[Closed] "5000" lumen light....

mcmoonter - Recharge the battery and run it down again at home. 1hr45 sounds about right for these batteries if you're switching between med and high.
Not sure if the batteries are under voltage protected, but if they are the light will just cut out when the battery voltage drops to a certain level.
I did some more fiddling in the garage this evening and the batteries are definitely the weak link - they really aren't strong enough for a light of this power. The light is drawing 2.2 - 2.4 Amp depending on which battery I've got connected. The voltage holds up well on medium power, but drops off pretty quickly when you switch to high.
I'm looking at ordering some Samsung cells to make up a 5.6Ah pack, which should be good for 2hr+ high power.

I've had it on the charger for about half an hour now and the lights are working. I will give it a full charge / discharge cycle and see what the run time is like. Our night rides are usually between two and three hours, so an extra more reliable battery may be the way forward.

Is there any reason that the battery packs for RC helicopters and planes wouldn't work with these lights? My old boy is big into RC stuff and gets batteries from websites like hobby king quite often.

What would I be looking for in terms of battery? I don't have a notion about electronics

For the 2x U2 it's 0.2A, 0.9A and 2.0A on low, med and high.

That suggests somewhere around 1500 lumens on high, assuming the driver is reasonably efficient.

Any thoughts on the XT40?

http://www.solarstorm.hk/product.asp?classid=006

Is there any reason that the battery packs for RC helicopters and planes wouldn't work with these lights? My old boy is big into RC stuff and gets batteries from websites like hobby king quite often.

What would I be looking for in terms of battery? I don't have a notion about electronics

would work and you need
1. Correct voltage [ or near enough]
2. More Amp/Hr = more power = longer burn time
3. waterproof or easy enough to do this
4. Method of attaching to bike
5. Connector to match battery pack to light connector

Choice of batteries on hobby king is massive, excuse my ignorance but what voltage and MAH rating would these lights need to up the run time?

2200mah seems to be a reasonable price and they come in various voltages, C ratings as I've learnt are voltage ratings

Every days a school day

@neiloxford the official source of the solarstorm and proper site it seems, nice find!

this does look well engineered

http://www.solarstorm.hk/productview.asp?id=42&classid=006

Seems the working voltage of the light is 8.4v. The RC battery's come in 7.4v or 11.1v Will 11.1 fry it?

If you are looking at rc batteries on hobby king, most of them will be lipo so 2s are 7.4v so is closest to the 8v li-ion batteries that come with the hk lights.

C rating is to do with the draw they cam handle is higher the c rating the more amps they can handle efficiently iirc

You can get a 5000mah 2s lipo for just over a tenner. Only downside is you will need a decent balance charger that would set you back £30+

So not sure it would be worth it by the time you have to buy the charger change the connectors find a safe way of mounting it...etc

Luckily the old boy has chargers galore, problem solved. Mounting, waterproofing and connectors are a minor issue, some rough agri engineering will sort those out!

I'll run the battery that comes with it and see how it fares first

Had a quick skim through the thread, so apologies if already been asked, but is the best option, if you want a battery and charger that you would feel comfortable leaving charging overnight/unattended, is to get someone like smudge to supply that side of things? Or are there any 'premium' offerings from China/HK?

3 1/2 hours running two of these on low/med for 2 1/2 hrs then full gas for an hour.

Another static 1/2 hour at home today.

Choice of batteries on hobby king is massive, excuse my ignorance but what voltage and MAH rating would these lights need to up the run time?

2200mah seems to be a reasonable price and they come in various voltages, C ratings as I've learnt are voltage ratings

Every days a school day

Seems the working voltage of the light is 8.4v. The RC battery's come in 7.4v or 11.1v Will 11.1 fry it?

The 7.4v will actually be the same voltage as the "8.4V" battery. Like the lumens, the quoted voltages have suffered from a bit of inflation. LiPos and LiIons both have an average working voltage of around 3.7V per cell, so 7.4V for a pair in series. The maximum voltage achieved briefly after charging is around 4.2V, which is why 8.4V gets quoted.

That solarstorm website 'only' quotes 1500 lumens as the max output for the x2

I've been on the fence waiting to make a decision around these, they do look good, especially for the price.

I've been making do with a fluxient U2 mini on my bars, which I bought for commuting, and a sunwayman v20c as my helmet light (which I had already), gives me over 1000 real lumens combined and let's me carry back up batteries that I can use in ether torch

Yeah the X2 is only 1500 lumens...

http://www.solarstorm.hk/productview.asp?id=23&classid=006

and also, it appears it might be on version 3 from the title...

Charged 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 know sometimes it can take a few charges for battery to be at its best, but i did expect better out of the box

Charged my battery up then connected light and left it on full power. It lasted just over an hour and light got very hot.

Did you have a fan on the light to keep cool it during the run time test?

If not, and if the light didn't have heat protection that stepped the power down when it got hot, you risk damaging the emitters.

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.

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.

Charged 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.

I haven't traipsed back through the thread, but I thought people were getting more like 2+ hours. 1 hour is very short

C 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.

if 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.

Well 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

ok 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:

http://blackshadow.en.alibaba.com/product/1319183418-219936704/Solarstorm_BC_1_rechargeable_water_proof_4_18650_li_ion_battery_pack_case_used_for_bike_light.html

I gather these Panasonics are the most powerful 18650's currently available pumping out a reliable 3200Mah...

Yep, that should work just fine. Should give you around 3 hours for an X2 on max.

blackmount: 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.

Thanks 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

I'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

Conversely 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.

[url= http://www.solarstorm.hk/productview.asp?id=38&classid=006 ]http://www.solarstorm.hk/productview.asp?id=38&classid=006[/url]

@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.

I can't find anyone selling the X3 with the battery box 🙁 Just sealed pack here

http://www.lightmalls.com/black-color-solarstorm-x3-3xcree-xm-l-u2-4-modes-2500-lumen-bicycle-light-4-18650-battery

Yeah 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:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Solarstorm-portable-water-proof-4-18650-battery-box-rechargeable-battery-case-used-for-bike-light/1314568186.html

You need a decent charger for that battery I linked to...

Does 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?

Rich:

You could get one of these:

[url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fluxient-6600mAh-7-4v-battery-with-pouch-compatible-with-Magicshine-Xeccon-etc-/300973056856?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item4613646358 ]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fluxient-6600mAh-7-4v-battery-with-pouch-compatible-with-Magicshine-Xeccon-etc-/300973056856?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item4613646358[/url]

I'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 here

Yes 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.

as 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

A 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 [i]my preference[/i] (in that order) for batteries.
Get a extension cable for helmet use, link [url= http://www.magicshineuk.co.uk/bike-lights/accessories/1-metre-extension-cable-for-all-magicshine-lights-except-mj-880-range.html ]this one[/url] lots of ppl sell them..

Buying 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?

I 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

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.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Solarstorm-portable-water-proof-4-18650-battery-box-rechargeable-battery-case-used-for-bike-light/1314568186.html <

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)

You definitely want protected. Unprotected cells are only suitable if you're building them into a battery which has a separate protection circuit.