newbie questions...

[Joe_HH]

Hi Forum,

first of all: Hi! I'm kind of new to flashlights alltogether, actually I've been quite happy with a $5 flashlight, 25 LEDs, 3xaaa I got from Ebay, that one already amazed me quite a bit, compared to the veeery old one I had before it was fantastically bright and even made of aluminum (rather than plastic)!

That was, of course, before I noticed that thing wasn't exactly cutting-edge. I went and bought a Fenix LD10, and boy, what an improvement! Half the size and double the brightness! Whee! And now I'm hooked. :huh:

And since I'm hooked I wonder, are there ways to further improve (in terms of brightness and/or runtime) the lights I have? I read about 'pills' and 'drop-ins' all the time but I'm still not quite sure if I could possibly apply any of these to the lights I have - would be great if someone could give me a few hints here or direct me to relevant threads...

My "collection" so far consists of:
- Fenix LD10
- MTE M3-2 Cree MC-E (from Dx)
- Fenix TK40
- Nitecore extreme R2 edition
(still waiting for the latter two to arrive...

Another question that bugs me - I would *love* to put some of these small tritium vials here and there but I'm not sure if this is possible since none of my lights have any pre-made slots or anything... Is it possible (advisable) to just dremel slots myself? (or as an alternative, since there also are small tritium spheres - these should be easier to install since I could just drill a hole, right?)

Thanks in advance! :thumbsup:

 

[StarHalo]

And since I'm hooked I wonder, are there ways to further improve (in terms of brightness and/or runtime) the lights I have?

You won't need to improve the output of the latter two lights you've listed, but the NEX is indeed brightest when it's run from a Li-Ion battery. Be sure to read up thoroughly on safe Li-Ion procedures and handling before trying it out, they can explode with toxic flames if you don't..

The LD10 can also be run on a Li-Ion which makes it far brighter, but the light was not designed for that much voltage, so it's a "no guarantees" option.

I read about 'pills' and 'drop-ins' all the time but I'm still not quite sure if I could possibly apply any of these to the lights I have

None of the lights you have thus far are made with swappable pills or have drop-ins made for them. If you're interested in doing some self-assembly, get a (inexpensive) Maglite or (expensive) Surefire, there are many options from many vendors, the most popular being drop-ins by Malkoff: http://www.malkoffdevices.com/

I would *love* to put some of these small tritium vials here and there but I'm not sure if this is possible since none of my lights have any pre-made slots or anything...

You can indeed just Dremel out a slot, place the tritium vial, and then entomb it in optical adhesive. But a much easier option is a tritium fob, which simply attaches to your lanyard: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=182082

:welcome:

 

[Joe_HH]

Thanks, so there's not really that much I can do here (except buying more lights, hehe...)

Regarding the safety of Li-Ion: I ordered some in a bundle with a charger - it said the charger is a smart one that will switch off if the batteries are full... are there any other safety precautions besides not overcharging them? Hm, and for the MTE light I have 18650 Li-Ion - these are 'protected', but I'm not quite sure what they are protected against?

Tritium: I have one of these fobs already, they're nice but not half as nice as a direct embedding into the light. Just have to find out where to get 'optical adhesive'...

Thanks!

 

[recDNA]

If you figure it out would you explain to me how I can quickly find replies to posts I've made. So many threads I can't find myown posts!

 

[StarHalo]

I ordered some in a bundle with a charger - it said the charger is a smart one that will switch off if the batteries are full... are there any other safety precautions besides not overcharging them?

Yes, you must also prevent overdischarging them - ideally the resting voltage of the cell should never fall below 3.6 volts, the lower and/or longer you go under this, the more you're damaging your cell. Get an inexpensive digital multimeter so you can check up on your cells (here's one for five bucks: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90899)

Hm, and for the MTE light I have 18650 Li-Ion - these are 'protected', but I'm not quite sure what they are protected against?

It's protected against discharging so far that the battery could instantly die, however it will still allow you to discharge far enough to damage the cell. Most protection circuits won't kick in until the cell is at ~3 volts, well below the ideal 3.6 volt recharge line.

Just have to find out where to get 'optical adhesive'...

The most popular and best-performing glue for trit applications is Norland 61 Optical Adhesive, available here: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=183050