The big LIGHTS thread 2011-2014

andyrr

KokaKona wrote:

Bartimaeus wrote:

KokaKona wrote:

XM-L U3 bin emitter in this one (allegedly):
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf-501b-cree-xm-l-u3-1400-lumen-5-mode-led-flashlight-1-18650
Not bad for ~9 quid!

I've just had some fun trying to order from Lightmalls - the only option online is to pay for FedEx tracked which nearly $20. Via email I think I have sorted 'SG post' (whatever that is) for $4.55... so items are still cheap, but £3 more than they seem. I may still get one of those for £12

"SG post" is probably Singapore airmail.

Using a carriage option other than FedEx woudl be a good thing - I got stung for an extra £17.50 over and above the £50-odd my light cost when FedEx chased me for a VAT charge PLUS an admin fee.
I raised the issue with LM themselves but they just told me to take it up with FedEx. I think that this local FedEx fee is the VAT/Customs charge or £7.50 and then they have the cheek to charge £10 to administer that ! I ignored FE's 1st letter/invoice but a few weeks later the 2nd arrived with short notice for payment so I've just stumped up as it isn't a massive amount, just feels wrong being enforced to use FE as the carrier, paying their carriage fee at the point of ordering and then getting that same international carrier wanting a further fee off me.

bartimaeus

If you want SG post then email service@lightmalls.com and ask... you just can't choose it through the website if shipping to the UK

ian_s

My pair of
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... ht-1-18650

have developed a tendency to flip into a strange mode after about 30 mins of running on medium (starting with fully charged cells). I thought it was just the one but they both seem to behave the same.

Basically the light goes dim - probably down to the low level. If I try to switch mode, the light flickers for a few seconds and then settles into medium/high for about 30 seconds or so, and then drops back to low. This is without any vibration which might cause power interruption.

Is this a low battery mode (which would be a bit surprising given only 30 mins running)? or some other known issue?
The torches are only a couple of months old and not been subject to any dodgy conditions/soakings etc.

Actually having got home last night I tried to provoke the problem again indoors, but they behaved immaculately for at least another hour - which kind of discounts the drained cell theory. Do they just not like the cold..?

Thanks,
Ian

diy

Ian s you have a lose connection somewhere. Strip tighten lube and refit everything.

KokaKona

diy wrote:

Ian s you have a lose connection somewhere. Strip tighten lube and refit everything.

This is exactly what happens to mine (as mentioned in 03/Dec post) - I had assumed it was slightly iffy batteries and/or some feature of the driver to protect the batteries from over-discharge.

What do you mean by "lube" DIY? WD40 or something?

jairaj

grease on the threads and o rings. helps make it more water tight and fits back together smoother.

alfablue

InkZ wrote:

I charged up my Torchy 2800's but these don't seem to work. The LEDs only light dim and the modes don't quite work properly.

A bit late I know, but I may have found the problem with the Torchy's and the 501/502b's. I had exactly the same thing happen yesterday with a 502b and Senybor batteries. I dismantled the whole torch. It turns out that the driver was shorting out on the reflector.

The white ring around the LED is thin self-adhesive card, it acts as an insulator between the driver board and the reflector.

The solder attaching one of the two wires to the board was a bit "ugly" and there was a sharp point on it, this had pierced the cardboard and was causing the short. I think having used the longer SenyBor batteries meant that the pointy bit of solder was forced through the card when I tightened the torch (I do tend to be a bit heavy handed). As a temporary fix I pulled off the white card ring and rotated it 90 degrees and replaced it so that it would cover the solder blobs. On reassembly the torch worked fine.

If it happens again I'll smooth off the solder and make a new insulator.

alfablue

ian_s wrote:

My pair of
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... ht-1-18650

have developed a tendency to flip into a strange mode after about 30 mins of running on medium (starting with fully charged cells). I thought it was just the one but they both seem to behave the same.

Basically the light goes dim - probably down to the low level. If I try to switch mode, the light flickers for a few seconds and then settles into medium/high for about 30 seconds or so, and then drops back to low. This is without any vibration which might cause power interruption.

Is this a low battery mode (which would be a bit surprising given only 30 mins running)? or some other known issue?
The torches are only a couple of months old and not been subject to any dodgy conditions/soakings etc.

Actually having got home last night I tried to provoke the problem again indoors, but they behaved immaculately for at least another hour - which kind of discounts the drained cell theory. Do they just not like the cold..?

Thanks,
Ian

could it be the same as my issue described in the post above?

Ouija

ian_s wrote:

My pair of
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... ht-1-18650

have developed a tendency to flip into a strange mode after about 30 mins of running on medium (starting with fully charged cells). I thought it was just the one but they both seem to behave the same.

Basically the light goes dim - probably down to the low level. If I try to switch mode, the light flickers for a few seconds and then settles into medium/high for about 30 seconds or so, and then drops back to low. This is without any vibration which might cause power interruption.

Is this a low battery mode (which would be a bit surprising given only 30 mins running)? or some other known issue?
The torches are only a couple of months old and not been subject to any dodgy conditions/soakings etc.

Actually having got home last night I tried to provoke the problem again indoors, but they behaved immaculately for at least another hour - which kind of discounts the drained cell theory. Do they just not like the cold..?

Thanks,
Ian

Funnily enough, i had a similar problem with my Trustfire A8 a couple of weeks ago when i left it running in the freezer (don't ask). Brightened up again when i took it out and left it to warm up in my living room. Put it down to something i heard about Li-Ion batteries not operating properly below freezing temperatures. Never really pursued it (maybe time for a little experiment).

"Conventional Li-ion chemistry starts to suffer as the temperature drops below 0°C and the internal impedance of the battery increases. The result of this effect is “voltage droop,” which becomes more pronounced at –20°C or lower. Cell capacity is also reduced during these lower temperatures. If these cells are used or stored at –50°C, irreparable damage may occur under certain conditions to internal separators within the cells, making the cells a safety hazard."

ian_s

Hmm - I don't think it was -50. At least all my bodily parts are still attached. I doubt it was below freezing either and if so only a degree or so. But still the behaviour stacks up.

alfablue - that sounds plausible. They have often been ok after undoing the end cap and removing/replacing the battery. Also that going over a bump can provoke it (I think) - which could correspond to a pointy bit of solder going somewhere it shouldn't.

Will have a look later..

diy

The thing is everything expands as it heats up, sometimes that causes short or arcs with poor connections, which can impact the light.

RandG

Anyone know where I can get a dual male to female adapter so I can run two battery's ? I got a dual female to male from deal extreme but can't see the opposite type on their site ??

concorde

Not amused, my 502b P7 finally came back. Bit more floody than my 501b T6 but it's meant to be 970 lumens but it's not as bright as my T6s which are 510 lumens each. And it cost the most out of the lot. Wank!

Ouija

RandG wrote:

Anyone know where I can get a dual male to female adapter so I can run two battery's ? I got a dual female to male from deal extreme but can't see the opposite type on their site ??

You mean this.


or even this

RandG

Took a punt on the first one, though not so sure it'll work but at 30bob I'll risk it.

Ouija

RandG wrote:

Took a punt on the first one, though not so sure it'll work but at 30bob I'll risk it.

Have both. They work with all the Chinese battery packs i've got (7). The thing to watch out for with these is to make sure they have a 2.1mm hole in the center and not 2.5mm. The outer diameter for all the Chinese stuff is pretty standard at 5.5mm and about 9mm long.

KokaKona

http://www.cree.com/led-components-and-modules/products/xlamp/discrete-directional/xlamp-xml2
http://ledsmagazine.com/news/9/12/14

2nd generation XM-L2 emitter has been released. Happy days!

Greer_

I was recommended this http://www.amazon.co.uk/iaMOutdoor-Lume ... 671&sr=8-5 by a few people who swear by them, any views? I have already bought it though, as at that price I don't have much to lose!

apreading

Greer_ wrote:

I was recommended this http://www.amazon.co.uk/iaMOutdoor-Lume ... 671&sr=8-5 by a few people who swear by them, any views? I have already bought it though, as at that price I don't have much to lose!

Its a P7 emittor - so last years tech. Not as efficient or bright as the XML but still none too shabby. Some still prefer this to the XML as it is less spotty and has better spread. I am sure it will be fine, but in my opinion you could have done better.

Greer_

apreading wrote:

Greer_ wrote:

I was recommended this http://www.amazon.co.uk/iaMOutdoor-Lume ... 671&sr=8-5 by a few people who swear by them, any views? I have already bought it though, as at that price I don't have much to lose!

Its a P7 emittor - so last years tech. Not as efficient or bright as the XML but still none too shabby. Some still prefer this to the XML as it is less spotty and has better spread. I am sure it will be fine, but in my opinion you could have done better.

I plan on using it as a headtorch so could well end up with a few torches or something on the bars.

DanDax1990

Ouija wrote:

Just noticed a load of these in different colours being touted on ebay.



They mount to your quick release skewer to allow you to run handlebar lights down at the axle of your wheel.

Only one question.... how the hell do you turn the light on and off or change modes when it's right down there.?

Good or bad idea?

Dan_xz

I suspect that will perform very poorly - especially if used without a helmet light. Its going to cast long shadows in the trail everytime you come to an obstacle creating a black patch exactly where you need to see. Although probably not for long as i imagine it will get splattered in dirt and severly dimmed anyway.

Still, someone has to try it out!

Ouija

Could always stick a Ultrafire 501/502 down there with a remote switch (made a few of these myself) but i agree with the above statement. Also. You'd have to have the torch pointing parallel to the road to put the beam any reasonable distance down the road, which would cause it to blind oncoming motorists more than a high mounted torch with a more pronounced downward tilt.

Thereldi

ian_s wrote:

Hmm - I don't think it was -50. At least all my bodily parts are still attached. I doubt it was below freezing either and if so only a degree or so. But still the behaviour stacks up.

alfablue - that sounds plausible. They have often been ok after Peimar led undoing the end cap and removing/replacing the battery. Also that going over a bump can provoke it (I think) - which could correspond to a pointy bit of solder going somewhere it shouldn't.

Will have a look later..

you need to do it careful while soldering. It generally cause problem with over heating

concorde

That looks like it'll be shite! Long shadows! Covered in mud! It'll go dark with any kind of little bump in front of you as it shines straight at it and on nothing over it! Fail!

bartimaeus

Is there a simple way to measure the amp hours of your cells so you can tell which are best? Presumably if you can hook the cell up to something that draws a constant current and then measure the time it takes to drop a set voltage, then you could come up with something useful.

-Archie-

Concorde wrote:

That looks like it'll be shite! Long shadows! Covered in mud! It'll go dark with any kind of little bump in front of you as it shines straight at it and on nothing over it! Fail!

Not really. This setup is just not for offroad use. For long road trips, low location of light source provides good results for seeing the imperfections on the surface. Also, it's good in the fog: please note the location of car fog lights...

-Archie-

Bartimaeus wrote:

Is there a simple way to measure the amp hours of your cells so you can tell which are best? Presumably if you can hook the cell up to something that draws a constant current and then measure the time it takes to drop a set voltage, then you could come up with something useful.

Most hobby chargers measure the capacity exactly the way you've described. My personal recommendation is, to buy one of these.

bartimaeus

-Archie- wrote:

Most hobby chargers measure the capacity exactly the way you've described. My personal recommendation is, to buy one of these.

Any recommendations? I have a cheap DX 18650 charger (which works) and an XTAR II (which is playing up)... but I might invest in something better if it measures capacity as I have a plentiful supply of old laptop cells - some of which seem to be pretty decent.

concorde

-Archie- wrote:

Concorde wrote:

That looks like it'll be shite! Long shadows! Covered in mud! It'll go dark with any kind of little bump in front of you as it shines straight at it and on nothing over it! Fail!

Not really. This setup is just not for offroad use. For long road trips, low location of light source provides good results for seeing the imperfections on the surface. Also, it's good in the fog: please note the location of car fog lights...

Last time I checked I was in a mountain biking forum?! Can see the benefits in the fog but not much use in fog if it's covered in mud. Good for road though maybe, I don't think in those terms though ;-)