hds runtimes. It's all over

[thermal guy]

You know not sure if its against rules but i say 50 days and i bet 2 SF 123 on it:twothumbs

 

[mossyoak]

ill put two sf 123's on that.

 

[thermal guy]

your on any other takers?

 

[Ty_Bower]

Re: hds runtimes.

So its 19 days straight at .33 LM

You did pretty well. I've got an old table from the days when the "official" HDS runtime chart was posted. HDS claimed a calculated 275 hours at 0.33 lumens with a Surefire CR123A cell. That's only 11.46 days. You got 65% more for free.

By your data point (19 days @ 0.33), you ought to see about 76 days on the 0.08 lumen setting...

Oh, and make sure you use the same EDC for your 0.08 lumen test. Every light was calibrated for fixed brightness levels, not fixed current draw (which translates into runtime) at a given level.

 

[thermal guy]

Well like its been said I'm sure Henry went real low on his times god bless him.I'm sure if i tried it with one of my others it would be different.

 

[powernoodle]

Re: hds runtimes.

that test is still going on its been on locater strobe for over 11 months!

Now pushing 16 months. Link.

:wave:

 

[thermal guy]

16 months! i bet even Henry wouldn't believe that, nice work man.

 

[joema]

I've been doing a level 20 (0.08 lumen) run time test on my HDS U60 since Dec 30. It's been modified with an SSC P4 emitter, so it's actually brighter than 0.08 lumens, but I think the current draw is the same.

So far it's 11 days and still doing fine. My guess is approx. 50 days.

 

[yaesumofo]

Why not go fo a world record?
I remember those 9 volt flashlights (I hate 'em ) but they did stay on for a long time up to a yrar on a single 9 volt. so maybe a record can be had for longest running flashlight on a cr123 cell?
What do you think?
Yaesumofo

I know there is a great deal of info on this but I'm a see it to believe it kinda guy so i have been running my u60 on .33 LM since DEC 9. still going strong.The reason I'm doing this is because i believe most of the run times that have been done on the low settings are estimated and i want to double check the numbers. what you think?

 

[tebore]

I'm running my U60 on Level 20 too since the 23rd of Dec. That puts it at 19 days?

 

[paulr]

I wonder if you could measure the current draw of the lights at these low levels, and also the open circuit voltage of the 123 cell once the light does start flashing.

At the lowest level it wouldn't surprise me if the microprocessor is using more power than the led. At 50 lm/w, 0.33 lm = 0.0066 W = 0.0022 A (@ 3 volts) or around 600 hours = 25 days for a 1300 mah battery. Actually not that far out from what you got.

The 9 volt lights are called PALights and that ultra dim level is just a locator, not supposed to be illumination. Might be as low as 0.001 lumens or something like that.

 

[DM51]

Don't know how I missed this - good thread! My guess is ~80 days on level 20.

 

[matthewdanger]

Simply amazing! I use my Seoulmated U60 on the lowest possible setting all the time. It is enough light to move around in the woods with dark adjusted eyes and definitely enough to move around a dark room. It's nice to know that in a pinch I could count on it to last so long.

 

[Frank Maddix]

Apologies if this has been mentioned, but what battery are you using TB?

 

[joema]

...At the lowest level it wouldn't surprise me if the microprocessor is using more power than the led...

There was an extensive thread on this titled "HDS EDC microprocessor current drain". Unfortunately since Sasha closed the HDS forum, I can't access it.

Going from memory, the HDS microcontroller (I think a Texas Instruments part) stays in sleep mode most of the time. The current drain is extremely low.

We determined the basic microcontroller type, but there are many sub-variants, and each one has many possible operational modes. Each different variant/mode has different current consumption characteristics.

I think Henry finally responded and said current drain is so low it's not an appreciable fraction of emitter consumption, even on the lowest brightness level.

 

[joema]

OK I found the HDS thread, it's here: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=101355&highlight=current+drain

Also, another thread about the longest-running single-cell light: http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=101034

Summary: Henry says with the light off, microcontroller power consumption is about equal to the battery self-discharge rate, and when on (at the lowest level), it's far less than the emitter consumption.

 

[DM51]

There was an extensive thread on this titled "HDS EDC microprocessor current drain". Unfortunately since Sasha closed the HDS forum, I can't access it.

Yes you can. It's here. All the old HDS threads are in 'Manufacturer's Corner' in the Marketplace.

EDIT: OK, I see you found it.

 

[Tessaiga]

This a silly question but when you run the test, the light was left constantly on right??

 

[joema]

This a silly question but when you run the test, the light was left constantly on right??

Yes it's left constantly on, using the same battery. In my case I check the output with a lux meter about once per day, but the light is never turned off. My HDS U60 has been on level 20 for 12 consecutive 24-hr days, non-stop. Lux output is unchanged from the beginning, which is expected. Battery is an Energizer CR123A. I suppose a rechargeable RCR123A would have less run time since it has fewer watt-hrs of energy.

tebore has been running his at level 20 since Dec 23, so that's currently about 20 days.

 

[Tessaiga]

Yes it's left constantly on, using the same battery. In my case I check the output with a lux meter about once per day, but the light is never turned off. My HDS U60 has been on level 20 for 12 consecutive 24-hr days, non-stop. Lux output is unchanged from the beginning, which is expected. Battery is an Energizer CR123A. I suppose a rechargeable RCR123A would have less run time since it has fewer watt-hrs of energy.

tebore has been running his at level 20 since Dec 23, so that's currently about 20 days.

WOW!! that's pretty amazing actually.

Just curious, if done like that, does it tax the LED prematurely? I know the ouput is really really miniscule, but still, leaving it on for that long a period, will it wear out the LED prematurely?