I agree, lower lows needed. It seems like manufacturers do not want to make the perfect all around light so to justify the large line of offerings. If all SWM products had sub 1 lumen modes and a beacon mode I would probably never buy another brand.
Sunwayman C20C (XM-L, 1x18650/2xCR123A) Review: RUNTIMES, VIDEO, BEAMSHOTS and more!
- Thread starter selfbuilt
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
Romanko
Newly Enlightened
Unprotected cells supported?
Judging from my protected 18650 runtimes, it looks like the light will just continue to drain the cells until they are dead. However, there is a very clear drop-off in output long before that happens, which you could use as a signal to recharge the cell.
BlackhawkB
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2012
- Messages
- 31
What is the current drain on Turbo mode and High mode ?
Are the 650 lumens on turbo mode for the production model also, or only the prototype one ?
Are the 650 lumens on turbo mode for the production model also, or only the prototype one ?
I don't typically do tailcap current draws, as they aren't always indicative of emitter drive levels (and the output/runtime graphs answer what most people want to know in terms of levels over time).
AFAIK, my sample is the final shipping version. But as with all lights, I don't know if the manufacturer has made any changes in drive levels since this review was completed.
Verndog
Enlightened
Question on "working voltage" when using 18650 cells in this light. Per specs above "Working voltage: 4~8.4V". So how is this possible with a 3.7v cell? My concern at this point is running unprotected 18650 cells and this light over discharging past 2.5v min that may ruin the batteries. Any help appreciated..
The working voltage range is to indicate that 2xCR123A and 2xRCR will work in the light, in addition to 1x18650.
The issue of over-discharge is different. In this case, you can tell from the runtimes that 1x18650 either drops-down or rapidly falls off in output as the cell nears exhaustion. So you could probably use unprotected cells fairly well (on Med-Hi) if you wanted to - just make sure to charge the battery by the time you notice a drop-off in output.
Verndog
Enlightened
OK I get that you can tell when to change, but my concern with a light of this type is if accidental power on occurs (very possible with this type of switch), and it goes undetected...will it drain the battery an ruin the cell? Since I haven't bought the cells yet, I could get protected, but prefer the unprotected for cost and possible fit reasons. So, bottom line, is there a low voltage cutoff in the light?
Thank you for the help.
Kevin
Last edited:
Great review!
Sunwayman use one 2600mAh 18650 battery. Can i use one battery like this below or 3400mAh?
The reason I ask is I don't know the technical specs of the light. Is it better to have the possible higher retained voltage of the 2600 mAh battery. Or the possible higher retained amperage from the 3100mAh or 3400mAh battery?
Sunwayman use one 2600mAh 18650 battery. Can i use one battery like this below or 3400mAh?
- Panasonic 18650A
- Capacity: 3100mAh
- Recommended Max Discharge: 6.2A (2C)
- Full charge: 4.2V
- Nominal voltage: 3.6V
- Cut-off: 2.5V
The reason I ask is I don't know the technical specs of the light. Is it better to have the possible higher retained voltage of the 2600 mAh battery. Or the possible higher retained amperage from the 3100mAh or 3400mAh battery?
Last edited:
Kevin, I'm certainly 'on board' that it's interesting to know if it has low voltage cutoff or not but the reasons that you're citing for the possibility of running unprotected cells are quite trivial. It seems that this light accepts 3100 & 3400mAh cells. No fit problems thus far so count that as a non-issue . 18650 protected cells are available for as little as $7-8 a copy. What does an unprotected 18650 cell cost....a dollar less? I think the safety benefits far outweigh any perceived objections.
Without a bench top / power supply, I don't think Selfbuilt has any way to test whether this light possesses a low voltage cutoff without actually running a non-protected 18650 in the light. Perhaps you could send him one to possibly ruin.
To jpil: You should be fine. There is no difference in voltage between the batteries, only capacity, measured in mAh.
The only possible problem is that higher capacity cells are often slightly thicker or longer than lower capacity cells. I dont recall any problems with 3100mAh cells on my sample, so you should be fine.
The only possible problem is that higher capacity cells are often slightly thicker or longer than lower capacity cells. I dont recall any problems with 3100mAh cells on my sample, so you should be fine.
I don't have it handy, but it was the Xtar 3100mAh that I would have used.
This sure looks like a nice light. I'm very eager to see how the S20 stacks up against it. I'm sort of holding out on this one until the first reports come in.
Thanks for the great review Selfbuilt! You sure are a generous wealth of information for this community.
Thanks for the great review Selfbuilt! You sure are a generous wealth of information for this community.
Me too.
I am currently testing the S20, and hope to have a review up within a couple of weeks.
kolbasz
Newly Enlightened
+1
I'm very happy to read that it is now available with NW tint, hope the S20 will come out with NW led too.
Has anyone had any problems with their C20C?
I have had mine for about 3-4 months now and it has been flawless till a week ago when it all of a sudden wouldn't come on at all. I tried 2 different fully charged batteries that are as old as the light with the same results, the first time it happened the light started working again after sitting for ~12 hrs, now sometimes it just stops working without any warning and sometimes the low battery indicator will blink a couple of times and the light stops working and won't come back on even if I replace the battery with a fully charged battery. Very unpredictable and frustrating.
I ordered new Panasonic NCR18650A 3100mAh batteries just to rule out the batteries aren't the problem but I need a reliable light.
I have had mine for about 3-4 months now and it has been flawless till a week ago when it all of a sudden wouldn't come on at all. I tried 2 different fully charged batteries that are as old as the light with the same results, the first time it happened the light started working again after sitting for ~12 hrs, now sometimes it just stops working without any warning and sometimes the low battery indicator will blink a couple of times and the light stops working and won't come back on even if I replace the battery with a fully charged battery. Very unpredictable and frustrating.
I ordered new Panasonic NCR18650A 3100mAh batteries just to rule out the batteries aren't the problem but I need a reliable light.
Last edited:
Hmmm, sounds strange. Sometimes with electronic-switch-controlled lights, they can get "confused" and need to sit for a period of time with no battery installed to reset (i.e., there can be a residual current that lingers even after breaking contact). Beyond the usual advice to thoroughly clean all contact surfaces, I would suggest contacting your dealer/manufacturer about a repair if this problem continues. No one wants to be without a reliable light.
Similar threads
