Battery Question

[Poppy]

Blue is nice

BTW, that battery is "protected" that means that it has an electronic protection circuit tacked onto the front of it to protect it from overcharging and over discharging it. Therefore there are fewer safety concerns.

 

[Bushcraft Forever]

Blue is nice

BTW, that battery is "protected" that means that it has an electronic protection circuit tacked onto the front of it to protect it from overcharging and over discharging it. Therefore there are fewer safety concerns.

Oh, so much to learn. And I thought flashlights were simple, lol. Do I need some sort of meter to check the batteries charge, or when the green light comes on It's good to go? I may be overthinking this.

 

[bykfixer]

I'm certain Poppy can add a comment based on his experiences....but in general terms I'll say this...

If you have a good, reliable charger you can count on the green light and verify at times that it's still doing things correctly.
The NiteCore i4 is one at about $20.

Streamlight chargers are reliable as well...but as you know it's for their lights only.

The charger at your local box store like...oh, uh.. the copper bunny brand... Not so reliable.

 

[Poppy]

Bushcraft,
You are asking good questions.

Like bykfixer said, if you have a reliable charger you are good to go. Xtar makes reliable chargers, and HKJ tested this one and gave it a thumbs up!

LiIon batteries can be topped off without having to drain them. If kept at full charge they degrade a bit quicker, maybe you'll get three years instead of five years, but they are inexpensive enough.... who cares?

Your battery has over-discharge protection, and so does the light. You'll see it get dimmer, and it may even start to blink, at that point you NEED to recharge. But regardless you still can't damage the battery by running it too low because of the protection circuit.

Personally, I use both protected, and unprotected cells, and I do use a digital multi-meter to check the charge status of my cells to see if I need to charge them. I always want my lights ready to go, so if any of the cells in any of the lights is under 4.0 volts, I top it off.

Eventually, you'll get a digital multi meter, but you don't need to right away. Sometimes Harbor Freight gives them away for free. Otherwise they have them for about $6. You don't need anything fancy.

Depending upon how much you use it, you might top it off every night, like you do your cell phone, once a week, or every two weeks. You'll see what works for you.

I hope that you get to play with it tonight!

 

[Bushcraft Forever]

Bushcraft,
You are asking good questions.

Like bykfixer said, if you have a reliable charger you are good to go. Xtar makes reliable chargers, and HKJ tested this one and gave it a thumbs up!

LiIon batteries can be topped off without having to drain them. If kept at full charge they degrade a bit quicker, maybe you'll get three years instead of five years, but they are inexpensive enough.... who cares?

Your battery has over-discharge protection, and so does the light. You'll see it get dimmer, and it may even start to blink, at that point you NEED to recharge. But regardless you still can't damage the battery by running it too low because of the protection circuit.

Personally, I use both protected, and unprotected cells, and I do use a digital multi-meter to check the charge status of my cells to see if I need to charge them. I always want my lights ready to go, so if any of the cells in any of the lights is under 4.0 volts, I top it off.

Eventually, you'll get a digital multi meter, but you don't need to right away. Sometimes Harbor Freight gives them away for free. Otherwise they have them for about $6. You don't need anything fancy.

Depending upon how much you use it, you might top it off every night, like you do your cell phone, once a week, or every two weeks. You'll see what works for you.

I hope that you get to play with it tonight!

Thank you Poppy, and bykfixer! My package just arrived, and one battery in already on the charger... I'm pretty excited for it to get dark, and it's starting to snow, lol. I will definitely be playing with it tonight, can't wait.

 

[KeepingItLight]

I hope you like the Convoy S2+. If your experience is anything like what others report, I think you'll love it.

I expect you will want to buy a backup after you try the S2+. One approach is to get another S2+, but I would suggest an alternative. Take a look at the Convoy C8 or the ThorFire C8s. These are "compact throwers" based on the popular C8 design. They both produce around 30,000 candela, so they will project their beams much farther than the S2+. I like this alternative because it will make you the owner of two different types of flashlights.

The S2+ is the one you will use most often. It is a "general-purpose" flashlight that combines both flood and throw. The C8 produces a narrower beam that throws farther than the S2+, but which is less useful for close work and most indoor uses. Even outdoors, you will often find that you prefer the wider beam of the S2+ in many applications.

Here is a shout-out to Poppy. He is the one who first got me interested in the Convoy brand. It is one of the best "budget" brands out there.

One thing that has not been discussed yet is beam tint and color-rendering ability.

Beam tint or CCT (correlated color temperature) is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). Most store-bought flashlights have a "cool-white" tint that is not unlike the bluish headlights you frequently see in your rearview mirror. Cool-white flashlights often have a CCT above 6000K, with 6300K being a common measurement. "Neutral-white" flashlights have a tint that is a bit warmer, usually measured between, say, 4400K and 5500K. My preference is for lights around 5000K. At CPF, the majority of posters report a predilection for neutral white, but a significant minority (around 30%) prefer cool white. You won't know what you like until you try out a few.

CRI (color rendering index), usually measured using the "Ra" standard, gives an indication of how good a flashlight is at rendering colors accurately. Sunlight and incandescent lights are the best. They both have a CRI of 100 (Ra). Lower numbers are worse. The flashlights sold in stores typically have a low CRI, often between 65 and 75 (Ra). So do most of the cool-white and neutral-white models described at CPF. Really good emitters have a CRI that is above 90 (Ra).

The difference is stark. You can compare low CRI and high CRI easily by aiming your flashlights at a lightly colored wood finish. Oak furniture and floors make great targets. Under a low-CRI light, colors will look dull and "flat."

When you are using a flashlight to do a "job," such as changing a tire, tint and CRI do not matter. For most jobs, any light is fine. When you are using a flashlight for a recreational activity, however, such as camping, hiking, or walking the dog, many owners report a preference for neutral tint and high CRI. The reds, browns, tans, and greens of nature all look more vibrant under a high CRI light source. As I said above, you really won't know if this is important to you until you try.

A good way to learn about neutral tint and high CRI is to buy the BLF-348. It is a single-mode, 48-lumen flashlight that features a reverse-clicky switch, and runs on 1xAAA. By joining the group buy currently underway at BudgetLightForum, you can get one for only $7 USD. I ended up buying 10 of them, 9 of which have been given away to friends and family members.

Another cheap 1xAAA flashlight that has high CRI is the Astrolux A01. It's a twisty, so I will probably not like it as much as the BLF-348. What I do like about the A01 is its three modes. It can be both brighter and dimmer than the BLF-348. There is a group buy for the A01 underway at BudgetLightForum right now where you can get the A01 for around $10 USD. Mine is due to arrive any day. With tracking and insurance, I paid $10.45 USD.

Now that I have developed a taste for neutral tint and high CRI, I will be a buyer of two more expensive flashlights. The ZebraLight H600Fd Mk. III headlamp will be my next purchase. It has a CCT of 5000K and a CRI rated at 83-85 (Ra). The ZebraLight SC600Fd Mk. III Plus is slated for release this summer. It will be a ground-breaking flashlight that combines the high output of a Cree XHP50 emitter with a CCT of 5000K and a CRI of 93-95 (Ra).

Hope this helps.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Welcome to CPF, Bushcraft Forever!

Thank you Poppy, and bykfixer! My package just arrived, and one battery in already on the charger... I'm pretty excited for it to get dark, and it's starting to snow, lol. I will definitely be playing with it tonight, can't wait.

Tee hee hee! That's how it begins! I hope your new light serves you well. Who knows, it may just be a tool or it might kick off another hobby in it's own right. In either case you are lucky! I got into lights in the stone age before the internet. I had to make some mistakes before I learned the basics. CPF is a great resource to get up to speed before you start spending your own cash!

 

[Bushcraft Forever]

Thanks (Keepingitlight)!

Well, I tested out the S2+ last night, and I was amazed. It is so bright, and the falling snow looked so cool ... I will test it out again with no snowfall to get a better idea of it's beam.

I think this will become a hobby, as I'm already looking at another light, lol. I want a new charger as well because the XTAR M1 took a very long time to charge a single battery, about 5 hours. I would like to charge a minimum of two batteries at a time, and different types such as 18650, AA, AAA's. Thanks, Poppy... You've created a monster!

 

[ChrisGarrett]

Thanks (Keepingitlight)!

Well, I tested out the S2+ last night, and I was amazed. It is so bright, and the falling snow looked so cool ... I will test it out again with no snowfall to get a better idea of it's beam.

I think this will become a hobby, as I'm already looking at another light, lol. I want a new charger as well because the XTAR M1 took a very long time to charge a single battery, about 5 hours. I would like to charge a minimum of two batteries at a time, and different types such as 18650, AA, AAA's. Thanks, Poppy... You've created a monster!

Ven just sent me a modified S2+ with a triple LED emitter and I have an original S2 Convoy which I got with a warm white LED. Poppy turned me onto the Convoy brand and so I bought three of them at once--the S2, the M1 and the M2. This green S2+ that Ven sent me is my fourth Convoy light and they're tough to beat for the money.

Go to FastTech dot com and click on lights and then go to Convoy. They're awesome because you can order them with different color temps from warm/rosey to clinical white and shades in between. You can also order them with different driver currents, so if you want a blaster like my S2 and the S2+ (6 amps,) you can go that route, or if you want lower outputs, but longer runtimes, you have that end of the spectrum. My first 3 all have the 2.8A driver boards and the S2 will heat up on high, in a matter of minutes.

The only problem with many Convoy lights is the fact that they only run of the 18650 li-ion cell and not two of the disposable CR123A 3v photo batteries that you see at the drugstore, or supermarket, but that's no bother to me.

Also, if you're going to play with li-ion rechargeable cells, get an inexpensive digital multi-meter from places like Harbor Freight, Lowes, or Home Depot. For <$15-$20, you can measure your cell voltage and see where the cell is at when it comes hot off the charger, which is 4.20v (+/- .05v.)

You really need to have an idea of where you're at so you can then charge them back up.

Enjoy!

Once you get into the world of rechargeable batteries (NiMH Eneloop types,) or lithium-ion cells, you won't go back.

I find the power sources and their chargers to be more intriguing than the lights themselves.

They're like potato chips in that you can't eat just one.

Chris

 

[Bushcraft Forever]

I went out and picked up a digital multimeter and my newly charged batteries are reading 4.19 volts. Does this sound about right?

 

[Burgess]

That's PERFECT !


:thumbsup:



Enjoy your new Flashlight !


Welcome to CandlePowerForums.


:welcome:

 

[ChrisGarrett]

I went out and picked up a digital multimeter and my newly charged batteries are reading 4.19 volts. Does this sound about right?

Yep, right in spec. Some chargers, like Xtar, tend to undercharge slightly and 4.18v-4.19v on new, healthy cells is common. Some chargers, like my Xtar XP1 charge up to 4.20v, same with my NiteCore i4 v.2.

The cell charging specs are 4.20v (+/- .05v,) so 4.15v-4.25v. It's better for cells to be slightly undercharged than overcharged, as they'll last a bit longer.

We'll see cells start to charge to a lower voltage, as they age.

Chris