Princeton Tec EOS on Energizer e2 Lithiums Runtime Graph

Hello!

Thank you all for your massive input on the EOS... This is truly my favorite headlamp (w/ the 17mm IMS reflector) and I don't see myself switching anytime soon... I'm impressed by almost every feature...

We've seen runtime charts on:

* Alkalines (thanks to Quickbeam) - http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/princetontec_eos.htm
* NiMH (thanks to Chevrofreak) - https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/105241
* Lithium-Ions (thanks to Silverfox) https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/100590&highlight=diet

Now we have the energizer e2 lithiums!



This is my first time using another website to host... I'm using imageshack I hope it works.. If not let me know and I can email it all to you guys!

As you can see with lithiums E2's we're getting over 5 hours of regulated output on high... So far this is the longest output that we've seen on high. However this battery chemistry is the most expensive to buy. Personally I will roll w/ quality NiMH and have lithiums as spares (in truck, house)... So for colder weather i'll be ready... Lithiums have such a good self life that they make excellent backups...

Hope this helps you guys!

Jared, Nebraska

After my long EOS high with lithium e2 runtime test was finished... I took apart my EOS... checked the LED... when I went to pry to look behind the LED it was slightly tacky (slightly stuck)...

The areas circled RED show the areas that i'm talking about...



Do you see on the pic below how there is a small amount of black goo on the bottom side of the Lux? Mine has just a little more that the picture shows, it looks like an example stamp of the black plastic dot but on the lux its a really thin coating of black the exact size of the black dot where the two wires meet...

this is also not the acual picture of my EOS... i'm just using it so you know what i'm talking about.. This is NOT MY PIC! thanks goes to whoever the author was...

I seriously don't think we have anything to worry about with it though... just interesting... I just didn't remember it being sticky so it may have warmed up enough to be mushed a little... But there is not any other examples of heat damage...

Any ideas of how to best help the heatsinking in this puppy... If theres not an easily solution that comes up I won't worry about it... if i'm paranoid about damage to the LED i'll change it every year

That thing its sitting on senses the heat and scales back the current so the LED doesnt get too hot. Pretty good idea, but the total lack of heat path really sucks.

All very good information -

Many "Thanks" to Jared, Quickbeam, Silverfox, and Chevrofreak for providing such detailed information on this great headlamp.

Seems rather interesting to me that the runtime graphs don't seem to indicate much change in output intensity as the temperature sensing/current scaling circuitry operates...

With PT's excellent customer service (based on my personal experiences) I doubt I'll worry about any heat issues with it.

The only thing I did to modify mine was to "sputter" the rear of the factory optic - served to blend the bright spot more with the corona without seriously reducing throw. Still by no means a flood beam, but better than before. I use a handheld for real throw when needed, anyway. Later, I may apply some Glow Powder or a Tritium vial inside the optic holder for locating it in the dark.

Having used headlamps for backpacking - there's something to be said about lack of spillbeam: It's not nearly as harsh on your partner's night-adapted eyes when they inadvertently look in your direction, even though you're not looking directly at them.

I also lucked-out in the Luxeon lottery with an RxxH bin (don't remember the exact tint, but I can certainly live with it).

John

[EDIT] Here's a couple of pics of "sputtered' Fraen LP optic for reference purposes. Note how it looks similar to sputtered or textured reflectors (works pretty much the same way also). If anyone wants to try this - DON'T spray inside the hole where the Luxeon dome resides...

Illuminated:
very interesting optic... Any chance for a beam shot? I'd love to see what pattern it gives off....

The 17mm IMS reflector has changed the way I look at the EOS... When I ordered my EOS I had already had a 17mm IMS reflector ordered... I knew before I even had the EOS that the optic wasn't going to be for me... I learned that with the KL1 head...

I'd like to see what your optic gives off though!... the 17mm sends out more spill than my HDS and its hotspot is tight for throwing... its perfect... I only wish for a lower setting and / or a red filter..

Beyond that there is pretty much nothing (without being nit-picky) that I would change...

the EOS is the best deal in flashlights today... Price vs. Quality/Features...

chevrofreak:
i thought that was the temp sensor but I edited it out of my post because I didn't know for sure... No reviews ever talk about its heat sensor.... how do you know it is what it is...

Thanks to both of you!

Jared,

Sorry I was in too much of a hurry when I modified the EOS optic to do "before vs after" beamshots.

Here are a couple of pics anyway FWIW...

PT EOS w/sputtered optic LGI w/sputtered Fraen LP optic

VIP w/cut-dowm McR20 reflector (medium setting)



A few notes about these images:

All shots were taken on a light blue wall from a distance of 7 feet.

The diameter of the EOS spill area is almost 5 feet at this distance.

The LGI/Fraen is a Mr. Bulk Lux I being driven here at 700mA, so it's putting out a lot more light than the EOS, and it also has literally NO side spill.

Not visible here is the diameter of the spill area of the VIP/McR20 - a whopping 10 feet at 7 foot distance!

Please ignore the tints since I was using auto white balance.

Someday I'll get better at doing beamshots...

John

dang... thoughs look excellent! I'll have to get a beam pic of mine up soon... Thanks Illuminated for your time and help!

Its just an educated guess. I took the Eos apart and touched the star while it was heating up, and right around the point where it was getting quite hot is where it starts sloping down on my graph. That slope is all but absent on the medium mode graph.

i think that princeton tec is scaming us of the "heat sink" in eos

on its site, it says there that the eos has heatsink technology.

either the heat sink is missing or that technologoy made invisble ones.

Illuminated said:

The only thing I did to modify mine was to "sputter" the rear of the factory optic - served to blend the bright spot more with the corona without seriously reducing throw.

Click to expand...

How would one go about "sputtering" the optic?

Originally posted by jard3ds
As you can see with lithiums E2's we're getting over 5 hours of regulated output on high

Click to expand...

Jared,

Thanks for the graph for the PT EOS on the high setting with Energizer E2 lithiums. Was very helpful. Do you have any idea about runtimes with the Energizer E2 lithiums on the medium and low settings for the EOS?

Mundele,

"Sputtering" an optic with clear spray is done in much the same way you would do a reflector. The only difference is you apply the clear spray to the rear of the optic, since that is the reflective surface.

I placed the optic face down on a flat surface, and then placed a ball bearing over the hole where the Luxeon dome resides. The bearing prevents any spray from getting in there. You could use a marble or anything similar for this.

There have been many threads on the subject of "sputtering" reflectors. Search using "sputter" or "sputtering" and I'm sure you'll find several descriptions of various techniques.

Droplet size of the clear spray determines whether you'll end up with a very fine texture or a more coarse texture. I prefer something somewhere in middle as far as texture goes. If you've never tried this before, I would suggest practicing on an old optic or reflector before doing your EOS optic, since the final result is permanent.

Hope this helps - John

EDIT -

chevrofreak said:

Its just an educated guess. I took the Eos apart and touched the star while it was heating up, and right around the point where it was getting quite hot is where it starts sloping down on my graph. That slope is all but absent on the medium mode graph.

Click to expand...

Thanks Chevrofreak - I missed that, makes sense now that you pointed that out.

John

Originally Posted by chevrofreak
Its just an educated guess. I took the Eos apart and touched the star while it was heating up, and right around the point where it was getting quite hot is where it starts sloping down on my graph. That slope is all but absent on the medium mode graph.

Click to expand...

nice observation... I didn't notice that on your graph until I read what you said... Basicly the EOS's high output is limited by heat... its sad too because it wouldn't be hard to heatsink the design...

rdw06 said:

Jared,

Thanks for the graph for the PT EOS on the high setting with Energizer E2 lithiums. Was very helpful. Do you have any idea about runtimes with the Energizer E2 lithiums on the medium and low settings for the EOS?

Click to expand...

you bet bro, thats what we do for each other at CPF... :rock:

well I haven't thought to do another runtime test on differnet settings simply because lithium AAA's are expensive.. but to estimate?

316 minutes of high runtime on my e2 lithiums test

multiplied by:

625 minutes Medium runtime on chevrofreak's NiMH graph

THAT PRODUCT, DIVIDED BY:

180 minutes HIGH runtime on chevrofreak's NiMH graph

and we get.............:

1097 minutes which is an estimated 18.3 HOURS on medium w/ e2 lithiums in the EOS... that compared with about 10 hours of NiMH juice on medium... almost twice...

that is a strickly proportionary way of estimating the runtime.... which we know runtime at differnet brightnesses isn't a direction relationship, so we can expect even better runtimes than that... So we can say almost with some confidence that the EOS on med with e2's isn't going to die until after 20 hours...

FWIW I got 15 hours in my Eos e2 lithium medium runtime test, and about 5 hours on high. The medium output was remarkably flat.

--Rick

well thats pretty close... hum... don't make me spend the $7 to do a med. runtime test! lol...

jar3ds and Skeeterbytes,

Thanks much for the info. I appreciate it.

How do you get a 17mm reflector in there?

I also would greatly appreciate if eventually someone could post detailed step by step instructions on how to do the 17mm reflector mod to an EOS.

Another question I had about the reflector mod is whether doing it would have any effect on water resistance?

Btw, I received my EOS from Ebay the other day and I must say I am pretty impressed with it and agree that it is a great value to get such a nice bright small light with three well spaced regulated levels and good long runtimes for the $33 I paid. After what I read I was concerned the beam would be too narrow and bright for reading but I find it quite acceptable as is on low. I do agree that it would be an even better light with a bit more spill (even at the expense of some of the throw), hence my interest in the reflector mod. Also it would be nice if it went a bit dimmer on low, but this is really nitpicking. Very happy with the purchase.

I'm sorry guys, we should have outlined more how to do the mod...

Below are pictures taken by someone on CPF, so all the credit goes to the original author...

start by opening your EOS... remove the batteries... now ready for the fun part?

1) to take apart the Eos, understand it is in two major pieces... the battery/electronics and the casing...



2) your going to take the thinnest strongest knife you have (i used a butter knife) and pry at the bottom of where the battery casing and the case meet just above the hidge... As you are prying you are also pitching the battery compartment with your thumb and index finger giving steady pulling force...

the idea is to break these two pins:



I have part of one of my pins remaining which helps when realigning everything once i have it apart and its time to put it back together...

Anyways, as your pulling, prying, and trying to break those pins wait for it to give way.. once done you will have two pieces.. now changing the optic is as simple as taking the optic out and puting the reflector in its place..

the only place I know of where to get a reflector for the EOS is the sandwitch shoppe

don't come to princton tec or me about your issues once you start to do this stuff... your on your own! but its only a $30ish dollar investment ;-)...

pae77 said:

...

Another question I had about the reflector mod is whether doing it would have any effect on water resistance?

...

Click to expand...

I had the same inital question... and i can assure you it does NOT change its water resistance properties... you'll see how the external shell of a case is seperate from what we are working with in the mod...

---

if someone would like to try these:

http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?products_id=661

or

http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_50_64&products_id=715

we could see if it works and what kind of beam pattern it gives off... not saying it'll work but maybe who knows...