Too Cold For PD32UE?

markr6 · Mar 8, 2013

Yesterday I left my PD32UE w/ Eagletac 3400 mAh 18650 in my car during work. It was overcast with some sun, 32°-40°F all day and I would say at least 50° inside my car. When I turned it on I noticed the two highest modes were exactly the same. I figured the battery was getting low, but it tested at 3.98v. I tried another battery at 4.05v and got the same thing.

After letting it warm up at room temp for about 30 minutes, everything was back to normal. So I decided to do a quick test by putting it in the freezer for a minute or so...of course, I forgot about it! I left it in there for about 2 hours. :ohgeez:

I turned it on and worked but again the high modes were weaker than normal. I took the battery out and separated the head, cap and body of the light. I set everything in the garage which is about 50°F to gradually warm up.

When I put everything back together 30 minutes later, the light didn't work! New battery – still no luck. Thankfully, it worked again after several more hours.

LONG STORY SHORT:
1. I'm very disappointed to see such a lag in performance from Li-Ion at 50°!!!!!!!
2. The PD23UE lit out of the freezer right away, but not after 30 minutes or so. Then worked again after several hours. Any ideas why?

SeamusORiley · Mar 8, 2013

markr6 said:
Yesterday I left my PD32UE w/ Eagletac 3400 mAh 18650 in my car during work. It was overcast with some sun, 32°-40°F all day and I would say at least 50° inside my car. When I turned it on I noticed the two highest modes were exactly the same. I figured the battery was getting low, but it tested at 3.98v. I tried another battery at 4.05v and got the same thing.

After letting it warm up at room temp for about 30 minutes, everything was back to normal. So I decided to do a quick test by putting it in the freezer for a minute or so...of course, I forgot about it! I left it in there for about 2 hours. I turned it on and worked but again the high modes were weaker than normal. I took the battery out and separated the head, cap and body of the light. I set everything in the garage which is about 50°F to gradually warm up.

When I put everything back together 30 minutes later, the light didn't work! New battery – still no luck. Thankfully, it worked again after several more hours.

LONG STORY SHORT:
1. I'm very disappointed to see such a lag in performance from Li-Ion at 50°!!!!!!!
2. The PD23UE lit out of the freezer right away, but not after 30 minutes or so. Then worked again after several hours. Any ideas why?

i dropped mine in the snow, and was there, perhaps 15-20 minutes. Very cold, dry snow. After that, it stopped working in spite of trying everything recommended here.

AnAppleSnail · Mar 8, 2013

Open circuit voltage tells you nothing about battery condition. Put the cell in your pocket for an hour and try again. Chemical reactions happen more slowly than normal when cold. If a warmed-to-body-temperature battery does not work, something is wrong with the light or the battery.

neutralwhite · Mar 8, 2013

i had my pd32ue in snow for some 15 minutes, deep in the snow.
worked fine.
hope yours works for you again, or replace as soon as. seems like battery...

SDM44 · Mar 8, 2013

markr6 said:
When I turned it on I noticed the two highest modes were exactly the same. I figured the battery was getting low, but it tested at 3.98v. I tried another battery at 4.05v and got the same thing.

For whatever reason, my PD32UE also does the same thing now. Only, it's been sitting in my night stand for the past month in a constant 70-75 degree temperature inside my house. I recharged the Redilast 3100 mAh 18650 for it and that didn't make a difference. Also tried an AW and EagleTac 18650 and still got the same results.

I'm wondering if these Fenix PD32UE lights have some problems in the "Max" mode, as now it's just a waste for me to click on that mode when it's no different from the High/Turbo mode, especially when cyling through the modes. I still like to use light because I like the color it emits, but it's a real disappointment.

neutralwhite · Mar 8, 2013

maybe this is something fenix should know about.

SDM44 said:
For whatever reason, my PD32UE also does the same thing now. Only, it's been sitting in my night stand for the past month in a constant 70-75 degree temperature inside my house. I recharged the Redilast 3100 mAh 18650 for it and that didn't make a difference. Also tried an AW and EagleTac 18650 and still got the same results.

I'm wondering if these Fenix PD32UE lights have some problems in the "Max" mode, as now it's just a waste for me to click on that mode when it's no different from the High/Turbo mode, especially when cyling through the modes. I still like to use light because I like the color it emits, but it's a real disappointment.

markr6 · Mar 8, 2013

Guys, I need to reiterate some things from the original post.

1. The battery didn't matter in the freezer test - neither the cold one or fully charged one worked (well, only for the first few seconds out of the freezer). But after the LIGHT warmed up, both batteries worked fine and so does the light now.

2. At 50°, I didn't expect the Li-Ion to perform so poorly. But maybe it was the light in this case? I doubt it but can't tell for sure.

SeamusORiley · Mar 8, 2013

neutralwhite said:
i had my pd32ue in snow for some 15 minutes, deep in the snow.
worked fine.
hope yours works for you again, or replace as soon as. seems like battery...

The light started to work again, but I had to hold down the on/off button. I sent it back and the replacement one arrived and after 2 days (no snow), did the same thing.

I sent it back for refund, and the tracking number says "Insufficient address" with Return To Sender. 2 weeks later, it is still not here. Lose/lose?

neutralwhite · Mar 8, 2013

hi ok, damn, where did you purchase from?.
i got my 32UE from fenix store, OK, USA.
crazy that its coming back with insufficient address.
chase it up if you can more.

SeamusORiley said:
The light started to work again, but I had to hold down the on/off button. I sent it back and the replacement one arrived and after 2 days (no snow), did the same thing.

I sent it back for refund, and the tracking number says "Insufficient address" with Return To Sender. 2 weeks later, it is still not here. Lose/lose?

martinaee · Mar 8, 2013

markr6 said:
Guys, I need to reiterate some things from the original post.

1. The battery didn't matter in the freezer test - neither the cold one or fully charged one worked (well, only for the first few seconds out of the freezer). But after the LIGHT warmed up, both batteries worked fine and so does the light now.

2. At 50°, I didn't expect the Li-Ion to perform so poorly. But maybe it was the light in this case? I doubt it but can't tell for sure.

Hmm.... unless you have a defective light 50 degrees farenheit isn't that cold. A lithium ion batt and the light should work fine.

Patriot · Mar 8, 2013

Out of curiosity, I put mine in the refrigerator about 27F and when I took it out didn't have this issue.

nbp · Mar 8, 2013

Have left my Alpha with 18650s in the car in single digit temps and it fires right up, even on high. Your batteries should work... Gotta be something with the light.

neutralwhite · Mar 8, 2013

contact fenix, and sort a replacement I would.
thanks.

markr6 · Mar 8, 2013

I received my second PD32UE today. Off topic...but first off, it's a bit greener than the first one. Not too bad, but a little disappointing. Maybe I'll try putting them both in the refridgerator to see if there are any differences.

TBuddha · Mar 9, 2013

I wonder how many people this thread has sent to the refrigerator. Speaking for myself, I just had to give it a test. Now, this is totally unscientific, with no measurement instruments available. I relied only on my naked eye, and my subjective sense of relative brightness.

I put my three-week-old PD-32 UE in the fridge for about one hour. When it came out it seemed to me that the light was then only slightly brighter at Turbo than at High. I immediately put it into the freezer for another three quarters of an hour. Immediately upon removing it, the High and Turbo levels seemed to be identical. No increase at all at Turbo. I then immediately substituted a "fresh" and room temperature Orbtronic 3100 mAh 18650 battery, and the still cold Fenix then performed normally, showing a substantially brighter light at Turbo than at High. I replaced the original Orbtronic, and after everything warmed up the light seems to work normally again with that original battery as well.

I'm going to have to see how my other 18650 lights stand up to the cold. I don't live in a cold climate, but I do travel to one from time to time, and this might have some bearing on whether to leave an 18650 light in a cold car indefinitely.

markr6 · Mar 19, 2013

I wanted to try this again. This is a VERY unscientific test so please bear with me. I left both my PD32UE lights outside for about 30 minutes at 25°F.

I don't have a way to measure lumens, so I just used a lux meter app on my iPhone 5. Here are the results holding both PD32UE lights about 12" away from the camera on turbo:

2xCR123 = 4600cd
1x18650 3400mah EagleTac = 3500cd

Of course these numbers are not accurate but suffice for a general comparison. I also tried the two different battery types in the SAME light and at room temp. The results were similar.

Too Cold For PD32UE?

markr6

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neutralwhite

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