Xnova 8 LED AA: disappointed

After reading so much hype here at CPF and the flashlightreviews.com comments, I bought two Xnova 8 LED using 1x AA.
I put a charged NiMh of about 1800mAh and output is... just a common brightness, globally less than my 3 LED flashlight reference.

Yes, I have the "good" Xnova 8 LED (at least I suppose), that one on which the battery has to be put reversed, positive on tailcap side.
I mesured the current: 0.25A for one and 0.22A for the other.
I also did a runtime test with not so freshly charged NiMh 1800mAh: 5 and 6 hours respectively before noticeably dimming. That's too much from the expected 2+ hours read here and there.

So, what's the conclusion?
Inconsistent production? One specific production batch showed exceptionnally bright flashlights?

OK, my two Xnovas 8 LED have a very great runtime compared to yours, but that's not what I wanted

Inconsistent production?>>>>>

Could be.

Be sure to tighten the head of the lights well. Mine have a tendency to loosen, and can result in dimming.

I have bought a number of those flashlights.
Very good for the price, but they use an inconsistent driver. It is based on the old two-transistor Brinkmann design, but they use the wrong inductor, the output transistor is underspecified, and the LED array is connected to the wrong side of the Schotty diode.

You can easy open them with the freeze-pop method. Some Xnove are so loose that it is enough to push the board from the buttom to get them open.

I have replaced the inductor (used a 47 uH instead of 330) and connected the LED array properly.
By doing this, the brightness increases three-fold.
In other Xnova lights, I have replaced the driver board with a Zetex based one. This driver is much more stable and consistant. It also possible to have the AA cell inserted with the + forward, by soldering the spring in the tailcap.

You can pot the entire circuit and LED array with epoxy, and replace the o-rings, so you have a very good, reliable and watertight, flashlight.

Anthony

I too, was disappointed in all 6 that I bought. I checked them all and the blue tint was unacceptable to me as well as not being very bright. I will be giving them as XMAS stocking stuffers for my kids.

glire wrote: "I have the "good" Xnova 8 LED (at least I suppose), that one on which the battery has to be put reversed, positive on tailcap side. I mesured the current: 0.25A for one and 0.22A for the other."

Your current draw sounds low - they seem even even lower than my old style (less bright) Xnova 8.

Current draw measurements using a well run in Ray-o-Vac rechargeable battery
1600mAh NiMH - Open circuit = 1.349V
new Xnova 8 = 440mA
old Xnova 8 = 300mA
Xnova 5 (1AA) = 190mA

Regular Alkaline AA battery(s)
AA battery #1
Open circuit 1.375V
new Xnova 8 = 440mA
old Xnova 8 = 290mA

AA battery #2
Open circuit 1.465V
new Xnova 8 = 510mA
old Xnova 8 = 340mA

ref: 8LED 1AA "Xnova" New vs. Old

glire wrote: "After reading so much hype here at CPF"

Don't like the word "hype" -
I don't think anyone on CPF is trying to advertize/market the Xnova 8 new, or to mislead other members.
Mostly CPF are a bunch of flashaholics that may get enthusisatic over some flashlight - that is hardly "hype".

OK, change "hype" by "enthousiam".
There are some threads of members requesting a cheap-small-great flashlight. The Xnova 8 LED is used as a repetitive answer for being one of the "best" (which for many means "brightest"). So I got the impression there was a general and converging opinion of actual owners that the Xnova 8 is really "one of the "best".

I don't regret my purchase (it may give me an opprotunity for my first "mod" ), but I'm disappointed from what I could have expected initially.

Ray_of_Light said:

I have bought a number of those flashlights.
Very good for the price, but they use an inconsistent driver. It is based on the old two-transistor Brinkmann design, but they use the wrong inductor, the output transistor is underspecified, and the LED array is connected to the wrong side of the Schotty diode.

You can easy open them with the freeze-pop method. Some Xnove are so loose that it is enough to push the board from the buttom to get them open.

I have replaced the inductor (used a 47 uH instead of 330) and connected the LED array properly.
By doing this, the brightness increases three-fold.
In other Xnova lights, I have replaced the driver board with a Zetex based one. This driver is much more stable and consistant. It also possible to have the AA cell inserted with the + forward, by soldering the spring in the tailcap.

You can pot the entire circuit and LED array with epoxy, and replace the o-rings, so you have a very good, reliable and watertight, flashlight.

Anthony

Click to expand...

OK, thanks Anthony. But you're speaking to a newbie...
I think I can guess what means "freeze-pop method", but not what is quoted in bold. Can you clarify please? Thanks.

I have two of the HAIII XNovas from the second groupbuy which are impressively bright and another one I just got from Emilion which is even brighter.

Personally, I'm impressed... Sorry they didn't seem to work out for you.

I, too, am underwhelmed by my "new" Xnova 8LED. Thanks to this thread, I know why: mine must have the wrong driver. No way this light can hold a candle to the 12LED Blue Ghost I or II.

Where is everyone buying his or her lights? I got mine from Lighthound a month or two ago, and they are bright.

Ray_of_Light said:

I have replaced the inductor (used a 47 uH instead of 330) and connected the LED array properly.
By doing this, the brightness increases three-fold.

Click to expand...

What does it mean to connect the LED array properly? Do you connect it to the other side of the diode?

What was the current draw before and after? Are the LEDs now being overdriven? I measured 19 mA to the LEDs in my light on a 1.24-V battery. I don't think anyone knows what current these LEDs are spec'd at, but I'm guessing anything higher than 20 or 25 mA would be overdriving.

I got mine from either Dae (SZ Wholesale) or Emilion; I forget. It was many months ago.

Paul_in_Maryland wrote: "I got mine from either Dae (SZ Wholesale) or Emilion; I forget. It was many months ago."

There are some slight cosmetic differences that can easily distinguish between the "R" version sold by Emilion and the newer Xnova 8 sold by LightHound (and Dae's which look similar) -

Based purely on the photos on Emilion's Xnova "R" 8 LEDs Flashlight -

There are a few (subtle) cosmetic differences - like there is a lip to the head bezel of the Emilion "R" version as well as the rings in different places on the flared head.

Also I think Emilion only sells the "R" version in silver.

Emilion's "R" version is supossed to be less bright than the other versions. As far as I know, Dae's and Lighthound's versions are the same.

I also find that mine is very dull as compaired to the 2aa versions,
not wery good using Rechargeables, howeve it works fine on a Lithium
AA cell, must be the voltage.

balazer said:

Emilion's "R" version is supossed to be less bright than the other versions. As far as I know, Dae's and Lighthound's versions are the same.

Click to expand...

Dea's website showed they just got a new shipment of the uld style Xnovas. Emillion has plenty of old stock. Make sure you order the right version.

LEDninja said:

Dea's website showed they just got a new shipment of the uld style Xnovas.

Click to expand...

Where do you see that? I remember that for the 8-LED Xnova it used to say "best version", but it doesn't anymore.

The above comments make me believe that there is a difference in the LEDs, or drive circuit of various sellers. The cosmetic differences (no front lip on mine, etc.) may not be all the difference.

I've purchased about 15 of the 1AA/8LED (new), and not ONE "looked" like nichias, with their blotchy multi-colored beams.

ALL were at least pretty white, and the vast majority were pure white. They were two or three times the brightness of the 12 LED model.

I got mine from Lighthound.

If your 12 LED model is equal to the 8LED model, you got some bad 8LED models.

balazer wrote: "Where do you see that? I remember that for the 8-LED Xnova it used to say "best version", but it doesn't anymore."

I've been wanting to get some more of the Xnova 8 New in the beautiful shiney pewter/gray (hematite/silvery-black) - so I wrote to Dae to ask if the ones he has on his site are the "Best version".

He wrote back to say they are the "second best" version -
he's hoping to get more of the "best version" at the end of the month......

If you can put up with a bigger torch, try the 7x7mm (Emillion) or 7x8mm (SZ Wholesale). Much brighter than my new Xnova 8 (Lighthound). There is a tailcap clicky problem (needs some fiddling) as opposed to the loose tailcap problem on the Xnova.
cratz2 had posted some comparison pictures and beamshots here:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1165593&postcount=8
Review from the LED_museum here:
http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/third/7mmflite.htm

Emillion sells them here: (Note his stock is down to 3. Check stock before odering)
http://emilionworkshop.com:3072/osc...21_74&osCsid=ef7e54ecc6f475245139f0e51a681299
I noticed he is also selling a holster for the MXDL which should fit. Let you guys know when I get mine.
http://emilionworkshop.com:3072/osc...d=222&osCsid=ef7e54ecc6f475245139f0e51a681299

Alice just posted the link to the SZ Wholesale version
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=99122

Does anyone know if SZ Wholesale will accept credit card payments via paypal? I do not have a paypal or ibuko account.

About a week age SZ Wholesale has 2 versions of the Xnova listed. The 'best version' has now been pulled from the site.