jnj1033
Newly Enlightened
I picked up a digital multimeter from Harbor Freight for use with my new 18650 setup. Once I got the hang of checking battery voltage, I decided to experiment and find out which of my alkaline lights are "battery vampires."
I put some partly depleted AAA alkaline cells in several of my lights, turned them on, and left them alone for a while. Periodically I switched them off and back on to see how low I could run the voltage before they wouldn't consistently turn on anymore. Once a light started requiring "rest" before switching on again, I measured the cell voltage and moved on to the next light.
I didn't measure runtime- only voltage.
Here are some rough numbers. This is not a scientific test- just some observations.
Dorcy 1AAA LED (brighter version w/ clear lense): Ran a cell down to about .8 volts in this light. Turned it off and back on. Wouldn't light until the cell had rested for a few seconds.
Fenix E1: Required rest to relight around .4 volts. Very dim at this point.
Fenix E01: Down to about .3 volts and still running slightly brighter than the E1 at higher voltage. This test is still pending and will continue tonight.
Lightflux LF2: Not sure where the cutoff is, but definitely won't turn on below 1 volt, even on the lowest (.01 lumen) setting. I assume the microprocessor requires a higher voltage to operate.
Haven't tested my new LD01 yet.
Based on the above observations, the E01 seems like a good light to have during an extended power outage or other emergency. It might not be my initial go-to light, but it will produce usable, albeit dim, light long after my other lights have ceased to function on the same cells. It also works well with depleted cells as a nightstand light, because the dim output doesn't dazzle my night-adapted eyes.
Note: Don't worry- I won't be doing this w/ lithium cells. I'm aware of the safety issues and am not taking any chances.
Sent from my phone. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
I put some partly depleted AAA alkaline cells in several of my lights, turned them on, and left them alone for a while. Periodically I switched them off and back on to see how low I could run the voltage before they wouldn't consistently turn on anymore. Once a light started requiring "rest" before switching on again, I measured the cell voltage and moved on to the next light.
I didn't measure runtime- only voltage.
Here are some rough numbers. This is not a scientific test- just some observations.
Dorcy 1AAA LED (brighter version w/ clear lense): Ran a cell down to about .8 volts in this light. Turned it off and back on. Wouldn't light until the cell had rested for a few seconds.
Fenix E1: Required rest to relight around .4 volts. Very dim at this point.
Fenix E01: Down to about .3 volts and still running slightly brighter than the E1 at higher voltage. This test is still pending and will continue tonight.
Lightflux LF2: Not sure where the cutoff is, but definitely won't turn on below 1 volt, even on the lowest (.01 lumen) setting. I assume the microprocessor requires a higher voltage to operate.
Haven't tested my new LD01 yet.
Based on the above observations, the E01 seems like a good light to have during an extended power outage or other emergency. It might not be my initial go-to light, but it will produce usable, albeit dim, light long after my other lights have ceased to function on the same cells. It also works well with depleted cells as a nightstand light, because the dim output doesn't dazzle my night-adapted eyes.
Note: Don't worry- I won't be doing this w/ lithium cells. I'm aware of the safety issues and am not taking any chances.
Sent from my phone. There are many like it, but this one is mine.