Holy Cr@p that's bright

Flasheart
Flasheart Posts: 1,278
edited October 2009 in Commuting chat
:idea: Don't look at your new Fenix LD2 on turbo mode straight on. Still have a big blotch on my vision.

Been away all weekend in Scotland. Edinburgh is lovelly btw . I wish I'd had longer there.
Came home to find my new light had arrived . Unscrewed the end and stuck the batteries in and started playing with it. Nice big mirror in the lounge was my target. I stood there looking at reflection and pointing it at myself and kept clicking the button on the end. "Is that it? I thought. Then I rotated the bezel...not clever. That damn thing is bright :shock:
I hope it lights up the road as well
The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle. ...Stapp’s Ironical Paradox Law
FCN3
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http://lonelymiddlesomethingguy.blogspot.com/
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Comments

  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    There really, really are enough lights threads already, dude!
  • Flasheart
    Flasheart Posts: 1,278
    Was more a " cr@p that was stupid as I bought it cos it was supposed to be really a really bright light" thread :oops:
    The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle. ...Stapp’s Ironical Paradox Law
    FCN3
    http://img87.yfrog.com/img87/336/mycubeb.jpg
    http://lonelymiddlesomethingguy.blogspot.com/
  • Edinburgh is rather lovely, isn't it?

    I'm very much looking forward to receiving my Q5-based torch in the post very soon. Maybe even tomorrow. I shall be careful to test it on other people's eyes first though. :D
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    As I posted on another thread, I've just bought an L2D too and whilst it starts of impressively bright, less than 10 mins into my commute it has dimmed quite significantly. I'm using 2700 MaH rechargeables in it which were fine in my also very bright Cat Eye light. I haven't even been using it at full, turbo power as the instructions say that the heat build up if you use it in turbo for long periods can damage it.

    Not sure why mine dims so significantly, I'd be interested in hearing your experiences with it though...
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  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    :lol: I did that... not smart
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
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  • Flasheart
    Flasheart Posts: 1,278
    I'd never been to Scotland before. Made a point of stopping at every bike shop I saw. Mrs said "you don't need to go into EVERY bike shop you see" I said " Yes I do, I have a duty"
    Anyways, yeah it was a lovelly city.
    I compared it to London...with less people (and they were nice and friendly) less cars, less litter, cleaner air and better roads. Definatly going back next year for the Festival & Tattoo
    Glasgow was a "mare". Even my TomTom got lost :evil:
    And best of all...4 days alone with Mrs and NO KIDS.
    Eldest is 20 and this is the first weekend away we've ever had alone in 17 years. :twisted:
    The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle. ...Stapp’s Ironical Paradox Law
    FCN3
    http://img87.yfrog.com/img87/336/mycubeb.jpg
    http://lonelymiddlesomethingguy.blogspot.com/
  • Mr Sworld
    Mr Sworld Posts: 703
    I have an LD20 as well. It makes pedestrians look behind themselves as you approach from the rear!

    I even once had a woman actually scream as I passed, she looked around and was scared witless by the LD20 on strobe mode.... :twisted:
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    What batts do you use in the LD20? Normal AAs or have you got it rigged to a higher powered external battery of some kind?
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  • Mr Sworld
    Mr Sworld Posts: 703
    I use normal AA's but they don't last too long... :( (Luckily I can nick them from work! :D )
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    As I pointed out earlier I use rechargeable AAs and my L2D noticeably dims during my ride home (20-25 mins). Just trying to work out how to make it stay brighter for longer!
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  • kurako
    kurako Posts: 1,098
    Flasheart wrote:
    Anyways, yeah it was a lovelly city.
    I compared it to London...with less people (and they were nice and friendly) less cars, less litter, cleaner air and better roads. Definatly going back next year for the Festival & Tattoo
    Glasgow was a "mare". Even my TomTom got lost :evil:

    Almost as many English as in London too :P
  • Mr Sworld
    Mr Sworld Posts: 703
    The Energizer Lithiums are supposed to be really good but a bit expensive.

    http://www.energizer.com/products/hightech-batteries/lithium/Pages/lithium-batteries.aspx
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    Mr Sworld wrote:
    The Energizer Lithiums are supposed to be really good but a bit expensive.

    http://www.energizer.com/products/hightech-batteries/lithium/Pages/lithium-batteries.aspx

    Yeah but they're not rechargeable are they? The speed at which the L2D seems to burn through battery power, I'd be spending half my salary on batteries!
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  • Big Wib
    Big Wib Posts: 363
    Flasheart wrote:
    Anyways, yeah it was a lovelly city.

    Probably the only city i would voluntarily live in, although the festival is a bit of a pain if you live there
  • Mr Sworld
    Mr Sworld Posts: 703
    I've always stuck to 'normal' AA's as rechargables are only 1.2 Volt compared to the 1.5 Volt of non-rechargables.

    I might try swapping them over thought to see if there is any difference. I have some very nice, expensive, Ansmann batteries for my camera that I can try.

    http://www.ansmann.de/cms/consumroot/batteries-battery-packs/rechargeable-batteries-nimh/mignon-aa/2850-mah.html
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    Mr Sworld wrote:
    I've always stuck to 'normal' AA's as rechargables are only 1.2 Volt compared to the 1.5 Volt of non-rechargables.

    I might try swapping them over thought to see if there is any difference. I have some very nice, expensive, Ansmann batteries for my camera that I can try.

    http://www.ansmann.de/cms/consumroot/batteries-battery-packs/rechargeable-batteries-nimh/mignon-aa/2850-mah.html

    I was always led to believe that it's the MaH value that's important in rechargeables rather than the voltage and those ones you have posted there are very high - 2850MaH, I think the maximum available is 2900MaH. My L2D came with 4 free 2800MaH Fujicell batts but I haven't tried them in it yet, have been using my exisiting 2700MaH ones.
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  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    Headhunter, it is very likely your batteries are either rubbish or cooked.

    I had a set of Uniross cells and their rapid super fast charger and I destroyed them in about 3 months, so they end up with maybe 400mah capacity rather than the stated (and always over optimistic) capacity. I have now got a smart charger, it cares for the batteries really nicely and they last for years, and drive my Fenix on Turbo for 2.5 hours. It only dims in the last 5 minutes (which is how it should work).

    You need some new cells and a "Smart" charger.

    I use a MAHA Wizard One charger which is pricey, but charges at the rate you choose and have various circuits to protect the cells from damage. It also diplays the actual capacity of the cells.

    You can get one that is almost as good for half the price: theTechnoline BL700.

    Or the cheapest one I would trust, the Vapextech LCD,WORLD (110v/240v) ,ULTRA FAST 1 HOUR CHARGER for under £15. (Although it says Ultra Fast, its not really, and it is safe for your cells).

    I would also get some new batteries from the VApextech page (under £5 for 4 2900mah AA's - they actually have around 2500mah capacity, but work very well, and have lasted).

    As for Turbo mode, I actually find that high is usually enough, but am happy to use turbo - on the bike the air will cool the light quite well.
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    alfablue wrote:
    Headhunter, it is very likely your batteries are either rubbish or cooked.

    I had a set of Uniross cells and their rapid super fast charger and I destroyed them in about 3 months, so they end up with maybe 400mah capacity rather than the stated (and always over optimistic) capacity. I have now got a smart charger, it cares for the batteries really nicely and they last for years, and drive my Fenix on Turbo for 2.5 hours. It only dims in the last 5 minutes (which is how it should work).

    You need some new cells and a "Smart" charger.

    I use a MAHA Wizard One charger which is pricey, but charges at the rate you choose and have various circuits to protect the cells from damage. It also diplays the actual capacity of the cells.

    You can get one that is almost as good for half the price: theTechnoline BL700.

    Or the cheapest one I would trust, the Vapextech LCD,WORLD (110v/240v) ,ULTRA FAST 1 HOUR CHARGER for under £15. (Although it says Ultra Fast, its not really, and it is safe for your cells).

    I would also get some new batteries from the VApextech page (under £5 for 4 2900mah AA's - they actually have around 2500mah capacity, but work very well, and have lasted).

    As for Turbo mode, I actually find that high is usually enough, but am happy to use turbo - on the bike the air will cool the light quite well.

    Cheers Alfa Blue, I think we talked batteries before - you really are the battery wizard! So you think that it's my batteries? I remember you suggesting those chargers before. Perhaps it's time to take the plunge...
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  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    Mr Sworld wrote:
    I've always stuck to 'normal' AA's as rechargables are only 1.2 Volt compared to the 1.5 Volt of non-rechargables.

    I might try swapping them over thought to see if there is any difference. I have some very nice, expensive, Ansmann batteries for my camera that I can try.

    http://www.ansmann.de/cms/consumroot/batteries-battery-packs/rechargeable-batteries-nimh/mignon-aa/2850-mah.html

    I was always led to believe that it's the MaH value that's important in rechargeables rather than the voltage and those ones you have posted there are very high - 2850MaH, I think the maximum available is 2900MaH. My L2D came with 4 free 2800MaH Fujicell batts but I haven't tried them in it yet, have been using my exisiting 2700MaH ones.

    Headhunter is right - alkalines start at 1.5v but diminish throughout the runtime. NiMH are 1.2v throughout. If you look at the runtime charts here you will see the alkalines rapidly diminish whilst NiMH are pretty flat for 90% of the runtime.

    On capacity, even the best cells won't give the stated output. My best ones (Powerex) are rated at 2700mah but deliver 2500mah, my others (Vapextech) are rated 2900mah but also deliver 2500mah, but as they are less than half the price of the Powerex, they are my battery of choice.
  • suzyb
    suzyb Posts: 3,449
    Flasheart wrote:
    I'd never been to Scotland before. Made a point of stopping at every bike shop I saw. Mrs said "you don't need to go into EVERY bike shop you see" I said " Yes I do, I have a duty"
    Anyways, yeah it was a lovelly city.
    I compared it to London...with less people (and they were nice and friendly) less cars, less litter, cleaner air and better roads. Definatly going back next year for the Festival & Tattoo
    Glasgow was a "mare". Even my TomTom got lost :evil:
    Better roads :?

    You obviously didn't pass through my neck of the woods. And now there's roadworks on the one section of the road that isn't full of potholes :roll:

    But yes Edinburgh > Glasgow
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    alfablue wrote:
    Headhunter, it is very likely your batteries are either rubbish or cooked.

    I had a set of Uniross cells and their rapid super fast charger and I destroyed them in about 3 months, so they end up with maybe 400mah capacity rather than the stated (and always over optimistic) capacity. I have now got a smart charger, it cares for the batteries really nicely and they last for years, and drive my Fenix on Turbo for 2.5 hours. It only dims in the last 5 minutes (which is how it should work).

    You need some new cells and a "Smart" charger.

    I use a MAHA Wizard One charger which is pricey, but charges at the rate you choose and have various circuits to protect the cells from damage. It also diplays the actual capacity of the cells.

    You can get one that is almost as good for half the price: theTechnoline BL700.

    Or the cheapest one I would trust, the Vapextech LCD,WORLD (110v/240v) ,ULTRA FAST 1 HOUR CHARGER for under £15. (Although it says Ultra Fast, its not really, and it is safe for your cells).

    I would also get some new batteries from the VApextech page (under £5 for 4 2900mah AA's - they actually have around 2500mah capacity, but work very well, and have lasted).

    As for Turbo mode, I actually find that high is usually enough, but am happy to use turbo - on the bike the air will cool the light quite well.

    Cheers Alfa Blue, I think we talked batteries before - you really are the battery wizard! So you think that it's my batteries? I remember you suggesting those chargers before. Perhaps it's time to take the plunge...
    'tis time :wink:

    If you get the Technoline you can then see if any batteries are underperforming and chuck them out. Its best to try and match batteries with similar performance. I can't honestly say the Maha is worth £20 more, nice as it is.
  • The torch I bought works with Lithium rechargables, so I bought a few of those and the charger too. They're apparently great if they don't explode. :shock:
  • Kieran_Burns
    Kieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    Just got back from Scotland myself.. spent the day in Stirling on business - gorgeous town which confuses the beejesus out of Sat Nav :roll:

    5.5C in the morning - Good God I could see my breath! :shock:

    Now to wander into the Winter thread to explain my excuse for not being able to commute at the moment... :oops:
    Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
    2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
    2011 Trek Madone 4.5
    2012 Felt F65X
    Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
  • Wallace1492
    Wallace1492 Posts: 3,707
    Just got back from Scotland myself.. spent the day in Stirling on business - gorgeous town which confuses the beejesus out of Sat Nav :roll:

    5.5C in the morning - Good God I could see my breath! :shock:

    Now to wander into the Winter thread to explain my excuse for not being able to commute at the moment... :oops:

    Kieran MTFU!! Just a normal morning on the commute.... was a wee bit on the wet side, but still nowhere near zero c, Was too warm today in my waterproofs, but hey, I know I am ready for all weathers. Stirling not too far from where I live, and have cycled there and back before. Next time you up, bring bike!!
    "Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    I nicked a couple of Duracells from work last night to try in the Fenix and it was amazingly bright! So much brighter than with the rechargeables, I'm going to buy a better charger and have another go. The Fenix was almost embarrassingly bright, I had it on turbo flash mode and it illuminated street signs, car reg plates, other cyclists reflective gear from a hundred metres or so away and it didn't seem to dim too much
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  • Mr Sworld
    Mr Sworld Posts: 703
    I nicked a couple of Duracells from work last night to try in the Fenix and it was amazingly bright! So much brighter than with the rechargeables, I'm going to buy a better charger and have another go. The Fenix was almost embarrassingly bright, I had it on turbo flash mode and it illuminated street signs, car reg plates, other cyclists reflective gear from a hundred metres or so away and it didn't seem to dim too much

    It great isn't it! :P
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    Mr Sworld wrote:
    I nicked a couple of Duracells from work last night to try in the Fenix and it was amazingly bright! So much brighter than with the rechargeables, I'm going to buy a better charger and have another go. The Fenix was almost embarrassingly bright, I had it on turbo flash mode and it illuminated street signs, car reg plates, other cyclists reflective gear from a hundred metres or so away and it didn't seem to dim too much

    It great isn't it! :P

    Yep. I've ordered a fancy batt recharger as well now, so hopefully I'll be able to get the same results from the rechargeables in future
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  • japsy
    japsy Posts: 78
    alfablue wrote:
    I had a set of Uniross cells and their rapid super fast charger and I destroyed them in about 3 months, so they end up with maybe 400mah capacity rather than the stated (and always over optimistic) capacity. I have now got a smart charger, it cares for the batteries really nicely and they last for years, and drive my Fenix on Turbo for 2.5 hours. It only dims in the last 5 minutes (which is how it should work).
    Alfa,

    I've got the fenix ld20 with vapextech 2700mAh cells charged with the technoline charger you mentioned (get about 2200 capacity reading on the charger) but I only get about an hour from Turbo mode before the thing starts dimming. Have you got the same torch? It'd be great to not have to stop and keep swapping batteries.
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    Hi Japsy

    I have the L2D and get over two hours with vapextech 2900mah. No dimming until it is virtually exhausted.

    Note that the charger states what mah has gone into the battery whilst charging - this will be higher than the actual capacity of the battery. To see what the battery capacity is you have to put it in test or analyse mode (not sure what it is called on the Technoline). In this mode it charges the battery, then discharges it, showing the mah it delivers (this is the true capacity of the battery), then charges it again.

    If you are getting 2200 on discharge, then this is probably fair enough, and what you might reasonably expect, however, if the 2200 is the figure taken from charging, it could actually have a capacity only 2/3 of that figure, which would explain poor performance.

    The LD20 has slightly shorter run time c/w the L2D, but there is very little in it.
  • japsy
    japsy Posts: 78
    alfablue wrote:
    Hi Japsy

    I have the L2D and get over two hours with vapextech 2900mah. No dimming until it is virtually exhausted.

    Note that the charger states what mah has gone into the battery whilst charging - this will be higher than the actual capacity of the battery. To see what the battery capacity is you have to put it in test or analyse mode (not sure what it is called on the Technoline). In this mode it charges the battery, then discharges it, showing the mah it delivers (this is the true capacity of the battery), then charges it again.

    If you are getting 2200 on discharge, then this is probably fair enough, and what you might reasonably expect, however, if the 2200 is the figure taken from charging, it could actually have a capacity only 2/3 of that figure, which would explain poor performance.

    The LD20 has slightly shorter run time c/w the L2D, but there is very little in it.

    Thanks for the feedback. I think you are right with regards to the figure being what is actually pumped in and not necessarily what you will get out. I normally discharge before charge therefore it is the full charge figure. If that is the case, I'm not sure why my cells are performing poorly. What current do you charge yours at? I use the default (200mA).

    Note, this has been my experience since I bought the lights and cells from new so it's not as if the batteries have deteriorated over time.