There is truth behind "two = one, one = none"

Black Rose

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Mar 8, 2008
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Ottawa, ON, Canada
So tonight I decided I was going to go to a place that had very little ambient light so that I could really test out a modified P60 drop-in for throw.

After my wife went to bed (she knew where I was going) I grab my light (Solarforce L2), wallet, swiss army knife, and cellphone and get ready to head out.
I decided I had better take another light so I grabbed my MG L-Mini II to take along. Both lights use 18650 cells BTW.

So off I go and walk to the end of our street (2000 feet), and then walk another 1200 feet down a dirt connector road that is under construction, surrounded by fields that sometimes have coyotes or foxes in them.

So I get out my Solarforce light and turn it on and try and hit my predetermined targets (via Google Earth).
Since I had the L-Mini II with me, I tried the same test.

Repeated the tests with both lights a few times. May as well walk farther away from the main road....probably another 400 feet in.

New targets....how many light poles down the road can I light up with the L2? Apprently 3.

At this point I figured I'd sweep the fields to see if there are any eyeballs out there watching me (would have made sense to do this before, no?)
Grab the Solarforce light, click...flash...faint LED glow :ohgeez:
Try again, same thing :mad:

Now I'm wondering if the protection circuit on the battery crapped out. So there I was standing in the middle of a field, more or less in the dark, taking the 18650 battery out of the L-Mini II to put into the Solarforce. That left me with just a Fenix E01 as my only working light.

Battery swap completed, didn't drop anything :thumbsup:

Click....flash... OK, not a battery problem.
Swap batteries again and reassemble lights. Again nothing dropped :D

Attempt some field diagnostics of the drop-in and get it to work again by twisting the large spring. Works for a bit and then fails again.

At this point I figure I may as well head home and try and figure out the problem so I wander back home (about 3/4 of a mile).

The moral of my rambling story is quite simple...the saying you often see here on CPF, "two = one, one = none", is absolutely bang on...your lights can fail you and literally leave you in the dark.

As for the problem with the drop-in, I don't know for sure, but I think it's a problem with my soldering :oops:
I'll check it over better in the morning, clean it up and redo my solder connections.
 

AFAustin

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outside of Austin, TX
Good story, Black Rose, and the mantra bears repeating. Although saying it in front of Mrs. Flashaholic will get you a roll of the eyes, nearly every time. :rolleyes:
 

thedeske

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Atlanta
Sounds like you have a great place to play with the lights. So, the E01 passed the test? ;)
 

AusKipper

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Nov 11, 2008
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And thats why I always have an LD01 SS on my keychain ;) (also, because when I use my LD01 to find the keyhole it doesnt blind me the way my TK10 would..)(and also because the LD01 SS is a really nice looking light somehow..)

And to think, just 2 years ago I survived without EDC'ing a single torch....
 

AusKipper

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Nov 11, 2008
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2 knives, 2 lights, and 2 fire starters for me EDC.

But no Parcord? how on earth do you survive? :p

I have 4 torches, 4 knives and 1 fire starter. Some of them don't "really" count though (ie, the small light and knife in the swiss card, and 1 of the 2 knives on the Leatherman..). so it really breaks down to 3, 2, 1 for me.
 

Lite_me

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Jun 29, 2006
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Northern OH
The subject came up the other day about flashlights and my brother says to me...

"You always check and make sure you have your flashlight with you before you leave the house, don't you".

I says...

No, I always check and make sure I have ENOUGH flashlights with me before I leave the house".
:laughing:
 

csshih

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Sep 21, 2008
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San Jose, CA
was it a dropin you made yourself, or was it a stock solarforce dropin?

your wording makes it sound like the former..

if so.. details! :D
 

yellow

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Oct 31, 2002
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Baden.at
have cheap lights run through 10 sets of rechargeables at least and when they survive this, can maybe considered useful and reliable.

My Fenix', Jetbeam, Inovas, modded SFs, ..., getting rattled on bars while mtbiking, caveing, lending them to ppl not very "nice" to (my) lights, ... always worked and I trust them to do this in the future.

... so the "truth" is: quality and reliability (and overall product quality) usually dont come cheap
 
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jake25

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May 13, 2007
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Santa Rosa, Ca
have cheap lights run through 10 sets of rechargeables at least and when they survive this, can maybe considered useful and reliable.

My Fenix', Jetbeam, Inovas, modded SFs, ..., getting rattled on bars while mtbiking, caveing, lending them to ppl not very "nice" to (my) lights, ... always worked and I trust them to do this in the future.

... so the "truth" is: quality and reliability (and overall product quality) usually dont come cheap
I think the "truth" is, Black Rose needs to learn how to solder:)

We have seen the story of the Solarforce L2 withstanding the gauntlet being carried with an American Soldier in Afghanistan, they are high quality lights without having to pay for a name or a logo.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/235506
What was the mod? as Craig said
 

Black Rose

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Ottawa, ON, Canada
... so the "truth" is: quality and reliability (and overall product quality) usually dont come cheap
This has nothing to do with a cheap light, brand of light, etc.

I think the "truth" is, Black Rose needs to learn how to solder:)

What was the mod? as Craig said
Correct. It appears this is simply a problem with my soldering work :ohgeez:

I took a stock Solarforce 5-mode drop-in and replaced the driver with a custom 3-mode driver that uses current (no PWM) to control low & medium modes.
It also has over-discharge and reverse polarity protection built-in.
 

RWT1405

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Dec 2, 2007
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PA
yellow

... so the "truth" is: quality and reliability (and overall product quality) usually dont come cheap

+1 on that! I learned a LONG time ago that if you buy cheap, you buy twice.

My .02 FWIW YMMV
 

jake25

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May 13, 2007
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Location
Santa Rosa, Ca
Black Rose what driver board was this? Link?

RWT I think we just went ove rthe fact that a Solarforce light is defiantly, no cheap light.
 

ugrey

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Sep 13, 2003
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Dixie
I have often wondered WHY I carried 5 flashlights on me. Now I know why! :)
 
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