Anyone else ever stumble across the ridiculous flashlight hobby?

[woodsdog2]

I can see great applications for these in trapping too especially checking water sets like underground run sets for beaver, mink and muskrats.

 

[BuffaloBill]

I came across one of those forums a few years back while researching flashlights. I ended up with a 4Sevens Quark Turbo. Used to carry it on me when I worked night shift. Not sure that it's made anymore. Come to think of it i'm not even sure where that light is currently. I like the looks of that tiny light in the OP.

 

[7mmremmag]

The charging circuit itself is supposed to limit the voltage of the battery. Lithium ion batteries are charged by constant current, until they reach their final voltage, where they charge by constant voltage to account for voltage differences from internal resistance.

Batteries themselves should have a protection circuit in them. These are another layer of safety, against at least over discharge (under voltage), and over discharge (over voltage), and sometimes short circuit/over current. Undervoltage isn't good for Li Ion batteries, because it can cause permanent capacity loss, and charging an under-voltage battery at full speeds can cause safety issues (read: fire and worse). Chargers should take care of this by doing a lower current charge on a low voltage battery until they reach a safe voltage (usually ~3V/cell) to charge at full speed. Overcharge is also bad, because it can cause permanent capacity loss (and safety issues as well). These protection circuits work by disconnecting the battery when any of these bad things happen.

In the stuff I design, the protection circuit is just a last layer of defense - it shouldn't be the first thing that prevents battery damage. The charger circuit is the first line of defense against improper charging (really, what you do here is buy a charge management IC from someone else). The electronics itself should turn off well before the protection circuit ever turns off the battery. I can tell you any reputable battery manufacturer will not sell you a battery unless you show you have a proper charge management and safety system in place.

You obviously know more about this than me (I'm a quality engineer in metals. I do statistics and risk analysis, not design and certainly not in electronics). What risks are there when using lights with low voltage protection built in and chargers with overcharge protection? Is it just doubling the safety in case one or the other circuits fail?

It seems like nobody really has issues when running good batteries (samsung 30q, 35e, sony vtc6, etc) and quality chargers (example: xtar, I use the vc4s) in quality lights designed for use with unprotected cells. A couple of my lights do utilize protected cells as well, it's just the smaller ones that take advantage of the space savings.

 

[enkriss]

I have had the same 2 zebralights for about 10 years. They run on 18650 batteries. On high they are 1000+ lumens.

 

[enkriss]

Inside every saddlehunter there's an Inspector Gadget waiting to go out and buy a laserbeam flashlight.

I
I was looking at them but the beam pattern looks to narrow to be of much use.

 

[Topdog]

I can see great applications for these in trapping too especially checking water sets like underground run sets for beaver, mink and muskrats.

You won’t regret it, good flashlights are definitely worth it.

 

[Kyhunter1]

Yes they are. Anybody notice that the more you get into quality lights the more you appreciate a flood beam? I like a good wide and bright spill beam for blood tracking etc. I have a malkoff wildcat that lights up the whole yard. The problem is that when you go wider the light is perceived to be less bright because the lumens are spread across wide area instead of a concentrated narrow hotspot. My carry lights while hunting are a 500 lumen streamlight 2L-X protac and a 1600 lumen fenix PD36-R. Both of these have beams with both a bright spill and enough hotspot for distance lighting.

 

[7mmremmag]

Yes they are. Anybody notice that the more you get into quality lights the more you appreciate a flood beam? I like a good wide and bright spill beam for blood tracking etc. I have a malkoff wildcat that lights up the whole yard. The problem is that when you go wider the light is perceived to be less bright because the lumens are spread across wide area instead of a concentrated narrow hotspot. My carry lights while hunting are a 500 lumen streamlight 2L-X protac and a 1600 lumen fenix PD36-R. Both of these have beams with both a bright spill and enough hotspot for distance lighting.

Yup, Floody and also tints in the 4000k to 5000k range. The 6500k lights tend to wash out what is lighted and make details less visible for me.

 

[Kyhunter1]

1000%. 4-5K tints are perfect. Any warmer and you get yellow tints or cooler and you get blueish tints and washout.

 

[Squirrels]

I wanted some zebra lights but they would not accept any of the 18650 batteries I already own so that knocked them out for me.

 

[Topdog]

I wanted some zebra lights but they would not accept any of the 18650 batteries I already own so that knocked them out for me.

Why is that? What is different on your batteries?

 

[enkriss]

Why is that? What is different on your batteries?

The new lights require shorter button top 18650.

I ordered a new one and returned because I was not about buy all new batteries if I didn’t need to.

 

[7mmremmag]

The new lights require shorter button top 18650.

I ordered a new one and returned because I was not about buy all new batteries if I didn’t need to.

So you have protected 18650s and the lights needed unprotected button top 18650s?

 

[Kyhunter1]

Try keeppower imr 2900 mah 18650's with the button top. They are not oversized and dont need protection.

 

[Squirrels]

The new lights require shorter button top 18650.

I ordered a new one and returned because I was not about buy all new batteries if I didn’t need to.

Yep, that's what I ran into. The Zebra I bought would not work with all the batteries I already had so it went back. They require a high output, unprotected battery. The unprotteced part does not bother me because the Zebras have built in protection in the circuity but the idea of a lighting system for me is for everything to have interchangeable batteries.

 

[Squirrels]

So you have protected 18650s and the lights needed unprotected button top 18650s?

Correct, they also require a high output battery, which would run my other stuff but would be to short.

 

[Weldabeast]

For blood tracking purposes only I'd be willing to bet all these super bright lights wont hold a candle to an old fashion lantern. Maybe something about the light spectrum lantern throws...I don't know, but I would challenge u (if u got a lantern laying around in ur camping gear) take it with u next time and side by side compare. U might be surprised.

Just general need for a flashlight then those super brights are awesome. My friend has 1 and it is crazy bright. I only carry a cheap headlamp and little single AA flashlight as a backup... Never felt I needed anything like what u guys are talking about.

 

[Topdog]

My zebralight headlamp takes protected 18650 batteries and my zebralight little hand held takes the unprotected ones, they are both about 2 years old

 

[Swampwalker]

I was in Idaho on a pack in elk hunt, one of the older men in the group didn’t show up back at camp one night, there was a high point behind our camp, so myself and one of the guides climbed to that spot and got the lost man on the radio, he was good but lost, back then surefire lights were the way to go and CR123 batts, I told him to turn that light on and maybe we could see it, we could, I can’t remember how far he was but it was not close, the guide told him to hunker down for the night and wait until morning, my buddy didn’t like that idea and I wasn’t letting that happen either, the older guide was half cocked already and the younger guide said he wasn’t going, so I went and got him, without that super light I am pretty sure he was in for a long night, ever since then I carry one because you never know, it made finding him possible, I took a compass bearing from that high spot and went right to him.

That's why you're the Topdog!

 

[enkriss]

My zebralight headlamp takes protected 18650 batteries and my zebralight little hand held takes the unprotected ones, they are both about 2 years old

Both mine are ~10 years old