Milkyspit's MC2 Thread (also Milky Tester)

[milkyspit]

Doodz!!!

I may have found a 4AA host for the MC2... or perhaps some variation of the MC2! What do you guys think...




I ordered a half-dozen so hope a few folks might actually want one!

Says the thing's weatherproof but not waterproof.

[Archangel]

I'm in.

[Bullzeyebill]

Scott, which 5mm leds did you use in the MC2. Brand name. Thanks,

Bill

[milkyspit]

Scott, which 5mm leds did you use in the MC2. Brand name. Thanks,

Bill

Jeled 50kmcd. They're among the most efficient 5mm LED of all. Did quite a bit of research, including getting efficiency curves plotted for a number of candidates, and for this application the Jeled was the best choice. You didn't doubt that Uncle Milky tried to make you a good product, did you?

BTW, your MC2 was mailed yesterday.

[Bullzeyebill]

Scott, thanks for info. Didn't doubt your striving for the best, however I think you would be six feet under if you were my Uncle.

Bill

[Bullzeyebill]

Scott, another question. Is it ok to cut the MC2 spring down considerably? I have a Surefire dummy battery for one cell testing.

Bill

[Overload]

What projection angle are these LEDs?

[Lunal_Tic]

I just received the MC2s, thanks Scott that was fast. I've put a diffuser on it and so far it's worked out great but I'll know more after using it for a couple of days. It's a Kodak film canister.






-LT

[TENMMIKE]

none

What projection angle are these LEDs?

[TENMMIKE]

for one cell just screw the spring out furthur

Scott, another question. Is it ok to cut the MC2 spring down considerably? I have a Surefire dummy battery for one cell testing.

Bill

[Lunal_Tic]

I've left them on for a while. One has one CR123 that was at 2.8V but couldn't get the ZTS to register; the other has 2 cells of 2.5V each, ZTS didn't even blink on these. The single cell version is running steady on amber but the 2 cell one is switching between white (high I think), amber then fade to off all w/in a 5 second period. I thought when it got down to almost nothing it just faded out on the amber LED.

Any insight?

TIA,
-LT

[milkyspit]

I've left them on for a while. One has one CR123 that was at 2.8V but couldn't get the ZTS to register; the other has 2 cells of 2.5V each, ZTS didn't even blink on these. The single cell version is running steady on amber but the 2 cell one is switching between white (high I think), amber then fade to off all w/in a 5 second period. I thought when it got down to almost nothing it just faded out on the amber LED.

Any insight?

TIA,
-LT

LT, the MC2 tries its best to do the right thing but sometimes the cells just don't cooperate. Sounds like one of the cells is pretty badly depleted, and when the load is applied (yes, it's only 20mA, but the cell is in such bad shape even THAT seems like climbing Mt. Everest to it!) the cell's voltage tanks very quickly. You're going from 5V or so when not running anything, very quickly down to 2.5V or even lower. The MC2 checks voltage about once per second, so if the voltage drops WITHIN ONE SECOND by that magnitude then you very well could see no amber at all, just have no light. Then the cells rest and the bad one recovers over the next few seconds, registers a higher voltage reading, and it's back to white.

Moral of the story: 123 cells are strange animals!

If you test the cells one at a time you may find one of them in worse condition than the other. You could perhaps toss that one in the trash and replace with something a little better.

Or, you could try turning down the brightness within the first second of turning on the light... you may find the cells work just fine at low output or even at amber output, but don't work very well at high or medium output. Experiment a bit!

[milkyspit]

LT, forgot one thing... those photos are GREAT... though I should mention that the MC2 was designed to light a room by bouncing light off the ceiling. Of course, if your ceiling isn't very reflective, or if you have no ceiling at all (such as outdoor use) the diffuser is a great idea!

Scott, another question. Is it ok to cut the MC2 spring down considerably? I have a Surefire dummy battery for one cell testing.

Bill

Bill, If you do decide to cut down the spring, I think it would be better to pull the existing spring out of the cup and save it (it's not glued into the cup, just friction fit) then replace with a shorter spring of your choice. That way you can experiment to your heart's content, but still return to the original spring if you change your mind later.

[Lunal_Tic]

I have the MCs tied to the wall as markers so the diffusers help a bit. I do have some pretty spent cells I just measured one in the millivolts. How far down will this work on the amber?

-LT

[milkyspit]

I have the MCs tied to the wall as markers so the diffusers help a bit. I do have some pretty spent cells I just measured one in the millivolts. How far down will this work on the amber?

-LT

The amber will light steady until total input voltage drops below 2.6V (remember, in 2x123 that's the COMBINED voltage for the two cells)... and it'll continue to light up, though pulsating gently (by design) all the way down to 1.8V or so of combined voltage... it'll also be getting gradually dimmer from about 2.0V on downward... above that the amber will run at regulated brightness.

[London Lad]

Dangit Tic and Lad, got a soft spot in my heart for international folks. They need their light! Watch for PMs incoming momentarily.

And 2 MC2's have landed in Monaco. Super fast delivery!! Thanks.

These really are an excellent product, the perfect standby emergency light, thanks again Scott, I am very pleased.

Regards

Graham

[Lunal_Tic]

Bear with me on this one I don't really know that much about how batteries work and all the tech stuff that's been posted doesn't help in this application.

I pulled the 2 cells that were going white to amber and replaced them with a pair that read a higher voltage on a meter. Put them in last night on amber, this morning is was blinking fast and about 10 minutes ago turned off. I popped out the batteries and checked them again on the meter one reads 2.58V the other read -170mV. It seems one cell had gone and reversed charge on me. If left unattended could this have gone nasty?

-LT

[Archangel]

I don't think at that current draw. I think i've had one that was more negative than .17v, though i'm not positive.

[milkyspit]

And 2 MC2's have landed in Monaco. Super fast delivery!! Thanks.

These really are an excellent product, the perfect standby emergency light, thanks again Scott, I am very pleased.

Regards

Graham

Terrific, Graham, and thanks! That's great news!!

Bear with me on this one I don't really know that much about how batteries work and all the tech stuff that's been posted doesn't help in this application.

I pulled the 2 cells that were going white to amber and replaced them with a pair that read a higher voltage on a meter. Put them in last night on amber, this morning is was blinking fast and about 10 minutes ago turned off. I popped out the batteries and checked them again on the meter one reads 2.58V the other read -170mV. It seems one cell had gone and reversed charge on me. If left unattended could this have gone nasty?

-LT

I don't think at that current draw. I think i've had one that was more negative than .17v, though i'm not positive.

Archangel's right, shouldn't be a problem... during testing I've discovered several cells that ended up slightly reverse charged... but the flash amps reading for the cells is essentially 0.00A, meaning they have virtually no oomph behind them, no capacity to pump current through anything.

This is one reason why the test function is part of the MC2... you still want to match a pair of similar cells... I would NOT recommend matching that reverse charged cell with a fresh 123 cell, for instance... VERY BAD IDEA!

What you really want to do for 2x123 operation is match a pair of cells that each cause pulsing amber... OR a pair of cells that each cause solid amber... that way you'll know both cells are of roughly similar condition.

[milkyspit]

Recent shippings, including items going into the mail tomorrow morning!

(This is a hastily put-together list, so it's entirely possible there are additional MC2 units on the way to folks who have paid recently, but I forgot to put 'em in the list here... no worries... your MC2s are coming regardless of my faulty memory!)

cd-card-biz
Bullzeyebill
bwaites
MSaxatilus (again!)
bucken
Calamityville_Horror
europium
karlthev
Overload
Yooper
Xflash

OPEN SEASON ON MC2... An Experiment!

ANYONE who wants one RIGHT NOW, I've got 13 available... post here how many you're ordering FIRST them send Paypal here as follows... I'll get the first 13 units out immediately and build more for folks who just miss. It's IMPORTANT to post your intention here FIRST so others will have some idea of how many units remain! Something like, "I'll take 2. Cash Paypal incoming."

Order info...

[Tritium]

Ordering quantity 1.

Thurmond

[milkyspit]

Thurmond, PP received... your MC2 is packed, posted, and ready to ship tomorrow as soon as the post office opens!

WOOHOO!!

Yaesumofo, waiting for your PP and yours could go out in the morning, too!

Who's next?

[Tritium]

Thanks Scott.



Thurmond

[simonsays]

Hi Scott,

I'll take one of the MC2's that you have ready!

PayPal (Cash) sent for 1 MC2 with international delivery $65

Many thanks,

Simon

[milkyspit]

Simon, PP received... your MC2 is packed and in the mail.

[Lunal_Tic]

Archangel's right, shouldn't be a problem... during testing I've discovered several cells that ended up slightly reverse charged... but the flash amps reading for the cells is essentially 0.00A, meaning they have virtually no oomph behind them, no capacity to pump current through anything.

This is one reason why the test function is part of the MC2... you still want to match a pair of similar cells... I would NOT recommend matching that reverse charged cell with a fresh 123 cell, for instance... VERY BAD IDEA!

What you really want to do for 2x123 operation is match a pair of cells that each cause pulsing amber... OR a pair of cells that each cause solid amber... that way you'll know both cells are of roughly similar condition.

Excellent info, I couldn't figure out the "testing" aspect of the MC2. The cells I've been sticking in won't even fire a ZTS so other than starting voltage I've no clue how much juice is left.

-LT

[Omega Man]

Scott, I'm sorry to say that $60 is a bit steep for me on this, so I'm regretfully backing out for the time being.

[simonsays]

Simon, PP received... your MC2 is packed and in the mail.

Outstanding! Now its just a question of waiting for the postman. Many thanks!

Simon

[milkyspit]

Omega, that's okay, I understand... I do hope you understand that I'm definitely not getting rich off these! It's been mainly a labor of love, and the $55 plus $5 shipping comes nowhere close to covering the time and effort I've put in... heck, material cost alone eats up the majority of the price!

Anyway, peace bro... I'm here when you need me.

[milkyspit]

Built some more, currently 10 units available for immedate shipment, then I'll need to restock some parts to make more. Those in need, order now! Those who have the MC2, post your experiences, tips, whatever... it just might help someone else!