Banggood should only be selling legit cells. If it looks or measures to be a cell other than the Shockli 5500mah then they may have received some bogus cells. You should let them know along with how you figured it out. They should then send you some genuine cells if they have them in stock or else they may have to wait for a new shipment.
If it appears to be a genuine Shockli, make sure the ends are clean. Any sticky residue or build up can add resistance and FET powered lights are sensitive to that.
Also, how are you measuring the difference in output, just by eye or a lux meter and ceiling bounce? Judging by eye can be deceptive. Ceiling bounce can be more accurate if measured consistently.
Can you measure amp draws? This would tell you a lot right away.
I have built a light box and measuring lumen output with a lux meter in the box. Ceiling bounce would favor throwers tremendously. The contacts appeared clean. I will try to measure amp draws
“I see all their reviews are 5 stars.” — Whenever I submitted a negative review to Banggood, as I did about a seriously-defective Astrolux MF01S they shipped me, Banggood refused to post the review. All the reviews Banggood shows on the MF01S are positive yet I’m certainly not the only person who received a defective MF01S.
Ceiling bounce is fine when you are comparing batteries or mods. It’s the same flashlight so the same beam angle. It’s not so great when you start comparing different models of lights. For battery tests it’s okay.
A light box is better and should be consistent enough to test differences in batteries. I would only test fully charged cells. FET lights are known for their inconsistent output, but if you did several tests, that should rule out contact issues in the battery tube and springs. The only variable is the battery and assuming they are the same length, to eliminate differences in the compressed spring height, it should be a pretty accurate test.
Make a note that heat can be a factor. A room temperature light can be brighter than one that’s been heated up. Maybe test the first battery for 10 to 15 seconds so the output has a chance to stabilize a little. Allow it to cool a bit before testing the second battery for the same duration.
If there is a decently large difference in the output then I think it has to be the battery.
Using a clamp meter to measure amp draws is a bit simpler. It eliminates the heat related output differences you get from the led.
Can anyone tell me - when you are using the smooth ramping mode - can you set it at about 800 lumen and turn off. Will I be able to access moonlight, 800 lm and Turbo? I use these 3 levels a lot. Lights using NarsilM or Anduril lose their programmed level when you access moonlight which is a bummer.
On the V2 I can access all 3 levels any time I want which is nice.
Yes, but you can’t go from moonlight (long press) to the programmed/ramped 800 lumen mode (short press), as far as I know. Turbo is double press.
From moonlight, if you start ramping that will become your new programmed mode. If you turn off from moonlight and then turn on, your previously programmed (800 lumen) mode will be there.
Thanks, it’s got a big FET so it must use PWM, but I’m not seeing current regulators or a resistor bank for a second channel. I’ll see if I can make sense of the design later. The red glue looks to be hiding components.
the bezel isn’t though so that’s one less obstacle
