Arc4+ seconds, lasts 1.5 hours at max brightness??

I just got my Arc4 second, popped in the Kodak Max 123 batteries, made sure it was on highest setting (forced boost no change) and left it on.

1.5 hours continuous!

Now for the problem. This is not possible for an overdriven 1W LED. Questions:

The temperature alone should force it to step down after 20 minutes right?

Maybe I had a super battery?

Or since it is a "second" it may not be reaching max brightness (30 lumens) as advertised and instead is reaching level 2 brightness which would be more inline with the 1.5 hours continuous... but would the brightness effect power usage with the regulated current?

Seems like at lvl 1 brightness it should use the same amount of energy for all Arc4 even though the actual lumen output might be less from a bad LED... or am I wrong?

Anyways maybe someone could explain to me how I can get 1.5 hours from lvl 1 max brightness. I dont have any way of measure the light levels (newb)

BTW no real cosmetic flaws (im not too picky) except some white filament strings near the LED which dont affect performance at all)

it seems yours simply could not reach the "peak" brightness.

I've played half dozen seconds, 5 of them got no level 1, i mean the "real" level one for Premiums.

What is the difference in lumens for "peak" brightness lvl 1 and what the typical Arc4 seconds get?

Also the current is regulated for lvl 1 even if my Arc4 isnt peaking at the right light output (which means it is using the same amount of power but the LED is unable to reach a specific lumen right?)

So it should still drain the battery as fast as a brand-new Arc4 right?

I think your Arc 4 second works in lvl 2 when you think that's lvl 1. did you count all the levels, are there 16 of them?

according to Arc's website, they are seconds "because they did not make the full brightness, drew too much power at max brightness or have cosmetic blemishes".

all the seconds I saw got no cosmetic blemishes but most of them do not have real boost mode. i mean when you turn them on, the default high brightness level is the hightest level already, I could not boost them any more.

I'll have 5 more of them and 2 Premiums soon, then I can compare the brightness.

yes 16 levels, starting with the number 1.

No boost beyond lvl 1, so lvl 1 is max brightness just like brand-new Arc4

so maybe it was a super battery?

[ QUOTE ]
plc said:
What is the difference in lumens for "peak" brightness lvl 1 and what the typical Arc4 seconds get?

Also the current is regulated for lvl 1 even if my Arc4 isnt peaking at the right light output (which means it is using the same amount of power but the LED is unable to reach a specific lumen right?)

So it should still drain the battery as fast as a brand-new Arc4 right?

[/ QUOTE ]

I can give you some info on my own two Arc4's, a Premium and a second. Both draw the same 870mA or thereabouts at level 1, but the Premium shows around 820 lux while the second only manages around 620 if memory serves. And yes, my second has all 16 levels.

Dan C

820 lux converts to 76 lumen per square foot... isnt that a bit high for a 1Watt LED?

Arc website advertises as 30 lumen output which would be 323 lux according to website calcs

Maybe these calcs are wrong?

If you're seeing 16-full levels, than I'd suggest you're not making peak brightness. You level 1 is probably equivilent to a level 2 or 3 in a normal Arc4. The Arc4 will all its intelligence brings a whole new aspect to personal lighting and it's because of that reason that I've stayed clear of the 2nds.

Well even if max brightness is equal to lvl 3 on new Arc4+ ... it is still equal to Arc-LSH at that level.

And I get all the customizability of the Arc4 software to boot for $99 same price as a new Arc-LSH

Seems like a decent buy eh?

But it still does not answer my question how I was able to get 1.5 hours out of a 123 battery with full 16 levels of brightness... it should have depleted it as fast as a new Arc4+ even without the same lux

Greetings.

I had a "similar" experience with my Arc4+ second unit, as posted on another thread. (I don't know how to put the link in posts, I'm such a genius!) Anyway, It seemed to me that I was getting a long runtime at the highest level. I sat there with the light in my hands, pointing the beam at the ceiling. At the time I seemed to observe a 1.5 hour period at level 1.

However, I've since concluded that the light must have stepped down to level 2 without my noticing. I let the light step down through several levels before I finally hit the sack, and the step-down happens pretty quickly. It's easy to miss.

Of course, I have no idea that this is what happened with your light. I can say that an Arc4+ that lights at all 16 levels is a great buy at $99, even if it draws more power than a First. In no way should you feel like you got a bad deal, even though others may have gotten a slightly better light for nearly twice as much money.

The Arc 4 forces the EDC flashlight connuisseur (sp?) to confront a new thought: Is brighter always better? We CPF types have a sort of sanitized flashlight ***** envy. "Mine's brighter!" Sometimes you only need a few lumens to do the job, such as walking around your house at night. What the Arc4 allows us to do is select the right amount of light for the task, effectively giving us 4 different customizable brightness evels. A light that always cranks on at full throttle will use up a battery much faster than a light like the Arc4.

Be happy. And keep fiddling with your new little photonic friend! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

plc,

I've been wondering about that same thing for almost two weeks. I have two Arc4+ firsts and one second. The second has 16 levels of brightness and it is much dimmer than either of my firsts at all corresponding levels. At level 1 the second is about as bright as my firsts on level 3. At level 5 it is about as bright as my firsts at level 7. But the second runs for 45 minutes at level 1 on a surefire. I figure I traded brightnesss for runtime and I am perfectly happy with my second.

By the way, it is still quite bright (brighter than all but the best of my LSH-P's), and it has all the cool Arc4 features. A good buy, everything considered. But I do wonder why it runs longer. I thought, like you, it was a second because it wasn't bright enough at the different power levels. I expected dimmer, but same run time at each level - not a longer run time.

The seconds are not calibrated for the same brightness as the standards and Premiums.

Peter

Peter
Does that mean that ALL seconds will not be as bright as firsts in either standard or premium?

I know the brightness wont be as bright for a second as for a first, but shouldnt this be a result of the LED not being able to achieve the desired output?

It sounds like the LED could not achieve the output (or was dangerous/unstable at the highest levels) so you changed the amount of energy consumed for all 16 levels thus reducing overall brightness.

So the Arc4+ second I have functions at lvl 1 equal to a lvl 3 from a brand new Arc4+ and still has 16 levels (the bottom 15 and 16 levels would be new low levels).

Did I guess right?

Yes, some seconds could make the full brightness but drew too much current. Other seconds could not even make full brightness safely so they were calibrated at a lower level (that level varies).

Peter

This thread has made me wonder if my Second is maybe not as bright as it could be, since I can't find any cosmetic blemishes... But even then, it's still pretty freakin' bright (AND WHITE!) and with all the extra features for only $99.95... I *still* feel like I ripped Arc off and owe them some more money!! IMO, it's the best all around EDC out there!

Re: Arc4+ seconds, lasts 1.5 hours at max brightne

My 4+ second is brighter than the one 4+ first I compared it to. My tint is perfect white, better than the first. I have all levels and functions.

Starting with the factory settings, with level 1 as default. I went thru the original duracell in what seemed like nothing flat, just playing with it.

I have not measured draw, but after resetting to level 3 and 10, turn off startup testing, etc. I'm on the first batt, after using it constantly for 3 weeks now.

The only thing that would even come close to a fault is three different colors of HA. Which I don't consider a fault.

Maybe I lucked out, but I still don't understand why this is a second.

Re: Arc4+ seconds, lasts 1.5 hours at max brightne

Arc4+ seconds are really good deals for $99

They are, in the worst cases, basically a Arc LSH brand new with customizable settings and longer battery life... for the same price.

It just might cannibalize their Arc LSH sales... better watch it Peter /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: Arc4+ seconds, lasts 1.5 hours at max brightne

So where does the ARC4 standard fit into all this? I thought it was going to be just like the ARC4+, except with a shorter runtime on level 1...like the how some of the seconds sound like.