Fenix L2d issue/problem?

[ericpolo]

I was running my L2d (only had it a few weeks)on turbo tonight while chasing a raccoon and a possum around my yard. It was on this mode for a few minutes.

(I am currently running energizer Nimh rechargeables) After a few minutes I noticed that the rubber clicky switch was inflated or swollen. It was clearly sticking up higher than normal.

Is this an indication of pressure or gas build up inside the flashlight? What would have happened had I kept running the light on turbo? Switch blow-out?

Thanks,

ericpolo

 

[alphazeta]

That happens when one or of your nimh are overdischarged and is venting gas. The cell becomes reverse charged at that point and can have it's life & capacity greatly shortened.

Try to use cells with closely match capacities as a pair.

-AZ

 

[Marduke]

(I am currently running energizer Nimh rechargeables)

There's your problem. Those are perhaps the worst cells NiMH ever made.

 

[litetube]

I thought switch bulge was a common occurance when lights heated up? the air inside the light expanding?

Wow I almost bought a set and charger of Energizers Nimh. They are everywhere out there. They are crap? Eneloops better?

 

[TONY M]

Wow I almost bought a set and charger of Energizers Nimh. They are everywhere out there. They are crap? Eneloops better?

Yes much better.

I have had energizer 2500s and the most annoying thing was not that the self discharge rate was seriously quick but that within just a few days the cells showed significantly different voltages.:shakehead

 

[LED-holic]

I thought switch bulge was a common occurance when lights heated up? the air inside the light expanding?

Wow I almost bought a set and charger of Energizers Nimh. They are everywhere out there. They are crap? Eneloops better?

No the light switch should never bulge. The batteries are the culprit, you will love the Eneloops. They are much much much better.

 

[ericpolo]

Thanks for the advice. I had been planning on picking up some Eneloops, and this just reaffirms my decision.

I have several sets of Energizer rechargeables and the discharge rate is crazy. The 2500s self-discharge almost overnight.

Thanks again,

ericpolo

 

[Marduke]

Don't forget to not use your old Energizer charger either. Chances are it's a dumb timed charger which will overcharge cells.

 

[ericpolo]

I have the 15 minute charger/fryer that I didn't plan on using. Any recommendations?

Thanks again.

 

[BentHeadTX]

For chargers...Maha C9000 battery analyzer. It will tell you the capacity of the batteries so you can match the capacity of batteries together. $60 but if you use a lot of NiMH AAA/AA cells, probably be worth it to you.

 

[LED-holic]

I use the Eneloop charger that came with my set at CostCo. It seems to work pretty well.

 

[edap617]

What is the ideal voltage and mA rating for charging AAA and AA Eneloop?

Thank you.

 

[Badbeams3]

I was running my L2d (only had it a few weeks)on turbo tonight while chasing a raccoon and a possum around my yard. It was on this mode for a few minutes.

What would have happened had I kept running the light on turbo?

Thanks,

ericpolo

The raccoon and possum would have got pissed, turned and tore you to shreds. LOL

The Rayovac "hybrids" from Walmart seem to work very well...I have had good louck with them

 

[Gator762]

For chargers...Maha C9000 battery analyzer. It will tell you the capacity of the batteries so you can match the capacity of batteries together. $60 but if you use a lot of NiMH AAA/AA cells, probably be worth it to you.

Second getting a better charger. The 15 minute charger is pretty good, but fast charging decreases the life of your cells. Again if you have a lot of cells it's worth it. With LSD cells now like Eneloops, I never use alkalines anymore.

The LaCrosse B-900 has many of the features of the Maha for $40. Little less features, but better interface. Also includes the C and D cell adapters. Do a search for the reviews here. Someone wrote down the number of button clicks for comparable operations. The number of button presses on the Maha is kinda crazy.

 

[Hondo]

I'm very happy with my BC-700 charger - same as the BC-900 but the max. charge current is 700 mA.

This deal is still on: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=180204

If you don't need the cells and other goodies in the BC-900 package (thread near the one above for that too), this is a good deal. If you do, the BC-900 package is very nice too. I have not heard much about those cells, but I'm sure Eneloops are better.

Actually, the Duracell "Power Gage" (400 mA AA, 175 mA AAA) and "Mobile" (550 mA all cells) chargers are pretty good independent channel chargers from the brick and mortar stores, too. But no advanced features like capacity testing and refresh cycling.

My condolences on the Energizer 2500's. I have a stack of those I need to put in the recycle bin.

 

[Gator762]

Oh yeah, I think Thomas Distributing offers the BC-900 now with Eneloops. Forgot pricing. Like Hondo mentioned, the BC-700 is a good deal if you don't need the goodies.

I just picked up 8 Eneloop AAs. So far, so good. They all came in over rated capacity at 2110-2200 MAh. I have some Rayovac Hybrids, they ranged from 1990-2110 MAh.

I'm not sure if the Energizer brand are bad, or the fast charging, but I had some of the 2000 and 2200 MAh rated die pretty quick.

 

[alphazeta]

Correct, the energizers are awful with high failure rates after a few cycles. However, the source of the venting is still a result of one of the cells being overdischarged. If the two cells used are at different voltage states and are run down, this will happen with eneloops as well.
The point I wanted to stress to the OP, is to use paired cells of matched capacities and health. Outside of that, I've found the majority of MIJ nimhs to be of good quality.

-AZ

BTW - A lot of times a LaCrosse BC900 can be had on sale from Amazon for $35 or even $30 shipped.