Modding a Photon Freedom

[Fallingwater]

A small question on the Photon Freedom: if I were to modify it to accept two CR2032 cells instead of two CR2016s (this would require some hardware hacking, of course, due to the different thickness of the cells), would it work properly? I'm thinking as it's electronically regulated it should avoid extreme overdrive and quick death of the LED (which is what would happen if one were to feed a direct-driven knockoff with two CR2032s) while achieving significantly longer runtimes.

 

[Gregozedobe]

Firstly I'd check on the voltage drop when switching it on running the std 2x2016s. If there isn't much voltage drop then it MIGHT be safe to run 2x2032s. If there is a significant voltage drop then I'd be a bit more wary. For a more reliable answer you could contact photonlight.com direct

 

[guiri]

Now THAT'S ambitious :)

 

[mzil]

My "silencer" mod I did to my Photon Freedom [the "Covert Nose" edition they make, with light blocking plastic protecting the LED's sides], should anyone be interested, giving it a pocket clip/button guard/interchangeable color filter, can be found here.

 

[Fallingwater]

I'm more interested in modifications to the workings. I've always found it strange that no 1-white-LED keychain light works on CR2032s, seen how the thickness is increased only slightly but they're far more suitable (or should I say less unsuitable) to the task.

 

[mbw_151]

I don't know what the mod will look like for 2 x 2032, but Freedoms have been run on one 2032. See this post http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?122326-Photon-Freedom-Microlight-Runtime

 

[mzil]

Perhaps instead of modifying the main body, in order to fit a larger, different set of batteries, or a single CR2032 with longer life, but at the expense of lower output, a better course of action would be to always keep an extra set of normal CR2016 batteries sealed in one's wallet. They have incredible shelf life, are under 2 mm thick [1.6 mm, I believe] , and would store nicely in a section made for a credit card.

If the main batts do start to run low, while away from home, you simply swap them for the extra set, kept in your wallet. You also make a mental note: "Don't forget to reload the wallet with another spare set when I get home."

 

[Fallingwater]

I don't know what the mod will look like for 2 x 2032, but Freedoms have been run on one 2032. See this post http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?122326-Photon-Freedom-Microlight-Runtime

So it seems it isn't regulated after all. Oh well, so much for that idea.

 

[Fallingwater]

Edit: scratch that, it was a stupid question.

 

[jerry i h]

Edit: scratch that, it was a stupid question.

Well, not so stupid, since I had the same question when I bought my first few fauxtons. When I opened them up to change the coin cells, I noticed that the LED leads were pressed directly onto the cells. I could not figure out how the LED was getting load resistance to supply the bias current. I figured that leads pressed directly onto cell terminals (both probably slightly oxidized) w/o solder provided enough resistance for the LED. Just for fun, I replaced one of them with a NUV LED from Rat-Shack, and it worked perfectly.

 

[Fallingwater]

I tried running a fauxton on 1x2032, expecting low output and great battery life. I was disappointed - the leg-to-cell contact was troublesome, the LED would always flicker and never stay lit at the same level. Tried scuffing both surfaces to no avail. Gave up in frustration and stopped using CRwhatever powered lights altogether - put a Fenix E01 on my keychain instead.

A properly made 2x2032 keychain light with a tiny yet regulated driver would, I think, be a good idea, but nobody seems to make one - possibly it'd be uneconomical to build the drivers in question.

 

[jerry i h]

You might try adding a few washers on top of the cell, forcing the lead to press down onto the cell. Anyway, E01 is much better: the battery is easy to change in the field w/o tools, and the battery is cheap and easy to find, not to mention Eneloops.

 

[Fallingwater]

You might try adding a few washers on top of the cell, forcing the lead to press down onto the cell.

I doubt that'd work - even squeezing the fauxton very hard had no effect on reliability. Besides, even if it did work, it'd force the light to be on all the time. I think the only way to reliably achieve 1x2032 is to have the cell in a proper holder, and both the holder and LED soldered to a small circuit board with a momentary tact switch. I tried doing that with one of those click-on-click-off fauxtons, but I ran into complications (I can't even remember what they were) and abandoned the project.

Anyway, E01 is much better: the battery is easy to change in the field w/o tools, and the battery is cheap and easy to find, not to mention Eneloops.

Size-wise, microlights (or keychain lights if you don't want to use the Photon term) blow everything else into the weeds. Sure, the E01 is excellent, but it lets me know it's hanging on the keychain. The fauxtons never did.

 

[michman]

You might try adding a few washers on top of the cell, forcing the lead to press down onto the cell. Anyway, E01 is much better: the battery is easy to change in the field w/o tools, and the battery is cheap and easy to find, not to mention Eneloops.

I agree. +1. I made the switch from the Photon Lights to the E01. Serviceability, easy to find battery, and no accidental turn ons, PLUS regulation. Now the PII and Freedom play backup on zippers.

 

[jerry i h]

...backup on zippers.

lovecpf

 

[Gregozedobe]

I doubt that'd work - even squeezing the fauxton very hard had no effect on reliability. Besides, even if it did work, it'd force the light to be on all the time. I think the only way to reliably achieve 1x2032 is to have the cell in a proper holder, and both the holder and LED soldered to a small circuit board with a momentary tact switch. I tried doing that with one of those click-on-click-off fauxtons, but I ran into complications (I can't even remember what they were) and abandoned the project.

I've run several (white) fauxtons on a single CR2032 battery. I suspect your problem was not one of inadequate contact on the leads, but the particular LED had a Vf that was higher than your battery could supply (fairly common with white LEDs). Try a red LED and see how you go, most of them need less voltage to fire up (and some other colours too, IIRC).

 

[Hondo]

+1 Gregozedobe, I use a Nichia DS when I mod a DD coin cell light to 1 x 2032. They have a lower Vf, about 3.2V I think, and will be brighter than the stock cheap LED, but still not as bright (and overdriven) as with 2 x 2016. The Fauxtons do seem a bit trickier to get right, though, and my better ones are slide-switch models from the drug store checkout.

The Photon Freedom, which already has a GS in it these days, can be a trick to get to run on 2032. I among others have had trouble with the light being stuck on after inserting the cell. After many attempts, I finally slipped it in real fast and got it properly initialized, and it has been running great for years. I think the lower voltage may be on the threshold of what it takes for the circuit to wake up properly.

 

[Gregozedobe]

+1 Gregozedobe, I use a Nichia DS when I mod a DD coin cell light to 1 x 2032. They have a lower Vf, about 3.2V I think, and will be brighter than the stock cheap LED, but still not as bright (and overdriven) as with 2 x 2016. The Fauxtons do seem a bit trickier to get right, though, and my better ones are slide-switch models from the drug store checkout.

After trying a few batches of fauxtons from different suppliers I now buy my fauxtons from DX (I buy a 100 or so at a time - I give them away like lollies at the slightest provocation). These all have the slide switch. They can be a bit fiddly to adjust at first, but once you get the hang of the angles and spacing needed between the LED legs it is pretty easy. All the ones I tried (not many) worked fine with 1xCR2032 (but as you say, not a sbright as when over-driven by 2xCR2016 batteries.

The Photon Freedom, which already has a GS in it these days, can be a trick to get to run on 2032. I among others have had trouble with the light being stuck on after inserting the cell. After many attempts, I finally slipped it in real fast and got it properly initialized, and it has been running great for years. I think the lower voltage may be on the threshold of what it takes for the circuit to wake up properly.

I have a vague memory of reading a thread way back (probably here on CPF) that discussed this problem, and I have an even vaguer idea that someone found that if they pulled out the two CR2016 batteries and put the single CR2032 in very, very quickly it worked OK.

Edit: After a bit of googling CPF I found the threads I was thinking of, and Hondo was a prime contributor of useful info :thumbsup:

The consensus does indeed seem to be that posibly one CR2032 doesn't make enough voltage to run the "brain" part of the driver circuit properly, but if you load the battery quickly sometimes some Freedoms will work properly (the rest won't switch off). The coloured versions seem more likley to work properly on 1xCR2032 than the white LED versions.

I now have two Photon Freedoms on order (thanks to this thread raising my curiosity), one White LED and one Turquoise ("NV green") so I might do a bit of experimenting with single CR2032s myself when they arrive.

 

[Hondo]

After trying a few batches of fauxtons from different suppliers I now buy my fauxtons from DX (I buy a 100 or so at a time - I give them away like lollies at the slightest provocation). These all have the slide switch.

Actually, when I refer to the drug store lights as "slide switch", they are a very rigid case with a 1/4" slide button in the middle, and make no attempt to have a squeeze momentary feature. I think this makes them easier to adjust the LED legs, as the Fauxtons have to be able to both contact when squeezed as well as when the tiny slider switch is moved.

Another thing I was trying when getting my Freedom to run on 2032 was shorting the battery compartment with a paperclip after a failed attempt, to make sure I got a fresh restart, not sure if that really helped or not, as I still got many failed tries. I think what would really work if you had small leads (and four hands) is to hook up two 2016's outside the compartment first, then insert the 2032, and then remove the leads from the 2016's. But as far as I can tell, after years of sporadic use, once the 2032 is in and the circuit is started properly, it will be able to stay running until it runs the 2032 into the dirt. It just seems to be a borderline voltage requirement to start the circuit.

Something I find amazing about the Freedom is that this type of light is supposed to have some level of parasitic drain in order to remain on "standby". If this is so, it must be darn near zero for these to last for years without killing their little coin cells due to this. I know HDS lights can last quite a few years with a cell in them, but the CR123 has about seven times the capacity of a 2032.

 

[Gregozedobe]

I now have two Photon Freedoms on order (thanks to this thread raising my curiosity), one White LED and one Turquoise ("NV Green") so I might do a bit of experimenting with single CR2032s myself when they arrive.

My Photon Freedom Micros arrived so after making sure they both work fine, naturally I had to try out what happened with 1 x CR2032 battery installed (instead of the std 2 x CR2016). Both worked fine, no fiddling needed, no staying on (unable to switch off), no problems at all. Light levels were reduced, so I left the 2032 in the "NVG" version, but changed the "White" one back to 2 x CR2016.

I have left the NVG version going on the lowest level to see just how long the CR2032 battery lasts with constant use - maybe someone can give me a reminder in a few months to report how it is holding up ?