I like bigger lights.
I use AA lights in the desk to find stuff or just play with on ocassion, but 18650/2xcr123 ones are the ones I use to light up my backyard or walk the dog with.
I like lights of all size, but of the lights I have I use the 18650 ones the most. I EDC AA and smaller light, they just don't get used as much.
Has anybody tried 4xAA with the Solarforce 3-6V XM-L drop-in? You should be able to do this with a standard L2 body and two 18650 extension tubes. Here's an example of how the body pieces would be put together:
A well set up 18650 ... I have a few set up for run time , and I mean 100 Hours + on low
+ Add a few (2) 18650 extensions to a L2 and you can run 4xAA [ make sure the driver/drop in can handle that ] [ I used a well regulated Variable -ramping - drop in ]
Or add a CR123A extension so you can run 2xAA . LEGO lights are fun .
But there are lots of options to play with . If you wish , you can set up a light to run 3xAA , 4.5v which is close enough to 4.2v
Hmm... It should work regarding the voltage, but don't expect full brightness. I don't know how much a AA alkaline is able to push, but I would be surprised if it's much beyond 1 A. Using Eneloops, you could easily get 2 A, but beyond that I think it would become unhealthy... just my two cents though 
Hmm... If the DC-DC converter in the drop-in is doing what it should, it's reasonable to hope for something close to "full" brightness if the eneloops can provide 2A. Why? Let's say that "full" brightness for an XM-L is ~2.5A with a ~4V 18650. That gives us ~10W of power. Now let's consider the eneloop solution: 2A at 4.8V = 9.6 W. So, there's plenty of power available.
Hmm... If the DC-DC converter in the drop-in is doing what it should, it's reasonable to hope for something close to "full" brightness if the eneloops can provide 2A. Why? Let's say that "full" brightness for an XM-L is ~2.5A with a ~4V 18650. That gives us ~10W of power. Now let's consider the eneloop solution: 2A at 4.8V = 9.6 W. So, there's plenty of power available.
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Yeah, if it's really doing that, it would be quite good. A bit long for my taste, but definitely an alternative to 18650. Tempting...
I got interested in lights because they were another way to make use of all the AA cells I had for other hobbies. But the first light I bought that used multiple AAs - a TK45 - taught me that I didn't like big bulky lights and I didn't enjoy futzing with multiple cells in a battery carrier. Now I prefer a single cell 16340 or bigger for run time and output.
I like 18650's more now but still like the smaller bright single aaa/ 10440 lights. I like them all actually lol. I still buy aa lights but usually give them away as gifts and then end up replacing them.
My non-Lion lights sit unused most of the time. For the horsepower I want with any kind of useful run time, it has to be lion. The thing is, I want variety. I want different lights that run on all different battries.
ImslowlygettingthereFoy
I'm guess I'm interested how we limit ourselves mentally against certain things ..Small predjusticies we hold onto for no real good reason . I'm glad I dropped the anti-crl23 attitude rather quickly .It was something I saw as prevelant in CPF that I didn't understand .Why would anyone want to introduce this new battery and why a non-rechargable ? Jumping thru those small hurdles made me a better flashaholic
My least favourite are cr123 lights, mainly because the batteries are so expensive in Australia. I do have a couple and like them
Maybe there should ne more discussion about how to do this and a reveiw or two about real lego possibilities …I’ve stated before that one of solarforces biggest flaws is their ability to effectively communicate possibilities to the customer or potential customer //the true definition of sales //.I;m sure people would be happy to at least understand the possibilities with regards to the various options avaiable .
I don't understand what extentions people are talking about. and I see the descriptions of the parts and pieces from solarforce as way to vague as to what they even are.. much less what they accomplish. A conventor ?? what the hell does that even mean ? if it means converter . converts what to what ?? << this is the best way to frustrate people off and lose customers ...make them feel stupid
I agree that it's a little confusing, in part because the labeling isn't very clear on things. Here's a quick summary from memory:
- L2m: Typically fits 1x16340, unless you get the "2009" edition, which is bored out wide enough so that it can accept an 18650 with an extension tube. Usually the tube is bundled together with the flashlight for these.
- L2(x/p): Unless you find a really old L2, should fit 2X16340 or 1x18650.
- L2i: Fits 3xAAA or 1x18650/2x16340 (with some mashing; it's a very tight fit). No extensions available.
- L2r: Fits 2xAA. No extensions available.
Extensions below are for L2(x/p/m) only, not for L2i or L2r:
- CR123/16340 extension tube: Large enough for one 16340. Should be wide enough for an 18650 (mine is), but I don't know if all of them in circulation are. If it's wide enough, then 2 of these are equivalent to one 18650 extension tube.
- 18650 tube: Large enough for one 18650.
Now here's the fun part: 2 AA batteries are just a little shorter than 3 16340s, so you can put 2 AA batteries in anything that is the length of 3 16340s, e.g., an L2m body with an 18650 tube, or an L2 body with a 16340 tube, or even an L2m body with 2x16340 tubes. Note that the tubes are wider than AA batteries, so things can rattle around a bit, but it seems not enough to cause contact problems.
Using the 2xAA = 3x16340 logic above, you can do a little math and come up with other combinations. For example, 4xAA = 6x16340, which is the length of one L2 body and 2x18650 tubes, but it can be achieved with other combinations as well.
If you want to add spacers into the mix, then you have even more options. A 15mm charging spacer ($2.00 from lighthound) will make an AA about the length of an 18650. Let's say you want to do 3xAA: If you add a 15mm spacer, then you can think of your third AA as having the same length as an 18650, so you just add one 18650 extension tube to the 2xAA solution above: L2 body + 16340 tube + 18650 tube + 15mm spacer = 3xAA solution.
Perhaps another way to summarize this is to explain everything in terms of the number 16340 lengths that are provided or required.
Provides:
- L2m: 1x
- L2(p/x): 2x
- 16340 tube: 1x
- 18650 tube: 2x
Requires:
- 16340: 1x
- 18650: 2x
- AA: 1.5x
- 15mm spacer: 0.5x
To figure out combination of tubes that you need for the number of batteries you want to use, compute the number of 16340 lengths you need, add a 15mm spacer if needed to round up to whole numbers, then add the number and type of tubes needed to provide that length.
Finally, please keep in mind that the discussion above is all about size, not output. Don't forget use a drop-in that's well suited to the output from your batteries.
But what your saying is what i thought before I bought my solarforce ..maybe even what i heard ... now I need to see it and I need links ..You can say .."Bahh I've spent enough time explaining it to the idiot "..Now he wants photo's?? .Problem is I'm a smart guy who doesn't get it ..I blame solarforce not you..My original l6340 wouldn't take any part of an l8650 without being bored ..Never saw the short adapter I thought existed for the L2 ..I bought a full body for l8650 instead .But I resally wanted more parts to add instead of a totally different body so I could start legoing .. I never saw small extentions to add to my l6340 body , to make it a l8650.....l5 mm spacer ??where is that ??..I spent my l0 hours in the solarforce threads on cpf looking at peoples lights and then went to solarforces website and banged my head after trying to comprhend what they are up to .. ad infinium,and ad nauseum...Gave up frustrated and moved on with life .
I liked AA lights until I saw how bright lights could be with li-ion. But a 14500 doesn't last very long at 1000+ mA, so an 18650 has an advantage. Also I like the throw of a P60 host, but I don't like carrying them around in summer (no jacket pocket). So my summertime light is my compact 18650 (for now) and in winter I carry a P60 on dog walks. AA lights are nice indoors: not too much light and floody. I have a 2x18650 light and it gets very little use because it is just so big.
I think there were L2m and L2m special that were prepared for 18650 way back. They used an extender like this.
Update: Found it - http://www.sbflashlights.com/Solarforce-Lights-c5/ if you scroll down to the L2m it shows both versions.
I think he means a small "internal" spacer to make 1AA fit in a 18500 housing. Something like this.
Frankly, only three of my lights are CR123-powered, and only two of those accept 18650s as well. The rest - and that's quite a number - is mostly AAA and AA lights.
18650s sound tempting, but I am lacking a proper charger. Call me a chicken if you want to, but somehow I just don't trust the Chinese on the cheapo chargers. Well, at least I already have a couple of dropins well-suited for 18650s (and triple AAAs, for that matter)
By the time I find a safe (really safe!) controlled charger, I'm in. (hint, hint! ...or do I have to open another thread?)
Until then, I will feed my L2 a steady diet of Panasonic CR123. Finally found a source in Krautland that doesn't ask a fortune (in stores, they're usually around €7.99 EACH, which is like US$11.44, or AU$10.68, or GB£6.99 - on the internet, I pay like €1.39, which would be US$1.99, AU$1.86 or GB£1.21.... not exactly budget, but ya can't beat that for a price including shipping costs)
@brted: Yus, the P60's tend to be a bit bulky at times. My modified L2 is the only P60 host I carry on a regular basis (not EDC!) in a V70 quick-draw holster. Amazingly enough, that combo does not create a funny bulge when combined with a business suit. At least not more of a bulge than a Glock or SIG would make (and at work I meet quite a lot of federal close-protection officers packin' heat, so I think I can tell).
Vectrex: Yup - you found exactly what I had in mind when typing that up. I'm sorry if things turned out to be a little harder to find than I anticipated. The only one I expected some difficulty with was the 15mm spacer, which is why I mentioned lighthound as a source for this.
I don' t know if all of the newer 16340 sized extensions are as wide as an 18650. Mine is even though I didn't acquire it as part of an L2m bundle. I also don't know if all newer L2m models are as wide as an 18650 or if it was just a limited edition run. You can still find the L2m bundled with the necessary extension tube to go out to 18650 length at other places too, e.g., http://www.solarforce-usa.com/
Link-Man to the rescue ;-)