SEP 2015 I purchase flashlight units x 2. I can confirm that these lights are not suitable for direct connection to 6v power supply. A 6v lantern battery works. 4 C cell lead batteries work.
But when I hooked up a remote control car’s power supply to the flashlights, the Castle Battery Eliminator Circuit (BEC) device provides tightly regulated 5.1v at 200 amps. Flashlights got brite, then died. lights are dead.
My intent was to use the superior optics of the light to provide a steady 1000 lm by feeding thru driver 5.1 volt from the Castle pro. WARNING: CASTLE BEC PRO DOES NOT REGULATE THE CURRENT. IF YOUR DEVICE CAN SUCK MORE ELECTRICITY, IT WILL. LIKE A HORSE THAT WILL NOT STOP EATING, THE BEC PRO CONTINUES TO SUCK INTHE AMPS, AND SPITBACK OUT TO THE FLASHLIGHT.
THE BEC Pro is capable of 250 amps, and I think Mr Beck delivered 250 amps as requested to the flashlight’s driver.
I presume that you mean C cell alkaline batteries rather than C cell lead batteries. Lead batteries are about 2.2V per cell when fully charged while fresh alkalines are 1.5V and have high internal resistance at any substantial current draw. Seeing as how the flashlight self destructs using NiMH batteries I am not surprised that a high current power supply at 5.1V, which is the same voltage as four fully charged NiMH batteries or slightly more, as far as voltage output is concerned kills the flashlight too. The light depends on voltage droop at high currents for current limiting and survival so any source that does not have high current voltage droop similar to alkaline cells will cause it to self destruct. IMO the cheapest possible totally unregulated driver design is used and the light and packaging apparently have no warning about incompatibility with NiMH batteries or other high current power sources. Both a DUMB design and marketing.
Your car lead acid battery typically does give about 2.2. volts per cell when fully charged. Every different battery chemistry does have it’s own characteristic output voltage and current characteristics per cell varying from about 1.2V for NiMH and NiCad to 4.2V for many Lithium Ion batteries when fully charged. Internal resistance and thus current providing capability also vary over a very wide range too.
Visit batteryuniversity.com to learn more than you probably want to know about all types of batteries.
Ok. Even after I tried the 1000 lumens version a year ago, I thought I’d try the newer 1300 version. When I did a ceiling bounce on high w/ the head in spot mode, I only scored 17 on my light meter. When I flooded it out, I got 45. But then 20-30 seconds later it jumped up to 66. I compared this to my Coast HP550 which is rated at 1075 lumens. When I spot out the head, I got 71. When I flooded the head, I got 45. Hmm. So it appears that this 1300 lumens Duracell is not as bright as my Coast 9AA HP550. Plus, once again, I must cycle through all the modes to get to OFF. It’s going back tomorrow…PS. unlike the first version, the instructions on this model say it’s compatible w/ alkalines and rechargeables.
I just successfully made a battery adapter for this flashlight that uses 2 Lithium Ion 18650 4800 maH batteries.
First I sanded a piece of 3/4” PVC until it could slide into the battery compartment of the flightlight easily.
Then I cut it so it would be flush with the end of the flashlight.
Then I cut some slots into one end of the PVC so the buck converter would fit.
Then I cut a strip from the lid of a can of dog food. (I used this because it accepted solder.)
I soldered a short length of wire on this strip.
This served to provide a negative connection to the body of the flashlight.
Use a piece of 60 grit sandaper to remove some of the anodizing on the inside of the flashlight tube (right below the head)
Cut a disc from the same lid that will fit snuggly inside the PVC pipe. Solder wire to disc.
Place your batteries inside the tube and press the disc down until it touches the battery.
Use hot glue gun to pour melted glue down. Wet your finger and press melted glue into place.
Solder wire from disc to + IN on buck converter.
Ground strip connected to - OUT. + OUT is connected to Repurposed C battery top contact.
A notch was cut away from C battery contact to avoid shorting to grounding strip.
No such thing as 4800 MaH 18650 batteries. Typically batteries so marked are oriental junk with unknown, but low, capacity. At a reasonable price for quality batteries about 3200 MaH is maximum. If the battery includes “fire” in the name it is typically a POS! Otherwise nice work.
The big advantage in what you did is now you can run this light on rechargeable cells, and you did it at very low cost. That is what we are all about here.
What richwouldnt was pointing out is that those “4800mAh” cells are to what a quality cell from Samsung, Sanyo, Panasonic etc, as a junky Lattice Bright emitter is to a real CREE XM-L T6.
The “4800mAh cell works, just nowhere near as well as a quality cell and
the Lattice Bright emitter works, just not anywhere near as well as the CREE.
I used to read others point this stuff out and I have to admit that it took me longer than it should have to realize how true it was. My first cells were “4000mAh” ones and they worked and when they ran down I would charge them back up. All well and good until I tested them and found out they were only about 900mAh. Real deal cells will test out at up to 3400mAh
