Single 123 Keychain Light

[bigthing]

Hello All

Can someone tell me if there is an LED keychain light that takes a single 123 besides an ARC light? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif thanks,mike

 

[paulr]

Hee hee, there are several threads going on about lights like that under development. They are all (including the Arc LS) a bit big for a keychain light, but some of the new ones are a bit smaller than the Arc. The ones that use the Luxeon emitters (I assume that's what you want) are really too bright for a keychain light anyway. In my opinion, if you want a practical keychain light, the Arc AAA is the best one that's ever been made; the 123-based Luxeon lights are great too, but they're pocket lights, not keychain lights.

 

[bigthing]

yeah im just looking for a keychain style 123 with a 5mm or ls. it doesn't matter to me. thanks,mike

 

[paulr]

If you're willing to take a 5mm instead of an LS, then I can't for the life of me figure out why you want a 123 instead of an AAA. Can you enlighten?

 

[FalconFX]

Maybe the reason for the 123 is the higher Vf and longer mah rating than AAAs, so therefore, no boost needed. You'll have to do a boost if you're going to run a nichia off of 1 AAA, unless you want output in less than a regular CMG Infinity mode...

 

[paulr]

Can you get reasonable output from a typical Nichia even at 3v? There's a thread about that on the electronics forum. Apparently the UKE 2aaa led light does have a boost.

If you're going to hang a 123 on your keychain you might as well use a CMG Infinity or Infinity Ultra. The Infinity will run for at least 24 solid hours on an AA. Who really needs more than that, for a keychain light? The total energy in an AA and in a 123 are about the same and the boost converters are pretty efficient, so you won't get much runtime advantage from a 123.

I've had the same green Photon II on my keychain for several years and never changed the batteries once. It's still usably bright, though not like when it was new.

 

[FalconFX]

I'd be interested to check out the Vdrop of the UKE, though. As in AAAs, it may drop below 2.8V under load. I'd venture to guess it stays right around 3.0V if the UKE's driven by a single 123...

In any case, you can have a longer shell body or a fatter one. It's all in the preferences of what you'd like. I do agree, though, that a 123 light might be a bit big for a keychain; but then again, I do carry my Infinity Ultra (AA) on my KC...

The ArcLS 123 is probably the threshold of size on a keychain. At that size, it's hard to fumble it around with a ton of keys on the ring.

 

[Kiessling]

I carry my Arc LS1rev2 with a twisty on my keychain. looks like you have something big in your pants /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif but it is ok.
bernhard

P.S.: you know, we flashaholics want to impress the others, so if you do not carry 5 lights in your pockets the only one you have should kick butt !!!

 

[bigthing]

thanks everybody. i was just looking for a 123 style because like you say it has about the same energy, but the 123 is alot shorter than the AA is why i want one. the light would'nt be very bulky i would guess. thanks for the replies.

mike

 

[paulr]

I think on Bon's page he has a picture of a Panasonic incandescent light with a 123, that he modified to use a LED. See www.flashlight-fan.com under "other" in his database. I believe you'll find a 123 to be pretty bulky on your keychain because of its thickness. Really, the most practical keychain light is an Arc AAA. You will hardly notice it's there on your keychain. It will run for at least 5 hours on an AAA before pooping out into "moon mode", and then if you give the battery a rest you can run it at normal brightness for a couple more hours, so you have plenty of warning to get a replacement battery.