ARC FLASHLIGHT: Let The Games Begin!

Today's test involves a just-received production unit of the Arc Flashlight.

Here are some initial current draw values using an Energizer titanium E2, a Duracell Ultra, and a regular Duracell coppertop.

INITIAL VALUES:
Energizer E2: 264mA, falling to 213mA after 1 minute.
Duracell Ultra: 254mA, down to 203mA after 1 minute.
Duracell plain: 260mA, falling to 222mA after 1 minute.

The light intensity test will use three more new batteries, not the ones that have a minute on them already.
For this test, the flashlight head is mounted perpendicular and flush with the sensitive side of a Radio Shack solar cell.
The cell is then connected to a meter set on the DC 20mA range, and the current readings obtained directly mirror the intensity of the light hitting the cell from the Arc Flashlight's LED.

This test, beginning with an Energizer E2, commences at noon PST.

START TEST:
12:00 - 4.06mA
12:30 - 3.48mA
1:00 - 3.36mA
1:30 - 3.26mA
2:00 - 3.16mA
2:30 - 3.10mA
3:00 - 2.98mA
3:30 - 2.80mA
4:00 - 2.58mA
4:30 - 2.32mA
5:00 - 2.07mA

It's now gone over 5 hours, and it's still brighter than the Infinity.
Shortening the interval to 15 minutes for the final bit.

5:15 - 2.00mA
5:30 - 1.88mA
5:45 - 1.69mA
6:00 - 1.56mA - Still brighter than new Infinity.
6:15 - 1.18mA - Now it's circling the drain...

6:16 - 1.11mA - appears about as bright as the Infinity.
6:17 - 1.05mA
6:18 - 0.99mA
6:19 - 0.92mA
6:20 - 0.84mA
6:21 - 0.80mA
6:22 - 0.78mA
6:23 - 0.77mA
6:24 - 0.75mA
6:25 - 0.72mA
6:26 - 0.70mA
6:27 - 0.68mA
6:28 - 0.66mA
6:29 - 0.65mA
6:30 - 0.63mA

The wheels have finally come off the Bunny... his battered drum scraping along on the brake shoes and his drumsticks dragging on the ground in a shower of sparks like a criminal on the run on World's Wildest Police Videos, the pink bunny now comes to a grinding halt and retires to a comfortable end-of-life in the nearest waste receptacle.

This test is officially finished.
Tomorrow at noon, it's the Coppertop.

Craig, what does your Infinity measure on the light meter? Sorry if this has already been asked.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenB:
Craig, what does your Infinity measure on the light meter? Sorry if this has already been asked.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I can't measure it on the cell just yet, as it would mess up the results of the ongoing Arc test. But I just got a new sensor for my J16 digital photometer that reads foot-candles, so let's get out the yardstick and take a reading... these will be central beam readings, where the beam is brightest. Does not include any light that shoots past the sensor from a wide beam.
Light is held 12" from the face of the sensor.

Ok... the Infinity is 8.9 foot-candles at 12".

In contrast, my prototype Arc Flashlight produces about 30 foot-candles, an EternaLight on full power produces about 46 in the hottest part of its beam, and a Trek 1900 gives close to 80 in the hottest part of its beam.

Now that I have this new equipment, I'll have to start digging for conversion formulae so these figures can be converted into other units of measure that everyone can understand.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by papasan:

with a set of ultras, which have a lower internal resistance, i can get 25 or so pics. not sure about lithiums, i do keep a set for back-up now but they're just too expensive to experiment with.

.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Wrong forum I know but couldn't help responding. Lithiums last an incredibly long time in a digital camera, at least twice, I would venture three times longer then a fully charged set of NIMH's.

Thanks Craig, maybe when this test is over you can see what it does on your RS meter. I wonder what the new 60 LED light would show on your meters

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenB:
Thanks Craig, maybe when this test is over you can see what it does on your RS meter. I wonder what the new 60 LED light would show on your meters

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The Arc is already on the RS (solar cell) meter.
The one I shot into my new setup was the prototype Arc, not the production one.
Of course, I'll meter the production one on the J16 when the batteries crap out.

Sorry, I did not explain very well, I meant maybe you could see what the Infinity shows on the R/S meter when the test is complete.

Gransee, does the red or orange run longer as the step up doesn`t have to bump up as far?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenB:
I wonder what the new 60 LED light would show on your meters

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You...you know... about that light??

Did I come home hammered last night and inadvertently spill the beans?
This was supposed to be secret...

Hopefully it is something far less malevolent...such as someone involved in making the light giving people a sneak peak while my back was turned... as soon as this test is finished, I'm going to scour CPF and look for the culprit.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenB:
Thanks Craig, maybe when this test is over you can see what it does on your RS meter. I wonder what the new 60 LED light would show on your meters

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

60 LED light??????! Where???

Doug

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenB:
Gransee, does the red or orange run longer as the step up doesn`t have to bump up as far?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Production has afforded us the ability to test for variations among many more units that the few prototypes we originally had.

Battery consumption varies more among lots for a given color than lots of a different color. But, the red and orange do use an average of about 15-35mA less than the other colors. This might make a 20-30 minute difference in the battery life among the colors while inside a given color the battery life may vary as much as an hour. This variation is not without rewards though as the higher consumers generally are slightly brighter.

Since all the manufacturers use the same LEDs for the most part, these variations are true for any design. Compare any two odd Arc flashlights and you will probally not notice the brightness or battery variations without running tests. You will see color variations though because our eyes are pretty good at that test.

Btw, it turns out the prototypes were most likely not shorted after all. The differences are in line with the variations in the components (especially the LEDs) we have now observed.

Where glad that we changed the design anyway (the units shipping Monday are the new design) because it helped the durability of the unit, streamlined construction and added a cool "+" symbol to the battery contact.

Peter

Craig, when the test is over it might be interesting to note the batt volt. Then tomorrow perhaps you could put the batt back in and retest...this might give us some idea of total run time if used intermitently...and no you did not spill the beans hehe...just look at the thread...IS THE NIGHT BUSTER THE BRIGHTEST LIGHT...Scott came forward with the info

C'mon. Now at least two people know about the new light, please give us the scoop! We're all loyal flashaholics just chomping at the bit to learn about a new 60 LED flashlight!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenB:
Sorry, I did not explain very well, I meant maybe you could see what the Infinity shows on the R/S meter when the test is complete.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The "new" style silver Infinity registers 1.27mA with a new alkaline cell.
Drop an old-style 1.7 volt lithium in it, and it skyrockets to 1.71mA.

Thanks, could you let the batt rest an hour and put it back, rerun the test? Or do you think it would be pointless? Wouldn`t take very long. See if the bunny can thump the drum a few more beats?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenB:
Thanks, could you let the batt rest an hour and put it back, rerun the test? Or do you think it would be pointless? Wouldn`t take very long. See if the bunny can thump the drum a few more beats?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

oh oh, I fell asleep after finishing the test. Wonder if I can determine exactly which battery I used... there are several of them on the top of my keyboard!

It`s the one with the bunny`s feet sticking up in the air and a tombstone by his head

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenB:
It`s the one with the bunny`s feet sticking up in the air and a tombstone by his head<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, after microwaving & wolfing down a big ol' frozen burrito and taking a couple a' big slugs off a 2-litre Cherry Coke, I found the "dead" battery still inside its anodized aluminum death chamber.

So I'll sit here and retest... like I have any kind of social life and should be elsewhere on a Friday night instead of staring at a meter and a clock... ha! ya right!

Same setup as before...hasta la vista bunny!

9:30 - 2.50mA
9:31 - 2.06mA
9:32 - 1.99mA
9:33 - 1.95mA
9:34 - 1.91mA
9:35 - 1.87mA
9:36 - 1.82mA
9:37 - 1.77mA
9:38 - 1.72mA
9:39 - 1.67mA
9:40 - 1.65mA
9:41 - 1.62mA
9:42 - 1.60mA
9:43 - 1.58mA
9:44 - 1.57mA
9:45 - 1.55mA
9:46 - 1.54mA
9:47 - 1.52mA
9:48 - 1.51mA
9:49 - 1.49mA
9:50 - 1.48mA
9:51 - 1.47mA
9:52 - 1.45mA
9:53 - 1.44mA - Someone else gets to do this with the next battery...
9:54 - 1.41mA
9:55 - 1.39mA
9:56 - 1.38mA - comemon bunny, die die die!!!
9:57 - 1.35mA
9:58 - 1.34mA - this video...like... sucks, heh heh heh...
9:59 - 1.32mA
10:00- 1.30mA - cool, heh heh heh... a toilet... heh heh heh...
10:01- 1.28mA
10:02- 1.26mA
10:03- 1.24mA - yeah yeah yeah stomp on it! break it, break it, break it!!!
10:04- 1.22mA
10:05- 1.20mA
10:06- 1.18mA
10:07- 1.15mA
10:08- 1.13mA
10:09- 1.10mA
10:10- 1.05mA - yeah yeah yeah die pink bunny diiiiieeeeeeeee!!
10:11- 0.99mA (takes another hit off the cherry coke...)
10:12- 0.92mA
10:13- 0.85mA
10:14- 0.80mA
10:15- 0.76mA
10:16- 0.71mA
10:17- 0.67mA
10:18- 0.63mA
10:19- 0.57mA
10:20- 0.54mA
10:21- 0.52mA
10:22- 0.50mA
10:23- 0.48mA
10:24- 0.46mA
10:25- 0.44mA
10:26- 0.43mA
10:27- 0.42mA
10:28- 0.41mA
10:29- 0.40mA
10:30- 0.40mA

Get the idea?

Wow, I still can't understand why a regular Duracell kicks an Ultras but so far. It kicked but in the last tests also. The Ultra must just be a gimmick in order to have something to compete with the Energizer Titanium on the shelves. Oh well, I guess it's too early to know who's gonna win just from the initial current draw test, but my bets are on the bunny for long life and the regular Duracell for initial brightness. Either way, it should be fun to watch. I get more fun out of watching these test than renting a movie (am I a true flashaholic or what?), but it may also have something to do with the total crap that Hollywood has been churning out here recently to. LOL.

INITIAL VALUES:
Energizer E2: 264mA, falling to 213mA after 1 minute.
Duracell Ultra: 254mA, down to 203mA after 1 minute.
Duracell plain: 260mA, falling to 222mA after 1 minute.

What ??? Could this one have a short in it too?...It`s amp draw is higher than the 185-190 we are supose to see! Maybe the original amp draw stated by Gransee was off???

How does the beam compare with the other one? Oh well, to late, the games begun...may the best batt win!!