sc52 step down

I notice that with the sc52 with a 14500, the light steps down after 1 min down to 280lm from 500lm. But, here is my question. After it steps down, you can turn it off and back on, and right back to 500lm. And, it will stay at the max again for another 1 minute. NOw, I don't want to damage the light, and I would like to know how much you can do this before damaging the light or emitter in any way. I want this light to last a long time if possible. And, i don't plan on blasting the 500lm out of this all day, but just curious to how much you think it can take before anything bad happening to the light.
Thanks

dave

Use common sense, and don't blame Zebralight if you fry your light or destroy a cell doing it. Otherwise, have fun! Too hot to hold bare handed? There's a sign.

The SC52 has a timed stepdown on 14500's to prevent overheating the LED and/or battery. I don't own one yet, so I have to refer you to the instructions sheet; there should be a minimum recommended time before going back to 500 lumens so it has enough time to cool down. This cool down period could also be programmed into the light in a way that cycling through modes will get it back on the 500 lumens output for another minute without having to turn it off and on, which cheats the timer. Manufacturers usually overestimate the minimum wait time, but it is a safe guideline to follow if you value your light... The 500 lumens output is considered a "burst" mode, not as a regular output for safety reasons.

Got it. Thats kind of what I was expecting. And, I wouldn't think of letting it get too hot to hold. Also, its like 30 degrees out here in long island, and im assuming thats helping, when the light warmed up a bit, it cooled down within seconds. Thanks for the help.

dave

Cataract said:

This cool down period could also be programmed into the light in a way that cycling through modes will get it back on the 500 lumens output for another minute without having to turn it off and on, which cheats the timer.

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Just out of curiosity: would it necessarily cheat the timer? The way I understand it, the light is always on (unless you break the connection between the body and tail cap or remove the battery completely) so at least in theory, the timer could continue to count even if you turn the light "off", or more accurately, put it in stand-by mode.

well they could probably implement PID thermal regulation on sc52 mk2 but don't forget that the stepdown is also there to conserve the limited energy of a 14500

i'd speculate that mk2 would probably have a gradual ramp down

overclocker is right. I kept resetting to burst and the aw battery was low after just 12mins. save burst for the wow factor

bladesmith3 said:

overclocker is right. I kept resetting to burst and the aw battery was low after just 12mins. save burst for the wow factor

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That's for sure! I was shocked to see how fast you can kill a 14500.

What I find unfortunate with ZL in general is the battery step down that simply go H->M->L if the setting is H1 and it step down to M, I can't change to H2 on that cell.
I'd prefer this step down H1->H2->M1...

Well, about the battery, just after a few days of playing with it on 500lm does drain these 14500s very quickly. So, I guess for runtime the eneloops are the way to go.

Curious now.....what level do you guys use yours the most? Im guessing low or medium since with the 14500 the max is 500 unless you use secondary H? Thanks
dave

Swede74 said:

Just out of curiosity: would it necessarily cheat the timer? The way I understand it, the light is always on (unless you break the connection between the body and tail cap or remove the battery completely) so at least in theory, the timer could continue to count even if you turn the light "off", or more accurately, put it in stand-by mode.

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In theory, yes, the timer could keep going, but that would mean the regulation circuit (at least part of it) would till be powered, draining your batteries faster when the light is off.

dts71 said:

What I find unfortunate with ZL in general is the battery step down that simply go H->M->L if the setting is H1 and it step down to M, I can't change to H2 on that cell.
I'd prefer this step down H1->H2->M1...

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I don't pay all that much attention when my H51FW and H302d step down, but I would say they do go through every mode as it is usually almost unnoticeable. Maybe they changed that on some models?

d.weglarz13 said:

Well, about the battery, just after a few days of playing with it on 500lm does drain these 14500s very quickly. So, I guess for runtime the eneloops are the way to go.

Curious now.....what level do you guys use yours the most? Im guessing low or medium since with the 14500 the max is 500 unless you use secondary H? Thanks
dave

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500 lumens is a lot to handle for a single battery.

I mostly use low or medium on SC's and H2 or M1 with headlamps (usually to shine stuff or for precision hobbies...)

Cataract said:

In theory, yes, the timer could keep going, but that would mean the regulation circuit (at least part of it) would till be powered, draining your batteries faster when the light is off.

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I see, but it only takes a few minutes for the light to cool off after a minute in turbo mode, so the circuit would only have to be powered for a short period of time after the light has been turned off. I'm only guessing now, but it seems reasonable to think that the effect on battery life would be negligible.

Swede74 said:

I see, but it only takes a few minutes for the light to cool off after a minute in turbo mode, so the circuit would only have to be powered for a short period of time after the light has been turned off. I'm only guessing now, but it seems reasonable to think that the effect on battery life would be negligible.

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I didn't think of powering the circuit off after the timer is done... not a bad idea and, yes, battery drain could be negligible enough if you don't turn the light on and off like a maniac. Driver size could be an issue depending on available timer IC sizes. With all the competition, changes to flashlight interfaces and technology breakthroughs this will likely be implemented at some point.