Stylus Pro Regulation?

[tatteredmidnight]

First I'd like to say that this is my first ever forum thread...anywhere! A few months ago this site awakened my inner flashaholic and I've run into an interesting quandary.

About 2 years ago i bought a streamlight stylus pro, completely uneducated, but it worked out to be a fabulous light! So here is my problem.

On the advice of this forum I've switched to Eneloops ( specifically duraloops ) and away from primaries. On all the lights I've bought on the recommendations of this forum: EZAA, Zebralight H501, Fenix E01, and ITP SA2, the Eneloops work as well (as far as brightness) as equivalent 1.5v primaries ( alkaline or lithium ).:twothumbs

On my streamlight there is a noticable ( ~30% visible ) decrease in intensity of the beam on Duraloops :mecry:. I've come to understand the difference between direct drive and regulated lights, and the streamlight clearly states that it is regulated, so what gives?

I don't have a lux meter but i do have a photographic light meter and it registered a greater than 1.5 EV decrease, if memory serves, between the two battery types, so its not all in my head.

I have come up with a few crack-headed theories but i don't really believe that they are the answer. For you're amusement I'll list a few of them:

(1) Perhaps the regulation circuit's low voltage is higher than the 1.2v nominal on eneloops?

(2) Since its only a 25 lumen light, perhaps the drive circuit is not pulling enough current for the lower internal resistance of the NiMh batteries to come into play?

(3) I know there are multiple types of regulation, perhaps I'm just ignorant ( i know this is the truth) about the subject?

I tried to find more info about the regulation on this light but have had no luck, please help :thanks:

 

[bladerunner]

Welcome to CPF. I can't answer your question yet. I just ordered a Stylus Pro today and can't wait to get my hands on it. Everything I've read about them is pretty good. I need a new light for work and I hope this one is bright enough. I too will be using duraloops but I will try other batteries as well. I'll let ya know what happens..

 

[Lit Up]

Welcome to CPF. I can't answer your question yet. I just ordered a Stylus Pro today and can't wait to get my hands on it. Everything I've read about them is pretty good. I need a new light for work and I hope this one is bright enough. I too will be using duraloops but I will try other batteries as well. I'll let ya know what happens..

You'll love it. I took mine to work for the first time yesterday and was lighting up dark crevices under fluorescent lights mixed with daylight from outside. It was later on at night when I left work and made the drive home that it really wowed me. A great personal light with good runtime. :twothumbs

 

[shark_za]

Its baby brother Microstream is also brighter with Lithiums but the regulation curve is pretty flat.

Dont know how they do it.

Refer here

http://www.light-reviews.com/streamlight_microstream/

 

[tatteredmidnight]

Its a wonderful flashlight, it was my first quality LED flashlight and my experience is that the 25 lumens are very useful for medium distance work.

I do IT work, and i'm in racks a lot, and its a fantastic size, shape, and brightness for that sort of work. Using lithium primaries its great, its just on 'loops that i find its not quite bright enough.

I only just replaced it as my EDC (for now) with a nitecore EZAA, and i think i will be switching between the two once the newness of the nitecore wears off.

-- Adam

 

[tatteredmidnight]

Hmmm, it has occured to me that this is perhaps in the wrong forum. should this be in the Flashlight Electronics - Batteries Included forum?

or perhaps the LED LED Flashlights forum?

if so could a mod please move so i don't have to repost

thanks
Adam

 

[Kestrel]

Probably 'LED flashlights' is the best (it's more about how the SL SP is functioning rather than a technical discussion of driver electronics, for example). If you use the 'report' icon in post #1 (the red outlined triangle on the upper right), you can type a request to move this thread so that a Mod will see it. It's definitely better to do it this way rather than opening up another thread & trying to request this thread be closed.

I think that the SL SP is a great little penlight, especially for the money. Have you thought about using the Fenix LD01 head on your SL SP body? You get the three output modes of the LD01, but each is ~2x brighter than the LD01 on 1xAAA, so on two AAA Duraloops you'll get ~140 lumens for maybe 45 minutes or so. It's a fantastic combo and one I very much enjoyed using for ~ a year before I lost it recently. :sigh: ~6 hours on the 'low' mode which is of comparable utility to the current single output mode of the SP.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=179101
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=217658&page=3http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...=217658&page=3

Mode changing with the SP clicky is much nicer (IMO) than on the Fenix by itself. If you might find this interesting, it's a great way to go. This little mod made it my most useful light, and being a penlight it was always handy at a moments notice.

 

[bladerunner]

I just got mine yesterday and Wow, what a nice little light. I will try some duraloops tomorrow at work to see if I can notice a drop in output.

 

[tatteredmidnight]

Probably 'LED flashlights' is the best (it's more about how the SL SP is functioning rather than a technical discussion of driver electronics, for example). If you use the 'report' icon in post #1 (the red outlined triangle on the upper right), you can type a request to move this thread so that a Mod will see it. It's definitely better to do it this way rather than opening up another thread & trying to request this thread be closed.

I think that the SL SP is a great little penlight, especially for the money. Have you thought about using the Fenix LD01 head on your SL SP body? You get the three output modes of the LD01, but each is ~2x brighter than the LD01 on 1xAAA, so on two AAA Duraloops you'll get ~140 lumens for maybe 45 minutes or so. It's a fantastic combo and one I very much enjoyed using for ~ a year before I lost it recently. :sigh: ~6 hours on the 'low' mode which is of comparable utility to the current single output mode of the SP.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=179101
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...=217658&page=3

Mode changing with the SP clicky is much nicer (IMO) than on the Fenix by itself. If you might find this interesting, it's a great way to go. This little mod made it my most useful light, and being a penlight it was always handy at a moments notice.

Kestrel,
Thank you very much, both of your points of input are very helpful. I will request this be moved to the LED forum. Your insight into using the LD01 head on my SL SP body is a great idea, i had no idea you could lego the two lights together! This may provide a solution to my dilemma, but it still leaves me wondering what is going on with the SL SP. As others have mentioned, the regulation curve is relatively flat, but brightness varies with voltage, very interesting.

Now i have to go source an LD01 head asap =). I have an E01 that i love, so its not a tough sell, and worse case scenario is that i end up with an LD01 =).

I just got mine yesterday and Wow, what a nice little light. I will try some duraloops tomorrow at work to see if I can notice a drop in output.

Bladerunner,
Thanks for your continued input into my first thread! I am glad you like your SL SP (stealing that from Kestrel), and I'm hoping that requesting a move to LED Flashlights will shed some more light on this question (pun intended of course). I have a feeling that i will be addind an LD01 head to my SL SP so i am sure i will be reporting on how that goes.

thanks,
Adam

 

[Kestrel]

I fixed a typo in the second link in my post above (#7) - halfway down page 3 in that link there is a short discussion about the SL SP w/ the LD01 head (most of that thread is the SL MS w/ the LD01, which is still very interesting).

 

[DM51]

Moving to LED Flashlights...

 

[mcnair55]

I had the stylus pro but sold it on as I prefer the smaller Microstream,as another poster has stated the Microstream loves Lithium and it sure is brighter with lithium.

Back to topic though,I ran the pro on eneloop and never had a problem,the Microstream runs on either Eneloop type or lithium depending what I have to hand.

The Pro is a very nice lamp but I prefer single cell so that is why it has a new home,no other reason.lovecpf

 

[Kestrel]

LOL, I wouldn't mind trading off my SL MicroStream for another Stylus Pro.

 

[tatteredmidnight]

I had the stylus pro but sold it on as I prefer the smaller Microstream,as another poster has stated the Microstream loves Lithium and it sure is brighter with lithium.

Back to topic though,I ran the pro on eneloop and never had a problem,the Microstream runs on either Eneloop type or lithium depending what I have to hand.

The Pro is a very nice lamp but I prefer single cell so that is why it has a new home,no other reason.lovecpf

Its not a "problem" exactly, its just i know how much brighter it can be, and with 25 lumens its not exactly oozing brightness to spare ( although its a very serviceable amount of light for medium distance work ). Combined with the fact that i carry 4xAA Duraloops and 4xAAA Duraloops with me in my bag as backups and it nags on me.

I know having my backup batteries be a little dimmer on the off chance that i have to use them isn't a big deal, but this is candlepowerforums, a place for neurotic lovers of lights, so i can be neurotic if i want

.

At this point I'm just curios about the type of regulation it uses, and why my other regulated lights seem to tolerate voltage variations while my Streamlight doesn't. I am totally satisfied with that light, especially at the price, but my curiosity demands satiation.

Thanks,
Adam