells)
Unprotected (if im using protected Cells)(i realise the link is 4P but you get the idea)

I already own a XTAR WP6 charger
is there any benefit to charging individually ? or should i wrap the cells and do a make shift charging connector LINK

How would you do it ? is there a preferred setup ?

Cheers in advance

diy

There is no significant benefit taking the input volts to 8.4v from 4.2v, so why risk the driver.

I'd buy a couple of 18650 holders which you can get from ebay either with or without protection circuit and then source some high quality cells (either laptop or quality brands) to replace the pack. Its likely that your current pack is barely more than 3Ah, so perhaps 2 3 cells or a 6 cell pack with twin outputs will give you double the life. Couple that with 4.2v out and you may get a bit more amps at the led end.

Protected (for unprotected cells):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-x-18650-Bat ... 35b5bbf3b3

unprotected
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BATTERY-HOLDE ... 2a182033fa

Cat12345

HI diy

Thanks for the responce, and the links

I assumed the voltage did make a difference after reading Ouija's comments about the same light on page 33

The down side is that the twin cell battery is wired in parallel, so your getting the same runtimes as the light you posted, but only has a 4.2v output so the brightest mode is about 15/20% dimmer than the 8.4v powered light

By the way, although it comes with a 4.2v battery cell, i've tried it with a 6v battery and had no problems, so i assume it could take a 8.4v

diy

There is no reason specifically for it to be dimmer as a result of being powered at 4.2v rather than 8.4v.

It amps that determines the brightness. If the driver is set to produce 3A at 4.2v input then it will product max lumen. Many drivers can run at 3v - 18v and provide near constant current output. You just wont know until you try. you'd need a dc Amp meter to measure the current while the light was on and map that to the claimed output curve (amps vs lumen) to get the best understanding of efficiency.

In some regard a 4P will have more consistent output than a 4S, as the volts will drop more slowly.

diy

I know this is not a Light, but I think I posted on one of the other threads that I took a punt on an 18650 mini power pack:

http://www.suntekstore.co.uk/product-14 ... rger_.html

Took about 10-15 days delivery which isn't bad. It came with no instructions, but after a bit of fiddling I have got it running off some old purple 18650s (around the 2.6Ah mark) giving me over 5Ah of USB power. The unit comes with a micro USB cable that is used to charge the cells. That is to say it is both a power pack and an 18650 charger (for £7.34). I haven't tested the charging efficiency yet, but I have no reason to think it wont juice them to 4.2v

Its perfect for long rides as I can charge both my garmin edge 800 and my mobile phone (in theory at the same time). It also has a built in LED light, but its not bright. So for anyone wanting to use a mobile phone as a bike GPS, but can't due to battery life this is perfect.

To use it you bung in your 18650s (I'm using unprotected) charge them using the micro usb lead (input). connect your output (standard USB) to the right cable (it comes with 10 or you can use your own) and press and hold the button until the red light comes on. It will then power the output 5v 1A until you disconnect the target.

by my rough calculations it will extend the life of a mobile phone or edge by 4-5 times the standard runtime and you could also use it to power usb powered lights.

KokaKona

diy wrote:

Generally speaking - end of august/early sept is the best time as you get the new tech out.

Someone had to post here on the longest day! Oh the irony...

I'm a newby here but have been following this mega-thread with interest for a while now as research into getting a decent (but budget) lighting setup for next winter.
DIY, I was wondering if you or any others of the regulars have any clues about what tech might be just around the corner - something even better than XM-L on the horizon before this autumn do we reckon, or just wider application of U2/U3 bins?

diy

Nothing obvious in the pipeline. I predict more multi XML based lights will start to come on the scene by sept. there are a few on the bulk importer sites. Tbh when the xml LEDs came out it was 6-9 months before we saw them in a tempting budget unit.

kevinharley

Right - so I have this light at the moment:

http://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/2012-ligh ... -light-v1/

Its a great light, seems really powerful, but has a bit of a focussed spot rather than a good spread of light, but I've been using it as my only light for the last 6 months, usually mounted on my (crash!) helmet, and its been fine.

I'm looking to get a second light for better overall spread / coverage, and so that I can lend one to my 14 year old son on the occasions he comes out with us, so the second light needs to be good enough to be used occasionally as a single light.

I'm probably not going to go for another of the same (the mtbbatteries v1); even at a reduced price of £57, as there are a couple of lights on dealextreme that are cheaper ... these are:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t6-waterpr ... 10?item=30
price $43.30 (ie £27.80) - seems massively good value, but is it good enough as a sole light, and would it work well in conjunction with my current one?

or
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/mj-808e-ha ... 00?item=36
looks like the better light, and probably with a better spread, and still good value at $74.90 (£48.09), but is it worth the extra £20 over the T6?

I know the answer may be in the previous 34 pages of this thread, and did have a scan through, but the answer was not immediately apparent.

Cheers guys!

tincaman

How about this for UK sourced cheap XML?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180917242059? ... 1423.l2649

diy

Since they all have XM-L T6 lamps in its really down to build. That £17 ebay one looks worth a punt. could always drill the reflector out a bit to make it softer.

kevinharley

@tincaman - have you got the light you've given the ebay link for, and is it any good? Could it be used effectively as a single light? Spread / beam etc?

Cheers

Ouija

kevinharley wrote:

@tincaman - have you got the light you've given the ebay link for, and is it any good? Could it be used effectively as a single light? Spread / beam etc?

Cheers

Got your light and ten other T6 lights. Just got the one listed by tincaman (two, in fact) and can say that it's slightly better than some of the others. The reflector is smaller but has an orange peel effect for better spread (a lot of pictures of T6's show a orange peel reflector but you'll find they have a smooth reflector on arrival). There's still a noticeable spot, but the peel softens it somewhat. The main weakness with these lights is the mount. But alternatives can be found.

If you really want more of a flood why not try replacing the lens with different ones. I took one of my T6's similar to yours and simply ground one side of the glass on a piece of fine sandpaper for twenty minutes and then polished and buffed it to give it a diffused 'milky' appearance (like the pearl coating on a light bulb). Used with a identical model with regular lens it made a great Flood/Spot combo.

tincaman

Ouija wrote:

kevinharley wrote:

@tincaman - have you got the light you've given the ebay link for, and is it any good? Could it be used effectively as a single light? Spread / beam etc?

Cheers

Got your light and ten other T6 lights. Just got the one listed by tincaman (two, in fact) and can say that it's slightly better than some of the others. The reflector is smaller but has an orange peel effect for better spread (a lot of pictures of T6's show a orange peel reflector but you'll find they have a smooth reflector on arrival). There's still a noticeable spot, but the peel softens it somewhat. The main weakness with these lights is the mount. But alternatives can be found.

If you really want more of a flood why not try replacing the lens with different ones. I took one of my T6's similar to yours and simply ground one side of the glass on a piece of fine sandpaper for twenty minutes and then polished and buffed it to give it a diffused 'milky' appearance (like the pearl coating on a light bulb). Used with a identical model with regular lens it made a great Flood/Spot combo.

I converted an old Magicshine P7 to XML T6 and it changed to more of a searchlight, just took the glass out and put some invisible tape on the inside, this softens the effect considerably and is reversible if you want to change it back.

Is the connector waterproof?

posterboyj

Good read....

1@ATIME

Ouija wrote:

kevinharley wrote:

@tincaman - have you got the light you've given the ebay link for, and is it any good? Could it be used effectively as a single light? Spread / beam etc?

Cheers

Got your light and ten other T6 lights. Just got the one listed by tincaman (two, in fact) and can say that it's slightly better than some of the others. The reflector is smaller but has an orange peel effect for better spread (a lot of pictures of T6's show a orange peel reflector but you'll find they have a smooth reflector on arrival). There's still a noticeable spot, but the peel softens it somewhat. The main weakness with these lights is the mount. But alternatives can be found.

If you really want more of a flood why not try replacing the lens with different ones. I took one of my T6's similar to yours and simply ground one side of the glass on a piece of fine sandpaper for twenty minutes and then polished and buffed it to give it a diffused 'milky' appearance (like the pearl coating on a light bulb). Used with a identical model with regular lens it made a great Flood/Spot combo.

Can I just check that it is 1000lm as quoted or do you think slightly less?

Ouija

Yes, it's 1000lm. A lot of the cheaper Chinese ones tend to use T6's from the cheaper parts bins (T6's are graded into three different categories and sold at different price points depending on weather they meet the temperature/brightness spec, exceed it or fall slightly short of it... this is why two identical models viewed side by side can yield different results) but the two that i ordered seem to meet the specified brightness and are identical to each other. There don't seem to be any problems with any of the rear button/lights (some models i've bought have the red "battery drained" light permanently on, even when that's not the case) and the battery/light connector is waterproof, with a small ring around the connector that needs to be shoved in quite hard until it clicks that keeps the water out.

I've noticed that smaller reflectors tend to give better beam patterns with more flood and larger ones tend to be quite spotty (irrespective of if the reflector is smooth or orange peeled). My two T6 all in one hand/handlebar torches with tiny reflectors have always given a good pattern as does the twin head Inton T6 i have, which also has smaller reflectors (orange peeled and by far the most floodiest T6 in my collection, with smooth variable brightness control and 2000 lumen). The two i recently bought (tincamans link) also tend to be a smaller compact head with smaller orange peel reflector so, while there is a central spot, it gradates out to the edges more smoothly, rather than giving a very sharp central spot with a weak corona. By far the best of the single head, separate battery design i own (got four others in that category which all have something annoying about them).

Oh! And by the way. The best replacement mounts for these style of torches are the ones made by Hope (if you can find them). The Magicshine solid mount is rubbish, but at least the part that screws into the light can be used with the much better light mount sold at Halfords (£5). But spending £15 on a Magicshine mount and then another £5 on the Halfords one costs more than the light itself, so factor than into the equation when thinking about buying these lights.

1@ATIME

That's a great help thanks for the in depth reply, I have a couple of old mounts I think I might be able to use so hopefully these really will be a bargain

tincaman

tincaman wrote:

How about this for UK sourced cheap XML?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180917242059? ... 1423.l2649

Just bought one, and the seller has recalled all the lights back to the manufacturer as faulty so cant sell it to me :evil:

kevinharley

Me too! Well hacked off about this, partly because I was expecting it to be delivered today, and partly because I'm going to have to spend more money after all! :evil:

He's promised a paypal refund ... but if that doesn't take place, anyone any experience of how hard / easy it will be to get a refund through ebay / paypal?

apreading

Me too - he has promised a refund at 7:30 this morning, but nothing yet...

diy

Cell/pack problems no doubt. Still the biggest weakness on 4cell pack systems.

apreading

Why doesnt someone make a cell pack where you can unscrew the end cap and take the cells out individually to charge/replace them if desired?

jairaj

apreading wrote:

Why doesnt someone make a cell pack where you can unscrew the end cap and take the cells out individually to charge/replace them if desired?

because then they won't be able to charge silly prices for a battery pack.

kevinharley

Got my money refunded to my paypal account yesterday, so am reassured that it was a genuine product recall rather than a scam! Have ordered the cheaper of the two dealextreme lighs I posted about earlier in this thread:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t6-waterpr ... 10?item=30

Not as great value as the ebay one, but still a lot of light (hopefully) for only £28! Only drawback is that I'll probably have to wait 3-4 weeks for it to be delivered.

tincaman

apreading wrote:

Me too - he has promised a refund at 7:30 this morning, but nothing yet...

Yep, just send a polite message requesting a refund ASAP

matt-h

diy wrote:

2" wide elastic with two loops in the ends. Works for Giro Hex too.

HAs anyone a link to purchase this?

30mins of bloody google and i give up!

Matt

leaflite

matt-h wrote:

diy wrote:

2" wide elastic with two loops in the ends. Works for Giro Hex too.

HAs anyone a link to purchase this?

30mins of bloody google and i give up!

Matt

I think the idea is you make it yourself

matt-h

I know. Can't find the correct elastic with loops