E01 water testing

Does anyone know what these can take? I'm very impressed with the E01, but I'm not wanting to ruin it by going swimming with it. However I'm very curious if it can keep the water out during a swim, or maybe even a dive. Anyone out there tested this?

Considering the LED is exposed and there is no glass and o-ring to protect it and the underlying electronics, I don't think it would do well to be submerged for long.

EDIT: I am often wrong

Some kept the E01 submerged in a glass of water, froze it overnight, and then thawed it out. It worked throughout the process, I recall, and was unharmed.

The AAA is protected by an o-ring and the electronics are all potted, so the thing should last alright in shallow water.

LED-holic said:

Some kept the E01 submerged in a glass of water, froze it overnight, and then thawed it out. It worked throughout the process, I recall, and was unharmed.

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I have done the exact same thing with no issues and I think it is capable of more too, however deep water may cause problems.
Perhaps someone here has had theirs in water deeper than the bath?

loanshark said:

Does anyone know what these can take? I'm very impressed with the E01, but I'm not wanting to ruin it by going swimming with it. However I'm very curious if it can keep the water out during a swim, or maybe even a dive. Anyone out there tested this?

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http://www.ameradio.com/systems/certifications.html#IPX-8
IPX-8

[SIZE=-1]IPX-8 - water-tight under immersion for 30 minutes under 2.6 meters (8 feet) of water.[/SIZE]

TONY M said:

I have done the exact same thing with no issues and I think it is capable of more too, however deep water may cause problems.
Perhaps someone here has had theirs in water deeper than the bath?

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I have an in ground pool, and I swam with my E01. After about 3 or so hours of being mostly 9 feet deep, and coming up and down again to take a breath every 20min, it survived. I opened it and no water went past the O-Ring.

However, I would be a LITTLE cautious turning the light on and off while underwater... maybe water can get in through the O-ring during twisting.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the E01's waterproofness if you're just swimming in a backyard pool.

PS: I had mine lubed with Radio Shack's Teflon-based Lube.

MonkRX said:

I have an in ground pool, and I swam with my E01. After about 3 or so hours of being mostly 9 feet deep, and coming up and down again to take a breath every 20min, it survived. I opened it and no water went past the O-Ring.

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I didn't know marine mammals could type, or surf the net for that matter... Seriously though were you wearing a scuba tank or are you a free diver or ??

I wonder if twisting the bezel just a little like a 1/10 of a turn or so would cause water to flow in or not. I may try it when I find my keys...

If you are using in a chlorinated pool or even worse - salt water, then rinsing it right after with fresh water may not be a bad idea.

MonkRX said:

coming up and down again to take a breath every 20min,

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I have held my breath for 4.5 minutes and thought I was doing alright monkRX! LOL. My dads the ex-diver in the family but I presume you meant taking a breath every 2mins? Hehe!

loanshark said:

I didn't know marine mammals could type, or surf the net for that matter... Seriously though were you wearing a scuba tank or are you a free diver or ??

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I think he meant coming out of the pool to geta rest, at least I hope that's what he meant. oo:

The Arc and E0 were both rated for 100ft IIRC, so I would assume the E01 would be able to handle about the same. I would not hesitate to take it swimming.

Just make sure to use the correct type and amount of lube.

I assume he's talking about the light being 9 foot down for so long. The longest I've held my breath is 3 minutes- 4.5 is impressive.

IMO the E01 will be just fine. Just don't use it as an actual dive light

Jarl said:

...The longest I've held my breath is 3 minutes- 4.5 is impressive...

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3 minutes is impressive. I think 4.5 minutes means "get the defibrulator" at best...

nerdgineer said:

3 minutes is impressive. I think 4.5 minutes means "get the defibrulator" at best...

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Nah, freedrivers can easily do double that, and the record for holding a single breath is 17:04. The previous record was 16:32. Without using pure oxygen prior to the record attempt, it's 9:08

nerdgineer said:

3 minutes is impressive. I think 4.5 minutes means "get the defibrulator" at best...

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Back when i was a kid i could do about 3:15 to 3:30. Up to 2:15 under load (diving w/ flippers). Without any training.

I'm pretty rusty now, though, so i doubt i could do more than 2 minutes "dry"/at rest

loanshark said:

I didn't know marine mammals could type, or surf the net for that matter... Seriously though were you wearing a scuba tank or are you a free diver or ??

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XD
I meant the FLASHLIGHT took a breath of air XD.

---- Err anyway --->

Okay let me rephrase this. Basically I took my flashlight and tossed it into the deep end, and I let it sit there about (more or less) 20min at a time, for 3 hours.

I did NOT cycle the power under water. However on vacation, my sister discovered my light (read: pulled it right of out my hand while I was swimming) and she turned it on and off under water, a lot. I didn't realize she had the light until an hour later.

I saw a drop of water past the O-ring, but the light worked fine.

When (or if) it gets warmer (and it stops raining), I'll do a more scientific test.

curious...
With the light engine fully potted, even if moisture were to get inside... it would still be OK... right? The battery would get damaged well before the light.. right?

From the pictures I've seen, e01's driver isn't fully potted. There's a little bit of epoxy to support the LED but most of the board is exposed.

Mine has glue behind the led. Water will hardly get into the battery room. So yes it is pretty waterproof, i tested with a 1m pool left it for about 12 hours and no water got in.