The LionCub Thread - Pt. 8

[MR Bulk]

Hi Norm,

I won't be making any anodized Cubs themselves in order to help preserve the exclusivity of the CPF Limited Editions, although you can get the black battery tubes (150A as well as 168A) from Otokoyama's offer which is going on right now I believe.

Oh, and 2x123 will fry that poor Luxeon in short order. And even two R123s with a 5W Luxeon would be a problem since the circuitry is limited to 6Vin. It'd run, but only at full brightness (no dimming as you'd bypass everything).

Then again if that's what you are aiming for and are getting a LionHead anyway, it'd simply become a much shorter Space Needle...III? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

 

[MR Bulk]

BTW to Digdugg and Gadget, very nice pitchers, thank you. (especially Doug, who was using a lowly phonecam! Way better than my Sanyo phone puts out - what brand is that anyway?)

 

[Codeman]

I sure hope no one is planning on using CR123A's as their primary cells. I justed started a runtime with a brand new, fresh-out-of-a-just-received-sealed-box Surefire 123A showing 3.24V. It started at a mere 628 lux @ 1 m (about 1/3 that of a RCR123A). 10 seconds later, it was down to 548. 7 minutes in and it's only showing 236!

I'll post a graph in my review tonight for the Surefire.

Hey, Charlie - I managed to remember to turn auto-sleep OFF this time BEFORE I started the run! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

On a happier note: while I was getting my rig set up, I used my Brass LC with one of the BatterySpace's RCR123A's I have that's been cycle a few times now. I got a new high reading of 1923 lux @ 1 m (my previous high reading was around 1790). Do LiIon's have a break-in period?

Those are nice pics, like Charlie said!

EDIT - 40 minutes in and the SF123A is hanging around 210, where it's basically been for the past 25 minutes. I wonder just how long "moon-mode" will last. I may be up all night. This is definitely going to be an exception to the usual "time to 50% brightness" measure. 50% was reached at 2 minutes. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

 

[raggie33]

i think most folks will only use rechables but ya can always put a non rechgable in it for emergencys if its like lh there is plenty a light on it even on low

 

[brightnorm]

[ QUOTE ]
MR Bulk said:
...Oh, and 2x123 will fry that poor Luxeon in short order...

[/ QUOTE ]

I tried it for about 15 seconds before I realized it might be a bad idea. I won't do that again!

Brightnorm

 

[MR Bulk]

[ QUOTE ]
Codeman said:
I sure hope no one is planning on using CR123A's as their primary cells. I justed started a runtime with a brand new, fresh-out-of-a-just-received-sealed-box Surefire 123A showing 3.24V. It started at a mere 628 lux @ 1 m (about 1/3 that of a RCR123A). 10 seconds later, it was down to 548. 7 minutes in and it's only showing 236!

I'll post a graph in my review tonight for the Surefire.

Hey, Charlie - I managed to remember to turn auto-sleep OFF this time BEFORE I started the run! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

On a happier note: while I was getting my rig set up, I used my Brass LC with one of the BatterySpace's RCR123A's I have that's been cycle a few times now. I got a new high reading of 1923 lux @ 1 m (my previous high reading was around 1790). Do LiIon's have a break-in period?

Those are nice pics, like Charlie said!

EDIT - 40 minutes in and the SF123A is hanging around 210, where it's basically been for the past 25 minutes. I wonder just how long "moon-mode" will last. I may be up all night. This is definitely going to be an exception to the usual "time to 50% brightness" measure. 50% was reached at 2 minutes. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, what Raggie said, primaries are strictly for "in a pinch", mebbe like in a protracted power loss emergency when there is no wallwart power and just a box of CR123s, in which case just a wee bit'o light is all you'd need so if your runtime test that's putting out 210 lux continues any longer, it may well be usable enough in this kind of situation.

 

[Codeman]

Well, at 3 hrs, it's now gone back up to 216-217 and has been there since the 1 hr, 20 minute mark.

Could we have discovered a low-power fusion light source for emergency lighting use? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I humbly suggest that the use of a primary cell in the LionCub be referred to as running it in Purr Mode™!

 

[andrewwynn]

that emergency run on 123 primary is very nice.. 200lux will navigate you through anything.

-awr

 

[Codeman]

Over 9 hours and it's still at 193.

 

[MR Bulk]

"Purr Mode"? Haw! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[diggdug13]

thx for d compliment charlie!

my phone is the Sony S700i, it has a 1.3 meg camera.

Doug

 

[Codeman]

The SF123A has just completed 12 hours on UI1 Level 5, reading 155 lux @ 1 m.

 

[MR Bulk]

Sony, eh? I am about to change phones (plan expires) and wanted one a them no-hands ones. Does the Sony S700i have that?

So on your primary cell run time, it stayed on 210 (or more) lux for 3 hours, and then was still in the 190s nine hours later? Sheesh, I think something's definitely wrong with your battery, they musta shipped you one of the experimental nuclear reactor ones by mistake.../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

 

[diggdug13]

here's a link to the phone, it was built off of the sony cyber-shot camera the controls of taking a pic are nearly identical.

link

 

[Likebright]

Well NUTS my LE LionCubs are stuck some where between here and Colorado because of the Fourth of July holiday so out of boredom I had to shoot a photo of what I have.

Thanks Charlie so much for the fine lights.
And Paul for the fine accessories.
Mike /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Codeman]

[ QUOTE ]
MR Bulk said:
So on your primary cell run time, it stayed on 210 (or more) lux for 3 hours, and then was still in the 190s nine hours later? Sheesh, I think something's definitely wrong with your battery, they musta shipped you one of the experimental nuclear reactor ones by mistake.../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe so.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

20+ hours and it's showing 60 lux. At the rate it's been dropping today, I suspect it will exceed 24 hours before finally shutting off. I'm going to pop the battery into my Splash-Lite LS at the end of the run. I want to see just how much the LC drains a primary cell.

 

[3rd_shift]

Did your Lioncub ever even get warm to the touch with that disposable battery in there?

 

[MR Bulk]

Thanks for the link Doug. Although I do like the swivel-out feature, I am not positive it would be handy in my particular case, especially since I tend to be forced to talk on it many times while driving. Unfortunately this would be while on-duty, and listening to - or keying and then speaking into - a two-way mic, all while driving my STICK SHIFT CAR!

So a flip phone or similar would have to be it fornow - unless you can swivel open that phone of yours quite easily?

Nice shot Likebright! I see yours is already beginning to acquire that "patina" of usage and handling. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Code-y, you don't have a MilkySpit CR123-drainer on hand, do you? Now that would be the ultimate test...

3rd, actually when being run on one of the higher output levels, the light's body can get quite interestingly warm.../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

 

[Codeman]

I wish I did, Charlie, I also wish I had the older Splash-Lite: the LS is the best I can do.

The output dropped like a rock from 628 to just 380 in the first minute. It didn't have time to even think about warming up. But, like Charlie said, put a RCR123A in it on high and let it run for 10 minutes. It's just barely cool enough for me to hold without moving it around in my hands. It would make a great little hand warmer in the winter! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

It's been running 24 hrs now and it's still outputting more than twice what my Ultra G on a fresh cell does - 37 lux @ 1 m as compared to my Ultra G's 15 lux. I'm surprised I haven't had to abort the test. My light meter supposedly only last 25 hours on a batter and my DMM something like 40 hours. Neither meter had fresh batteries - they actually had 10-20 hours already on them. I expected this to be short test - guess I'm still a newbie! At least I was smart enough to leave the backlight on both meters turned off.

There was a second increase in output. After it dropped to below 90, it came back up into the 90's for a little while, then dropped again. The first increase occurred after it reached 210 and went back up to around 215. I'm really at a lose to explain why the readings dropped and then rose twice. I've got the rig set up in a spare windowless bathroom off of my home office. Even in broad daylight, my meter reads 0 lux when I have the door shut and a towel against the door's bottom edge.

Anyway, at the most, it's got another 7 hours in it, though I suspect 4-5 is more likely, maybe less.

Given that it output 100 lux or more for 16.75 hours, I'd say the LC is a great emergency light source when used with primary cells. Once the 150A/168A bodies and the Lh's are in hand, they're going to be very flexible lights. In fact, I suspect it's going to outdo my Surefire U2 in terms of overall abilities, IMO, YMMV. Not as bright a flood, to be sure, but with far more range in low-end brightness levels and maybe runtime, as well as more throw.

Hmmm...the LionCub and accessories, along with my Surefire U2 and one of bwaite's USL's will make a mighty fine, comprehensive trio.

Way to go on another great invention, Charlie! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

 

[Codeman]

The Surefire 123A runtime test is completed. The LionCub ran for a total of 27½ hrs. I have posted a graph in my review at the end of the first post, under update #15.