js's USL reanimation and revivification thread

So, after an absurd amount of time the USL project is finally moving again. I have most, if not all, of the parts that Bill had, and am in the process of trying to bring this project to completion. As far as I know, this is the complete list of outstanding orders. If you think you should be on this list, but are not, please post here or PM me immediately. Also, please contact me with confirmation of your current address if you have not already done so.

36. Mark65
37. jte.
39. DaveNagy
44. J_Oei.
48. Flashlightgordan
55. Jerimoth
56. ths11
57.1,57.2 Fat Tony
61. Sakugenken
63. mst3k
66. tanasit.
68. Darkgear.com
69. rdh226
71. revv11
72.1 Carpe Diem
72.2 JSO123
73. Trashman
75. wantthatlight
78. editedby
31.2, 31.3 bobbo (already received 31.1, hence position at end of list)

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I do not have any chargers or power supplies, but Bill has promised that he will be working on sending those out to fill the outstanding orders. I'll let you know if/when I hear news from him on this front.

Anyway, as I promised in The new and LAST USL build update thread! I took an inventory of the parts Bill sent me, and also several pictures. Here is what we've got to work with:









Bodies:

12 silver, 13 pewter (+1 fully assembled USL with a bad battery pack), 11 black (+1 FAU w/ bad pack), 1 yellow, 3 blue, 1 red (+1 FAU w/ bad pack).

Heads:

8 silver, 15 pewter, 11 black, 3 blue, 2 red, 1 yellow

Tailcaps:

11 silver, 14 pewter, 11 black, 1 yellow, 1 red, 2 blue.

Reflectors:

15 smooth, 22 LOP, 13 MOP, 4 HOP.

45 62138 lamps. (not pictured, nor any of the items below)

31 cans.

29 sockets.

36 rocker switches

4 good switch guards, 10 "seconds".

19 charging cables.

18 charging pigtails

17 good, charged packs, and 2 packs that haven't been formed and cycled yet.

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I won't close the other thread, but I would like it if we could all switch over to this thread for tracking order, information, questions, comments, complaints, suggestions, and completely off topic discussion and pictures and what not!

Thanks, everyone. I will edit this first post with more info as I have it.

So, I had to work this weekend to cover one of the operators who needed emergency leave, so I haven't done a whole lot, but I did take the inventory and post this new thread as promised.

Revivification? :thinking:

milkyspit said:

Revivification? :thinking:

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I like new words like that

One more charging related question: I see in the USL that I got, there's no space alongside the battery pack under the tailcap to insert the Triton temperature probe (I don't have the probe anyway). I'm currently charging at 0.8a and after 11 minutes the pack has gone from 13.8 volts to 15.06 volts. Am I in trouble yet? I'm looking at Bill's old post and wondering if I should have charged at a lower current. It took me a while to figure out how to configure the Triton but I currently have 0.8A charge, 0.1A top-off, 120 minute safety timer, 1800(?) mah max capacity.

Hmm, I may have done something dumb--I pressed the menu and batt type buttons to go to the data display, and I think the Triton has stopped charging. I'm not sure how to restart it other than from scratch, which maybe I shouldn't do right now. The data display is showing the pack at 14.53V, dropping very slowly. I think I had put around 160 mah into the pack at the time that I stopped it. Maybe I will let the light rest overnight, then run it a few minutes, then charge it again, this time not messing with the charger during charging.

Update: I let the light cool down, ran it for a minute or so, and put it back on the charger at 0.5A. It charged for 2 hours(?) then started beeping at me because the 2 hour time limit had run out (I obviously should have set the timer longer since 500 mA is about C/3.5). Pack voltage was north of 16V. I noticed looking at the display during charging, that charge current would sometimes drop to zero, then return to 0.5A. Anyway, I guess the light is in a reasonable, usable partial charge state now. I will try to give it a balancing charge soon.

On another topic:

I see that CBP is "out of stock" on Elite high current AA cells, but I know that such cells are used in lots of cordless tool packs these days. (Cordless tools traditionally used sub-C cells, but the marketing appeal of higher voltage led the mfgrs to use AA cells to get more cells (and more volts) into the same sized pack). Anyway I'm very happy to have gotten a light after all these issues, and if there's a battery pack shortage but a source of more cells can be located, I'm ok with donating some $$$ towards making sure there's enough packs for everyone.

milkyspit said:

Revivification? :thinking:

Click to expand...

re viv i fy:

To impart new life, energy, or spirit to. See synonyms at revive.

(From the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Ed.)

paul,

As you found out, setting the timer to 120 mins will terminate charge early in some cases. If you charge at C/2 (.9 amps), then set the timer for 50 percent over 2 hours, or 3 hours. But, I would instead set a mAh limit on the charge. Set it 20 percent over 1800mAh, or 2100 mAh, and set the time limit to "no limit".

You can stop, and then re-start the charging process, no problem. So, don't worry about that. The only concern is taking a freshly charged, hot pack, and then putting it directly back into a charge cycle. That's bad, because the detection circuitry will never see a peak, as you've already past it!

Pressing the menu and batt type buttons simultaneously will bring you to a readout of the voltage in, voltage out, total mAh delivered, etc. Charging continues during this process. To get back, press the left-most button (batt type is it?). If you press the menu button during charging you will stop the charge (I think that's right). It's OK to immediately restart it by pressing and holding the rotary dial.

As for pack voltage, pay no attention to it. Or rather, don't worry about it until you've actually seen hundreds of charges and get a feel for what it is supposed to be doing. It rather quickly takes a considerable overhead to push current through even a mostly depleted pack, but that doesn't mean it's in danger of over charging.

The check for that is TEMPERATURE. Feel the pack. If it is so hot that you can't keep holding it for more than two or three seconds, STOP THE CHARGE! Especially at C/2, the pack will never get THAT hot, even in the summer months.

As for the temperature probe, you're right, there's nowhere to put it. But don't worry. You don't need it. I used mine for a couple months until I was convinced that the peak detection circuitry was so good I'd almost never need the temp probe. Almost. If you're a real worrier, it's peace of mind. And for charging Li-ion, it's a good idea, just in case, but otherwise, just don't use the temp probe for the USL.

As for new cells, yeah, Lux recommended Elite AA cells to me a while back, and those are probably what I'll use if the CBP1650's are out of stock. We'll see. Mostly I need cells that won't leak or die in short order. But, I'll wait on that until I've built up the 19 USL's for the packs I do have, and maybe Bill will come through with some more packs. We'll see.

js, since you're working so hard, you can do mine last.

(the Yellow one!!) it will be a fitting end to such a long project.

It can set the record as the flashlight with the longest build time.

Thanks, J_Oei, but I think I'll do yours in order. I'm looking forward to building up that beauty of a light. Expect a pic or two of 'er.

OK, so no responses here from my communiques. So, what the hell, I'm going to just jump to the next person on the list from whom I have heard, and my apologizes to those people in front of Westy.

Westy, I sent you an email. Let me know if a pewter USL is OK.

On another note, two more packs have been formed and cycled and have tested good. Only two more left to check! I'll be starting to build up USL's soon--by this weekend if not before. Mostly I'll be prepping things and trying to remember (or find my notes on) all the lengths of the various wires to cut for smoothest and most efficient assembly, and I'll start soldering the cans w/sockets onto the battery packs. I'll probably do one single USL build to start, to make sure I have all the parameters right, and then go to 9 or 10 at a time after that. I'll keep everyone informed!

Codeman, PM sent.

Oh, and paul, one more thing about the Triton. It does indeed stop charging every few minutes in order to check the no-load voltage of the pack. This is normal. It does steal about 10 percent of the mAh delivered to the pack, though, vs. what you'd expect. For instance, at 1 amp, you'd expect 1000mAh in one hour. But you get about 900 mAh delivered in that time instead, due to the times when charging is stopped to check voltage.

Just FYI.

Thanks! That explains the anomalous drops. And thanks for the additional charging advice.

Westy,

I sent out your USL today via First Class mail. I included a spare lamp and I drilled a new hole for the locking pin. The main lamp is already installed in the light. And I used a LOP because it is the best all around reflector for this light, since the orange peeling on these reflectors is quite light. Let me know when you get it.

Hey guys,

In the interest of avoiding a TMI situation, I'll just say that I've been having medical issues and have been out sick from work / life since Thursday until this morning. So, no work at all accomplished. Nor any play, either. Too bad. It was really nice out. Ah well. I think I'm on the mend at this point, but I'll know more after I see the doctor.

OK. So, if I'm understanding Bill's email to me correctly, that stack of correspondence with no note and no explanation from him actually is the collection of outstanding orders. It looked to me like just a stack of emails detailing changes of address and buying and selling of USL slots. But now that I've checked it out carefully, it does bear a prima facia resemblance to the outstanding orders. This is really good news on two counts: 1. we have a "list" now (assuming it's correct), and 2. there are only 18 more outstanding orders (21 USL's total), which means that I am only short two battery packs to have enough to finish this project (which is no big deal!), and it also means that I can finish this project in fairly short order.

Without further ado, here is the tentative "list".

36. Mark65
37. jte.
39. DaveNagy
48. Flashlightgordan
55. Jerimoth
56. ths11
57.1,57.2 Fat Tony
61. Sakugenken
63. mst3k
66. Catdaddy.
68. Darkgear.com
69. rdh226
71. revv11
72.1, 72.2 Carpe Diem
73. Trashman
75. wantthatlight
78. editedby
31.2, 31.3 bobbo (already received 31.1, hence position at end of list)

If you think you SHOULD be on this list, but are NOT, please post here (or PM me) immediately.

OK. See, I can already tell that that list isn't complete.

44. J_Oei

Is missing.

Anyone else?

I apologize again for being so incommunicado.

I have power supplies ready to ship. I also have Tritons ready to ship.

That said, some have requested the newer Tritons, and right now all I have left are a few of the original Tritons.

I also understand some have purchased their own power supplies and chargers in the ridiculously long interval that this project has taken, for which I accept complete responsibility.

So I need to know a few things:

1. Who has purchased their own power supply/charger and needs to be refunded the cost already paid to me? I obviously cannot simply send a refund to everyone, (I have 40-50 power supplies sitting ready to be shipped.) but I can do so to those who have already purchased a replacement.

2) Who would like a refund of their Charger portion of the purchase price so that they can purchase their own charger?

3) Who would like me to buy the new chargers (vs sending the refunded price of the charger with the power supply) and ship them along with their power supply?

I have two "out of US" chargers/power supplies boxed and ready to ship, and one US charger/power supply shipping tomorrow if the owner responds to my email.

The remainder of the Tritons I have in hand can ship next week to those who have received lights, and/or to outside the US buyers, who will have a harder time finding Tritons or something similar.

ALL power supplies/chargers/refunds will ship before the end of May if I have the appropriate information to do so.

Please post here, and PM me here with your email address so I can contact you.

I will email, (not PM) everyone before sending the package to make sure that I still have a valid mailing address, and to give you my working email address.

I would like to personally and profoundly thank Jim for taking on the end of this project. I am humbled by his shouldering this responsibility.

Bill

OK folks.

I can actually work at my workbench without pain (or not much anyway--just the usual), so I will do this weekend what I intended to do last weekend. I will start gearing up to build a single USL, start to finish, to get all the details fresh in my mind--wire lengths, procedures, etc.--and I also have two more battery packs to form and cycle, and then next week and next weekend I will do a build of 10 or so all at once, and continue shipping out orders.

That's the plan, anyway. I have emailed Bill a list of everyone to whom I have sent a USL order, so with any luck, power supplies and Tritons will join their respective USL's.

Hi Bill, thanks for keeping in contact with the project. I recently got a light from js and I bought a Triton and power supply to charge it with (mentioned a few posts from the end of the previous thread) so a refund for those items would be fantastic. Wow!

Hi Guys.

This is really good news. If you mean out of US, meaning 220/240v compatible it would be great.

Count me in if possible.

Henry / Flashlightgordon