ZL H53 on 14500?

[lampeDépêche]

Okay -- got some 14500s, tried it with a H503 (the pure flood version) and can confirm full function.
Can also confirm the strange step-down glitch when first using an AA after the Li-Ion, as well as the fix via a single click when the battery tube is empty.

(I imagine that there's a register in the driver which keeps track of the battery voltage. After you run it on a 3.7v cell, it is expecting that the next cell will also be a 3.7v. So, when you put in a 1.5v or lower, it says, "whoa, this 3.7v cell is dangerously depleted! I'd better shut down, since it's below the minimum safe voltage level for a Li-Ion cell!")

Did some quick checking with an (amateurish) phone-app lux meter to verify that the output on H1 with the 14500 is a bit over twice the output on H1 with an AA. Really bright! Since the published H1 for this unit (the LH351D) is 264 lumens, I think it's safe to say that this is putting out over 500 lumens. The rest of the lower modes (M1 and M2, L1 and L2) all same as with AA -- so you do not sacrifice the crucial moon-modes.

The body on the H503 is really insubstantial -- very small, very light, hardly any mass. So, it cannot take much heat for very long. Personally, I'm glad that it has the 60 sec time-out. Otherwise, I fear it would just fry itself.

 

[Bob_McBob]

I can confirm the H53 has exactly the same behaviour as the SC53, which is expected since the only difference between the drivers is two resistors. I'm trying to find clear photos of the SC52 driver because it looks extremely similar to the SC53 from what I've seen.

The issue with not properly identifying the cell chemistry matches up with Zebralight's claim that they had to drop 14500 support due to memory limitations with the new G6/G7 programming modes. I went through various functions, and all levels are correct with 14500 and battery check works fine. LVP seems to work but I haven't double checked the actual cutoff with my bench PSU yet. I've used both stock and modded SC53s on 14500 for the last few days with zero issues, and overall it seems like a perfectly acceptable way of using the light and provides a welcome output boost.

 

[lampeDépêche]

Very cool, BmcB!
Now you have me curious: why does the head-lamp require two more resistors than the flashlight? Is it to make the electrons turn in a right-angle?

I had not remembered that ZL ever said anything about why they had to drop 14500 support. They used to be a bit more forthcoming, and have clammed up more as the years go by.

 

[Lips]

Thanks for the heads-up on this light!

Ordered SC53w and it arrived in two days so they have them on hand even though it show's back ordered...

The old style silver clip is smoother for me but the light works great on 14500's. On an eneloop pro this light is under powered with its fairly wide spot imho, very little heat. H1 sings nicely on Lith Ion as it was probably originally intended. As others have said, tap the switch while changing batteries and it's ready for an eneloop.

No more looking for a used SC52w!

 

[AstroTurf]

i wonder how the sc5w mk ii would fair?

 

[jon_slider]

the output on H1 with the 14500 is a bit over twice the output on H1 with an AA. ...The rest of the lower modes (M1 and M2, L1 and L2) all same as with AA -- so you do not sacrifice the crucial moon-modes.




I went through various functions, and all levels are correct with 14500 and battery check works fine. LVP seems to work but I haven't double checked

thats great to hear that the AA Zebras are actually still dual fuel.. congrats


 

[Fireclaw18]

The SC53w uses a CREE XPL2 emitter too.

This means that it could be emitter-swapped to your favorite SW45K 219B jon_slider.

The downside is emitter-swaps in Zebralights are quite challenging.

 

[lampeDépêche]

i wonder how the sc5w mk ii would fair?

I doubt that this would work. The driver in the SC5 is, so far as I know, an entirely different design, intended to squeeze 500 lumens out of a regular 1.5v AA.

With the SC53, there was some reason to think it might work (i.e. that it's a descendant of the dual-fuel SC52). With the SC5, there's no reason to think it would, and some reason to think it would not.
I could be wrong, and if anyone has an SC5 that they are willing to burn up, then I encourage them to try.
But I strongly suspect that it will end badly.

 

[AstroTurf]

I doubt that this would work. The driver in the SC5 is, so far as I know, an entirely different design, intended to squeeze 500 lumens out of a regular 1.5v AA.

With the SC53, there was some reason to think it might work (i.e. that it's a descendant of the dual-fuel SC52). With the SC5, there's no reason to think it would, and some reason to think it would not.
I could be wrong, and if anyone has an SC5 that they are willing to burn up, then I encourage them to try.
But I strongly suspect that it will end badly.

Thanks

 

[Lips]

Spreadsheet to help keep up with your custom settings on the SC53w

 

[TILL-22]

(...) As I have more curiosity than sense, I reinstalled the 14500 (...)

Thanks for the laugh and for testing this!

 

[Repsol600rr]

Does the battery check (4 clicks) work correctly on 14500?

 

[Bob_McBob]

Does the battery check (4 clicks) work correctly on 14500?

As far as I can tell, yes. The only major function that seems to be missing is the automatic cell chemistry detection for NiMH.

 

[Repsol600rr]

Interesting. I dont really need to try it, but...

 

[The Whispering Gallery]

So do the SC52 and SC53 have buck-boost drivers?

 

[this_is_nascar]

So do the SC52 and SC53 have buck-boost drivers?

Doesn't the fact that 14500 are not supported in the SC53* series mean that it does not? Why else would it not be supported?

 

[The Whispering Gallery]

I'm wondering in general ways that drivers which support both NiMH and Li-ion work, and specifically how ZL does/did it.

But hasn't this whole thread indicated that the SC53 appears to support Li-ion and may have very nearly the same driver as the SC52 with the exception of a small glitch that could be related to the firmware or available memory?

 

[this_is_nascar]

I'm wondering in general ways that drivers which support both NiMH and Li-ion work, and specifically how ZL does/did it.

But hasn't this whole thread indicated that the SC53 appears to support Li-ion and may have very nearly the same driver as the SC52 with the exception of a small glitch that could be related to the firmware or available memory?

I thought that I read, which didn't make bunch of sense to me is that 14500 support ended in the SC53*, because they couldn't have that support, plus the new UI for G6 and G7 capability.

 

[holygeez03]

Any further update on 53 series lights and usage with 14500?

Any reason it would be different results with the H53c?

I wouldn't think the emiiter matters, only the driver?

 

[The Whispering Gallery]

I've been using an H53w for ~9 months on 14500, for running a few hours/week without issue. I pretty much only use medium since it is bright enough.