Traser`s Teknolite has arived.

[Chris M.]

It finally turned up this morning. Here`s an informal load of waffle about it.

** Supplied with batteries and a Lanyard, and it has a recessed fold-out "split-ring" in the tail to attach it to.

** Very good build quality. The lens is very thick, probably Lexan, and sealed with 2 o-rings that have plenty of silicone grease applied so it`s wquite easy to turn. It`s quite smooth though so one-handed operation could get tricky.
The body feels like the same stuff Tektite use- ie, ABS, and also feels extremely solid. It`s not going to break easilly. I may try to break it later, depends on how drunk I get

** The four white LEDs are mounted through a black plastic "holder" which keeps them in alignment and does seem to reduce some side-spill that would shine in your eyes. They are directly connected to the batteries with no resistors at all.
When I first turned it on it was very bright indeed, looked like twice as bright as its nearest rival- the Trek-4. But then.....one of the LEDs started to turn sky-blue, quickly followed by another. And the other 2 started to look distinctly blue (and overall dimmer than they were initially) after a minute or so.
I havn`t had chance to do any measurements on it yet but I expect the direct connection is not a good idea, they seem horribly overdriven. I wouldn`t be surprised to see 300mA going through that board in the first few moments- the back of the LED board was very hot as was the top battery in contact with it. I also noticed the lens beginning to fog up, not sure what from. Opening it up afterwards seems to have let out whatever it was, as it doesn`t do it now.

I`ve been playing round with it a bit and have probably taken the initial kick out of the "Maxell Super Alkaline" cells, as the LEDs now do not turn quite so blue. Maybe this initial overheating will not be such a problem.
I`ll try different types of batteries in it soon, I don`t own any good NiCd or NiMH, maybe it`s time to get some- their lower initial voltage may be kinder on the poor LEDs.

**On to the neat bit- the Tritium Glow elements. There are two of them, potted into the head (see the photos below). They are smaller than the ones used in the GlowRings, just 8mm long and about 1mm wide, and are green ones. When it gets dark I`ll take some photos of it, my old v/c has a good low-light gain setting that actually can see the glow from those things.

Want to see? OK....

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Questions? Thoughts? Comments? More photos to come after dark.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris M.:
But then.....one of the LEDs started to turn sky-blue, quickly followed by another. And the other 2 started to look distinctly blue (and overall dimmer than they were initially) after a minute or so.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Now that does not sound good at all.
For a white LED to turn "sky blue" (and I know that color) that quickly, you have to dump around 100mA through it, and at that current, a typical example will have a lifetime of approximately 90 minutes.

Hope that thing comes with a good warranty...

 

[The_LED_Museum]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris M.:
You know, I wonder if the excessive blueness of that one LED is just caused by it being a different colour rank? Or maybe the few minutes of overheating damaged it?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If the LED started out white like the others and then TURNED sky blue, that's damage.

But if it started out much bluer from the first nanosecond, it is probably just an inconsistent rank - something from Nichia's grab bag so to speak. And that is quite normal.



<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris M.:
is very similar to Tektite`s Trek-4, except that the Trek-4 has a current limiting resistor <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Your Trek-4 has a resistor?
Mine doesn't. Just now grabbed it off the "To Be Reviewed" shelf and had a look inside.

 

[Chris M.]

If the LED started out white like the others and then TURNED sky blue, that's damage.

But if it started out much bluer from the first nanosecond, it is probably just an inconsistent rank - something from Nichia's grab bag so to speak. And that is quite normal.

You know, I`m not sure. I don`t make a habit of looking straight at the LEDs in a newcomer when I first turn it on

. I only noticed the nice bright beam turning blue, then looked at them from off-centre and saw the sky blue colour.

Your Trek-4 has a resistor?

Yep. Both 2 and 4 do. And the Expeditions. Just one each, both Treks are brown/black/black=10ohm (and the expeditions have brown/green/gold= 1.5 ohms). Maybe that`s why I wasn`t totally blown away with the Trek-1900- does yours have a resistor in it? I wonder if mine are all old-stock, and the newer ones don`t have resistors? They were sent to me from Tektite with only sales literature, no personal note telling me what versions they were, and Scott didn`t write back to the message I sent him after getting the parcel.

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[The_LED_Museum]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris M.:


Your Trek-4 has a resistor?

Yep. Both 2 and 4 do. And the Expeditions. Just one each, both Treks are brown/black/black=10ohm (and the expeditions have brown/green/gold= 1.5 ohms). Maybe that`s why I wasn`t totally blown away with the Trek-1900- does yours have a resistor in it? I wonder if mine are all old-stock, and the newer ones don`t have resistors? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

NONE of my Tektite LED lights have resistors, and most of them are "older" versions with the loose, unpotted boards.
Let me take a close look at a random selection... (shelf... lights...hitting floor... too...many...crammed...in...there...)

Nope... I checked a newer Expedition 300, and an "older" (early 2001) Expedition 1400 and 1900. No resistors.

If there is one in the potted 300 module, I didn't see any evidence of it; no "lump" in the potting compound between the LEDs, and no change to the bottom of the PCB.

Let me look at my Trek 2... no resistor there either.

 

[brightnorm]

Chris M

I see no resistors in my Expedition 300 or 1400

Brightnorm

 

[Chris M.]

Wierd!

Well right now I can think of 2 possible reasons why mine have resistors in them-

1. Would be nice-
These may be ultra-rare prototypes of the absolute latest generation, or earlier generations that didn`t make it to the public market, that use resistors to extend battery and LED life, and they just havn`t been potted yet- so the innards can be seen and tinkered with more easilly.

2. Conspiracy Theory-
They put the resistors in there to try and fool me and see if I was "on the Ball" when I came to review them. Call it a Test to see how good I am at researching these things and spottng the anomolies, so they know if I`m any good and they should let me review their other products.

<font size="4">Scott of Tektite</font> are you here anywhere? Please come and put things straight- why do the samples of the Expedition and Trek lights you sent me, have resistors in them?

And more importantly- for the sake of a fair review, should I remove them and replace them with plain wire links?


Such the strange one I am thinking....

 

[Artie Choke]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris M.:
It finally turned up this morning. Here`s an informal load of waffle about it.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Chris,

I looked up "waffle" in an English slang dictionary on the web and here's what I got:

waffle Verb. To talk aimlessly. {Informal}.
Noun. Aimless talk, nonsense. {Informal}.

and here's what it says in a standard dictionary:

A light crisp battercake baked in a waffle iron. oops - that's the food!

To speak or write evasively.

So I assume you're using the English version, and even then, what you said was anything but aimless.

So, is there another meaning you ascribe to "waffle"?

Inquiring minds wanna know!

thx.

 

[Chris M.]

You know, I wonder if the excessive blueness of that one LED is just caused by it being a different colour rank? Or maybe the few minutes of overheating damaged it? Whatever happened, it is now bluer than the rest even when cold, but the rest are now happy to stay a nice cool white even after a few minutes so probably it will settle down to a more acceptable level after a few minutes.

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Having said that, I will be in touch with Traser, or whoever it is that makes these things for them, and suggest some kind of current limiting in there, especially as they quote 100000 hour LED life. In the documentation that is supplied with it, they even suggest the use of Lithium cells which as we all know, give a higher voltage than alkalines to begin with, and don`t fall off as quick either. All I can say is....those poor LEDs! They won`t stand a chance

Right, here`s some more pretty pictures....

The little glow-tubes inside are not nearly as bright as the Traser Glowrings, but there`s two of them, from what I see the green glow diffracts throughout the chunky plastic head so I have no doubt that it`s enough for you to find it when it matters.

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Here, showing the difference in size and brightness with a Glowring....

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Some beam comparisons now. The 4-LED, 3-AA configuration of the Teknolite, together with double o-ring waterproofing is very similar to Tektite`s Trek-4, except that the Trek-4 has a current limiting resistor and doesn`t try to roast those poor little diodes alive. The Trek`s beam is also a little whiter in colour while the Teknolite has a slightly more blue tint, especially thanks to that one screwy LED.

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Surprisingly, comparing the Teknolite to another Tektite light, the Expedition-300, it`s close! The Exp300 again, has a whiter colour beam, also a narrower hotspot. It is overall a bit brighter, but as you can see- not by much.

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Anyone want to see other photos or have other opinions about it, just ask!

 

[Chris M.]

So, is there another meaning you ascribe to "waffle"?

Aaah.....well it`s basically just due to the fact that no matter how hard I try to be concise and just get to the point, I always seem to write loads and loads and loads instead. That`s my meaning of "waffle", and it`s just something I can`t help. Maybe the reason why all my reviews have been taking so long to write- cos I can`t help but write pages and pages about them?!

 

[lightlover]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Artie Choke:
Chris,

I looked up "waffle" in an English slang dictionary ...........
So I assume you're using the English version, and even then, what you said was anything but aimless.
.........
thx.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Artie, we British are all very reserved and incredibly modest too ! Chris M counts as a Brit, even though he's Welsh, and they talk funny there.

(For the benefit of USA viewers, Wales = the Ozark Mountains, or something like that.)

And you know, he's achieved so much, Museum Curating, researching and web designing , and still only a mere 21 !!

Must stop woffling on,

lightlover

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris M.:
So, is there another meaning you ascribe to "waffle"?

Aaah.....well it`s basically just due to the fact that no matter how hard I try to be concise and just get to the point, I always seem to write loads and loads and loads instead. That`s my meaning of "waffle", and it`s just something I can`t help. Maybe the reason why all my reviews have been taking so long to write- cos I can`t help but write pages and pages about them?!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Chris,-more trivia yet..

Out here (w.coast-U.S), "waffle" is used as a verb, and often means to write or speak indecisively..

-exemplifying the vagaries of slang in action..:>)
-I wonder if "off-topic" is in my dictionary

the would-be wordsmith

 

[MrAl]

I'd say 'waffle' in the original context was
used humorously or even sarcastically.

--Al

 

[Chris M.]

<font color="6499CC" size="5" face="Impact">Teknolite Update</font>
<hr color="6499CC" size="1">

Two things- firstly the results of an (admittedly unplanned) drop test. I was unloading my tool box from the back of the car I get a lift back from work in, it was dark an raining. I dropped the Teknolite about 4 feet onto the tarmac road, it bounced and rooled a little, still burning. Aside from a slight scuffing to the head, it wa sstill perfect- even the LEDs still in alignment. Afterwards I felt so confident that I sent it bumping down the stairs! Carpeted wooden stairs, but still not fun for any torch to endure. No damage or anything. Good

Secondly, not good news. Remember the screwy blue tinted LED? Well, turns out to be a case of Atomic Level Damage due to excessive heat after all. Why? It started strobing, that`s why. About an hour ago when I turned it on. The blue tint has subsided which is nice, it just flickers now! Quite noticeably to begin with although now after a few minutes it appears to have stopped, but in fact viewing it through my video camera with the shutter speed at full )1/2000sec) it is still going, just very fast. This photo was taken while it was in the dimmest part of the strobing cycle.

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Bad

It seems I`ll be getting in touch with Traser sooner than I originally thought.