Fire~Fly 3 Runtime

Hello,

I tried looking but runtimes for the firefly3 look scarce. I would kindly like to ask for some runtimes for the firefly3. I don't need any exact times but only approximate ones.

How long does it last on burst? I know to only use for 1 to 5 mins, but if you let it cool how long can you reapeat using burst on one battery?

On the second highest level approx how long does it last?

Thank you soo much and if I hear some good numbers I'm going to have to live in B/S/T and try to snag one.

On burst, it should go around 30 minutes I predict...

Re: Fire~Fly Runtime

liteMANIAC said:

Hello,

I tried looking but runtimes for the firefly3 look scarce. I would kindly like to ask for some runtimes for the firefly3. I don't need any exact times but only approximate ones.

How long does it last on burst? I know to only use for 1 to 5 mins, but if you let it cool how long can you reapeat using burst on one battery?

On the second highest level approx how long does it last?

Thank you soo much and if I hear some good numbers I'm going to have to live in B/S/T and try to snag one.

Click to expand...

I can answer you on the level-2 as I just tested that last week.
18 hours quite bright ... and then dims-off at 24 hours...
from 18 to 24 it's like level-1

What 18 hours thats crazy long, about how many lumens is that?

liteMANIAC said:

What 18 hours thats crazy long, about how many lumens is that?

Click to expand...

Level-2 seems about as bright as a Nichia 500CS type led...
It's actually quite bright for walking around with night-adjusted eyes.

About how many lumens would that be?

Wow, 30 min is much more than I thought. This light is a keeper. It rivals my RAW and Exolion. U bin would be nice.

I absolutely love mine. If it had a nice U bin (UWOJ,UXOJ) it would be perfect. Is it possible to swap LED's in this light? I myself wouldn't do it, but maybe one of the more experienced members would.

You'll have to buy extra heatsinks from doug because he epoxies the led to the heatsink. Alternatively, doug may put in place a trade-up program or something alike.

Hey GS,
I have not heard back from Doug yet. If I get a new heatsink, then what? Is this a user mod or should I send it out? I will soon have your u bin sandwich for the Exolion, which I prefer to use for the FF3.

Mine lasts so much longer than I hoped for. I would say estimated 45 minutes on burst, if that makes any sense. It goes forever on the lower settings.

Don't walk, you should run to buy one. My 40th B-Day is in a few days, and I have no more lights I "need" after my FF3.

It's a pretty easy mod if you know what you are doing. The construction is pretty straight forward. The only problem for me modding it is the lack of the small screw driver he uses to hold the module in place.

I'd wait for doug's advice. Cheers!

nuggett said:

Hey GS,
I have not heard back from Doug yet. If I get a new heatsink, then what? Is this a user mod or should I send it out? I will soon have your u bin sandwich for the Exolion, which I prefer to use for the FF3.

Click to expand...

A little OT but would a Q3 with a flupic board perform just as well?

Is anyone aware of any runtime plots for the FF3? For those giving estimates of run time on burst, what happens after 30 minutes or 45 minutes? Does it hold brightness then quickly go dim, or does it gradually get to a "dim" level after the 30 or 45 minutes? (Suppose I could try this myself!)

As I understand the FF3 is not regulated, but the RCR's do a pretty good job of providing steady brightness over their life - correct? Any examples of runtime for these cells in general if not the FF3, just for my education? Thanks for any info here....

My lightmeter is just my eyeballs, so I can't give you an accurate runtime curve, but I can say that it does indeed drop off after a while, but it doesn't cut out completely, it runs at an increasingly dim level for quite a long time. I expected the protection circuitry on the battery to kick in, but it never did, even after the 2 hour mark. I eventually got bored watching it and recharged it.

The Goldserve circuit is very efficient, you aren't really going to find another light using the same bin LED that is any better in the runtime and brightness department.

In the grand scheme of things I'm not sure that it matters how long it lasts on burst. Since you will rarely ever use burst and even then for only a few minutes. I can barely tell the difference between level 15 and burst. You can always set the light for the runtime vs brightness tradeoff you feel is appropriate. The best way to do this is buy one and test it yourself.