Do all regulated lights suffer from this problem?

[E=MC2]

I think I'm going to send my D10 back for an exchange, because I'm pretty sure it's defective.
However, before it got so bad, it was failing to switch on occasionally after moderate use of the battery. I figure this was because I'd left it set to 'high' mode, and the battery didn't have the juice to start it off in 'high' mode, but it did have enough to start it at a lower setting.

My question is, if I swapped it for (say) a Fenix, would the Fenix have the same problem? Do all D10's have this problem? Did I just get a dud? I posted this a few months ago, but no one really answered my question.

Cheers

 

[kramer5150]

I've never heard of another light suffering from that condition.... fenix or otherwise. Certainly none of mine do, send it back:thumbsdow

 

[E=MC2]

Thanks for the quick reply, Kramer.
How about when the battery gets a little lower, say to 10-20% charge (and it's a NiMH, so it's a lower voltage battery to start with)? Would a D10 that's not malfunctioning still start up, even if you had it set to high when you switched it off? I guess what I'm asking is, is it possible to drain the battery with a regulated light, without having to leave it on (switching it on and off)? I've heard of lights that go into 'moon mode,' but I'm not sure if the D10 has that. Because my D10 doesn't seem to switch on even if I leave it for two weeks without using it, with a fully-charged battery inserted to start with. And that's with the housing unscrewed too, so it (theoretically) can't be the circuit draining the battery while it's not in use.
I need a light that will run until the battery is dead, not refuse to come on when it gets to 30%.

 

[FlashCrazy]

Thanks for the quick reply, Kramer.
How about when the battery gets a little lower, say to 10-20% charge (and it's a NiMH, so it's a lower voltage battery to start with)? Would a D10 that's not malfunctioning still start up, even if you had it set to high when you switched it off? I guess what I'm asking is, is it possible to drain the battery with a regulated light, without having to leave it on (switching it on and off)? I've heard of lights that go into 'moon mode,' but I'm not sure if the D10 has that. Because my D10 doesn't seem to switch on even if I leave it for two weeks without using it, with a fully-charged battery inserted to start with. And that's with the housing unscrewed too, so it (theoretically) can't be the circuit draining the battery while it's not in use.
I need a light that will run until the battery is dead, not refuse to come on when it gets to 30%.

Yes, some lights need to see a certain voltage before they'll turn on. I'm not sure about the D10, but I've had a few single AA lights that needed 1.1V before they would turn on. How much runtime are you getting before it won't turn on in high again?

Also, NiMH batteries lose charge over time, even just sitting in a drawer (not even in a device)... this is caled self-discharge. Some NiMH batteries will even drain down to a low voltage in a matter of days. Yours could be losing enough charge to cause the light not to turn on. Pick up some "low self-discharge" type NiMH's. Eneloops are a favorite, but a few other companies sell them too... Duracell pre-charged, Rayovac Hybrids, etc. (Actually only a few factories make the cells, so some are the same just different names). The batteries can hold their charge for a long time when sitting around (up to 85% of their charge after a year).

 

[E=MC2]

Thanks for the reply.
I am actually using Eneloops, so theoretically, 2 weeks with the light unscrewed shouldn't be a problem, right?

Interestingly enough, I just tried putting an Eneloop that had been sitting on my desk for about a month or two after a full charging in my light, and it works perfectly. So, I'm guessing there's some kind of significant drain going on when the light is unscrewed, which isn't good.

Hmmm. Maybe I should have stuck to something like a Maglite Solitaire. I'm wondering whether regulated lights are for me - I'd prefer to have something that switches on when I need it without either carrying around a spare battery or changing it every two days, even if it has the output of a kid's toy light. It kind of seems like by regulating these lights, they've increased performance, but decreased convenience.

 

[asdalton]

This unpleasant surprise comes with some regulated lights, but definitely not all. I know that the Longbow lights would run, but not restart, on a weak battery. It's usually a deficiency in the circuit design, not a flaw in a particular unit.

I don't recall ever seeing (or hearing about) that problem with Surefire or Fenix.

 

[Lighthouse one]

Maybe for your wants-you should consider using the Energizer Lithium primary batteries. THey have a slightly higher voltage- hold they power forever when not used, and last a really long time.

 

[E=MC2]

Cheers for the input, guys.
It's still working tonight on the same battery. I'll keep testing it by switching it on for one minute on high every night and see how many nights it takes to crash.