fenix in a 2 AAA form factor

I was digging around in the drawer of my bed side table the other day and found a oldy but a goody flashlight the river rock 2 AAA. I was looking at that light and thinking, you know, that really is a good form factor of a EDC light. 2 cells give you a little more energy for better performance or runtime and the light itself is about that size of a fat ball point pen so it's easy to carry in the back pants pocket or even in a front shirt pocket. (personally I think the 1 AAA lights are to short to carry in a shirt pocket) So I thought I throw this out for discussion and see what you folks thought and see if somebody like Fenix would take a chance and offer something like the River Rock 2 AAA but with a Cree LED BTW I liked the momentary button and twist constant on of the RR also (Hint Hint) But a digitally controlled brightness feature might be nice also.

Well, I went ahead and made one. Kinda. I wasn't real happy with the way the rear tailcap worked as a switch so I won't be carrying it.
Here's the link... https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/159655

2 AAA Fenix form factor would be nice,

I know the costs would be prohibitive but I would love to see a 2AAA light made with the the batteries side by side and the electronics, a nice switch, and a fairly deep but narrow reflector in the middle. This would be a very compact light with room for multi-stage PWM or current control circuitry. The electronic design could be made cost effective as one board could hold chips, switch and emitter but the housing would be hard to make cheaply. Tubes are much easier to make. The outside could be made to be 2" X 1.5" by .5". This would be a unique compact light that could be quite bright with decent runtime.

Just an idea...

John

I've had the same idea and I think it is a good one. The L0D CE would work a lot better on two alkalines than it does on one alkaline, in addition to on two NiMH. It might fry on two L92 lithiums though.

Are you thinking of something like this
http://www.brightguy.com/products/UK_2AAA_Mini_Pocket_eLED_Flashlight.php
But with Cree, clicky switch, and multi levels?

JJohn said:

I know the costs would be prohibitive but I would love to see a 2AAA light made with the the batteries side by side and the electronics, a nice switch, and a fairly deep but narrow reflector in the middle. This would be a very compact light with room for multi-stage PWM or current control circuitry. The electronic design could be made cost effective as one board could hold chips, switch and emitter but the housing would be hard to make cheaply. Tubes are much easier to make. The outside could be made to be 2" X 1.5" by .5". This would be a unique compact light that could be quite bright with decent runtime.

Click to expand...

Kick *** idea !!

As long as it was kept as compact as possible ..... maybe even a little thinner than the present L0D-CE ..... with 2 AAA cells it could have the output of a L2D-CE in a much sexier package !!

Somebody start a petition !!

EssLight said:

Are you thinking of something like this
http://www.brightguy.com/products/UK_2AAA_Mini_Pocket_eLED_Flashlight.php
But with Cree, clicky switch, and multi levels?

Click to expand...

In terms of functionality, yes (with Cree & levels). In terms of ergo and looks, not even close. I am envisioning something that looks like the old cigarette lighters of the 70's. Nice metal case with rounded edges. The reflector centered and completely tucked inside the case with only a thin bezel protruding. The push button switch mounted just aft of the reflector. The electronics just aft of the switch. Batteries mounted on either side of the reflector, switch and electronics. If done right it would look a bit like a slightly larger car remote door lock transmitter but made of metal.

JJohn said:

In terms of functionality, yes (with Cree & levels). In terms of ergo and looks, not even close. I am envisioning something that looks like the old cigarette lighters of the 70's. Nice metal case with rounded edges. The reflector centered and completely tucked inside the case with only a thin bezel protruding. The push button switch mounted just aft of the reflector. The electronics just aft of the switch. Batteries mounted on either side of the reflector, switch and electronics. If done right it would look a bit like a slightly larger car remote door lock transmitter but made of metal.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a Spy 005 with AAA's. I'd buy one

A Fenix 2 AAA Cree, either series or parallel, would be an awesome light!

I bought a 2 AAA LED (5 mm) flashlight a couple months ago on clearance ($1.49).

Funny thing about it, it is designed like JJohn said; both batteries side by side (parallel). Plus a side clicky with momentary on. So, it has been done before...:naughty:

I really liked the UK 2aaa form factor. It fits in the pocket very nice since it is not as fat as an AA light. I modded the UK with a MJ led and it was better than stock but not as bright as the small lights available now. My favorite EDC now is the Fenix E1 (which I am looking to either mod or replace with the newer multi level offerings).

I would be all over a light like the UK 2AAA with a brighter output. It would be pretty awsome running on 2 lithium batteries - and nice runtime. I know manufactring something like this in metal is probably expensive. So maybe UK can offer a more powerful UK 2AAA with a cree.

Perfectionist said:

with 2 AAA cells it could have the output of a L2D-CE

Click to expand...

...and a run-time shorter than some flashbulbs...

I've had the same idea and I think it is a good one. The L0D CE would work a lot better on two alkalines than it does on one alkaline, in addition to on two NiMH. It might fry on two L92 lithiums though.

Click to expand...

If it can survive a couple weeks of EDCing on 10440s, I think it should be fine on 3.0V worth of primaries. In fact that's probably the optimal battery configuration for it, I will test current draw on that setup (2x lithium primary) if I can get a hold of them.

There are a few variables at play -- one of them is battery internal resistnace. With a single tiny cell, theres' a lot of resistance to drawing so much current out of it, which causes some of the energy to be wasted. Adding two cells reduces the amount of resistance losses, as ideally, only half the current is needed to produce the same usable power.

In addition to that, the light has to increase the voltage from 1.5 up to around the 3.5-3.7Vf of the LED -- this conversion process is generally more and more efficient the closer the input voltage is to the output voltage.

I did a test using some moderately used alkaline AAAs (not the best battery) -- one one cell, power consumption was around .85A. On two cells, current was the same, but at double the voltage, so more than double the usable power is likely being delivered to the LED. Runtime should be the same on high, but with almost double the output. In that configuration, it's not quite as bright-looking as the 1A/3.7V 10440, but also doesn't suffer from 10 minutes of runtime on high, and excessive heat buildup if not the light is not held in-hand (to act as a heatsink). On 2x NiMH, current is 1A exactly, and looks a little brighter than the 2x alkaline setup. It should also have more consistent output.

Actually, if someone offered a 2xAAA tube for the L0D, I'd probably buy it -- that form factor is still fairly attractive (much moreso than 2xAA or 2xCR123 for pocket carry) as it's about the size of a pen. I'd run NiMH cells in there and enjoy something in between the stock high, and the outrageous 10440 high.

JJohn said:

In terms of functionality, yes (with Cree & levels). In terms of ergo and looks, not even close. I am envisioning something that looks like the old cigarette lighters of the 70's. Nice metal case with rounded edges. The reflector centered and completely tucked inside the case with only a thin bezel protruding. The push button switch mounted just aft of the reflector. The electronics just aft of the switch. Batteries mounted on either side of the reflector, switch and electronics. If done right it would look a bit like a slightly larger car remote door lock transmitter but made of metal.

Click to expand...

OK. So separate the batteries far enough to fit the electronics/switch/bezel between them. Makes it a bit wider, but keeps the thickness down.

Do you want that in stainless steel, polished aluminum with a clearcoat, or titanium?

I personally would buy a 2 AAA light in serial configuration.
Because that would be essentially a turbo penlight.

I'll buy a long version (2 AAA) of LOD CE as long as it does NOT flicker. I'm sensitive to PWM. Natural would be nice, and the pocket clip is essential.

IMSabbel said:

I personally would buy a 2 AAA light in serial configuration.
Because that would be essentially a turbo penlight.

Click to expand...

This is the one Ive been thinking about buying.

http://www.peakledsolutions.net/Products/Fujiyama_HA_1LED.html

It looks like it would be roughly equivalent to an Arc AAA with longer battery life.

--
John C

Definitely not a penlight but the only 2xAAA light that I would seriously consider is the Inova Bolt 3A

cavanaug-
Peak has announced that several of their lights, including the AAA Baltic, will be available with Seoul LEDs this month. A stainless steel Seouled 1XAAA or 2XAAA Baltic would be a very nice light, I think.