Why does it use AA cells? It seems that one 18650 would be about the same voltage as 3 AA cells but with less size and weight. Technically NiMH cells can go in the checked luggage unlike Li-ion, but I've been called out for them several times.
Nichia Develops 60 Lumen Per Watt White LED
- Thread starter jtr1962
- Start date
Why does it use AA cells? It seems that one 18650 would be about the same voltage as 3 AA cells but with less size and weight. Technically NiMH cells can go in the checked luggage unlike Li-ion, but I've been called out for them several times.
The Nitecore F1 FlexBank is an interesting device for both charging the cell and providing 1A USB output from it.
That is a cool looking device. Would be awesome if they had a 2x and 3x unit.
mubs
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Specs are badly listed. If input is 500 ma...
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INPUT: DC 5V, >=500mA
OUTPUT: 4.2V±1% (slot)/5V±5% (USB), 1000mA MAX (slot)/1000mA (USB)
"≥" means at least, or minimum. So the minimum requirement for input current is 500mA.
The maximum output is 1000mA. Therefore the maximum input current is approximately 1000mA (4.2V x 0.1A = 0.42W ~ 84% efficiency x 5V x 0.1A)
OUTPUT: 4.2V±1% (slot)/5V±5% (USB), 1000mA MAX (slot)/1000mA (USB)
"≥" means at least, or minimum. So the minimum requirement for input current is 500mA.
The maximum output is 1000mA. Therefore the maximum input current is approximately 1000mA (4.2V x 0.1A = 0.42W ~ 84% efficiency x 5V x 0.1A)
mubs
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I do know what "≥" means!
Maximum output is 2000mA (1000 for battery slot, 1000 for USB port). So maximum input current is > 2000mA after allowing for losses / inefficiencies.
Maximum output is 2000mA (1000 for battery slot, 1000 for USB port). So maximum input current is > 2000mA after allowing for losses / inefficiencies.
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This is why the specs state 1000mA for USB, but 1000mA MAX for slot. Based on this reading of the manufacturer's doco, the maximum total output is therefore 1000mA.
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Sorry, I'm wrong. I downloaded the user manual and it says the F1 has 3 modes, depending on available input power:
1. 1000mA for USB + 1000mA for battery
2. 1000mA for USB + 500mA for battery
3. 500mA for battery only until charged, then up to 1000mA for USB
It doesn't say what happens if the input can't even support an output of 500mA.
1. 1000mA for USB + 1000mA for battery
2. 1000mA for USB + 500mA for battery
3. 500mA for battery only until charged, then up to 1000mA for USB
It doesn't say what happens if the input can't even support an output of 500mA.
Howell
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I thought INPUT: DC 5V, >=500mA was self explanatory. Nothing happens.
mubs
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That's my whole point. Needlessly confusing.
Well, no functioning PS should output less than 500mA and one would generally use a >1A charger.
I'm thinking of getting one as a USP for 5V systems although I don't know if they operate continuously or need a restart after reaching full charge.
Howell
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It's hard to know what you mean but it is the device drawing power that controls how much power is requested.
My point is that it will not be problem in actual operation with any chargers that will typically be used.
I've been in four states in three days and did not have a chance to get the chargers.
mubs
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For optimal performance, I think it would be more than replacing the bulb; LEDs require electronics to provide the requisite current / voltage. jtr is your man.
The electronics are built into the base of the "bulb." Terralux ad others makes several models for various Maglites.
I've seen one in a 5-cell and it was quite bright, but modern flashlights are brighter, have specifically designed reflectors, and are easier to manage.
My understanding is that some people like the old Maglites for use as a weapon.
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Power LEDs need heatsinking. The smaller the bulb, the more difficult it is to accomplish that within the bulb body.
It's not coincidental that most LED flashlights use aluminium bodies.
On top of that, light dispersion is completely different between an incandescent bulb and an LED emitter. Incandescent is omnidirectional so the bulb protudes into the reflector and most of the light will be reflected. An LED emitter is much more unidirectional so the emitter is flush with the reflector base.
It's not coincidental that most LED flashlights use aluminium bodies.
On top of that, light dispersion is completely different between an incandescent bulb and an LED emitter. Incandescent is omnidirectional so the bulb protudes into the reflector and most of the light will be reflected. An LED emitter is much more unidirectional so the emitter is flush with the reflector base.
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
I've had a Cree light bulb who died late last week. It was about two years old. I'm a little disappointed.
My 100W equivalent Cree died in a few weeks. The 60W ones are still going. I'm back to CFL for the brighter lights (100W+).
mubs
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Bright CFLs (> 30W) are available here only is painful white - 6500K or higher. In the 2700 - 3000k range, 23W is the max
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Even in Oz, availability of anything other than 2700K or 6500K is poor. About the only manufacturer offering 4000K CFL is GE.
To be frank, I couldn't stand even a 23W version of a 2700K light - surely the overpowering yellow cast is nauseating?
To be frank, I couldn't stand even a 23W version of a 2700K light - surely the overpowering yellow cast is nauseating?
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I haven't bought any Cree bulbs - they only made them in 110V. Go figure.
Of 48 lamps in and around my house, 38 are LED. Of those, 11 are dimmable. The only failure I've had is one of the dimmables - an integrated LG downlight - and it died within an hour (the replacement and the other 5 LG lights have been flawless).
I doubt any of the models are exactly the same as those in the US, but the most common brand I have is Osram.
I have zero Philips lamps now, either LED or CFL - mainly because it's very hard to get 4000K versions. However, I have used several Philips 4000K dimmable LED G5.3 (MR16) elsewhere without issue.
Other brands include Click, LEDlux and Mirabella.
Of 48 lamps in and around my house, 38 are LED. Of those, 11 are dimmable. The only failure I've had is one of the dimmables - an integrated LG downlight - and it died within an hour (the replacement and the other 5 LG lights have been flawless).
I doubt any of the models are exactly the same as those in the US, but the most common brand I have is Osram.
I have zero Philips lamps now, either LED or CFL - mainly because it's very hard to get 4000K versions. However, I have used several Philips 4000K dimmable LED G5.3 (MR16) elsewhere without issue.
Other brands include Click, LEDlux and Mirabella.
mubs
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To each his own 
- surely it ain't yellow! I think jtr is into 6500k / 7000k big time.
I find 6500k difficult and 7000k positively nauseating (my brother has a couple in his home). I find 2700k comforting; my wife doesn't. The CFLs in the living room were 2700k; only two remain, with the rest now being Philips LEDs that are 3000k. I can handle these. The 4-foot fluorescent tubes in a couple of rooms are white, but I suspect they are around 5000k because they're not as bad as the 6500K CFLs. I wouldn't mind 6500k during the daytime (if one needed the lights then), but prefer 2700k / 3000k after dusk.
Here the most reliable brand is Philips; followed by Wipro (a local co) and Eveready. Osram was rated highly for their CFLs (all my 2700k ones are Osram) but their LEDs are rated very poorly, and they're terribly expensive. I just bought two 13W 3000K Philips LEDs from the local Amazon for the price of one. All other brands are low quality local guys.
There no options in-between, color temp wise.
- surely it ain't yellow! I think jtr is into 6500k / 7000k big time.I find 6500k difficult and 7000k positively nauseating (my brother has a couple in his home). I find 2700k comforting; my wife doesn't. The CFLs in the living room were 2700k; only two remain, with the rest now being Philips LEDs that are 3000k. I can handle these. The 4-foot fluorescent tubes in a couple of rooms are white, but I suspect they are around 5000k because they're not as bad as the 6500K CFLs. I wouldn't mind 6500k during the daytime (if one needed the lights then), but prefer 2700k / 3000k after dusk.
Here the most reliable brand is Philips; followed by Wipro (a local co) and Eveready. Osram was rated highly for their CFLs (all my 2700k ones are Osram) but their LEDs are rated very poorly, and they're terribly expensive. I just bought two 13W 3000K Philips LEDs from the local Amazon for the price of one. All other brands are low quality local guys.
There no options in-between, color temp wise.
jtr1962
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Not me. I prefer 4500K to 5500K with high CRI. I don't like anything less than about 4500K but I could probably live with it if it's 3500K or higher. Can't stand anything below that. Way too yellow for my tastes.To each his own
Stereodude
Not really a
What sort of fixtures did you two have them in? You have to follow the guidelines on the packaging or they're not going to last since they are sensitive to heat. They also have warranties, so you should have some potential remedy if they weren't installed in a fixture that violates the rules.
5000k at home, 6500k at work. Lower than 4000k makes things look wrong.
jtr1962
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Yes, exactly. For that reason I'm thrilled NYC is replacing the HPS streetlights with 4300K LED. Believe it or not some people are actually complaining the new lights are too bright, or too white. I guess people can get used to even bad light like HPS. I'll give them a year or two to adjust, and most will finally see the light (pun intended).
Truly annoying thing about white streetlights is that it makes it harder to distinguish between ambient lighting and vehicle headlights.
jtr1962
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Why would it? The only type of streetlight which can easily be filtered out is low-pressure sodium. NYC and most other cities don't use that because it's an eerie, monochromatic yellow light with a negative CRI. HPS is just as problematic to filter out as whiter lights. Also, the LED lights send zero light up into the sky. I've actually noticed the sky appearing a little darker. It'll probably be even darker once the installation is complete by the end of 2017.
The hard fact is HPS is actually dangerous while white lighting isn't. HPS kills peripheral vision, depth perception, and contrast. You need all these to safely drive or avoid obstacles. For what it's worth I find the white lights less confusing. Before with the yellow HPS when I was coming up on an intersection from a distance I might mistake a streetlight for a yellow signal. That's not happening with the LED lights. Aesthetically, they make the streets look much nicer. Before it was like everything was enveloped in a yellow pallor which made it look seedy and rundown. There are even studies which show crime drops when HPS or LPS lighting is replaced with whiter light.
I suppose in the NYC street lighting is more important due to the vast numbers of pedestrians. I'm normally not walking at night, but driving. Some of the rental cars have old-fashioned halogen headlights, so I notice the street lighting more then.
Most office lighting is 4100K, but I know your workplace is a bit odd. There is one woman at work who has the 3000K tubes in her office by some demand.
I like 3000K for the bedroom as the color looks more like normal light bulb illumination and is better for sleeping. I don't like sleeping with the cooler lights.
My working areas are 5000K, but other rooms including the toilets have ~4000K lights.
I had some of those 6500 lights which apparently produce some benefit for the mental conditions, but they were just crazy blue to me.
mubs
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I guess I'm not as evolved as most of you guys are
Long ago, after sundown, it was fire that provided light. I guess I'm still tuned to that color temp and am comfortable with that. I have no probs with 6500k in the office. But home is a different matter after dark.
Long ago, after sundown, it was fire that provided light. I guess I'm still tuned to that color temp and am comfortable with that. I have no probs with 6500k in the office. But home is a different matter after dark.
I guess I'm not as evolved as most of you guys are
Long ago, after sundown, it was fire that provided light. I guess I'm still tuned to that color temp and am comfortable with that. I have no probs with 6500k in the office. But home is a different matter after dark.
In the early 1980s I went back and forth with various color lights and had to live with the 5000K high CRI 40W tubes for the photos. I could not torculte
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
I learn new words and expression on a daily basis with you, Lunar.
It charges with a 500mA input (well 540). I also need to find the manual, since none is provided.
Preliminary results are that the F1 charges at 1A, but output only stayed at 1A for a portion of the battery discharge and then the voltage started to sag unacceptably.
sechs
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I bought a Maglite just as they introduced LEDs, so it is basically their standard 2 D-cell with a drop-in LED.
It does not perform as well as a purpose-build LED flashlight. The longer I continuously use the flashlight, the dimmer it gets. However, because it starts off much brighter, I would have to be using it for a very long time for this to be a problem. And, my flashlight came with a spare incandescent bulb which sits inside the base, so that's always an option.
I think that the replacement bulbs now are better at dealing with heat. I like Maglites because they're well-made, and I can meaningfully smack someone with them. If you can find an LED flashlight that fits your needs, certainly consider it; but I think that drop-in replacement for an existing flashlight is acceptable, if not good.
jtr1962
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It's not that they're better at dealing with heat but rather that they just don't make as much. The early LEDs were maybe 10% efficient. Nowadays 30% to 50% is normal. Because you have more lumens per watt you need 1/3 to 1/5 the amount of power to make any given amount of light. And only 50% to 70% of that power ends up as heat instead of 90%. If you do some numbers let's say you were trying to get 100 lumens from a drop-in replacement. Back when they were first available, you might need to power it with 4 watts. 3.6 watts of that would be heat. Nowadays you might need just 1 watt. And only 0.7 watts of that 1 watt turns into heat. You dropped your heat production by a factor of over 5 for the same amount of light.