WTB: Jetbeam RRT01 – Any place to buy it?! + [RRT01 2019 discussion]

So, I took one for the team and my friend jon_slider.

I did a runtime graph on my TC-R1 with 2019 driver and Nichia sw45k LED. The endeavour did not end well, as the temperature fried the battery, which is no more. I am one Keeppower 18350 1200mAh short now and UK stock seems to be 0, so I will try to order from abroad.
I then replaced the driver in the same light with a 2020 version, put in another Keeppower 18350 1200mAh and repeated the test. I believe the chart speaks for itself. I will be ordering some more 2020 drivers.

The 2020 driver DOES have thermal control. It still lacks voltage protection. The voltage of the battery was 0,38V when I removed it from the light.

thank you :slight_smile:
did the battery fail due to overdischarge, or overheating?
I do have a spare 18350 to donate to your cause, that just arrived from illumn

my impressions:
the 2020 thermal protection is allowing too high of a ring temperature
these lights are not safe to tailstand on maximum

I believe the battery failed due to a combination of both. I have overdischarged batteries during runtime tests before and the discharging is not the problem. It is the charging that has to be done carefully and properly, in an appropriate charger. The maximum heat did not kill the battery on the spot either, as it survived and started cooling off, before it failed. So I guess the combination of overdischarging the battery while it was so hot, killed it. The battery registers 0V and will not take any charge even when directly connected with a full battery, so it is completely destroyed.

Thank you very much for your offer of a battery for the cause. The battery shipping problem remains, so I will keep looking locally, but your kindness is heart-warming, as always.

I disagree with you on your conclusion. I believe the temperature thresholds implemented in this driver are brilliant:

The temperature threshold for pain due to heat is about 46C. This means your tissue will have to reach 46C for you to start feeling pain. The body of the light barely reached that temperature, without anything conducting heat from it. If you hold the light, it will never reach 46C, as some heat will flow into your hand, cooling it. If you leave it to reach 46C and pick it up, you will experience the slightest discomfort before it starts cooling off.

The ring will indeed reach 56C if the light is left to tail stand long enough, which is definitely uncomfortable to hold, but then you pick up the light, it will start cooling off gradually, as heat will flow from the body to your hand and from the ring to the body. It is safe to adjust the dial by touching the ring briefly, as the temperature differential of 56C to your body temperature is not high enough to cause such high flow of heat that will raise your tissue temperature to uncomfortable levels, from a brief contact.

So, unless you do it on purpose, leave the light to tail stand until it reaches full temperature, then pick it up and immediately and continuously hold the ring, there will be no problem.

On the contrary, this is the exact thermal regulation I would use to make the light thermally safe to use, without sacrificing too much of its performance, which is already not the highest. In other words, the thermal regulation implemented allows the light to operate at the performance limit the host can sustain, while at the thermal limit the human tissue is comfortable with (if used normally / wisely).

If they had implemented overdischarging protection in the driver as well, it would be nice! As it is, I will purchase more 2020 drivers.

thank you very much for time, testing, and analysis

Im encouraged by your observation that the 2020 driver does indeed have thermal protection
I agree it is a good thing.

It appears that using the light below 200 lumens avoids any excess heat issues.

your chart is full of useful info, much appreciate your sacrifice for the team.

I would not go as far as to call it a sacrifice. Just an inconvenience because UK stocks of the battery are at an all time low.

I am going to be using these charts, with a variety of labels, as needed, for any - if any - reviews I may make in the future, as I too find them full of useful information, nicely presented in one place. But I would appreciate any comments or suggestions if anything can be improved.

After some research, I will revise my assessment that the battery died due to a combination of overheating and overdischarging. It appears these batteries have a “fuse” under the positive terminal that will swell if overheated and break the contact, to prevent the battery from exploding due to overheating.

Some (not very wise people) will drill the positive terminal and using a nail with cut off point will hammer the “fuse” flat so the positive terminal will make contact and the battery will work again. I will not be taking that route, of course, but this explains what happened.

PSA: Unprotected Li-Ion flat top batteries (or at least some of them) not only have a thermal fuse, but it is also resetable!

My “dead” Keeppower 18350 1200mAh flat top, unprotected battery that had stopped working due to overheating in the course of the testing that I am describing a few posts before, is now fully functional, thanks to the knowledge shared in this video: EASY FIX FOR A DEAD 'NOT CHARGING' LITHIUM 18650 BATTERY FROM A CORDLESS TOOL BATTERY PACK - PART 2 - YouTube

I used a small, flat screwdriver.

By the way, the battery still held a charge of 3.19V, so it still had some way to go when the thermal fuse was activated.

Thanks for all the info. Very helpful.

Sounds a bit like a pop up Turkey timer:

Thanks! I have a few KeepPower 18350 1200mAh cells. I’ll keep this in mind if they die.

Not wanting to open a new thread, I’ll report my observation and ask a question here, if that’s ok.

(1) The reported flicker of the original RRT01 is (on mine) a sawtooth with little modulation depth, barely noticeable, like normal ripple.

(2) There’s a defect that may reveal how the driver works (if not known already): On very low output, the light starts to PWM with approx. 10 Hz like a strobe. With increasing power, the frequency raises, then at a certain point goes down again and vanishes. This all happens within 0 - 8 lm or so.

Do the recent RRT01 2020 still have this driver? I consider mine a lost cause and need a replacement.

Edit: Forget it - mystery solved. Replaced LED wires (yes!), problem went away.

Grats. Glad it’s fixed.

I hated replacing the driver wires on my RRT-01. The driver is a sandwich of 2 boards and the bondwires are soldered to the bottom of the board in the middle of the sandwich. I found if I placed my soldering iron on the pins holding the sandwich together I could “walk” the boards apart and then get to the wire bondpads to change the wires.

Incidentally, Jetbeam does sell the drivers separately. So it is possible to upgrade the driver from your old-version RRT-01 to have the latest driver from the newest model RRT-01. The new driver is a bit higher current I think, and both are exactly the same size.

hello

Any information where to buy new JETBeam RRT01 (2019), or JETBeam TCR1 (well that's probably not gona happen) with shipping to EU?

I only found one JETBeam RRT01 (2019) on aliexpress, but got fake tracking, so will have to wait over 2 months before I can do anything
I found second here (https://www.teknistore.com/en/led-flashlight/56333-jetbeam-rrt01-950lm-cr123a-flashlight-ipx8-led-lamp-camping-hunting-work-lantern.html) but from the opinions of the store, it's not worth even trying to buy there.

I do not know a source for any version of RRT-01

but maybe someone reading here will sell you one of theirs

good luck w your search (suggest you also place a Want to Buy ad)

fwiw, the 2020 model can also be used as a rotary only… the switch can be left ON if desired, and just dial down to standby mode. Same small parasitic drain as the 2019 model.


If I can use the 2020 model with always on button, then I know what I'm buying next (the 2020 model with Nichia 219C ). thanks jon_slider

Just to be sure, in 2019 model there was a bump when you had the ring on off position? on 2020 there is none?



It is exactly as jon_slider said. I measured the parasitic drain of the 2020 and the 2019 drivers to be the same.
The 2020 model also has detents at the ends of the rotation.

I hope you enjoy it :slight_smile:
be aware that the 219c is LOW CRI… I dont recommend keeping it…

the light is a great host for a 219b upgrade…

just got my 2020 yesterday, but need help to identify led, because seller wasn't sure which one it is. And there's no marking on the box. I have my guess which one it is, but just need confirmation.

The 2020 RRT01 comes either with Cree XP-L HI or Nichia 219C. This is the Nichia 219C.

@pol77 thank you

Ps. parasitic drain measure 75mA on 3.56V charge 18350 (with ring set on off)
85mA on 4.1 charge 18350V.

congrats on your new Rotary, great photos

agree,

note it is 70 CRI 4000K 219C, not 90+ CRI
also note the negative R9 and the positive DUV… all bad things, easily remedied by replacing the LED with a 219B :wink:

Tint above BBL:
.