Xtar UL1 - cool little USB light

These are great/fun little lights. Picked one up from Mark at Md-Lightsource.com Only $15 and change. Fast shipping. Turbo - high - med - low - strobe - SOS. High of 180 lumens. Low of 3 lumens. Lots of applications. Every flashaholic should have one…

Here’s some pics:




Could use that on my ENB charger

i must say wow same as your wall adapter in 1st picture :open_mouth:

Be careful, some of those USB and car lighter plug lights have a totally bogus charger circuit in them (I have seen one USB light that just used a resistor!) and can be EXCEEDINGLY dangerous.

Just curious ‘how’ one might be careful? I’m a novice at this. Didn’t know this light even had a charger in it as it runs off a USB connection. If this was dangerous would a company like Xtar even market it? Appreciate any additional input from those with ample knowledge of all things electronic “:o) And once again what would I do to avoid trouble?

thanks,

patrick

I'm pretty sure there is no battery of any kind inside. It is just a light that runs direct from USB.

Are you thinking it "recharges" from USB or there some other way it might be dangerous?

There are lots of these type lights that have a small lithium battery in them. Some have decent charger circuits, others don’t. If yours does not have a battery in it, it should not be a problem.

As I own quite a number of USB battery boxes in various formats, this looks ideal as a camping light, emergency room light, keyboard light, etc. Must.....buy.....now soon!

22mm head diameter would mate nicely with one of those silicone diffusers for lantern use.

Unfortunately, Md-Lightsource don't ship internationally.

Checked all the usual free shipping suspects for me (HKequipment, Fasttech, Manafont, CNQualitygoods/Fancyflashlights and Intl-Outdoor) but can't find anyone carrying it. GoingGear have it but shipping is more than the light.

Must be very very new - guess I'll just have to wait a bit longer.

Perhaps one of our resident bargain finders (Ezarc?) will see a good deal on these.

OK, thanks.

Good to know if I ever go shopping for the other kind.

From the pictures XTAR has of the internals of this light it doesn’t have a battery. Some of the press pictures show it connected to their battery charger in fact. Which is also how I planned to use such a light.

Basically this is a “light head”.

I happen to be working on my review of the UL1 as I type this. It's an amazing little USB light. There is no battery so no worries about charging circuits. It gets its power from the USB port is is plugged into so you can plug it into a laptop, a wall wart charger or even turn it into a decent little flashlight by plugging it into a portable power supply.

Do you have a link? Can’t find it on MD’s site…

Edit: found it.

Great - Looking foward to another JohnnyMac review

I don't suppose you know of anyone doing free International shipping on this one?

dumb question, but would this light run ‘brighter’ from an electrical outlet instead of a USB port, or is it the same? I ask because I had it plugged into a USB buss from my desktop computer, and it flickered a bit. Tried it again later with the same setup and it was just fine. Nice to have a ‘braintrust’ to go to - THANKS!

I got mine from Xtarlight.com on Ali express. It comes with the flexible “gooseneck” attachment.

I can't see any info on current draw, but USB 2 is supposed to be good for 500mA whereas USB 3 is rated to 900mA. If it wanted more than 500mA on turbo you may see issues. What is your AC to USB adaptor rated at?

However, since you tried it later with the same setup and it worked fine then my guess is that indicates contact issues.

I have had a couple of USB lights with similar metallic "leads" in the past. Sometimes the weight of the light seemed to cause occasional contact issues in some USB ports, resulting in flickering. You should be able to detect this if you gently move the lead about a bit.

BTW, the only "dumb question" is the one you don't ask.

Thanks but unfortunately they say they cannot deliver to Australia.

I think this makes a great night light. But I want the light shining UPWARD. Does ‘anyone’ know of an adapter that would make this possible? This would enable a nice ceiling bounce. I would not even know what to Google? Thanks if anyone knows of anything.

patrick -

This?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-UP-Down-90Degree-USB-2-0-A-M-F-Male-to-Female-Right-Angle-Connector-Adapter-/141022269747?pt=US_USB_Cables_Hubs_Adapters&hash=item20d5951133

SayPat,

Here's a couple more charger solutions and USB rotating adapters:
Click thumbnails for links:

GNL_PEC-USBX1-ACX120 . . SX38 . . USBFlex . . USBflex

GL