Coleman Cree XR-E headlight

[BikeSkiLights]

It's been very phoggy past couple evenings while out skiing up here in Michigan. The white LED modes been doing nothing but creating a white-out. The red LED however has some ability to bring out some contrast by which to see, as long as the Phog is not too thick. Thus for myself, I really see no reason to mod this light and I recant my precious inspiration.
At this point, I'm back to being much more interested putting money that may have gone for a second Coleman towards getting some DX "junk" to hack around with ;-)

[HeadlampJunkie]

I understand that AAA rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are 3.6v. So can a guy put 2 AAA rechargeble lithium-ions and one dead (no charge on it) aaa in the Coleman Cree 3aaa headlamp and not burn up this unit?

[PCC]

No, that would burn up the light for sure. The voltage would drop on 3 AAA cells to about 3.6V under load so a single Li-Ion cell would be about right.

[HeadlampJunkie]

So would I put one 3.6v lithium aaa batts and two dumby blank aaa batts to make this work? What I'm trying to accomplish is getting a longer lasting light with the lithium-ion rechargeable battery than the 3 aaa Nimh rechargeables.

[hopkins]

You could buy a 3 AA battery holder at Radio Shack or scavenge from a
broken RC toy car etc, attach wires, of the needed length, to it and up to the right terminals in the headlamp.
Use three AA NimH rechargeable batteries so no problem with over voltage.

Those little aaa rechargeable cells seem to die fast in the cold. AA's in a shirt
pocket, remote battery pack, inside your jacket will stay warmer, run longer.

[HeadlampJunkie]

I'm trying not to have to mod the flashlight casing due to convience. Except of course for the 3.6v lithium-ion 10440 batt mod. I'm wanting to use a 110440 li-ion rechargeable because I hear they last longer than NiMh rechargeable.

[PCC]

10440 Li-Ion batteries only have about 600MAh (at least the ones I've seen on Battery Junction have 500 or 600MAh). NiMH AAA cells have 800+ MAh. You're better off running three NiMH AAA cells. If you can rewire the light for 3 10440 cells in parallel then you'll have 1800MAh. If you run a remote pack with NiMH AA cells then you'll get about 2800MAh. Then again, if you're going so far as to run a remote battery pack then why stop at AA? NiMH C cells have about 5000MAh and NiMH D cells have over 10,000MAh.

[TorchBoy]

It's mAh not MAh. There's a factor of a billion difference.

[HeadlampJunkie]

10440 Li-Ion batteries only have about 600MAh (at least the ones I've seen on Battery Junction have 500 or 600MAh). NiMH AAA cells have 800+ MAh. You're better off running three NiMH AAA cells. If you can rewire the light for 3 10440 cells in parallel then you'll have 1800MAh. If you run a remote pack with NiMH AA cells then you'll get about 2800MAh. Then again, if you're going so far as to run a remote battery pack then why stop at AA? NiMH C cells have about 5000MAh and NiMH D cells have over 10,000MAh.

I was thinking about going Li-Ion due to the fact that they last longer. But from your statement above they have less mah. But you stated above if I run them in "parallel" then I can get more run time by developing higher mah. So if I set up batteries in "series" it doesn't increase cumulative the mah? As you can tell I don't know much about batteries yet.

[TorchBoy]

Capacity (measured in mAh - note the capitalisation) does not involve voltage, so placing three cells in series triples the voltage but the resulting battery has the same capacity. Placing cells in parallel triples the capacity with the same voltage.

Multiplying capacity by voltage will give you the energy in a battery, normally measured in mWh. Placing three cells in series or parallel will triple the energy.

[HeadlampJunkie]

Capacity (measured in mAh - note the capitalisation) does not involve voltage, so placing three cells in series triples the voltage but the resulting battery has the same capacity. Placing cells in parallel triples the capacity with the same voltage.

Multiplying capacity by voltage will give you the energy in a battery, normally measured in mWh. Placing three cells in series or parallel will triple the energy.

So if I have a headlamp that requires 3 aaa NiMh (1.2 v 1000 mah each) rechargeable batteries to run the light and the battery pack in the light is setup in "series" then I have 3.6v output with 1000 mah capacity?

But if I try to put 3 li-ion 10440 (3.6v 600mah each)rechargeable batteries in the same battery case of the light (set up in series) then I get 10.8v output with the same 600mah capacity?

But if I set up the same 3 li-ion 10440 (3.6v 600mah each)rechargeable batteries in "parallel" in this headlamp then I get 3.6v output but with 1800 mah capacity? Is that correct?

[hopkins]

Yes you stated that correctly headlampjunkie.

Also the lithium ion battery has a low self discharge when not being used
which is a way of saying they 'last longer'.

The good part of your headlamp dilemma is that you probably need to buy
another headlamp that has the required attributes.

Soon you may have a box full of headlamps like the rest of us.

[HeadlampJunkie]

Hopkins, thanks for the affirmation.

I currently have some Duraloop NiMh 800mah and Tenergyloop NiMh 1000mah AAA batteries and don't get me wrong I like them. They are fantastic. But we are always trying to do it better, right. I think I can get some 10440 Li-Ion rechargeables and modify the wiring in my flashlight to accept Li-Ion in parallel so I won't go over voltage on my light. Worth a try for 1800 mah

[frasera]

There is a newer version that walmart only seems to carry. 108 lumen with red and blue secondary lights.

Got one, pretty decent, the high is only about as bright as my second gen maglite 2aa though, but for that price, it doesn't really matter. Weird it isn't sold on amazon though.

Not sure whats different about the emitter but the run times have increased by an hour..and there is a medium mode.

As for the thing supposedly being loose or coming out, that isn't happening anymore, the frame is two sides held together by screws, I've never seen the original but if it were loose enough to stretch it might have been one piece that allowed them to snap it in. Now it isn't comin out.

Only major flaws beside the only 45 degree tilt is that they didn't mark the battery door for rotation stop points, I fixed that with a marker.

[my#1hobby]

I just bought a Coleman Max 3AAA l.e.d. headlamp from Walmart in Poway, CA for $25. The light has a Cree XR-E l.e.d. and claims 105 lumens on high. I think this is the first Cree headlight at a brick and mortar store with more than one level. It claims 6 hours on high, 20 hours on low, and 25 on the two red l.e.d.s. The two point bracket (pivot point) seems strong and does a good job of keeping the light from moving up or down on it's own. The low level seems to be about 20 lumens by my guess. Settings are adjusted by turning a dial on the right side of the bracket. It is set up pretty well. Turn it one click back towards you for red l.e.d.s to preserve night vision without going through brighter settings. Turn it away from you one click for high (when you need high, you need it to come on first), and two clicks forward for low. This U.I. should actually work best for most people. The Cree l.e.d. puts out a wide floody beam with a decent sized hotspot. There are no donut holes in the beam, though there is one or two rings if you go white wall hunting at close range. The reflector is textured with a small smooth ring directly around the l.e.d. (probably gives it better throw). I doubt the light is regulated since there's a large resistor in the battery compartment. Light doesn't seem to be waterproof (nor does it claim to be). I found out that a Jakstrap is the perfect size to replace the current headband strap (not that there's anything wrong with the one supplied). I just found it useful to be able to attach on a backup light like a Fenix P2D or P3D in case the headlight fails or the batteries die. I think this light is a step forward from the River Rock Cree headlight since it has more than one level and uses normal batteries. Next steps toward a better headlight will be making one that is waterproof with current based regulation. I bought this light because my PT Quad headlights were cracking and wearing out and I needed a replacement. I couldn't wait for Princeton Tec to update the EOS and Quad. However, if they do update, I might have to buy a new headlight (if something better doesn't come along first).

Funny, that's the same Walmart I bought my Colemax MAXX 105lm headlamp at too a few years ago and I still use it on my hikes. Dorcy has a new head lamp on their website that says it produces 120 lumen of light output in a broad beam and will be available 5/19/12. They now rate the lumen output according to the ANSI FL 1 standard so I'll probably pick one up and see what it can do.

[degarb]

I can paint with it for about 20-40 minutes before it is too dim to see. No lux means no detail vision.

I didn't like the xrc version either, which broke after a week. Compared to the $6 Biglots light (generic 50 lumen/watt emitter with deeper reflector), I like the Biglots light better. Just picked up a home depot $12 Rayovac 100 lumen xp-c. I like it better than the Coleman and Biglots light. I was very surpised how well the emmiter does in the shallow reflector--way better than a xp-e, I think. The Rayvac high is okay for about 6-7 foot distant white wall hunting and the low to about 3 foot (arm length). I do not believe the runtime. From my knowledge of emitters, my bet is the high will last about 1.5 hours of GOOD light, and about 5.5 hours on low of good light.

These 100 lumen lights are a good starter lights. I still think the HP12 4 AA xpg is a better deal at $60-$80. It blows these lights away on brightness and runtime. I am not sure how I can put this $12 light to good use. Maybe as a reading light, a camping light for a kid, or in a pinch. I will need to buy some 3AAA lsd's, since it may be used once a year.

[Hooked on Fenix]

I got the newest version of this light a little while ago. It uses a Cree XP-E or XP-C (not sure which). It is still rated at 108 lumens, however I think my 70 lumen PT EOS is brighter. It's not a bad light, and I do like that it has high, medium, and low as well as colored beams, but there are plenty of brighter lights. I think the battery meter is a gimmick that wastes power the entire time the light is on. I don't think running this light on low will be very efficient due to the battery meter. I think the Rayovac Indestructible is better for the money, but the Coleman has a little better beam pattern for hiking. Honestly, I rarely use either light anymore for hiking myself. I'm too picky about beam patterns to use either for a night hike. Both lights are now loaner lights.