Wish someone would design a AA/14500 light...

Badbeams3

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That offered low batt protection for both types of batts.

For example...with head loosened...AA mode...drops to lower level at 1 volt with flash every one minute.

With head tightened...14500 mode...drops to lower level at 3 volts with flash every one minute.

Examples:

Using a Fenix or 47`s light...head loose...AA mode...levels would be 2...10...50...100.
Drops to 10 lumen when batt hits 1 volt with 1 minute flash.

Head tight....14500 mode...2...10...50...200.
Drops to 10 lumen when batt hits 3 volts with flash every 1 minute.

When in 2 lumen mode light flashes every 1 minute.. AA mode...when batt drops to .8 volts. In 4500 mode...when batt drops to 2.8 volts.

This would help us enjoy longer batt life from expensive batts.
 

vali

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And if the user wants to use primaries in it? I dont think he wants to stop at 0.8 on a AA lithium, for example... (just search for "vampire" in the forums)
 

jahxman

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The LiteFlux LF5XT offers overdischarge protection for both types of batteries, which it is able to detect what type is loaded. You can also turn the overdischarge protection off, so it can be a vampire on primaries. It will also tell you the voltage left in your battery.

It can be programmed to have from 1 to 5 modes according to your preference, and each mode can be anything from moon mode to maximum, strobe, beacon, SOS, etc.:)
 

Badbeams3

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Consumers could choose... new protected model or unprotected. Like what we have now. I haven`t used a primary cell in a light for years now. But I respect that some do...I want a light option catering to the folks who use rechargables.

If I loan my 14500 batt light to my brother, sister, mother, friend...I don`t want to have to give them a stop watch and special instructions. Nor do I want to be given the light back with a ruined $12 dollar batt.
 

Badbeams3

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The LiteFlux LF5XT offers overdischarge protection for both types of batteries, which it is able to detect what type is loaded. You can also turn the overdischarge protection off, so it can be a vampire on primaries. It will also tell you the voltage left in your battery.

It can be programmed to have from 1 to 5 modes according to your preference, and each mode can be anything from moon mode to maximum, strobe, beacon, SOS, etc.:)

Thank you! Read the review...nice...it sounds a little more complex than I was thinking...but it sure gives one a ton of options! https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/202961
 

Biker Bear

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That's an interesting issue, really. Many find the idea of "omnivorous" lights appealing - in this case, one that could run on anything from a 1.2v NiMH AA through 1.5v alkaline and 1.7v lithium primaries to 3.7v lithium ion cells. I certainly like the idea of being able to switch to primaries as a backup if I use up my available rechargeables ... but how's the light to know what it's being "fed"?

As you point out - for a primary cell, you want to drain it as far down as it will go - no point in wasting capacity in a single-use cell. For rechargeables - avoiding over-discharge of NiMH and LiIon cells is ideal. Trying to design a driver circuit that can figure all this out on its own seems like it would be expensive if it's even possible. What would be really useful for something like this is an easy to use way to "communicate" what sort of cell is in the light so the driver can behave accordingly.

Off the top of my head - for an AA light, a selection between "Primary" and "Rechargeable" might be enough. If set to "rechargeable" and lithium voltage is detected - the LiIon profile is used. If NiMH voltage - similarly. And in "Primary" mode, it would just suck 'em dry. ;)

Of course - this gets more complex with multi-cell lights; what if someone uses a single LiIon and a dummy cell? In that case, the system might have to go to "Primary," "NiMH" and "LiIon" as the options to ensure the right response.

There could easily be issues I've overlooked here, but the general question of how to "communicate" this sort of thing to the light - with some reasonable degree of protection against error - is an interesting one. In a way, it's too bad there's no sort of "keying" on the cells that would absolutely allow the light to figure this out for itself in an unambiguous way.
 

jahxman

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...it sounds a little more complex than I was thinking...https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/202961

Yes, but it can also be really simple, once programmed the way you want it. You would only have to do that once, unless you don't want to change the way it comes from the factory.

I bet some of the nice LiteFLux dealers here at CPFM would even set it up the way you wanted if you ask nicely :grin2:
 

vali

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As was pointing out that the op only thought using rechargeables (like many of us), but for "average Joe" a light that cant use their beloved alkies is a no-no.
Take for example the Akoray K-106. It has low voltage protection that you can activate. If you are "average Joe" you will never use lithium on them, so selling the light with the protection activated is a bad idea. If you are not aware of the dangers of li-ion you shouldnt use it either. For me, an improvement on this will be disabling the use of li-ion without activating the protection system (but then is the problem of enabling it without being able to use the cell...).

Then there is the problem with Ni-MH cells. Most of ppl dont even take care of them and the damage inflicted by overcharging in timer/trickle/cheap chargers will be worse than a possible overdischarge. It can happen, yes, but its not dangerous (afaik) for the user, only for the (cheap) cell.

You cant build thing idiot-proof, because idiots are very ingenious. (one of Murhpys laws, or something like that).
 

selfbuilt

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Thank you! Read the review...nice...it sounds a little more complex than I was thinking...but it sure gives one a ton of options! https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/202961
Glad you liked the review. :)

FYI, the LF5XT (1xAA/14500) - being an early version of the advanced LiteFlux circuit - is a little glitchy in how it implements the low-voltage protection feature. Basically, the light always shuts-off when <1V is reached, whether or not the protection is enabled (at least on the early version I tested - don't know if they fixed it). In my case at least, this means that alkalines will also cut-off (which is totally unnecessary). A work-around is to allow the battery to recover for a few seconds, then switch back on at a lower output mode (which will give you many more hours before the trigger is hit again).

LiteFlux refined this on the LF3XT (1xRCR/CR123A), with a separate control for NiMH/alkaline from Li-ion. This dual-control was built-in in advance of the long-awaited 2xAA battery tube, which should be out soon. And of course, this light features the dual compact/full user interfaces (compact being very similar to the simple NiteCore D10/EX10, but with a few improvements).

FYI, I am currently in the middle of testing the LF2XT (1xAAA), which has yet further improvements. You can now easily turn on-off the low voltage cut-off mode (2.8V for Li-ion, 0.8V for NiMh/alkaline) with a simple toggle: 4 click + press-and-hold. When the feature is off, the light will drain the all batteries to absolute zero output. This toggle works in either compact/full UI, so it is very convenient (i.e. don't have to fuss around with menus).

Looking forward to the next generation 1xAA light that has this latest circuit ... :whistle:
 
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