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  • Users: jamesbeat
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  1. J

    Convince me to get a twisty

    I have been going through a phase of messing around with dropins for a while, and I have been having a lot of fun with it. However, I realised yesterday that what I really need most is an AAA light for my keychain. The (windowless) bathroom light went out at work, but thanks to the trusty Black...
  2. J

    Are these chargers junk, or would they be ok for occasional use?

    I have a decent charger that will charge 18650, 16340 etc. but it only charges two cells at a time. This is normally fine, as I don't use my flashlights enough for it to be a problem. I usually keep a charged cell and one spare cell for an 18650 light in the kitchen, and I rotate four 16340's...
  3. J

    Led forward voltage question

    This is not actually flashlight related, but my experince has been that CPFers are the most led-knowledgable bunch around, so hopefully someone can help me with this. I have a computer keyboard that I would like to modify by replacing the green leds with red ones. Unfortunately, I don't know...
  4. J

    Flashlight to the rescue! Noisy people lining up for gas...

    I live in NY, and as most of you are probably aware, there is a gas shortage. People have been lined up outside my house, sitting in their cars since at least 6am waiting for the nearby gas station to get a delivery. The line stretches two blocks, and then makes a left turn with cars as far as I...
  5. J

    Upgrade emitter on a light with a TIR optic?

    I just dug a MrLite MX4 out of a drawer. I put it away shortly after buying it, because I bought it intending to mod it, and was put off by the TIR optic. It had one of the older Cree emitters, I can't remember exactly which one, but one of the ones with a larger dome surrounded by a metal...
  6. J

    Is your spouse, partner etc a closet flashaholic?

    ​ My wife is constantly critical of my hobbies. Not in an active way, but in a passive way. She doesn't share my enthusiasm for, say, Star Trek prop replicas (few people do...) and I totally get that. There are not many people who would understand the months of work I put into making an exact...
  7. J

    Considering upgrading an emitter, need advice

    I have a cheap Trustfire S-A2 1xAA flashlight which has become my new favorite flashlight of the week.I dug it out of a drawer where it had languished pretty much since I bought it when I was preparing for the hurricane. A google search brought up a mod; instead of hi-med-strobe, I was able to...
  8. J

    Is there a budget light that will meet these specifications?

    I REALLY want a light with a 'moonlight' mode. I didn't lose power during hurricane Sandy, but only because my home was in the lucky 10% who didn't. I usually buy budget CR123A lights that I then modify with my favorite DX driver to give me lo-med-hi and hidden 'disco modes'. I have now...
  9. J

    Help! I need to build a LONG-burning flashlight, amd fast!

    (yes, that should say 'and fast', not 'amd fast', but the editor won't let me change the thread title...) I'm in NY (Long Island), and we appear to be in the path of hurricane Sandy... I have quite a few flashlights, but while preparing for the storm, I was horrified to discover that: A. I...
  10. J

    AA vs CR123a- An answer to this old chestnut!

    Well, this is a question often asked: Is it best to carry a flashlight which takes common cells such as AA or AAA because they are easily available, or does it make more sense to carry one that takes 'exotic' cells such as CR123 or CR2, because common sizes will be sold out in an emergency...
  11. J

    Red led + driver = malfunctioning modes?

    I swapped the emitter of a DX light to a red Cree (XR-E I think) Despite the lower Vf, it works ok and doesn't seem to be overdriven, as the driver only puts out 350mA or so. Unfortunately, using the original driver gave some weird results. The driver is a standard Chinese one: hi-lo-disco...
  12. J

    Open the pod bay doors please HAL...

    I want to make a red-beamed flashlight. I don't need it for a specific purpose like hunting or whatever, I just think it would be a cool thing to have as my nightstand light. I read something years ago about which wavelengths are responsible for waking your brain up (serotonin vs melatonin)...
  13. J

    Help me decide on a good balance

    I'm building an edc CR123 light. The driver I was thinking of using puts out 1050mA on high, and I'm now thinking that maybe that's a bit too high. I'm concerned about heat and drawing too much current from the single 16340 I intend to use. The other option is to use a driver that supplies...
  14. J

    U.S. Source for LED's?

    I'm eager to get my hands on an XM-L and also a few XP-G's, so I've been scouring the internet for a source of led's in the States. Unfortunately, all I seem to be able to find is Chinese stores. I got all excited when I discovered Cutter electronics, but then realized they are based in...
  15. J

    Liteflux LF3XT?

    Is this light still being made? I haven't been a flashaholic for long, and I've been doing a lot of reading. When I saw the LF3XT, it ticked all the boxes for what I was looking for for an EDC. Unfortunately, I seem to be a bit late to the party, because I can't find any retailers with...
  16. J

    CR123a Obsolescence?

    Whenever I see CR123 batteries in stores, they all seem to have a few things in common: very high prices (around $7 here in NY!), expiration dates in the next couple of years, and packaging that is dog eared and looks like it's been on display a long time. Given the long shelf life of lithium...
  17. J

    OTF heat?

    I bought one of those MXDL 3W CR123 lights to play around with, and I swapped out the emitter for a cree Q3 I had laying around. My first impression was that it is insanely bright on a primary, easily my brightest flashlight. The light heats up during use, but not alarmingly so, just like...
  18. J

    Please Help Me Remember!

    I read a review of a flashlight a couple of weeks ago, and I'm trying to remember what it was, but after over an hour of searching for it, I can't find the article again :( It was a rechargeable flashlight, but it wasn't like the usual utility type ones. It was an edc type, and it charged...
  19. J

    Q3 -> Q5 WOW!

    I'm pretty new to flashlights, and my first few orders are slowly trickiling in from China. The first one was a cree Q3, and I was astonished at how bright it was until my Ultrafire C3 with a Q5 arrived. It totally blows the Q3 light out of the water. I know a lot of this has to do with the...
  20. J

    Strontium Aluminate Smell?

    I just received some glow powder I ordered. I would normally have ordered from glowinc, but for this project, quantity was more important than having absolutely the best quality (star ceiling for my 8 year old son) I got 1oz for $7.50, which is a pretty good price. Thing is, this stuff...

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