Deal alert Trustfire 3xT6 $25 amazon

I didn’t think of that, I’ll have to save the next paper towel tube before it goes in the recycling. And I was already out on errands, and I was thinking of 12” of plastic pipe or something like that…$3 sounds budget to me.

That does sound like an interesting problem. Maybe try taping the batteries together in a stack, and then using masking tape at the extreme ends to form centering rings? You could also just remove the brass plunger from the tailcap and dremel off the insulating pedestal for it, that would give you a bit more room (I think it would be necessary if using 3 Panasonic 18700-er, 18650s).

And I left this light on for 15 minutes…dayum it gets hot! It gets hotter than my X9 ever got. Though…even after 15 minutes of sucking down the Eneloops @ 4 amps…she was still drawing 4 amps at the tailcap. 8)

I had to remove the cardboard to use the 16340's. It was just a test so I didn't make a shorter cardboard liner. I think they zig-zag in the oversize tube and one of the button-tops doesn't make contact with the next battery. A liner would probably fix it. Too bad they don't make 18340's, it would make a monster EDC.

Just found out that minimum input voltage for the driver is 4v. So Yeah, Eneloops won’t give you much time with this, and it’s definitely not a single-18650 light, regardless what the specs say.

Great light to have on hand, though. In an extended blackout, if your lithiums are spent you have AA's to carry on with, and medium is quite respectable.

I probably should use this on medium when walking shadow at night, it really does light-up the area. It’s throw @ 6v is impressive if by sheer volume of output. My pulled Samsung 2800’s are (finally) charged so tonight she gets tested with 18650s! J)

I wish I had a few 18350's to try in shorty mode.

Um…

I said that I had tried this thing with 4 eneloops and when it got down to 1v/cell it wouldn’t turn on, it would just briefly flash…

I was bored, so I took off both tube extensions and dropped a couple eneloops in there to see if they’d fit.

And the tailcap comfortably screws-down on two eneloops in shorty mode.

And when I clicked it on, it produces a soft glow, about 80 lumens I’d guess, it’s a little softer than the Surefire P60L I just sold. No other modes, just this really low, soft light.

I just tried it, same results. This light is pretty amazing.

My theory is that the voltage is low enough that it’s going into some kind of direct drive. Or maybe it’s some hidden low-power teotwawki-setting. I just tested it with the DMM and on 2 AA’s it’s drawing 600mA. It however will not work on one AA. :stuck_out_tongue:

I want to know why there’s that hole of inoperability between 4v and 3v.

Theory: The driver has a protection function that shuts the FL off when the voltage drops below ~4v. Around 3v the driver doesn't have enough voltage to operate, so no protection, and current leaks through the junctions.

That almost sounds plausible.

I’ve played with the light some more, it’s pretty good. With 3x18650 it’s as bright as my custom DD MTG2 C8. It’s obviously bigger/wider than the C8 even in stubby mode and very heavy at the head, which is good for heatsinking. Build quality is excellent for the cost.

As some minor downsides, because this light uses so many large cells, the springs at the head and the tailcap are not strong enough to completely maintain tension on the cells. As a result, if you swing around the light even a little, the modes change because spring contact is momentarily lost. Thus this is not really a good light for anything where reliable operation is paramount. As a work around, I think 3x18350 cells will fit in stubby mode so I have cells on order and will do more testing. The obvious trade off is reduced runtime.

Also the pill does not appear to easily opened so I have just left it. I think it was mentioned here you have to remove the driver first to unscrew the reflector, but I don’t want to start prying and gouging the PCB.

It looks like there’s a screw-in retaining ring for the driver, it might not require much prying. And you’re right on the modes changing like that. On the plus side you can just shake it to change modes, no messing with the tailcap. :wink: I wonder if one can find stiffer springs for the tailcap/pill.

Mine has a pressed in retaining ring holding the driver. I was able to carefully pry it out with some fine angled picks.

Hmm…

I see a toroid. A big one. That means this is a boost driver, right? Then why does current draw decline linearly with voltage?

I bought mine before I knew about these websites, manafont, cnq, aliexpress etc…. Mine was a clone and didn’t do so well. Not that it’s bad or anything, still working but I gave it away. Not sure about this seller is selling real ones or not but I would spend 5 bucks to get the extension tube for 3 batteries.

I just bought 3 extension tubes for $8.19 at the Banggood sale.

TR-3T6 on 5x18650??

Seriously though, does anyone know of a nice, spicy driver to put in this pill?

http://www.fasttech.com/products/1612/10005161/1404708-tr-0124b-84v-5-mode-led-flashlight-driver-for-lumi

That driver is the right diameter but the ‘T’ part is about 5mm too deep to use in the 3T6 pill. I want a boost driver, something that’s going to keep a constant wattage to the emitters until the battery stack drops below 8v.

No, I wanted to see what 8xAA Duraloops would do.

Probably too long for everyday use, but it's nice to have options.

Interesting, but then you will almost have a walking stick instead of a flashlight. :slight_smile: