1 AA Flashlight (Reliable, Simple, Direct Drive, Efficient)

[Mikellen]

Hello CPF community, I hope you can provide some advice.
I have been using a Gerber Infinity Ultra for my general purpose house light due to its size, simplicity, low level output, and when the battery starts to deplete the light doesn't just shut off but gradually reduces its output, which I believe is the result from being direct driven (not very knowledgeable about the types of circuits).
Unfortunately my light just won't light up any more. I've cleaned the contacts and replaced the battery to no avail.
Is it likely that the LED can be blown or the circuit become disconnected?
I'm not sure how reliable the Gerber Infinity Ultra is since mine lasted only about 5 months.

I would like to replace it with something similar that may be a bit more reliable. My main criteria is that the light won't shut off unexpectently but rather have a gradual decrease in light output when the battery starts to deplete, have an output of approximately 10 to 20 lumens, be reliable and efficient, and operate on 1 AA battery.
I have looked at the 1 AA flashlight roundup reviews, but I believe most of those lights are not direct driven, although I could be mistaken which is why I am inquiring in this thread.

If the consensus is that the Gerber is a reliable light then maybe I'll just purchase another one, but I'm open to other recommendations and suggestions.

Thank you.

 

[NonSenCe]

good direct driven AA.. hmm 1st to come in my mind is to look at Led Lenser P5

 

[RyanA]

There aren't any true direct driven single AA's, there has to be some sort of circuitry to boost the voltage (a white led requires around 3.5v, a single AA will not supply this on it's own) I'd say contact Peak Led. Just google them, contacts are on the site. They can build you something very similar (or a bit better), and Curt can answer just about any question you may have.

 

[J_C]

I suppose some people have different definitions of "direct driven" than others, but generally speaking since a power LED typically has a forward voltage drop above 3.5V at rated power, you need a voltage boost circuit at the very least from a single AA, 1.5V or lower cell so it wouldn't be called direct driven.

Poorly regulated lights drop in output as the battery voltage goes down, or actually many of the cheap DX/KD/etc lights that can take both AA and 14500 reduce in output quite a bit as a single AA cell drops in voltage, but you will not find one that does what a directly driven light does, to so gradually drop in output corresponding to cell voltage drop off a single cell.

It will be a little closer to that with two ~ 1.2V nominal cells, but still not quite what you describe. To direct drive and have that gradual decrease you need the sum total of all cells' voltages equal to the forward voltage of the LED at the current you want. 3 ~ 1.2V cells will do that, since their capacity is generally rated down to about 0.8 or 0.9V, it means that 3 x 0.9 V = 2.7V, just a little below a reasonable forward voltage for good output... at least enough to see by, definition of "good" will of course vary but keeing it in the context of AA powered lights it's a usable level down to about this.

The ideal for you seems to be a light using 14500, it has the same form-factor (size) and Li-Ion will direct drive below the minimal voltage of a regulation circuit for it, if you get a light spec'd only for 14500 and not also for less than that, not for 1.5V and lower too.

I don't know anything about a Gerber Infinity Ultra, but if you have some electronics experience and aren't opposed to ordering parts, there may be some way to fix it if they didn't go out of their way to make it hard to open non-destructively like a different Gerber I have.

What if you look at this from a different angle. What if you estimate the max runtime you would ever need instead and then pick a multi-mode light so you can just pick a lower mode? Another alternative with single AA lights is that since a single AA is so small, just carry another one with you.

I can appreciate the desirable extended runtime of a direct drive light when it's batteries are getting pretty low, but not knowing what else you own, I tend to think that once you have a modern light with an efficient LED, if more runtime is what you need then you would only need to avoid those that run the LED at the max current possible so the runtime is greatly extended.

Sorry that this didn't directly answer your question but based on the first part of what I wrote, the desired specs seem incompatible. If you really want a similarly small light that's direct driven then you're left with CR123, 14500, or 3 x AAA cells.

If we have more info about the tradeoffs you're willing to make and the budget, as much other factors too like beam pattern/etc, someone will probably recommend one.

 

[nakahoshi]

Ill be the first one to suggest a light that doesn't meet your requirement for a "AA" cell.

The fenix E01 has everything you want, except for the battery. You might not like the tint, although its never bothered me.

You could also get a Arc AAA + AA body.

Fenix should really come out with an E01 Style light that uses a AA battery. Interested to see what people come up with, Good luck with your search.

-Bobby

 

[Light Sabre]

Digi-Key sells a 1.5V white LED: Digi-Key - 67-1877-ND (Lumex Opto/Components Inc - SSL-DSP5093UWC). :candle: They also have 1.5V LED's in other colors.

 

[RyanA]

Digi-Key sells a 1.5V white LED: Digi-Key - 67-1877-ND (Lumex Opto/Components Inc - SSL-DSP5093UWC). :candle: They also have 1.5V LED's in other colors.

Cool. Kind of atypical. I wonder what makes em tick.:thinking:

 

[oronocova]

I second the Fenix E01. But for around my house I have a Gerber Trio I got off Sigman's deal in the MarketPlace. It puts out a lot more light than the Infinity but it does use 2xAA... for me I think it's a better size/output for a general around the house light. Infact I think I might order another!

 

[fisk-king]

Unfortunately my light just won't light up any more. I've cleaned the contacts and replaced the battery to no avail.
Is it likely that the LED can be blown or the circuit become disconnected?
I'm not sure how reliable the Gerber Infinity Ultra is since mine lasted only about 5 months.

Way before I ever seen this site I thought that the Gerber Infinity was the the Kool in the Aid. Well after a year and a half of use the led started to putter. Now 3 years later it is stored inside the armrest of my xscape that has to be banged on the hand a couple of times just to get it to turn on.

I think you will be satisfied with a Ti Sapphire/Arc AAA would prbly work for you.

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

It's not very small, but an Icon Rouge 1 might just do what you need it to do. A Nitecore EZAA might do the trick too. (there's no one saying you have to use the high level)

 

[Mikellen]

It's not very small, but an Icon Rouge 1 might just do what you need it to do. A Nitecore EZAA might do the trick too. (there's no one saying you have to use the high level)

The EZAA might work. I can get it with the warm tint also. So after the light falls out of regulation there is a gradual decrease in output (moon mode)?

 

[seaside]

Hello CPF community, I hope you can provide some advice.
I have been using a Gerber Infinity Ultra for my general purpose house light due to its size, simplicity, low level output, and when the battery starts to deplete the light doesn't just shut off but gradually reduces its output, which I believe is the result from being direct driven (not very knowledgeable about the types of circuits).
Unfortunately my light just won't light up any more. I've cleaned the contacts and replaced the battery to no avail.
Is it likely that the LED can be blown or the circuit become disconnected?
I'm not sure how reliable the Gerber Infinity Ultra is since mine lasted only about 5 months.

I would like to replace it with something similar that may be a bit more reliable. My main criteria is that the light won't shut off unexpectently but rather have a gradual decrease in light output when the battery starts to deplete, have an output of approximately 10 to 20 lumens, be reliable and efficient, and operate on 1 AA battery.
I have looked at the 1 AA flashlight roundup reviews, but I believe most of those lights are not direct driven, although I could be mistaken which is why I am inquiring in this thread.

If the consensus is that the Gerber is a reliable light then maybe I'll just purchase another one, but I'm open to other recommendations and suggestions.

Thank you.

I can't think of any AA sized flashlight that meets all of your criteria.

Most AA flashlights has boot circuit in it because of the reason J_C and others stated above. Lots of cheap AA flashlights do not shut off suddenly due to the lack of regulation, they rather get deem for hours before they completely go off. And most AA LED flashlight could reach over 40 lumen range in these days.

And the questions for you are... why you want 10~20 lumen while you can get over 40 lumens easily? Is there any particular reason for that? Do you want modes or plain simple on-off?

For cheap yet quite good single mode AA flashlight that does not shut off on you... I may recommend you look into romisen product, particulary RC-A3. If you have to stick with that 10~20 rumen range, fenix E01 is all I can think of.

 

[regulator]

I would recomend Peak as well. Look at the Pacific with 1 AA options and in the XL runtime catagory.

 

[LightScene]

The EZAA Warm has a very well chosen low mode. It seems perfect to me.
When I need bright light, I prefer a cooler tint, so I use a Fenix LD01 (AAA) when brightness is more important.
I think the EZAA Warm is your best bet.

 

[Mikellen]

I can't think of any AA sized flashlight that meets all of your criteria.

Most AA flashlights has boot circuit in it because of the reason J_C and others stated above. Lots of cheap AA flashlights do not shut off suddenly due to the lack of regulation, they rather get deem for hours before they completely go off. And most AA LED flashlight could reach over 40 lumen range in these days.

And the questions for you are... why you want 10~20 lumen while you can get over 40 lumens easily? Is there any particular reason for that? Do you want modes or plain simple on-off?

For cheap yet quite good single mode AA flashlight that does not shut off on you... I may recommend you look into romisen product, particulary RC-A3. If you have to stick with that 10~20 rumen range, fenix E01 is all I can think of.

The reason for the 10 to 20 lumen range is that I just wanted a light source for low level light applications such as navigating around the apartment and looking in closets and cupboards. The Gerber Infinity Ultra was a good light for that. It also didn't make noise when I switched it on (middle of night bathroom visit) due to the twisty switch.
I prefer just a simple twisty switch with just one output level. Two output levels would be fine though.

I'm flexible on the output level and I admit I'm not well informed of what types of circuits that may be more suitable for my desired flashlight usage which is why I appreciate all the helpful replies that have been provided in this thread.
I do agree the Fenix E01 would suit my purpose but I would prefer to utilize the AA battery since I have quite a few of them. I would also like the flashlight to run well on alkaline which is one of the reasons why I wanted a lower lumen output and gradual declining output light. I could be mistaken but I think alkaline should have acceptable performance if used in that way.
Basically if there is something similar to the E01 in a AA battery format, I think that would work well.

Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions and information.

 

[Wyeast]

I'll suggest a Gerber Firecracker. AA format, right in your 10-20 lumen range.

I would also suggest sending the Infinity back to Gerber. I was quite pleased with the turnaround on my Sonic (which they ended up replacing)

Hope that helps!

 

[Marduke]

If you want to keep your light, don't use alkalines in it. Sooner or later they will just leak and destroy it. NiMH have much better performance, and are over 100 times cheaper in the long run.

The NiteCore D10 may be to your liking. You can set it at your desired brightness and leave it, and operate it single mode as either a twisty, or pseudo-clicky. You also have access to a much lower low and much higher high if so desired.

 

[Illum]

Digi-Key sells a 1.5V white LED: Digi-Key - 67-1877-ND (Lumex Opto/Components Inc - SSL-DSP5093UWC). :candle: They also have 1.5V LED's in other colors.

:huh2: thats very unusual...but by the datasheet 1.5V is the minimum, the typucal Vf is 2.0V, maxing out at 3.2V
http://sigma.octopart.com/96598/datasheet/Lumex-SSL-DSP5093UWC.pdf

There aren't any true direct driven single AA's, there has to be some sort of circuitry to boost the voltage (a white led requires around 3.5v, a single AA will not supply this on it's own)

A light with a DC-DC converter is still considered a direct drive light because output decreases linearly with time.

 

[henry1960]

If you want to keep your light, don't use alkalines in it. Sooner or later they will just leak and destroy it. NiMH have much better performance, and are over 100 times cheaper in the long run.

The NiteCore D10 may be to your liking. You can set it at your desired brightness and leave it, and operate it single mode as either a twisty, or pseudo-clicky. You also have access to a much lower low and much higher high if so desired.

I have to agree with Marduke....The NiteCore D10 is a great adittion to any ones collection for reason of its Low 3-5L and its capability of 100 different Lumen settings. :thumbsup:

 

[MikeV]

I suggest that you also take a look at a either a regular or tacitcal Quark AA.

It has a lower low than the D10 and the high is just as bright.

With the Quark and the D10 when the battery gets low they will not just shut off leaving you in the dark.

Look at both and get which ever one makes you happy.



Mike.