Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into "moonmode" or shutoff?

Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shutoff?

Hello i've read a few posts from those saying their Nuwai Q-III when the batteries get too low the light just shuts off with no diminished brightness 'moon-mode'. Personally my Nuwai Q-III does go into moon-mode so now I'm wondering if my regulator might not be working?

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shutoff?

When I got my Q3 a few months back, I remember it shuts off almost instantly when the battery is low, but recently I tried it and it goes into a long moon mode until the battery depletes.

I think I may have damage the circuit after using rechargeables 123.

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shutoff?

Well I've never had any rechargeables in mine yet....hmmm this is very interesting wonder whats going on? Looks like we may not be regulated...which is not always a bad thing I guess some prefer this way, but I don't think the regulating circuit should just stop working like this if that is the case....hmm....need some more input

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shutoff?

I'm not planning, for the time being, to buy any Q3. I have two KL1-4gen/E1e that works brilliantly and, IMO, better than the Q3.
As indirect experience with other chinese Luxeon light, and from what I read in other posts about the Q3, it looks to me that it would eventually be killed by using Li-Ion R123 (4.2 V), at par with Inova T1.
Also, it looks like that the regulator resembles what is inside the Longbows, and will not restart above a certain voltage. The behavior of the "light tail" has not been taken into account in the light design, so it depends on factor like internal resistance of the cell, variance of the Vf of the LED, ambient temperature, individual tolerances of electronic components, and so on.
I may end up in buying a Q3 as matter of curiosity, only because it is so spread among CPFers, and I havn't seen yet any V/I curve and like.

Anthony

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shutoff?

[ QUOTE ]
Ray_of_Light said:
I'm not planning, for the time being, to buy any Q3. I have two KL1-4gen/E1e that works brilliantly and, IMO, better than the Q3.

[/ QUOTE ]

You should really reserve judgement until you have one in your own hands...The E1e is a very nice light but there have been several people who say they like their QIII over their E1e with the KL1 head.

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shutoff?

I think there was a post quite some time ago saying that the Q-III has a boost circuit and its not regulated, that could explain the sudden shutoff? my personal Q-III goes into shutoff, i havent used a R123 cell in it yet.

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

Mine shuts off abruptly as well... But isn't that normal with Regulated lights? I think Sengoku is right about the boost circuit though. I remember one of the braver CPFers who cracked open his Q3 as soon as he received it and posted pics of the circuit, etc here. Can't remember who it was though... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

soo far we have 2 instant shutoffs, and 2 moon-modes. I know mine has moon-moded since day 1, whereas Xenon remembers his with no-moonmode and then a few months later has moon-mode. Seems to me like the sudden burst from a fresh 123 could be damaging the circuit to the point where it no longer works correctly. Lets take more votes on this.... waiting

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

I though I heard that people were having instant shutoff on the Panasonic battery that shipped with the Q3, but when they tried SF, SL, BS, etc. batteries it went into moonmode, as if there were something going on with the battery. I put the Panasonics in my X5T, and put SLs in my Q3s. My Q3 is still running bright and white, long after I figured it would have died. It's the Rudy package, I guess. The other one is wrapped up under the tree for my dad, so I'll find out how it does once it's been opened. .

Long story short, I've either got one heck of a runtime and haven't hit the shutoff point yet or I've got the brightest moonmode ever. .

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

I've noticed mine also goes into a long moon mode.

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

the problem is the battery, some battery output high voltage until the end and die in few minutes, other batteries decrease the voltage gradually

the q-III have a boost circuit and the brightness is proportional to the voltage

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

[ QUOTE ]
ACMarina said:
I though I heard that people were having instant shutoff on the Panasonic battery that shipped with the Q3, but when they tried SF, SL, BS, etc. batteries it went into moonmode, as if there were something going on with the battery. I put the Panasonics in my X5T, and put SLs in my Q3s. My Q3 is still running bright and white, long after I figured it would have died. It's the Rudy package, I guess. The other one is wrapped up under the tree for my dad, so I'll find out how it does once it's been opened. .

Long story short, I've either got one heck of a runtime and haven't hit the shutoff point yet or I've got the brightest moonmode ever. .

[/ QUOTE ]
I'll have to try that out and see... Mine's running on its 2nd battery, a Batterystation one this time...

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

My original Panasonic battery died abruptly with no 'MoonMode' at 2.8 volts.

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

Do you have a DMM? Can you check flash amps (set DMM to 10A scale, take a measurement same way as you'd do voltage)?

If the Panasonics are experiencing "sudden death" with reasonably high voltages (2.8 is high) and very low flash amps (<0.50), it may be a clue to who Surefire's OEM is.

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

All three of my QIIIs burn fairly brightly 1.25 - 1.50 hrs then go pretty quickly into moon mode where they remain at least a half hour. (probably more but I haven't tested past a half hour). I've only used Surefires in them so far.

The QIIIs are excellent little lights and my best one compares favorably to my VIP on medium but the VIP burns much longer at that brightness.

Brightnorm

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

Shut off for me, on the original Panasonic battery.

It showed 2.81 volts as quick as I could get it out of the flashlight, but stabilized within a second or two on around 45 mA when testing flash amps with a DMM. The very first number I got out of the DMM was around 250-300 mA

I guess the Panasonic's chemistry really keeps nearly a constant voltage until it is dry and then just drops like a rock.

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

Thanks Gliderguy. I notice my Surefire cells do that as well - they run as high a voltage and high current as possible then just keel over dead.

The question about "who makes Surefire's cells" comes up often and necessarily, and though it personally doesn't bother me as long as Surefire is the one ensuring that the quality of the finished product is on par with what I expect (and they always have), some of the folks here are dying to know /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Much has been postulated, but in my experience with various kinds of cell, only SF cells do this. Other cells 'tail off' gradually. If Panasonic cells do this, who knows, perhaps they do share something in common?

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

[ QUOTE ]
KevinL said:
Do you have a DMM? Can you check flash amps (set DMM to 10A scale, take a measurement same way as you'd do voltage)?

If the Panasonics are experiencing "sudden death" with reasonably high voltages (2.8 is high) and very low flash amps (<0.50), it may be a clue to who Surefire's OEM is.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not exactly sure if I have done this right, but I set DMM to DC amps, 10 amp seting and got a reading of 0.23 and this declined if contact remained.
Voltage of battery is 2.88v

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

I've already emphatically stated how naive I am when it comes to the electronics...So I suppose it's no surprise when I say that I am confused. I was under the impression that having a QIII that goes into "Moon Mode" after the (expected) 1 1/2 hrs of runtime on full bright, was supposed to be a good thing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif I don't understand what the downside is here...Can someone please explain to me (in lay terms) why this is a bad thing?

Thanks.

Oh, BTW- I've only let it burn down 1 time (when I first got it), and it did go into Moon Mode. I replaced the batteries soon afterwards, so I don't know how long it would have run on Moon Mode.

Re: Does your Nuwai Q-3 go into \"moonmode\" or shut

Hmm I was pretty sure I had moonmode on my original battery that came with the Q-III. But now I see we are looking along the lines of different battery chemistry causing the moonmode over the resistor not working correctly. I'll have some more Q-III's very shortly and can run a few more of my own tests and see what I find.