In need of 2 very different single AA lights

LEDBE
VegasF6

VegasF6

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
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1,449
Location
Las Vegas
The first light I need to find will run from a single AA alkaline and suck as much juice out of it as possible, what is sometimes called a vampire. I don't want to build my own joule thief at this time. I have seen threads on this before, but I am having trouble finding one for a single AA. Gerber infinity ultra maybe? Anything that might be found at a local store, like a River Rock?

The second light is more of a priority for them. My "little flashaholic" has taken to falling asleep with a flashlight on. Alkalines are getting too expensive, and I don't want to damage my rechargables. The only requirements for this light are not especially bright, and no twisties. Something my 2 1/2 year old daughter can turn on, and perhaps even turn off now and then :) So, probably something with a 5mm led and a low voltage cut off circuit at what, .8 volts? Or perhaps there is a light I am not aware of with a timer circuit in it that shuts itself off after say, 30 minutes? Oh yah, one more requirement for this one. It can't come apart easily and have small edible parts. And a 2 cell light would be fine, if I don't run the risk of damaging batteries. Could I trust the light to shut off at low voltage on a 2 cell and not damage one battery?
 
For light 2 you might checkout a Proton Pro. Very easy 1 button operation, variable light level, even a red for kicks. You can enable a hidden timer mode and it will turn off after 5 mins.

I'm a bit sketchy on the timer mode, I didn't seem to record the instructions, but if you look at the threads for that light I'm sure you will find it.
 
Have you tested your lights to see how low they will drag a NiMH? I would think once the voltage gets that low, drivers would cease to operate.
 
i'm surprised you don't have any "junk" rechargables like the energizer 2500's for use #2. I gave or threw away all mine, otherwise I'd send you some.
 
Well last night we did it with her Ariel (that's a mermaid, not a flashlight model, so don't go googling it :) ) incan. When I went back in and got it, voltages were right at .8. That's when I realized this won't work. For now I can use my mte light from DX, but that is really a little too bright. I tried it this morning with an alk at .9 volts, and it lit up for about 5 seconds and then went out, so it should do.

I don't have any 5mm single AA lights. Maybe something with a red led would be good. Or perhaps a PR drop in for the Ariel light would be a good choice, but that would be pretty bright. Anyone know of a drop in that isn't too bright, or perhaps is colored?


I am looking at the Proton Pro right now. I like the features, but I am going to keep looking for now. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
wouldnt 2AA direct drive just shut off when voltage drops below the led's vf?
and probably only draw 60-100mah at that. 10-15 lumens on newer bins.
with such a low current, it wouldnt force a cell into reversal.
 
As a parent of a 3.5 and a 6 year old, I would never give a small AA light to a 2 year old, without adult supervision. I use the toilet paper rule... if its small enough to fall through the TP roll, its too small for them to play with unsupervised. Any switch cap can easily be unscrewed and becomes a choking hazard. My son used to chew on everything that was rubber, he could easily find a way to gnaw off a rubber switch-cap. He used to gnaw the paint varnish off his crib!!!:eek::eek: In fact... one time I DID find him chewing on the switch cap from this $5 junk light,(second from left):faint:.
dscn9409qr6.jpg


For suggestion 1 The gerber infinity ultra will run for 50+ hours, the first 10 or so hours are in regulation. I don't own one personally but it has a loyal following here on the forum. One other member scoffed it as dim and useless, but changed his mind after a week long hurricane Ike power outage.

I really like my Inova X1, its the version 2 with Nichia emitter. Don't get the current version however, its run times are much shorter. The Version2 runs for around 9 hours in regulation and after that point it kept going dimly overnight. Not sure if thats enough run time for you though.

I have one of the green river rock aspheric Nichia lights, and it will run for 10+ hours, but drops off quickly after that. If you don't mind the moonbeam projection it might be an option.

For option #2, I'd get a 2 or 3 D cell maglite and one of those nite-ize PR drop ins. Those things will run for days.

All of the above lights are are in the ~10 Lumen ball park.
 
Kramer, those are very good suggestions. Your son sounds like part wolf cub :).

Here is the light she is currently using
http://cgi.ebay.com/LITTLE-MERMAID-...temQQimsxZ20080919?IMSfp=TL080919106001r26346

I see now that it says children over 3. Well, I am not sure what to say about that part, but it does meet most of the requirements. Although it uses 2xAA it is as large as a 2xC light. It is pretty hard plastic, seems somewhat chew proof. Surprisingly it has a metal reflector, and the bulb assembly can not be removed without a screw driver, so that part should be safe. If you tighten the cap well, I don't see a child even being able to open it. I hadn't considered these safety features until you brought them up, thank you. So, a PR based drop in would be very good for this use. It surely would turn off before draining the cells too much. Brightness may still be a concern. The nite-ize website isn't as informative as I would like, but it appears there are 2 versions of the PR drop in, one listed as one watt, and one not. If I can find the lower wattage one I will buy it today and try it out.

I will head to Target in a bit to look for both the nite ize drop in as well as a light for #1. On #1 I am not so much interested in run time as I am in end voltage. It could even be a lantern or something like a Sylvania Dot-it, or a book light. Silly as it sounds, I just want to see how low I can run the alkaline down to before I throw it out. Perhaps I am doing this backwards and for light #1 I should be considering incan.

Also thanks for pointing out that the X1 has changed, I was going to look at that as well.

I wonder if anyone has voiced wanting a Fenix E01 to run on a single AA. That would have an amazing amount of runtime, huh?
 
An Inova X1 (AA) or Fenix E01 (AAA) could fit the bill, although both are twisties.

Have you considered one of the PAL safelights?

They use a 9-volt battery, but could be just the ticket for young kids (very nice low level, lasts nearly forever).
 
Well no luck today finding a drop in, or a Gerber. However, Target, by way of Costco ended up costing $400.00. Isn't that always the way?

Got 2 - 4 Packs of Kodak Precharged AA at Target on closeout for 6.98. Not too bad. Got a led color changing night light that is nothing to brag about. At Costco got another Eneloop power pack, though the new one only comes with 2 AAA's and I really need these. But here was the best find, beautiful LED candles, 3 for $17. They are 3x6 pillar candles, made of real scented wax. They take 2AA's and have a power switch on the bottom. Beautiful colored amber flickering led. I very much recomend these things! They claim up to 250 hours on batteries, we shall see. Also some 18 watt daylight CFL's that I like very much. Made by GE. 6 for 4$.
 
You might what to think about a Pak-Lite orig, 9V alkaline battery 600+ hours low , 75 hour high ($16.99 lighthound.com orange cap) or the super bright with 30 hours High and 600 hour Low setting ($16.99 black cap).

I got the orange cap for my kids and they love it, and yes they last a very long time, we use them at hotels for night lights, just buy some 9V battery online.

You can get more info at http://www.9voltlight.com/, if you buy direct, they have more choice of color cap , but you have to pay MSRP.

Good luck.
 
Get one of those shake lights for the 2.5yo. They are not that practical as flashlights, but they are fun, and they use no batteries at all. They are powered by a capacitor so you just shake the light up and down to charge it. And the better ones are completely sealed, no removable parts to swallow.
 
I would second the Pal's. We have 4 kids and each of them has a Pal. We have the ones that ramp up from really dim. The kids don't really know they get brighter (The oldest did figure this out) so they push the button and they just hit the first low level and leave them. They set them on their night stands and leave them on, sometimes all night if my wife or I miss them when we walk though. I am running NiMH's in them and just charge them every other week no matter what. It's worked out great for us. The problem is they took that variable brightness one out of the Pal line up, but even the regular ones work well. They are really handy for checking on the kids at night as well as when we travel in hotel rooms.

Oh we popped out the lenses on them so it is just a straight 5 mm, smooth beam.
 
If it wasn't for the fact that your son is so young, I'd say try a 2xAA minimag with the 3-LED Nite-Ize drop-in and the IQ switch.

After 14.5 minutes, the IQ switch shuts the light off.
 
Well I must have too many flashlights. Is that possible? I do have a minimag with an IQ switch. I also have the candle power forums Pal light, I could put it in demo mode. I also have a nightstar battery free light. As well as another one that has lithium batteries hidden inside (cheaters!). I don't have the snap cap lights, but I had considered building one :)

For my daughter though, I think I am pretty much dedicated to a PR led drop in at this point. I just don't want it too bright. So far I am considering the Dorcy, I bought one in the past for a friend and I need to borrow it back to see how it will do. Also the SMJled from sandwich shoppe, but it appears not to hold up well to extended use. And the original nite ize C & D drop in, not the 1 watt model, the other one. Also considering the terralux BA-1 or BA-2 adapter and TLE-5 or the Ministar1. At 50 lumens though, they are brighter than I would like. Perhaps on 2 cells the Ministar1 isn't 50 lumens, I haven't been able to find the answer to that question.

I know what I really want, but it doesn't exist and I don't have the skills to build it. I want a PR base adapter regulated to ~20-40mA and holes to push a 5mm white led into it. Then you could just simply pull out the led and put in another. Either a different color, or simply a brighter one, or whatever the case may be. It would run forever on 2D's, but in my case I would be using 2AA at this point. I guess it would be a really limited market so I doubt anyone would be making this. But I would buy it :)
 
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