BLF Limintop SD10 runtime.

The original version claims 60 days runtime at 2lm using a single D cell.

The BLF group buy version specs says the moonlight mode is 0.8lm so I would assume a longer run time (roughly double).

Using a Powerex Imedion D cell that I measured at 8,000mAh multiple times before testing I only managed to get 8-9 days on moonlight mode.

I was actually prepared for the test to take anything from 60 up to 120 or more days but 8 to 9 days is disappointing.

That’s better than mine, mine won’t even turn on with a D cell!

I’m on day 7 of a moonlight run time test on mine on a duracell alkaline, I’ve dropped down to 50% output already and down to 1.370v, finial results will be in sometime…

There's some parallel things going on here :-) , I'm in a moonlight run time test on a Panasonic Evolta D-cell, day 15 now, output dropped from 0.77 lumen at day one to 0.35 lumen now at day 15...

Unfortunately I’m not able to give a conversion to lumens, I rigged up a special light box for this test so I could test voltage of the cell while the light was running and in the contraption. My numbers can only be compared with other numbers from this same test, not even to my usual lumen numbers. It should still give useful data tho, just not actual lumens.

I have not tested the moonlight yet on the BLF SD10, but am working on continuous tests until it blinks or shuts off with other modes and cells and battery configurations. So far i did two tests on the “Low” mode. (next one up from moonlight on the BLF)

- 1 Crappy ultrafire 18650 protected (Cell test was 850mah) - Low , 6 hours

  • Four cheap Chamelion 1000ma AA NiMH cells. (The supplied 4-AA carrier, 2S2P) - Low, 16 hours

I finished the moonlight runtime on a Panasonic Evolta alkaline D-cell. It took 31 days to get to 10% of the original 0.77 lumen output. After 34 days I had 0.009 lumen leftover which is unusuable, but after turning the light briefly off, on the high setting I got a steady 1.5 lumen, so even out of a dead battery (0.93V resting voltage) the SD10 still squeezes some usable light. Over the runtime, doing too many assumptions (so take this with a grain of salt), I get an efficiency of only 10 lumen/W (a good flashlight on a medium setting gets to maybe 100 lm/W)

During the moonlight-run I checked the high setting on day0: 126 lumen, on day11: 66 lumen, and on day19: 51 lumen.

Old thread revival… after testing, i got over a month of run time on moon light with my BLF SD10 using the Trustfire 32650 protected 6000mah cell. I also modded my 4-AA carrier to run four eneloop pros in parallel, and it will run longer on moonlight than i have patience to test it.

:slight_smile:

I’ve been running mine on 26650s and it runs a ridiculously long time on low - I’ve never had the patience to time it. It also runs just fine on D cells.

My only regret is not buying more of them when they were available.

This is still one of my favorite lights, and probably the best survival light because of its ability to run on nearly every battery size and type available. I made some custom carriers for mine so it can run on AAA, AA, CR123 and C cells as well.
So now it can run on all these: AAA, AA, C, D, in Zinc, Alkaline, NiCd, MiMH, Lithium Primary, or LiIon formats, 10440, 14500, in 1,2,3, or 4 cell configurations, 18650, 17500, 18700, 26650, 32650, 16340, 18350, CR123A, and it will even run on Moon or low with a CR2032, CR2025, or CR2016 in an emergency.

I converted mine to FET+1 Attiny85/Narsil and a 32650 is all I use in it now, and it does outstanding on a TF 32650 with the protection board ripped off. Got a nice yellow LED behind the switch, using as a locator LED, and all the other blinkie uses Narsil has support for. The TF 32650 cell puts out some serious amps - must have used a quality cell with low resistance.

I really like this mod, though lost all the other battery options. It's frequently on my nightstand

When I grow up Tom I’m going to be able to mod like you, the master of E switches. :+1:

My regret is that I didn’t even buy one of them. :frowning:

Tanx! Just did bout the same thing to a Manker U21 - really like the results. Dedomed an XPL W2 1A sourced from a AliExpress store, and would you believe 1,853 lumens @start, 1,778 lumens @30 secs, and 253 kcd throw? This was the highest lumens I've ever seen from a de-domed XPL or XM-L2, and tail amps using a clamp meter of 5.92A, which isn't crazy high.

For all the GB’s we do around here, do you suppose Lumintop would go all ‘retro’ for us and run off another couple of hundred?

Maybe even upgrade the emitters, and throw in a spare switch cap or two? I’d shell out for a couple of ‘neutrals’ in a heart beat.

I would probably buy another or two of this same light.