Nitecore D10 and EX10 runtimes

[chevrofreak]

For the "mid" tests I tried to find a level that was as close to half of the max output as possible, then I ran all tests at that level.

D10







EX10








The D10 did not overdischarge the Ni-MH cells on any levels, stopping at right around .900 volts. It also did not overdischarge the AW 14500, which terminated at 2.92 volts

The EX10 did mildly overdischarge the AW RCR123 on low because the protection circuit is designed for use in a much higher drain application. The cell measured 2.76 volts after shutting off. It terminated above 2.90v on all other tested levels.

[LED-holic]

Wow very cool. What do you mean when you say the D10 didn't discharge the nimh cells? Is there battery protection built in?

Thanks for the results!!!

[chevrofreak]

Ni-MH cells should not be discharged below 0.900 volts, or it will shorten the lives of the cells. The D10 does not seem to be capable of drawing them any lower than that.

Li-Ion cells should not be discharged below 2.90 volts for the very same reason, but both the D10 and EX10 are very capable of draining them well below that level if a cell without a protection circuit is used. Or if a cell that has the protection circuit calibrated for a much higher draw is used, as was the case with the AW RCR123.

[LED-holic]

Wow, that is great news on the D10!! I never let my Eneloops get drained anyway, but it's comforting to know that the light will protect the battery as well!!

This means the D10 can't be a vampire to finish off alkalines, but I'm 100% okay with that!!!

The D10 is getting more and more impressive every time I read something new about it!!! McGizmo's genius + 4seven's insight + NiteCore's manufacturing capability = HOMERUN!!

Thanks again for your great work!!!

[Beamhead]

Wow 28+ days of run times to complete this task.
Did the globe melt? You global warmer.

[chevrofreak]

The globe is doing fine

Yeah, it took me a bloody long time to do these.

[thk]

Originally Posted by LED-holic

Wow, that is great news on the D10!! I never let my Eneloops get drained anyway, but it's comforting to know that the light will protect the battery as well!!

That was my only worry about this light but after reading this post, it makes me feel that I really made a good purchase.

Now ... if the Zebralight has the same feature ...

[Beaky]

Originally Posted by chevrofreak

The globe is doing fine

Yeah, it took me a bloody long time to do these.

Your time and effort spent is much appreciated!

[bfodnes]

Good report.

Ive got nr 504 of the D 10 and I am very satisfied. Ive had it 14 days now delivered for 4sevens to Norway.

Im really a surefire geek but this light is now my EDC light.

The smooth switch and the easy interface with ramping is just amazing.

I was also very lucky in the led depertment this time, perfect tint for me and nearly no rings visible.

One thing I have seen addressed in other posts is that some dont trust it for beeing waterproof. The back end seems 100% due to the seal and piston. The head conection seems 100% to me too. Only thing i cant tell is the front end glass.

Have anyone tested it...........

[superflytnt]

I wonder if the low level of the SPD's was lowered after the specs came out? it's still rated at around 3 to 5 lumens and 45 to 65 hours of runtime. It's obviously far dimmer than that and we're seeing runtimes of 80 to 150+ hours. Regardless, this is good to hear as I use the low leven on my D10 quite often.

BTW, thanks chevrofreak! Your runtimes are still the standard..........

[chevrofreak]

I do very much like that the lowest level is around 1/2 of a lumen instead of 5 lumens.

I've used the D10 as a night light with an old alkaline in it, and let me tell you, even 1/2 lumen is a lot of light in a dark room. It's almost too bright for me for night light use.

[jbviau]

Have to agree about the low mode being lower than described in the specs. That said, there's variability in terms of exactly how low it can go. My first EX10 had a noticeably lower low than my second one. I could stare right at its LED comfortably on low, whereas doing so is less comfortable with my new EX10, which is brighter on all levels.

[adirondackdestroyer]

Awesome charts chevro! I was starting to wonder if you were completely out of the game.

[torpeau]

Originally Posted by chevrofreak

Li-Ion cells should not be discharged below 2.90 volts for the very same reason, but both the D10 and EX10 are very capable of draining them well below that level if a cell without a protection circuit is used. Or if a cell that has the protection circuit calibrated for a much higher draw is used, as was the case with the AW RCR123.

A pretty basic question: How does one know when an AW RCR123 is approaching 2.90 volts?

[chevrofreak]

On the very lowest levels it will be difficult for you to tell. If you have a feeling that your cell is pretty low, maybe kick the light to a higher level, say around 5-10 lumens. At that level it should trip the protection circuit before the cell is overdischarged because of the higher current draw.

Just top off regularly and it shouldn't be a problem.

[bluecrow76]

Thanks for the effort chevro! It pushed me over the edge getting a D10.

[climberkid]

Originally Posted by bfodnes

One thing I have seen addressed in other posts is that some dont trust it for beeing waterproof. The back end seems 100% due to the seal and piston. The head conection seems 100% to me too. Only thing i cant tell is the front end glass.

Have anyone tested it...........

yes, i have. and i dont have good luck with lights and water, as you would see in my other threads. i turned it on and off under water many times and adjusted the levels just swimming in the pool for about 2 hours. not a single bit of water on the inside.

[Brangdon]

My D10 GDP probably is lower than spec, but I think it's over 1 lumen. It's a bit brighter than my old Surefire L1, which I've always taken to be around 1 lumen. For something like reading a book under the covers at night, it feels like a lot of light.

[NoFair]

Great runtimes tests

Have really missed your runtimes lately..

Sverre

[bluecrow76]

No kidding! That low runtime convinced me to get one.

[StarHalo]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around these numbers; This means we now have a 1x123 light that lasts twice as long as the 2xAA Fenix L2D's 77 hours.. I'm lost

[Dan Harris]

Chevrofreak,

I'll add to what others have said and thank you for taking the time to do this. I purchased a D10 a few weeks ago because of the ability to find AAs anywhere in the world. This light has actually exceeded my expectations in many ways.

I have very little experience with rechargeable cells and run all of my lights, including my CR123s on primaries. I’m looking to change that in the near future.

My question is about the light output vs. time of the AW 750 mAh Protected 14500 cells. It would appear from your first 2 graphs, that the light output actually decreases then increases before dropping off again. How do you account for the increase? Is that a property of the protected cells? Also, what do you think the performance would be using Eneloops?

Again, great job and thanks for the information!

Dan

[chevrofreak]

On the two "mid" graphs I think that the light is varying the pulse rate or pulse length when it is fed more voltage than the LED needs in order to lower the output to be closer to the regulated output it would otherwise have. Why it doesn't appear to do that on the highest or lowest level, I do not know.

[Dan Harris]

Thanks for the explanation!

Dan

[mossyoak]

thank you so much for doing these, i run my ex10 on primaries only and was wondering hat to expect, these are better than i hoped.

[balou]

thanks for this review.
btw, I never find this thread when I'm looking for it. IMHO it's one of the best D10 threads so far. Well, bookmarked it

Now if it only contained a chart how well the D10 fares on Carbon Zincs (on lowest). In some countries that's the only type of battery you'll find. Guess I have to search for those batteries somewhere. They're nearly impossible to find here anymore, even shady thrift store batteries are alkaline now (albeit mostly of the InstaLeak brand)

[flybyya]

february, 21, 2009 4:50 am eastern time

hi, i just received my ex10 gdp and find that the when i use a rcr123a 3.7 volt, the light will not perform any variable functions, only the max output setting.

is this because the voltage is too high for regulation?

may i ask how were you able to test in a variety of modes with a 3.7v aw rcr123a cell?

thanks, doug perry, michigan

[litetube]

I am not an expert on this but I have read that different RCR cells have varying lengths and this can affect the proper operation of these lights. I have an EX10 and always put an AW RCR in it or a primary so I have not experienced this myself but others using other RCR cells have mentioned it .

[ZMZ67]

Originally Posted by StarHalo

I'm still trying to wrap my head around these numbers; This means we now have a 1x123 light that lasts twice as long as the 2xAA Fenix L2D's 77 hours.. I'm lost

I believe the long runtimes are for the lowest available setting wich is less than 1 lumen if I understand the chart correctly.The Fenix L2D would be putting out more lumens on low.It is interesting to see how long the EX10/D10 can go at their lowest setting though.
Like so many others here I really appreciate the effort that goes into providing this information,Thanks chevrofreak!

[alfreddajero]

Just glad that there are members out there who puts all the info out for the rest of us. This is always welcome news.