Another EverLED Burned Up!!

Well, I was over at the Home Depot and came across a good Engergizer 4 AA host for my new EverLED. When I got home I took the light out of the package, installed the batteries and tried it out. Worked pretty well, but I could tell by the beam pattern that the EverLED would be awesome in it. Well, I replaced the stock bulb and clicked that baby on....

Instead of light, I sat on my couch, in the dark with the sickening feeling that my EverLED was suddenly toasted. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif I swapped it and replaced the original bulb and it worked fine. Now, my EverLED no longer works in its original host.

Well all I have to say is, EverLEDs are a really good product, but they really made a big mistake by not putting in the reverse polarity protection and proclaiming that you can gain all "benefits of LED technology as easy as changing the bulb in your flashlight"!!!/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif

I guess it goes to prove that I'm still a Newbie after all this time, since I should have checked the polarity before hand, but it I don't think a $40 dollar replacement bulb should go up in smoke so easily./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/whoopin.gif

Hopefully, those 'rumored' new ones with the polarity protection will come out soon, because I do like their product, and it definitely adds new life to some of my favorite golden oldies. Till then, my EverLED purchases are on hold! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

I really don't want to beat a dead horse here, but any flashlight that hasn't been tested for positive polarity on the PR bulb tip should not have an EverLED installed in it at all. Get a voltmeter and test the voltage at the socket if the wiring polarity isn't obvious to the eye. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif

I am waiting to see the brightness of these new EverLEDs, compared to the current ones. I'm wondering how much voltage the polarity protection will drop, and how that will effect brightness & runtime.

I'm tempted to put a diode in series with my EverLED just to see if there is a discernable difference in output. My suspicion is that there would not be ... now if I can just figure out where my light meter went. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

I keep mine in a Sears Craftsman 4d lantern. The large reflector really makes for a tight, long throwing beam.

The EverLed is a great product and I hope it continues to get better.

got to agree with bfhammer, neither my white or cyan everled has gotten smoked since reading here about the polarity issue. since then i've tried them in many lights and really like them. the white is in a 2aa sears tool light and the cyan is in a $ store unnamed 2aa light with a faceted reflector about 2d mag size. also owning an arcls 1st and e1e w/kl1, along with bb400 and a couple white 2aa inretech's, i usually use the white everled around the house. i still really baby the arc and sure-fire products for obvious reasons and like to show them off , but use everled's product because the light quality is there and more reasonably priced. i feel sorry for those that have smoked their everled's before that possibility became known on cpf. don't know company policy in that event.

I still have a dead Teal Everled. I never did get a second email back from Led Dynamics telling me either they would work with me or to go to hell.

I felt/feel like I held two 20 dollar bills to a fire!

For me it was a Rayovac Swivel Head 2D that killed it.

I don't know when I'll buy another.

[ QUOTE ]
shankus said:
I am waiting to see the brightness of these new EverLEDs, compared to the current ones. I'm wondering how much voltage the polarity protection will drop, and how that will effect brightness & runtime.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Tomas said:
I'm tempted to put a diode in series with my EverLED just to see if there is a discernable difference in output. My suspicion is that there would not be ... now if I can just figure out where my light meter went. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

No real need to try it to see. If you use a regular diode you'll loose .7 Volts or so from your battery voltage. If you were far enough into regulation it will simply draw a bit more current and put out the same light level. In my tests, they're about 3% down at 4 Volts, 10% at 3 and 30% at 2 Volts. So if it was a two cell, you'd probably notice the drop in level, if it was a four cell (6 Volt nominal) you wouldn't. Current is going up about 50 ma per Volt in this range so you'd expect to see the current go from 240 mA at six Volts to about 275 mA at the 5.3 Volts 'the device sees' (290 at 5.0). Since this is about a 15% increase in current (and drop in efficiency), I'd guess about that drop from the lifetime of the battery.

Using a low Vf diode could cut that loss in half, perhaps a bit more but not much.

I suggest a current meter is more telling that a light meter.

I suspect it's the efficiency loss and the fact that performance with only two cells will be seriously degraded (the level will be half value before half the energy is removed from alkalines (they got to 1.2 Volts, 2.4 total, less .7 so only 1.7 or so for the device which we know won't work on a single cell very well at all.) is why it wasn't put in. Reverse polarity is for sure a consideration in such things as mistakes are sure to happen.

Doug Owen

You just saved me from digging in my junk box for a decent diode, Doug. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I actually thought the EverLEDs were more regulated that the figures you gave, but obviously I was wrong in my guess. Oh, well.

I guess I should check the polarity and try out my EverLED on my 6V SLA spot, eh? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Would be interesting to see how it compares to the normal 6W bulbs I use.

[ QUOTE ]
Tomas said:
I guess I should check the polarity and try out my EverLED on my 6V SLA spot, eh? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Would be interesting to see how it compares to the normal 6W bulbs I use.


[/ QUOTE ]

Neat idea. Since you'll probably get like four times the battery life you're likely to loose the charger before you need it again.....

Doug Owen

Hmmmmmmm ... I tried the EverLED in my (Sears Craftsman) 6V SLA spot and it leaves me in a quandry: It delivers a wonderfully white, quite bright, very clean and round spot out there at a good distance (I normally try things like that on the 100 foot shot from my deck to the fence around the pool).

The 6W bulbs deliver more light, but the beam is the usual mishapen filament stuff, and less "white."

The EverLED beam is good and quite pretty, the bulb beam has longer throw but is ugly. The EverLED gives much longer battery life, the bulb gives a lot more useful light.

Sigh, I can hear it already "Buy them both."

Thing is, I need to consider what I have this light hanging around for. I think I may have to keep the bulb ...

(BTW: I had to reverse the polarity to the bulb to get it right way 'round for the EverLED. This was easy since both sides of the socket are connected to the rest of the light with AMP connectors - simple, easy, quick swap, and no reason to swap back.)

A low Vf diode could only cut losses by half?

I thought some of the switching-supply shottkys were at MOST a .2V drop, which is closer to 1/3 or 1/4 the loss.

I was really hoping for a circuit redesign that would avoid blowout from reverse polarity w/o a series diode.

Hell, easiest way would be a shunt diode, cathode to the tip. It's not like it would have to tolerate reverse-polarity for long.

I like the ability to run off a single NiCd cell in my Our Best Aluminum light. 40+ hours of plenty-bright-enough.