- This topic has 420 replies, 131 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by jeffm.
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"5000" lumen light….
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MarkLGFree MemberPosted 10 years ago
That XT40 on the Solarstorm website looks like a nice light, but the problem with these sets is the batteries. I’ve got a few now and they’re only 2-2.5 Ah capacity, which is fine for the single T6 light, but they’re inadequate for anything with more than 1 LED.
To get a decent run time on the XT40 you’ll need at least 6Ah, preferably 8Ah. If I’ve bought a light that powerful then I want it to last a 2-3hr ride, without having to keep turning it down to save the battery.
By the time you’ve sorted out a battery and a decent quality charger to go with the XT40 you probably won’t be far short of the price of the 3x U2 Fluxient that Torchy’s selling on eBay, which comes with an 8.8Ah battery and 2 year warranty.MarkLGFree MemberPosted 10 years agoCharged my battery up then connected light and left it on full power. It lasted just over an hour and light got very hot. Not impressed with battery life. I will recharge battery and try again
I assume you’re using the Solarstorm twin LED?
1 hour run time on the standard battery is about the norm – it may improve after a few charge cycles, but I don’t think you’ll get much more than this. The batteries I’ve got are all 2.5Ah tops.After having a bit of time to play around with these I’d say that if you just want something bright that’ll run for 2 hrs+ without spending a lot of money then stick with the single LEDs.
If you’ve already got some high capacity batteries and a decent charger, or you’re a bit of a tinkerer, then the twin LEDs are worth buying just for the light.benp1Full MemberPosted 10 years agoI haven’t traipsed back through the thread, but I thought people were getting more like 2+ hours. 1 hour is very short
aracerFree MemberPosted 10 years agoC rating is to do with the draw they cam handle is higher the c rating the more amps they can handle efficiently iirc
For lights don’t worry about the C rating – at most you need a C rating of 1, and even the cheapest RC pack will be far higher than that. It’s not relevant when you’re taking an hour to use up the battery – typical RC stuff uses up a battery in 5-10 minutes.
pdwFree MemberPosted 10 years agoif you just want something bright that’ll run for 2 hrs+ without spending a lot of money then stick with the single LEDs.
You don’t have to run them on full, and two LEDs running at half current will produce more light than a single one at full current, as efficiency decreases with increasing current.
No i didnt, but didnt expect it to get that hot. It would still get very hot even running it on the bike at night though.
A little bit of moving air makes a big difference. All of these LED lights will overheat if left stationary on full power, but many have a thermal cut out to prevent damage.
bigdawgFree MemberPosted 10 years agoWell going back a page or two I ordered mine Thursday and it d this morning so despite being a Chinese seller they are based in the UK
theblackmountFree MemberPosted 10 years agook battery experts – what about chucking 4 of these:
http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10001980/1341105-panasonic-ncr18650b-18650-3-7v-3400mah-protected
Inside one of these:
I gather these Panasonics are the most powerful 18650’s currently available pumping out a reliable 3200Mah…
pdwFree MemberPosted 10 years agoYep, that should work just fine. Should give you around 3 hours for an X2 on max.
MarkLGFree MemberPosted 10 years agoblackmount: This is an option I’ve been looking at, along with a dedicated 18650 charger. The problem seems to be getting hold of the battery case you’ve linked to. I’ve only seen them being sold as part of a light set from China.
theblackmountFree MemberPosted 10 years agoThanks pdw.
MarkLG: No problemo I spotted it somewhere on it’s own. Will trawl and report back. They did want an arm and a leg for shipping iirc but it was still pretty cheap for what it is in UK terms.
Conversely I’ve not seen it as part of a light package – got a link?
These guys have got a similar solution but I suspect its a sealed unit like the Magicshine 6 cell thing:
http://www.mtbrevolution.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=244
benp1Full MemberPosted 10 years agoI’d be interested in a battery pack that can you can your own 18650 cells in, sort of like the Fenix BT20 battery pack
One of the eBay sellers have dropped the price to £28.99 and included a cheap rear light in with the deal, too good to miss out on so just clicked through, hopefully will turn up by next weekend
MarkLGFree MemberPosted 10 years agoConversely I’ve not seen it as part of a light package – got a link?
The battery holder is in the 3 LED Solarstorm set on their website, but the ones I’ve seen on ebay just have the standard shrink rapped battery pack.
cruzcampoFree MemberPosted 10 years ago@marklg that battery box alone makes me want the X3!
Any decent sellers got it with said box for sale?Could take x4 spare AA batteries out that way for emergencies on a ride.
cruzcampoFree MemberPosted 10 years agoI can’t find anyone selling the X3 with the battery box 🙁 Just sealed pack here
theblackmountFree MemberPosted 10 years agoYeah me neither. It’s on the manufacturers website but the various resellers are all bunching it with el cheapo (probably crap)4 cell sealed units.
Here’s the box on its own:
You need a decent charger for that battery I linked to…
RichFree MemberPosted 10 years agoDoes anyone know how likely the magicshine or fluxient batteries are going to be close to their stated capacity?
I’m considering buying a magicshine 5.6mah battery which apparently has Samsung cells, or maybe a fluxient battery that has 6 batteries inside and is claimed to be 6.6mah.
Which of these is likely to be better, or shall I consider something else?
onandonFree MemberPosted 10 years agoI’ve ordered an x3 to try with my 11,000 mah pack. That should be fun 🙂
I have a few other lights so I’ll do a mini review when the puppy gets hereRichFree MemberPosted 10 years agoYes that is one I was considering, I was just wondering if Fluxient are usually anything like their quoted capacity.
The magicshine mj6030 looks good, being 5.6mah but only 4 batteries so smaller and lighter.
banjax34Free MemberPosted 10 years agoas the solarstorm x2 has the screw type connectors on the cable whats a good battery pack upgrade with that type connector and a decent length cable for helmet use or do you have to rewire the head unit to suit an alternative battery pack upgrade ??? i like the light but with a short cable on the crap battery pack it could do with replacing
z1ppyFull MemberPosted 10 years agoA normal magicshine battery will still connect to the SS X2, you just don’t use the screw up connector, but it’s been suggested that if you remove the o-ring, this helps joining (I’m just forcing mine on, past this..).
As for battery pack, MTB Batteries, fluxient from big_f_d_d (link above) or Magicshine UK would be my preference (in that order) for batteries.
Get a extension cable for helmet use, link this one lots of ppl sell them..theblackmountFree MemberPosted 10 years agoBuying the battery holder and the separate Panasonics surely does away with any doubt as to the batteries performance? Plenty of info on the web attesting to the 3400’s performance.
Plus you also get the Pukka screw in connector for the Solar Fire light…
And four separate batteries which can be used in single cell torches…
Buying these units with cheapo no name batteries is a false economy – been there. I want something I can reliably run for 3 hrs and mostly on high.
Only thing I’m unclear on is whether to use the protected or non protected version of the Panasonics (also with an eye to torch use)
Anyone?
benp1Full MemberPosted 10 years agoI only use protected 18650 cells in my torches. I have quite a few already and having singles gives me more use of of them.
If someone tracks down a good source of 4 cell packs I’d definitely be interested
AlexSimonFull MemberPosted 10 years agoThose Solarstorm battery packs on are Ali Express at $5 but with $15 shipping.
A quick check showed that buying 20 for a group buy would work out at about £5 each, but then there would be customs and the post of getting them out to people on top of that. Likely to be less than a tenner though.pdwFree MemberPosted 10 years agoOnly thing I’m unclear on is whether to use the protected or non protected version of the Panasonics (also with an eye to torch use)
You definitely want protected. Unprotected cells are only suitable if you’re building them into a battery which has a separate protection circuit.
jsyncFull MemberPosted 10 years agoAlexSimon – Member
Those Solarstorm battery packs on are Ali Express at $5 but with $15 shipping.
A quick check showed that buying 20 for a group buy would work out at about £5 each, but then there would be customs and the post of getting them out to people on top of that. Likely to be less than a tenner though.POSTED 10 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
I’d be in
stevemorg2Full MemberPosted 10 years agohave a look at the last post (at time of me typing!!) here
http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/battery-thread-2013-a-834295-9.html#post10081585
I’ve emailed the guy posting and am having a battery pack off him for £12 – I’m not sure how many more he may have
nealyFree MemberPosted 10 years agohave a look at the last post (at time of me typing!!) here
http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/battery-thread-2013-a-834295-9.html#post10081585
I’ve emailed the guy posting and am having a battery pack off him for £12 – I’m not sure how many more he may have
Is that the Solarstorm battery box? Looks like it is just the box without any cells in it. They do look good though and a great way of ensuring you’ve got good cells in your pack which can be individually charged to balance them and replaced if any fail, tempted myself.
theblackmountFree MemberPosted 10 years agoFirst issue for me would be whether that box will take the longer protected Panasonics.
ygm Stevemorg2
cr500domFree MemberPosted 10 years agoI’d be interested in a group buy of a 4 cell Holder and some protected Panasonic cells, or just tacking on to someone elses order ?
Failing that I work with a Chinese Engineer, perhaps I should get her to email and ask some questions about availability ?theblackmountFree MemberPosted 10 years agoI think Fasttech are the best / cheapest source for genuine Panasonic 3400’s protected. Seems there’s a lot of scamming / cloning / selling re-badged used cells in the world of Chinese batteries.
Also, you’d need to buy a fair amount I reckon to neutralise the on-cost / hassle of re posting them in the UK.
$16.98 shipped for 2.
grumFree MemberPosted 10 years agoI’d be interested in a group buy of a 4 cell Holder and some protected Panasonic cells, or just tacking on to someone elses order ?
+1
AlexSimonFull MemberPosted 10 years agoThe problem with trying to combine the batteries with the case are twofold:
1) Batteries aren’t from the same shop as the case
2) Royal Mail wont deliver the batteries (from the group buyer to individuals).cr500domFree MemberPosted 10 years agoI use myHermes for parcels, I`m not sure if they have the same restrictions ?
nealyFree MemberPosted 10 years agoThe problem with trying to combine the batteries with the case are twofold:
1) Batteries aren’t from the same shop as the case
2) Royal Mail wont deliver the batteries (from the group buyer to individuals).Just to do the group buy on the battery box and order the cells individually from fasttech…sorted.
cruzcampoFree MemberPosted 10 years agoThe guys looking to replace x2 batteries, is this purely from a safety perspective, or runtime? As they’re pretty decent on runtime.
RichFree MemberPosted 10 years agoRuntime for me, as I would like to get more than 1hr 15mins on full.
Seems a waste to buy a powerful light and need to run it at a low power a lot of the time to extend the battery life.
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