Nitecore over heating?

YNPpro · Jan 7, 2014

I just got a TN 15 and I have been using it in all it's modes to test it. I have noticed that when run nubs on turbo mode for 5 to 8 minutes that the light gets very hot. About 150 F at the heat fins near the top. Too hot to hold.The manual claims it will protect it self at 60c.

Has as anyone seen this problem? Should I return the flashlight?

thanks in advance....

oKtosiTe · Jan 7, 2014

Without external heatsinking (e.g.: your hand) the Tiny Monsters do tend to run quite hot. I would recommend against running it on max output without ventilation for extended periods of time, as it may very well decrease the lifetime of the LEDs.

zs&tas · Jan 8, 2014

I do not have a monster or a tiny monster ( except the one sitting on my couch eating breakfast ) but i have lots of lights that if i leave on Max/Turbo on their own will get too hot to handle. just make sure if your traveling and its packed away - it is locked out, it could cause trouble if it turns on by its self and your not around..........

Aperture · Jan 8, 2014

I have the same issue with my TM15 on turbo and when tailstanding.

ven · Jan 8, 2014

I can confirm my tm15 gets a little toasty too,room temp around 20oC ,on turbo I did not notice a step down .Not a scientific test by any means but would say around 20-25mins,temp wise,well too hot to hold for longer than a couple of seconds before swapping hands.To say it was around 60oC is guessing but I can relate to picking up a hot drink in temp if makes sense.

As said ,depends on ambient temp,if holding or tail standing etc etc .

oKtosiTe · Jan 8, 2014

ven said:
I can confirm my tm15 gets a little toasty too,room temp around 20oC ,on turbo I did not notice a step down .Not a scientific test by any means but would say around 20-25mins,temp wise,well too hot to hold for longer than a couple of seconds before swapping hands.To say it was around 60oC is guessing but I can relate to picking up a hot drink in temp if makes sense.

As said ,depends on ambient temp,if holding or tail standing etc etc .

Or even the amount of breeze. I use my TM as a bikelight on turbo without issues, provided I keep moving.

shelm · Jan 8, 2014

off the top of my head tn15 has temperature protection of 70°C whereas tn26 is 60°C.
the protection kicks in after 15mins or 20.

please see the reviews on the internet. you can see that the protection kicks in late.

the 70 heat can manage to destroy electrical components for example of the built-in charging unit.

it's called fried electronics :huh:

YNPpro · Jan 8, 2014

Thanks all for the information. I guess the TM 15's thermal protection is not to be trusted and it's use must be limited in turbo mode.

stevo250 · Jan 8, 2014

I accidently left my nitecore tm15 tailstanding on turbo for about 30 minutes. It was far too hot to touch with bare hands so I quickly turned it off and removed the batteries and placed the light and batteries all in the fridge for about 20 minutes to cool off. Didn't cause any damage to the light whatsoever though I would not want to repeat it. I think these lights are built pretty tough to withstand fairly high temperatures.

oKtosiTe · Jan 8, 2014

YNPpro said:
Thanks all for the information. I guess the TM 15's thermal protection is not to be trusted and it's use must be limited in turbo mode.

Only without external cooling. As long as the TM's can lose the heat somehow, they're absolutely fine.

Etsu · Jan 8, 2014

oKtosiTe said:
I would recommend against running it on max output without ventilation for extended periods of time, as it may very well decrease the lifetime of the LEDs.

Based on LM80 tests, it could be the difference between getting 3,000 hours or 30,000 hours from your XML's. 3,000 hours is still a lot, so you may not care.

oKtosiTe · Jan 9, 2014

Etsu said:
Based on LM80 tests, it could be the difference between getting 3,000 hours or 30,000 hours from your XML's. 3,000 hours is still a lot, so you may not care.

I don't care all that much myself, I've used the TM11's ceiling bounce to clean dark rooms more than once. I usually keep it on high as opposed to turbo though, since I found that my Quark has decreased in brightness significantly since I bought it, presumably at least in part due to overheating in my pocket.

Etsu · Jan 9, 2014

oKtosiTe said:
I found that my Quark has decreased in brightness significantly since I bought it, presumably at least in part due to overheating in my pocket.

Really? I'm surprised, as I thought that 4sevens does a pretty good job of heat-sinking and under-driving their lights even at full power. I thought their LEDs would last closer to the upper range of the lifespan.

oKtosiTe · Jan 9, 2014

Etsu said:
Really? I'm surprised, as I thought that 4sevens does a pretty good job of heat-sinking and under-driving their lights even at full power. I thought their LEDs would last closer to the upper range of the lifespan.

Well... no amount of heatsinking will help when you leave the light on turbo in a well-insulated pocket a few times. I only have myself to blame. Besides, while the drop in output is significant compared to a brand new Quark of the same make, it's probably only about a 20% drop after two years of EDC and heavy abuse, so I would say it has held up quite well and I expect to EDC it for a few more years to come.
I doubt any flashlights in the same class and price range would have fared any better.

Etsu · Jan 9, 2014

oKtosiTe said:
Well... no amount of heatsinking will help when you leave the light on turbo in a well-insulated pocket a few times. I only have myself to blame. Besides, while the drop in output is significant compared to a brand new Quark of the same make, it's probably only about a 20% drop after two years of EDC and heavy abuse, so I would say it has held up quite well and I expect to EDC it for a few more years to come.

Still, 20% is a significant drop, even if it's been overheated many times. You shouldn't see that kind of drop for thousands of hours of use, even if you abuse it the entire time. Are you sure that light has dropped 20% in brightness, or are you comparing it to a new light of the same model, but which may have used a higher bin for the LED?

I'm not aware that manufacturers will always use the same brightness bin for LEDs. I assume that as higher bins become more available and cheaper, they'd just start using the brighter ones. Such as, maybe 4sevens is using U2's in their lights now instead of T6's?

oKtosiTe · Jan 10, 2014

Etsu said:
Still, 20% is a significant drop, even if it's been overheated many times. You shouldn't see that kind of drop for thousands of hours of use, even if you abuse it the entire time. Are you sure that light has dropped 20% in brightness, or are you comparing it to a new light of the same model, but which may have used a higher bin for the LED?

I'm not aware that manufacturers will always use the same brightness bin for LEDs. I assume that as higher bins become more available and cheaper, they'd just start using the brighter ones. Such as, maybe 4sevens is using U2's in their lights now instead of T6's?

These were both from the last generation of "4Sevens" "X" AA2. I don't think the U2s were available yet at the time.

Etsu · Jan 10, 2014

oKtosiTe said:
These were both from the last generation of "4Sevens" "X" AA2. I don't think the U2s were available yet at the time.

Strange. From the testing on XML LEDs I've seen documented, you should be able to drive 3 amps into them at a temperature over 100C, and they still last for thousands of hours before dropping 20%.

Either you have dud, or 4sevens is doing a bad job heat-sinking them.

Has anyone measured what temperatures the LEDs reach inside the light when driven hard? I just assumed it would be less than 100C, but perhaps not?

Rexlion · Jan 10, 2014

I see an opportunity here. Turn off the household lights and the furnace, and turn on the Nitecore. Save money!

lol

Nitecore over heating?

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