Surefire Maximus, Minimus AA, Minimus Tactical and Minimus Vision!

[ProofTech]

Did you turn the knob down from maximum, and did that prevent the light from shutting off?

Yes and Yes. After the battery can no longer sustain maximum output, the headlamp will still run at a reduced output for quite a while without blinking or shutting off.

Paul

 

[RNDDUDE]

Some Minimus tidbits...a difficult-to-turn knob can be easily fixed with a micro-dose of WD40. Spray a bit on a Q-tip and dab at the knob/bracket interface, it does wonders. Lowest light setting is indeed lower (software modification) than of previous Minimus versions. The angle adjustment tension is indeed adjustable via a very small hex wrench, and there is a notch molded in the bracket under the pad to store the wrench there if desired.

 

[pjandyho]

Some Minimus tidbits...a difficult-to-turn knob can be easily fixed with a micro-dose of WD40. Spray a bit on a Q-tip and dab at the knob/bracket interface, it does wonders. Lowest light setting is indeed lower (software modification) than of previous Minimus versions. The angle adjustment tension is indeed adjustable via a very small hex wrench, and there is a notch molded in the bracket under the pad to store the wrench there if desired.

Would WD40 be too corrosive for the O ring in the knob? I am not sure but I thought there has to be an O ring in there to prevent water ingress when used under rainy conditions?

 

[RNDDUDE]

No, magnesium is a poor choice. Magnesium when compared to aluminum is weaker, more prone to corrosion, less thermally conductive, and can not be hard anodized. Anodizing converts the surface of aluminum to aluminum oxide, which is very hard and wear resistant. Magnesium does not perform this trick nearly as well so the process is not as common with magnesium. The Maximus is probably just painted.

It is not quite that simple, actually. First, Aluminum and/or Magnesium are never used in their pure state, but as alloys. Ironically, 6000 series aluminum has some magnesium in it, and castable magnesium has some aluminum in it. Generally speaking, magnesium has BETTER strength than aluminum. Pure magnesium naturally formes a protective oxide coating all by itself, but mag products typically have one of a number of additional anti-corrosion treatments. You are correct in that it cannot be 'hard anodized', as that is a aluminum-specific treatment. There are however magnesium treatments that do essentially the same thing, although not quite as durable as hard-anodizing. Some of the newest magnesium hardness and anti-corrosion treatments are Tagnite and
Anomag http://www.ihccorp.com/?gclid=CIOhldXN9LICFYeDQgod4hEAng I believe Tagnite is used on the Maximus before the final black color coating.

 

[RNDDUDE]

Would WD40 be too corrosive for the O ring in the knob? I am not sure but I thought there has to be an O ring in there to prevent water ingress when used under rainy conditions?

There are actually two o-rings, one is buna-n (rubber) and the second is teflon. The WD40 should pose no problems to the oring, but because of it's very strong penetrating properties, it should be used very sparingly so that it does not wick past the rings and into the internal components. DO NOT just spray the knob, that is way too much lube. Do a transfer technique from a swab or the corner of a tissue.

 

[pjandyho]

There are actually two o-rings, one is buna-n (rubber) and the second is teflon. The WD40 should pose no problems to the oring, but because of it's very strong penetrating properties, it should be used very sparingly so that it does not wick past the rings and into the internal components. DO NOT just spray the knob, that is way too much lube. Do a transfer technique from a swab or the corner of a tissue.

Thanks. I don't have WD40 right now, but I am sure NanoLube should do the job too. Am I right?

 

[RNDDUDE]

From what I understand, NanoLube is really designed for metal to metal use, so i'm not so sure this would be an appropriate application for it.

 

[BenChiew]

How about krytox?

 

[pjandyho]

From what I understand, NanoLube is really designed for metal to metal use, so i'm not so sure this would be an appropriate application for it.

This is what I read too but I haven't been having any issues so far with NanoLube.

 

[dougie]

I've a second generation Minimus and just bought one of the recently discontinued Saints. I've had the Minimus for over a year now and never had a problem with it. I've personally not found the weight or size to be a problem and the issue over artifacts affecting the beam also isn't a problem as I don't hunt out white walls...lol. :naughty: The only thing which bugs me about both the Minimus and the Saint is the lack of a lockout for transportation but for me it isn't too much of a pain to insert a battery just before use. The reports of the unreliability of the Saint is something I'll keep an eye out for but I'm hoping it's relatively uncommon and those guys who have had problems are just unlucky? I wholeheartedly agree that it is very irritating that as the Saint cost comparatively quite a bit more than most other headlights it should of been very rare to have had any problems! Whilst the build quality for the Saint seems very good I can't say that I like the way the battery cable enters into the cap which in turn screws into the battery compartment. The cable does appear susceptible to being stressed and seems very likely to become damaged from twisting when the cap is either screwed into or out of the lamp body. As Surefire warns users to be careful when screwing the cap in or out they obviously knew it represented a potential problem? It seems a pity therefore that it couldn't have been avoided entirely by the installation of a water resistant plug which would've allowed the cap to have been screwed in to light without being stressed before being reconnected to the battery cable? It would also have allowed the battery box to have been positioned somewhere else with an extension cable depending on the users preference? Whilst I can imagine there is extra potential for water ingress into a plug connection and additional manufacturing costs involved it would have made the Saint so much more versatile.

 

[Bolster]

...a difficult-to-turn knob can be easily fixed with a micro-dose of WD40...

I dunno. Personally I would not use WD40, it is a water displacement agent. (It's also known to attack plastic.) I don't think I'd want to use an agent specifically designed to spread water about. I'd be more inclined to use some sort of stay-put grease product.

I've also seen reports that WD40 is hygroscopic, ie, that it actually attracts moisture to itself. It also attracts dirt. WD40 is really more of a cleaner/degreaser/solvent.

Among the paintball crowd, they won't use WD40 because "it melts the seals" in the gun (probably due to the acetone it is reported to contain). WD40 also attacks polycarbonate and lexan. It will also break down any existing lubricant (due to its solvent properties) so it will remove factory-applied lubrication.

 

[lumen aeternum]

Maximus details:...Additional runtime can be gained by connecting an external battery pack (not SF available) to the unit via the charging port.

Is that available from some 3rd party? Or would you do something like wire several batteries in parallel, and have to figure out the type of connector to fit the recepticle?

***
Can anyone compare the color of the beam to the Zebralight H502d CRI daylight?
http://www.zebralight.com/H502d-High-CRI-Daylight-tint-AA-Flood-Headlamp_p_96.html

And what is the beam angle of the Surefires? The 120 degree spread of the zebra is appealing to me. But the UI is insane. Zebra needs to adopt the "dial-a-level" style.

 

[TwitchALot]

Last night I did a runtime test on my Minimus Vision headlamp with a brand new Energizer battery that was made in 2010.

It ran at maximum output for 1 hour and 58 minutes before flashing 2 or 3 times quickly. The output did not appear to drop at all before this first flash. After that, it started to get dimmer and dimmer very slowly and every minute or so, it would turn off and then back on. The first off period lasted for probably 2 seconds, but each subsequent off period would last a little longer than the one before it.

For reference:
My headlamp: 1h 58m until first flash
Skyfire's headlamp: 2h 28m until first flash
Surefire's specification: 1h 30m until output drops to 50 lumens

Damn, it looks like I lost the LED lottery - mine runs for 1 hr 48 min before the first flash. Starting voltage of the SF CR123A (Exp 09-2021) was 3.051 V, ending voltage after the first flash after some rest was 2.676 V.

 

[P_A_S_1]

The Minimus is suppose to blink three times when the voltage gets low, a low battery warning. Does this only happen when a fresh battery is installed and run down? I ask because I have a few primaries that are fairly used up and won't power the Minimus to full output but will get it to say 25% (just a guess), but the light runs and there is no blinking. It just stays dim, there is some pulsing/strobing when the knob is turned all the way up but it's subtle and stops if you turn the knob down.

 

[BenChiew]

Damn, it looks like I lost the LED lottery - mine runs for 1 hr 48 min before the first flash. Starting voltage of the SF CR123A (Exp 09-2021) was 3.051 V, ending voltage after the first flash after some rest was 2.676 V.

Your starting voltage on a full primary should be at least 3.2v if not a touch more.

 

[TwitchALot]

The Minimus is suppose to blink three times when the voltage gets low, a low battery warning. Does this only happen when a fresh battery is installed and run down? I ask because I have a few primaries that are fairly used up and won't power the Minimus to full output but will get it to say 25% (just a guess), but the light runs and there is no blinking. It just stays dim, there is some pulsing/strobing when the knob is turned all the way up but it's subtle and stops if you turn the knob down.

I suspect it will always do that. Now here's the catch - when it can't sustain maximum output, it can still sustain lower outputs for MUCH longer. So of course, at say 25% power, it will run and not blink - because the battery can sustain that level of power for much much longer. I suspect though, as you continue to run the battery, eventually, when it cannot sustain 25% power, it will blink and flash. Too lazy to test, but that seems like how it would operate, and it would be dumb for it to do it at 100% but not 25%.

 

[TwitchALot]

Your starting voltage on a full primary should be at least 3.2v if not a touch more.

I am well aware of this and should have mentioned that fact. In my experience, fresh out of the box Surefire's are at around 3.25 V starting. I was suspicious to have such a low measurement for the initial voltage, and was sloppy enough not to time my rest period at the end. That being said, I decided to run with the battery it initially came with anyway. The light was not on when received, but in theory could have turned on and off during transport or storage because of the rotating dial. Really what should be done is a triplicate and maybe with a ZTS tester to determine actual starting battery capacity. But mostly because I am lazy and don't want to waste batteries, I won't at the moment.

Also note that 4Sevens batteries, while may be very good when you get them and perform well, do have self discharge issues. I measured a 4Sevens battery that had been sitting for a couple years but had not been used, and its voltage was also around 3.05 V. In my limited experience, SF batteries do the best for the long term deal, although even with SF, I have measured some voltages around 3.05 with purportedly fresh cells over time. Great to bring this up!

 

[P_A_S_1]

Does anyone know the operating voltage specs for the Minimus line of headlamps? I've searched on and off this forum and cannot find anything.

 

[TwitchALot]

Does anyone know the operating voltage specs for the Minimus line of headlamps? I've searched on and off this forum and cannot find anything.

As it's SF and they typically do not make flashlights compatible with Li-Ion, my guess is it's only compatible with your typical CR123A voltages, including LiFeP batteries. I don't have the guts to stick a typical LCO Li-Ion in mine - it may work, but how much damage to the driver/LED will it do? No thanks on that one!

 

[P_A_S_1]

Agreed, I use only primary batteries for that reason, I was curious to the actual voltage range. I sent a email to SF in regards but they've yet to respond.