SilverFox
Flashaholic
Does this seem too good to be true? Well it is true.
However, there is a catch.
Jim Sexton and I are teaming up to make a NiMh battery stick that will fit B90 powered lights. These include the 8NX, 8AX, 9AN, and L7.
We have settled on the GP 3700 sub C cells. They are good performers and have a proven track record. They are a bit on the expensive side, but I think the quality is worth it.
We also looked at some Sanyo 2400 mAh NiCd cells, but the GP's are so much better that we decided just to offer them.
Jim sent me a prototype to test. We have a couple of things to work out, but I was getting 95 minutes run time with the GP pack. I normally get 47 minutes from my SureFire B90 pack.
In addition, the GP pack was able to hold a higher voltage under load. A higher voltage means a bit brighter lamp output. Jim figured out that it is around a 14% increase in lumens. The 8NX runs a little bit on the warm side, so I noticed that at the end of the GP run, it was about the same color as the start of the run with the stock pack.
Here is a rough graph that shows the difference in performance at a 2 amp draw.
A while back SureFire had some problems with the B90 batteries. They changed battery manufacturers (we think), altered the way they check the packs prior to shipping, and changed the charger. This new charger does a fast charge, then the green light comes on. For a full charge, you leave the pack on the charger until the green light starts to blink. The older charger did not have the blinking green LED at the end of the charge.
The stock charger charges this GP battery pack without problems. The time takes longer, but the cells only get to around 95F and the end of charge termination seems to work fine.
The GP pack does the bulk charge in around 75 minutes, then it takes about 95 more minutes until the green LED starts flashing. This is a real plus. No additional charger is needed, as long as you have the newer charger.
The GP cells are a little bit bigger in diameter, so we are having to come up with custom hardware to make things work. I had no problems with fit in my 8NX, but we will have to check the inside diameter of the aluminum lights to make sure there is room.
Let me know your comments. Right now I have the only GP pack. My 8NX got hot during the run time, but I usually don't use it continuous. Is there any other issues I have missed?
Tom
Edit: I am now taking orders in this thread.
However, there is a catch.
Jim Sexton and I are teaming up to make a NiMh battery stick that will fit B90 powered lights. These include the 8NX, 8AX, 9AN, and L7.
We have settled on the GP 3700 sub C cells. They are good performers and have a proven track record. They are a bit on the expensive side, but I think the quality is worth it.
We also looked at some Sanyo 2400 mAh NiCd cells, but the GP's are so much better that we decided just to offer them.
Jim sent me a prototype to test. We have a couple of things to work out, but I was getting 95 minutes run time with the GP pack. I normally get 47 minutes from my SureFire B90 pack.
In addition, the GP pack was able to hold a higher voltage under load. A higher voltage means a bit brighter lamp output. Jim figured out that it is around a 14% increase in lumens. The 8NX runs a little bit on the warm side, so I noticed that at the end of the GP run, it was about the same color as the start of the run with the stock pack.
Here is a rough graph that shows the difference in performance at a 2 amp draw.
A while back SureFire had some problems with the B90 batteries. They changed battery manufacturers (we think), altered the way they check the packs prior to shipping, and changed the charger. This new charger does a fast charge, then the green light comes on. For a full charge, you leave the pack on the charger until the green light starts to blink. The older charger did not have the blinking green LED at the end of the charge.
The stock charger charges this GP battery pack without problems. The time takes longer, but the cells only get to around 95F and the end of charge termination seems to work fine.
The GP pack does the bulk charge in around 75 minutes, then it takes about 95 more minutes until the green LED starts flashing. This is a real plus. No additional charger is needed, as long as you have the newer charger.
The GP cells are a little bit bigger in diameter, so we are having to come up with custom hardware to make things work. I had no problems with fit in my 8NX, but we will have to check the inside diameter of the aluminum lights to make sure there is room.
Let me know your comments. Right now I have the only GP pack. My 8NX got hot during the run time, but I usually don't use it continuous. Is there any other issues I have missed?
Tom
Edit: I am now taking orders in this thread.
Last edited:
