First post, sorry guys I’m a little overwhelmed I just started this today. I’m going over the basics threads, there’s too much. I’m just going to ask the default recommendations and some silly questions to see if I’m understanding correctly.
Phase 1: Charger - I’m set on buying a Nitecore D4. Xtar VC4 is second choice. Any other charger recommendations or is the D4 gold like I’ve read? Is the Nitecore UMS4 for very large and good batteries?
Phase 2: Today I bought a Convoy S2+ XML2-U2 7135*8 orange reflector from banggood, not coming for a month probably.
Some stupid questions.
- I’m setting to buy a couple Panasonic 3400mAh 4.9A Protected Button Top 18650s. Is this overkill for such a budget first light? Would this have issues with fitting in the tube since protected is thicker?
- To verify my understanding of protected vs unprotected: If a Convoy S2+ accidentally turned on in your bag at max output, then the temp would soar. Would a protected battery’s fuse cut it off before it sets fire while an unprotected would just keep going and set on fire? Is this the safety issue everyone speaks of?
- How do you know when to recharge your batteries? Will the Convoy notify you when voltage gets too low? Or is being mindful of your 18650’s the game like manually checking it with a charger.
- I wanted to buy a Convoy SST40 1800 lumen for comparison to the XML2-U2 (i’m assuming it’s drivers are 7135*8). The SST40 is brighter and draws heavy. I read it’s like 6000mAh @ 1800 lumen max?? That doesn’t sound right. If it is, I think I’m understanding all this and it will be hotter than the XML2.
Phase 3: I found my old Fenix TK15, 337 lumen max Cree XP-G R5. I bought 10 years ago and never used because it was so nice and CR123A’s were so expensive. The manual says to use 2x CR123A or 1x 18650 for 1h 50m runtime on max 337 lumens. I’m going to fathom that a Panasonic 3400mah 18650 would be a complete waste on this light. If my Phase2 Question2 on understanding protected vs unprotected is right, a Samsung 20S 18650 2000mAh 30A Battery would have little issues as long as I’m mindful of the temp?
The basics threads had a chart for the Cree XP-G R5:
139-148 - 350mA 100%
260-277 - 700mA 187%
348-370 - 1000mA 250%
463-493 - 1500mA 333%
I’m reading this as 350mA produces 140 lumens and anything over 100% mean it’s operating out of normal temp tolerance. If the max lumen is 337, based on the chart 1000mAh is the max draw. A 2000mAh battery would run it for 2 hours @ max so that’s all I’d need, correct? Don’t know mAh capacity of each CR123A (i’m going to guess 800 based on the manual stating 1h 50m runtime) so if I’m reading all this correctly, running at 337 lumens would be capacity/load (1600/1000) = 1.6h runtime which fits the bill. Please let me know if I’m right or wrong.
Sorry for the lengthy post and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!