terralux 300m alternative fuels......
- Thread starter zs&tas
- Start date
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Careful what you use to power the TLE300M! I recently had some isssues using Li-ion cells.
I have the same drop in powered by 3 x IMR 16340 in a cut down MagD. I killed one IMR (completed depleted and would not charge again), and thinking it was a defective cell, replaced with a fresh one. Well, another one of the three died again, probably from over discharge.
Spoke with AW about this and his comment was the TLE300M is probably sucking the cells dry since it is primarily intended for 4-6 D alkaline cells. Since IMR have no protection circuit, they did not cut off before being overdisharged and permamently damaged.
You could feasibly use the 2 x 18650 provided they are protected, but then you run the risk of always tripping the protection circuit unless you are constantly checking the battery capacity with a DMM.
For a 2D host, you could use 6AA's with a FM or Modamag 6AA->2D adapter, or find a battery pack like the ones Lux used to make here or have them custom made by cheapbatterypacks.com. Or you could put into a 3D host and use 9AA cells for longer runtimes.
Another idea is to bore out the 2D to accept an 8AA->2D adapter. You could keep the smaller 2D size, but get almost the same power as a 3D host.
good luck!
I don't know which emitters your drop in has (Luxeon K2 or cree), but if you don't like the beam pattern with those optics, 3 x IMS 20mm reflectors from photonfanatic or 3 x Fraen 19mm reflectors smooth out the beam nicely. Some filing of the reflectors is needed, but it's worth it!
I have the same drop in powered by 3 x IMR 16340 in a cut down MagD. I killed one IMR (completed depleted and would not charge again), and thinking it was a defective cell, replaced with a fresh one. Well, another one of the three died again, probably from over discharge.
Spoke with AW about this and his comment was the TLE300M is probably sucking the cells dry since it is primarily intended for 4-6 D alkaline cells. Since IMR have no protection circuit, they did not cut off before being overdisharged and permamently damaged.
You could feasibly use the 2 x 18650 provided they are protected, but then you run the risk of always tripping the protection circuit unless you are constantly checking the battery capacity with a DMM.
For a 2D host, you could use 6AA's with a FM or Modamag 6AA->2D adapter, or find a battery pack like the ones Lux used to make here or have them custom made by cheapbatterypacks.com. Or you could put into a 3D host and use 9AA cells for longer runtimes.
Another idea is to bore out the 2D to accept an 8AA->2D adapter. You could keep the smaller 2D size, but get almost the same power as a 3D host.
good luck!
I don't know which emitters your drop in has (Luxeon K2 or cree), but if you don't like the beam pattern with those optics, 3 x IMS 20mm reflectors from photonfanatic or 3 x Fraen 19mm reflectors smooth out the beam nicely. Some filing of the reflectors is needed, but it's worth it!
hey, thanks for the advice. you were not using protected cells then ? i would have thought protected cells would be fine ? i was just trying to come up with a cheap rechargable build for a friends boat - he has borrowed my light and loves it. maybe a magcharger is the easier route.
being a spotlight the only other option is to go serious with a jetbeam M1X gets pricey then though.
i might try running mine on primarys 3 or 4 cells and see what the runtime's like.......
i actually dont mind the beam in use, its ok. i did replace one optic with a 20 degree for more light at my feet. its cool how you can fine tune the unit.
being a spotlight the only other option is to go serious with a jetbeam M1X gets pricey then though.
i might try running mine on primarys 3 or 4 cells and see what the runtime's like.......
i actually dont mind the beam in use, its ok. i did replace one optic with a 20 degree for more light at my feet. its cool how you can fine tune the unit.
StarHalo
Flashaholic
Unless your friend is well versed in the care and handling of Li-Ion cells, you're better off with the usual consumer batteries; I use 6xAA in my 2D 300M, with LSD NiMHs - it's a fully rechargeable setup, I can replace the cells with any readily available AA battery, and no flashaholic knowledge is needed.
My 300M 2D with FlashCap:
My 300M 2D with FlashCap:
