Does a 1D long runtime LED flashlight exist?

Does any manufacturer make a short, stubby single D cell light that runs for a heckuva long time? Preferably metal body with sturdy construction?

Sounds like the Elektrolumen's Blaster-1D would be right up your alley. You can read about it over in the now defunct Elektrolumens forum on the Marketplace. It's not currently offered on his website, but last I heard, you can email a request for one. He may have run out of the bodies for them by now, though.

His current Ohio model may interest you, too (C size form factor).

Check these 1D maglites, they are awesome and you can fit any of the popular aftermarket bulbs or led in there

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/170027

I found the 1C Elektrolumens light, nifty. $99 for 80 lumens, 12 hr runtime. Seoul P4. Nice. However I can see no low level option for superlong run time. I would prefer a 5-20 lumen setting for loooong runtime.

Have you looked into the Blaster 1D thread yet over in the Marketplace? CPFer Sub_Umbra has stated that his Blaster 1D goes for 48 continuous hours before any noticeable dimming on an alky D cell. And even after 100+ hours, he still found it usable as an emergency light source.

It would be nice if there were a few 1C and 1D sized lights out there that had a very low setting. I have a circuit from DX that can be set to run about 80 hours on 1 AA and it still puts out enough light to be useful in low light situations. I can't recall the exact capacity of a good alkaline D cell, but I think it's somewhere in the range of 5 to 6 times the capacity of a AA cell, so you could be looking at a light that, with the right circuit, could run for 400-500 hours on a functional low setting. BTW, I'm running a Cree P4 with about 26ma being drawn from a AA, I haven't measured the current to the LED but I'm guessing it's somewhere around 5-7ma to the LED. Take a Rebel 100, which is quite a bit more efficient than even a P4 at those low currents, and you could probably figure almost 50% more output at a similar current. A light that could run continuously for close to 3 weeks straight with a usable amount of light on 1 alkaline cell, I think that would be pretty awesome even if overkill.

mmm....

Which circuit is that?

mmmflashlights said:

It would be nice if there were a few 1C and 1D sized lights out there that had a very low setting... with the right circuit, could run for 400-500 hours on a functional low setting. ... A light that could run continuously for close to 3 weeks straight with a usable amount of light on 1 alkaline cell, I think that would be pretty awesome even if overkill.

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NOW THAT's WHAT I'm TALKING ABOUT! That's exactly what I'm looking for...runtime overkill in a 1-cell package!

Wonder if someone could make this for me.

OceanView said:

Have you looked into the Blaster 1D thread yet over in the Marketplace? CPFer Sub_Umbra has stated that his Blaster 1D goes for 48 continuous hours before any noticeable dimming on an alky D cell. And even after 100+ hours, he still found it usable as an emergency light source.

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I haven't been able to find the thread you mention yet. Where in the Marketplace to look?

While I was looking for it, I did find this very interesting thread on insane run times...here.

Bolster said:

runtime overkill in a 1-cell package!

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I've always thought what the runtime might be of a dorcy 1AAA circuit hooked up to a D cell

MorePower said:

mmm....

Which circuit is that?

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Sorry for the late response, I should have mentioned the specific circuit. It's this - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7882 It can handle up to 7V input, and the output levels can be adjusted by a 'screw' on the back of the circuit. The lowest I could set mine is about 25-28ma drawn from 1 AA. With a 3.7V 14500 on the same setting, it draws about the same amount but because of the higher voltage that means it's delivering about 3 times the current to the LED as it is with the 1 AA.

Another couple of circuits that have a low low that run only off of a 1.5V cell are RV7's circuit https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/178359
and this circuit from DX http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7880
Both of these circuits are basically the same from what I understand, except that the DX version has a lot more modes. I suspect that the lowest setting on each circuit is about the same, though I can't confirm that. I'm guessing that the runtime with these 2 circuits won't be as long as the first circuit I suggested, I don't know how much current is being drained at the lower level but I suspect it's not quite as low but still should give a really long runtime.

All 3 of these circuits should be pretty efficient as well so hopefully a lot of the cell's energy isn't going to waste.

Bolster said:

NOW THAT's WHAT I'm TALKING ABOUT! That's exactly what I'm looking for...runtime overkill in a 1-cell package!

Wonder if someone could make this for me.

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I've been trying to save for a cheap used lathe, if I ever buy one it has been one of the first projects I've been looking forward to. Probably would be a really simple light, maybe a twisty. BTW, I try to be a little conservative on numbers, but I just did them again in my head and with a good alkaline D cell it should run over 700 hours at the level I had my AA light set, and around 300 hours with a C cell. It may well even be higher because the runtime tests I did with 1 AA NiMH cells and they have a lower voltage which required a higher current level. For example, for most of the runtime it drew about 27ma from a 1 AA NiMH but went up slightly as the voltage dropped, and runtime was about 82 hours with a cell that has a capacity around 2300ma. So again the 700/300 hours might be even a little better with a higher voltage cell, I'd test the current with an alkaline but my circuit has been acting up so I can't check it right now. 700 hours, that's basically 1 month nonstop on 1 D cell.

Here is a link to the Blaster 1D 1D Blaster? ( 1 2 3 4) . You should contact Wayne to see if he still has parts to assemble one for you. I have one and it is great, looong run time and very bright white beam. This is the light I always go for!

Bolster said:

While I was looking for it, I did find this very interesting thread on insane run times...here.

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I remember reading through that thread, interesting examples given in it. Some of the scenarios would put out such a small amount of light that even with fully adjusted night eyes it would not be much light, so at some point I draw the line at how useful it would be. I would say that my LED would still be fairly useful at about half the current I was driving it at, but I don't think I'd want to go much lower than that and it would require night adjusted eyes to do much good. At extremely low levels, efficiency of LEDs starts to decline instead of increase, so going TOO low can cut into how efficiently you are driving the LED. By extremely low I'm guessing maybe below 2ma to the LED though it varies by LED, so it would be rare that one would even drive an LED that low, but it's something to think about. Another thing to consider, just running a circuit itself does consume some energy. So at 100ma it might be negligible, but at something like 5-10ma you may be coming to the point of diminishing returns or worse, where a fair amount of the energy consumed may not necessarily be used in driving the LED itself. Also, jtr1962 was nice enough to test a Luxeon Rebel for me at very low currents and it seems to be maybe the most efficient LED out there as far as efficiency at low levels - efficiency reaches a peak of about 150 lumens per watt at 10ma, and drops below that, although it still measured very good even at 1ma. A Rebel 100 driven at 3ma at the LED would probably be pretty usable in low light, can you say 70 days continuous with 1 D cell? :candle:

Until MMM makes his super 1D insane runtime light, I've got an order in for an Elektrolumens 1D Blaster...thanks Oceanview and RTT for finding this item for me!

The 1D Blaster should run somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 lumens, should run 3 days continuous. I'll live without a low light setting for now, but would love to see something like this that could also put out 10 lumens for even longer...someday!

Thanks again, all.

Good choice. I don't have one, but from other members' feedback, I think you'll be pleased with it.

80 lumens? I don't recall ever seeing a lumen figure for the Blaster 1D. Is that what Wayne told you or are you just using the Ohio specs? I always got the impression from other members' posts that the 1D is much, much dimmer than 80 lumens.

Bolster said:

The 1D Blaster should run somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 lumens, 3 days continuous. I'll live without a low light setting for now, but would love to see something like this that could also put out 10 lumens for even longer...someday!

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80 Lumens for 3 days is really unrealistic from a single D cell. It should say starting at 80 Lumens and maybe detectable light for up to 3 days. In the best of worlds you might get 80 Lumens out the led from 1W draw from the battery.
At 1W draw you get close to 10h from a duracell D Cell. So at 80 reulated lumens you would get at most 10 hours in reality much less.

That looks like a nicely made light, however it could really benefit greatly from an inexpesive multi-level circuit like what I'm using. The circuit could be adjusted to fit your needs, at the setting I have mine at it would run about 30+ days on 1 D cell, I don't know the output level but I'd guess maybe 2-3 lumens. On high at that same setting, it would be about 35 hours of runtime and I'm guessing that output would be around 30 lumens (these are just rough guesses based on LED efficiency and current). The circuit could be adjusted but it would effect all 3 of the high, medium, and low settings.

dts71 said:

80 Lumens for 3 days is really unrealistic from a single D cell. It should say starting at 80 Lumens and maybe detectable light for up to 3 days. In the best of worlds you might get 80 Lumens out the led from 1W draw from the battery.At 1W draw you get close to 10h from a duracell D Cell. So at 80 reulated lumens you would get at most 10 hours in reality much less.

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Sorry DTS I was in a hurry when I posted. As you say, it should START around 80 lumens with fresh cells. It won't STAY 80 lumens for 3 days. Wayne gave me the "80" as a maximum lumens estimate, and "3 days" as a maximum estimated runtime. He also mentioned these were estimates, not test results.

Triple-M: Sure, I'd love a multi level circut, but Wayne said that's not how he makes the light, so I'm getting what he makes, basically. When you make yours I'm first in line! Unless you want to teach a newbie such as myself how to mod it...

Bolster said:

Until MMM makes his super 1D insane runtime light, I've got an order in for an Elektrolumens 1D Blaster...thanks Oceanview and RTT for finding this item for me!

The 1D Blaster should run somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 lumens, 3 days continuous. I'll live without a low light setting for now, but would love to see something like this that could also put out 10 lumens for even longer...someday!

Thanks again, all.

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Congrats. That's a very clean looking light.