What is the Arc4's c ircuit efficiency?

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Dave Wright

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What is the Arc4\'s c ircuit efficiency?

Anyone know how efficient the Arc4 power circuit is at the different light levels? I vaguely recall these bits of info running through CPF:

-- Peter has mentioned 90% at a medium level (#8?) but no figures for other levels.
-- Someone calculated 9 lumens/watt at #1 - a shockingly low figure that is probably caused more by circuit inefficiency than emitter overdriving.
-- The Arc4 supposedly puts out twice the lux at 30 lumens than an LSHF-P at 24 lumens, but the Arc4 and LSHF-P have the same runtime when the Arc4 is putting out only 15 lumens. At those lux levels the LS is supposedly running at 80% efficiency and the Arc4 might be at only 50%, and this with the Arc4 having the reflector advantage.
-- Peter and Henry have recently made reference to their next generation of lights having more efficient circuits at higher output levels.
-- Yea, I've been playing with my Arc a fair amount, but my gut feeling is that it runs through batteries really quickly. 3 in the first month. I usually go 3 - 4 weeks per battery with the LS. No conclusions yet, but I'm trying to stay out of the menus and see how it does against my LSHF-P.

Maybe the Arc4 is best used at its lower output levels. If the levels higher than 5 or 6 are used often it might be best to go with the LS series instead. No lower output levels, but much more efficient. Anyone have better data?
 
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