E2L AA Outdoorsman w/ MN01 E1e head

[chillinn]

Chillnn, if all what you want is 15-20lm on 2xAA, you could use a mag mini AA which is 19lm light. Get the NiteIze clicky tail cap, put on some Phaseburn diffusing film on the lens and you are all set for $20

Thanks for the suggestion, ma tumba. It is more than simply wanting low lumens, but also to be able to run incan the entire night. What is nicer about E series, among other things, is the lamp, which last much longer than the (on average) 4 hour AA Mini Mag lamps. Also, I think it is the reflector and lamp combination of E series that gives such a clean spill and tight hot spot. AA Mini Mags are an incredible value, and are excellent for task lighting, but I am seeking to create ambient space without having to go through 2 or 3 ~$1.50 lamps per evening.

 

[ma tumba]

I am seeking to create ambient space without having to go through 2 or 3 ~$1.50 lamps per evening.

Actually, I've been using my minimag regularly since 1991 and have killed just two lamps since that time, both when I used 1.5V alkalines rather than 1.2V eneloops and both were the original (halogen ?) versions. Couple years ago I switched to xenon which is so much whiter and this bulb is still in there. Are you speaking from experience about the 4 hour life time?

And btw, what is life time of an mn01? Last time I saw it on ebay the price was $40

 

[chillinn]

Actually, I've been using my minimag regularly since 1991 and have killed just two lamps since that time, both when I used 1.5V alkalines rather than 1.2V eneloops and both were the original (halogen ?) versions. Couple years ago I switched to xenon which is so much whiter and this bulb is still in there. Are you speaking from experience about the 4 hour life time?

And btw, what is life time of an mn01? Last time I saw it on ebay the price was $40

Yes, from my experience, and the 4 hour life-time of Mag lamps is well-known as well. There is a best way to use them to extend their life, like never turn them on for just a few seconds, but always for at least a half a minute... but I'm not sure why that helps prevent them blowing. I have gotten as many as 8 hours out of a Mag lamp, as I do use Mag lamps, but just recently picked up a lot of Lamptronix lamps, which I posted about elsewhere in the incan forum. I got over 40 hours on one Lamptronix, but they do tend to get much dimmer over time as deposits build up on the inside of the lamp. I prefer the krypton mag lamps to the xenon, for the color temperature more than anything. Xenon tends to irritate my waking or tired eyes, but it's fine if it's in the middle of that somewhere. Last night when I got up, I was using my stock Solitaire with the xenon stock lamp, and found it very irritating. I also can't stand bluer xenon headlamps on other vehicles; I find them to be blinding and distracting. But I understand why others prefer xenon to krypton.

Lifetime of MN01 is measured in cell swaps, and I believe it is expected to get about 50 cell swaps (at over an hour per cell swap) between burnouts. Prices on eBay mean little; they're all over the place if you look at the history of the auctions. MN01 can still be found at some retailers for about $20, but I'm using a Tad Customs E-socket and the lamps Tad Customs sells. I don't think they are expected to be as durable as MN01, but I haven't burned one out yet.

 

[scout24]

Okay, this concept, the 2xAA MN-01 light, has been picking away at the back of my mind. Just sold my E2L AA, so out comes the 2xAA Valiant Concepts twisty body. I dug out a black E series incan head and an MN-01 bulb. I figured a runtime test was in order, so at 2:45 this afternoon it commenced, with my E1e as a baseline to compare. Both have fresh cells. The 2xAA is whiter, with either bulb. Pics and a runtime total to come!

 

[chillinn]

What chem cells, scout24? Initial voltage? Thanks for doing this.



When you're ready to put your black E series incan head back where you dug it out from, first consider if you could ever part with it, and if you may have mercy on one, such as myself, that can't seem to... get a head.

 

[scout24]

A pair of 12/2016 Energizer alkalines. Starting voltage 3.21v, ended at an hour and 50 minutes almost without warning. Still decent color temp, but 2.18v combined two cell voltage after a minute's rest. Literally one minute of dimming...

 

[chillinn]

A pair of 12/2016 Energizer alkalines. Starting voltage 3.21v, ended at an hour and 50 minutes almost without warning. Still decent color temp, but 2.18v combined two cell voltage after a minute's rest. Literally one minute of dimming...

That is nearly the best news I have heard all day. Outstanding performance.

 

[scout24]

I'd be curious how Eneloops would do, but I'm a bit short on AA 'Loops...

 

[scout24]

To clarify- 12/2026 Energizer alkalines. Brand new. My apologies! (Purchased in 12/2016.) And, it did get warm to the touch. More than I thought it would, I guess I've never run an MN-01 for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a clip before.

 

[chillinn]

I guess I've never run an MN-01 for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a clip before.

You don't know what you're missing. It's even better in the dark.

 

[scout24]

Lol. I gravitated to the MN-02 in an E2e, there's six or seven running around here somewhere... Probably my favorite incan setup for primary cell pocket carry. And once 16650's came out, I stocked up on LF HO-E1R's. Haven't gone to Tad's yet, except for my A2...

 

[scout24]

2xAA on right, fresh cells.

Comparison, just because...

 

[chillinn]

Those are pretty. The way I figure it, Surefire designed the system (head+lamp+cells+body+switch) to be rock solid, and for it to be rock solid, it probably calls for OEM Surefire lamps. However, if bomb-proofedness isn't an absolute necessity, then we can skirt with Tad Customs set ups, because the sockets only cost as much as a single SF lamp. While there is no guarantee that it will be bomb proof with the custom set up, Tad Customs' custom bipin lamps are plentiful and inexpensive, and they cast just as beautifully. Also, with 2xAA, there is zero concern for the cells. And your test leads me to believe even if ragging the cells, it won't even bother a pair of Eneloops one little bit... they may not even get below 1V, so ragging them might not even be easy to do if trying really hard. This set up is carefree, and the cells will love it.

 

[vicv]

I'm actually surprised by your test. What you described is exactly what it should have been like with eneloops and opposite of alkaline. The bulb is probably drawing around 1.2A. That's a lot for alkaline AAs. I would've expected a continuous drop in output and yellowing as the cells discharged as alkalines don't exactly have a flat discharge curve. And capacity suffers badly from a high drain rate. That was truly amazing performance

 

[scout24]

I was expecting more of a warning of shutdown- yellowing, or a drop in output. To the eye, color temp was more than acceptable for all but the last minute, with no super obvious drop in output. Maybe a lumen or two? This was in daylight, but I did use a "control" light. Maybe the same test run with instrumentation would make the dropoff more obvious. A light meter or sphere, and a multimeter? This was strictly seat-of-the-pants...

 

[vicv]

Hey if you liked the result who cares what a light meter showed. Your results just weren't what I expected is all but I'm very glad they were what they were. There's no doubt that 2 AA nimhs are better in every way but form factor than a single cr123 but it's also neat that alkalines outperformed one as well in both runtime and brightness. Almost 2 hours of 40-50 lumens from two alkaline AAs is awesome

 

[chillinn]

cross posting to inspire some comment, positive, negative, serious or sarcastic.
Scroll down to "######## w00t ##########."

 

[ma tumba]

Chillinn, if you need light so soft and easy on your eyes, you really need to consider various diffusing tools such as, for example, the F04 diffuser for e-series lights. Or Phaseburn's film for the front glass. They make a whole lot of difference that you may like.

 

[chillinn]

Thanks for the suggestion, ma tumba! But I believe it really is the intensity and color temperature of the light that troubles my waking eyes, and only for up to an hour after waking at most. A diffuser should lower the intensity a little, but if the original non-diffused light is 80lm, it's going go need to be one seriously opaque diffuser to lower the intensity to make any difference to the lumen output. That said, I have been long eyeing and bookmarking where to get the red, blue, and green fliters, and the diffuser and beam shaper... and looking for more (is there a yellow, amber, and orange filter? probably will pass on the IR filter) for when I am ready for purchases again. It almost feels like collecting all the "sold separately" accessories for some favorite toy when I was young (which I never did, so maybe this desire is related to recurrence or relapse or something) in that it is fun (how can you not get them all?), but incan E is no toy, of course. I really need the plasma diffuser so I can battle the sith properly.

 

[ampdude]

Chillinn, if you need light so soft and easy on your eyes, you really need to consider various diffusing tools such as, for example, the F04 diffuser for e-series lights. Or Phaseburn's film for the front glass. They make a whole lot of difference that you may like.

I use this setup with two AA energizer lithium batteries in an E2L-AA and an MN01. It's a great reading light. Old alkalines work fine though too, just not quite as bright.