Bought a used AAA; first arc; question

[zenlunatic]

I just bought an Arc-AAA used online. This is my first Arc-AAA. I dont know the exact model but it has Arc-P on the end of the battery tube. I noticed the beam is sorta like a egg yolk and the center is noticeably off. I was just wondering if this is normal or could something be wrong with the thing. I'm tempted to buy a new GS just to compare.

 

[carrot]

That's fairly normal. If it is not a GS (supposedly the LED lens sticks out slightly past the bezel) then it is most likely a CS, which was in production for a pretty long time. That's assuming it has the tapered bezel?

 

[zenlunatic]

 

[carrot]

Yes, that's a current (MTD LLC) Arc, so it would be a CS, DS or GS LED. My guess is that it's a CS LED because the DS LED models were a very short run before the GS came out. I believe they did use BS LED's in the Arcs after the MTD ownership but those were never labeled Arc-P?

 

[zenlunatic]

So is it normal for Arcs to have off-center hot spots? Just wondering if I got a used dud, since when i compare the beam to my E01, the arc is less center.

 

[defloyd77]

What exactly do you mean by egg yolk exactly? The hotspots of the Nichia GS are rectangular and are not in the exact middle of the beam.

Carrot, I thought Arc fixed the GS issue with it sticking out?

 

[zenlunatic]

Kind of looks like this. Main beam i kinda off like the yolk.

 

[hank]

I vaguely recall there were some "seconds" sold at one point, could be you got one of those third hand.

 

[greenLED]

sounds like the typical beam

 

[fyrstormer]

The DS was the best Arc AAA. I miss mine.

 

[Dan FO]

The DS was the best Arc AAA.

+1

 

[carrot]

Yeah, I hopped on the DS bandwagon and I love mine. Wonder why Peter isn't using them? They're only 2 or 3 lumens dimmer than the GS at the current drive level, and supposedly a much nicer beam.

As for the off center LED, this is normal.

 

[deer hunter]

Im a new Arc aaa owner, but a long time flashaholic and I will say with pride that the Arc aaa is the best small edc anyone could ever own hands down!

 

[Haz]

I thought Arc fixed the GS issue with it sticking out?

The sticking out issue was rectified after the initial batches.

 

[DArklite]

Im a new Arc aaa owner, but a long time flashaholic and I will say with pride that the Arc aaa is the best small edc anyone could ever own hands down!

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=205309

 

[zenlunatic]

Yes, that's a current (MTD LLC) Arc, so it would be a CS, DS or GS LED. My guess is that it's a CS LED because the DS LED models were a very short run before the GS came out. I believe they did use BS LED's in the Arcs after the MTD ownership but those were never labeled Arc-P?

Carrot, how can it be a CS if it has ARC-P on the head?

 

[carrot]

The Premium model always uses the brightest LED Peter can get his hands on. At one point, the CS LED was the brightest. I remember this to be the case when I was considering buying my first Arc, but instead I got lucky and got an Arc-AA.

 

[paulr]

It looks like I have a CS which says Arc-P on it. The weird thing is I don't remember buying it, so I'm not sure how I got it. :shrug:

 

[csshih]

It looks like I have a CS which says Arc-P on it. The weird thing is I don't remember buying it, so I'm not sure how I got it. :shrug:

send it to me, then you wont have to worry about anything at all! :nana:

 

[parnass]

Carrot, how can it be a CS if it has ARC-P on the head?

From a snapshot of the 2005 ARC FAQ web page:.

... The Arc-AAA use a 5mm Nichia LED part number NSPW500BS/CS. Like all good LEDs, Nichia bins these LEDs by tint and flux. The Standard Arc-AAA uses S flux and B2 or B3 tint. The Premium Arc-AAA uses a U or V flux with a B2 or B1 tint. The difference between the Standard and Premium is the Premium is brighter. ...