Anybody Else? MC-E 4xAA Batteries, 350-400 lumens?

[jake25]

I was thinking that maybe this light would be interesting. Sort of like the Fenix but with a smaller size. I have so many Eneloops I don't know what to do with.

Would 4 AA's, Alkaline or LSD NiMH be good enough to power a MC-E at maybe 2.0A for 1 hour?

Anybody else? I guess I am attracted to AA's because of their popularity among most general users.

 

[RyanA]

NiMH would, but I'm not sure about alkaline. Might be possible with the right wiring. Perhaps with the led wired 2s2p or the batteries in 2s2p setup. Even so it's asking a lot from alkalines.

 

[jake25]

I was thinking 3S1P for the batteries . Maybe I'm not too familiar with the load Alkalines can take

 

[RyanA]

So 3AA in series? It would pretty much have to be NiMH AA's with the emitter in parallel. You might be better with a P7 in that case.
As far as alkaline I've been having problems with getting 6s2p D cells to provide 9v @ 1.2-1.5 amps. I have my doubts that an alkaline AA can provide anything over 500ma.

 

[jake25]

How does Fenix do it with 8AA's and even harder current to the MC-E I wonder.

I've gotten a P7 Drop in @ 1.8A to light up on 3AA Eneloops. 4 Must be doable

Just trying to think outside the box here. Lots of 1x18650 lights etc.

 

[OceanView]

Would 4 AA's, Alkaline or LSD NiMH be good enough to power a MC-E at maybe 2.0A for 1 hour?...I guess I am attracted to AA's because of their popularity among most general users.

There was just this post about why no Crees in a 4AA form factor yesterday. Maybe the question is more "Does anyone want the 4AA form factor?" than any technical considerations about batteries.

Personally, I think 4AA like the SL ProPoly or UK eLED is a very handy size but at least among the lights aimed more towards our kind of crowd, 4AA definitely isn't something you see nowadays. If you ignore custom builds and drop-ins using Mags, all the new lights have avoided the 4AA format.

Hmm, come to think of it, I can't really think of any metal-bodied lights that are similar in shape to the ProPoly. Maybe fabricating a non-round host like that is not worth the added cost, and any polymer-bodied light won't take the heat of a multi-die emitter very well. I think cramming 4AA into something like a 4AA -> 1D shape makes for a light that is too fat, at least for my hands.

However, if we're just talking wishlist and maybe a custom build, I think 4AA NiMH and an underdriven 5A tint MC-E would be just peachy!

 

[RyanA]

How does Fenix do it with 8AA's and even harder current to the MC-E I wonder.

I've gotten a P7 Drop in @ 1.8A to light up on 3AA Eneloops. 4 Must be doable

Just trying to think outside the box here. Lots of 1x18650 lights etc.

I like it, different is good.
I don't know much about the fenix light but I'd bet that there are 4 rows of two batteries wired in parallel or variations of that depending on how the emitter is set up.

I think a p7 or m-ce set up in parallel would be wicked sweet in a gutted mini mag off of 3 eneloops.
But again NiMH is a whole different beast when it comes to current than alkaline.

 

[jake25]

I will talk to some engineers and designers in the flashlight biz and see what happens

 

[big beam]

I like the 4 AA form.I have an old e gear that is the size of a 1D light and use it all the time(modded witha SSC of course).I even liked the energizer double barrel lights they just feel good in your hand.
DON

 

[jake25]

4AA definitely isn't something you see nowadays.

Maybe you don't see it because no company is willing to take the risk and make one

 

[PhantomPhoton]

I would love to see an MC-E or P7 driven on 4 AA cells. Personally I loved the form factor of the Princeton Tec 40 and think it would be a great way to make a light. Bucking down from 4 AA cells would be cake for most drivers which currently do P7s and MC-Es.

From what I gather the Fenix TK40 can run at lower brightness with only 4 AA cells. Thinking about it logically, IMO the TK40 likely does 4S2P with the battery configuration and a simple buck to an MC-E wired to run the emitters 4P.

There are two problems with the 4AA cell design which make manufacturers wimp out. First, they still make lights (even with the TK40 price range of $100+) for the lowest common denominator consumer. The kind that buys alkaline cells (and calls them batteries ).
The second issue is most manufacturers are cheapskates. :nana: It's way cheaper to machine a circular tube from aluminum stock than an oval tube to hold 4AAs in 2x2. It makes the switch and tail cap harder to fit to the battery tube; makes the head contact more difficult to design etc.

But still I do hold out hope that one day someone will actually step up and make one.

 

[jake25]

If i told you that this light could be made within a reasonable amount of time if there is a high enough demand for it, would you be interested

PS I was thinking of the barrel being size like all 4 cells next to each other making one fat tube. I never thought about making a double stack/oval shaped body.

 

[OceanView]

I was thinking of the barrel being size like all 4 cells next to each other making one fat tube. I never thought about making a double stack/oval shaped body.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a fat light like that. Between PhantomPhoton and myself, we've been mentioning lights like the Streamlight ProPoly, UK eLED, and the PrincetonTec Tec40. Oh, another light that I own and like which is 4AA and that shape--the Energizer ArcWhite with the CFL built-in.

Anyway, I think most people would agree that that's a good size/shape for a light that holds that many cells. It's long enough to be easy to hold, even for people with big hands, and slim enough to slip into a pocket or for folks with small hands to get their hands around it comfortably.

There are very few 4AA lights that were made short and fat and I think the reason why we've seen so few is that people don't like them. The only short, fat 4AA I've ever owned were either lanterns, or flashlights that could be converted into lanterns.

 

[NonSenCe]

a fat body.. no thanks.. i have one already. HAH!

the 4aa driving mce or p7 for not full power: yes that sounds nice and would be welcome addition.

4aa in 1 D size. i bit too bulky round tube for my liking.

with stacked doubles slimline shape makes it easier to pocket carry. and that i would like to do with 4aa light.. to have a medium sized light with great power that still fits nice to pocket.

if there is a 4aa with D size tube (about 40mm like maglite), i would rather use slimmer bodied 18650 lights instead for pretty much same power in more compact size.

if thickness 35mm *width 22mm*150mm length, oval stacked 2+2 ..then the 4aa would probably win.


even with 35mm tube i would start to feel a bit uncomfortable to carry and use it.

 

[MrGman]

I have no interest in either the Fenix TK40 or a 4 AA cell flashlight for the MC-E. You are also confusing the current draw of the LED module with the driver circuitry needs that could put the batteries in other form factors. 8 AA cells in series could be 12V with the right buck regulator type driver to deliver 9 watts of power would be 0.75 amp draw through the batteries in series to keep them at a reasonable current flow and then have a long way to go for the voltage sag as the regulator maintains constant output.

don't assume high current needs of the LED directly translates to high current needs to the batteries. If the designer wanted lower voltage and higher current draw for the Fenix TK40 they could have made it run off of 3 C cells rated at 5 ampere hours each, not 8 AA's.

Most of the better regulator circuits out there for flashlight drivers are buck type with a wide voltage range.

 

[elugelab]

A body like this would be great for a 8xAA torch.

 

[jake25]

How about a 2S1P battery setup to drive a Q5 put it into a flashlight with a huge reflector for throw?

Being a part time re-seller. It's hard to sell a CR123 or 18650 light to the average person.

Being that all of the throwers use these cells, throwers don't exactly fly off the shelves.

Am i just talking crazy??

 

[MichaelW]

How about 250 warm lumens (3500K CCT) from 3 AAs?

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=216732
Alkalines aren't going to cut it for 250, not past the initial five minutes, NiMH & lithiums sure.

 

[jake25]

The only emitter I know of is the Q2 5A that makes the warm color. I think theres a Q3 too. But i don't think, on paper, they make 250 lumens.

 

[MichaelW]

I was thinking of the MC-E, lightly driven. but that would probably need a boost.