Lights. CREE XML XM-L T6 / U2 etc Thread

[Svendo]

Errm, mine are 2800 mAh (3.7v) batteries - and I cant find a match for them. Can I use 2 different mAh batteries with my current two?

I suspect mismatched batteries should be avoided. Different discharge rates etc could cause problems.
How about these? (searched 'panasonic 18650 2800 on ebay)

 

[tincaman]

Errm, mine are 2800 mAh (3.7v) batteries - and I cant find a match for them. Can I use 2 different mAh batteries with my current two?

If you have different capacity rated batteries, they will all supply the same current to start with, but the lower rated batteries voltages will fall of faster, and as protected type they will cut off quicker.

Its not really a problem, as you would normally charge any pack or individual cells before they cut off anyway.

What I'm saying is I run like that with no issues

 

[potsy]

Meanwhile, the first X2 Solarstorm I ordered came with the usual crap battery, so I messaged the (Chinese) eBayer and told him the battery was duff. He very quickly told me he would send a replacement, and apologised. I found a parcel in teh garage today and seeing the Chines Airmail mark expected a replacement battery. Imagine my delight when I opened the packet and found..... a new replacement battery.

And a charger

And a new lamp unit.

Result!

Just received mine today, very impressed, just need to buy more batteries now

 

[tincaman]

Result!

Just received mine today, very impressed, just need to buy more batteries now

I bought an old IBM thinkpad battery pack from Ebay for £8, was full of Panasonic batteries, which luckily were all OK

 

[fossyant]

My new XML2 T6 commuter lights arrived. Pictures above. 1st Shot shows size compared to a Hope 1, T6 light and the tiny Yinding 2xU2. 2nd shot is just the Halo on !

They have a halo ring that gives great side visibility which are very bright on their own. Has the new L2 T6 LEDs that are more efficient. Beams are quite tight so not floody and don't dazzle as the reflector is quite deep. These were just £12 each without battery.

Just had to add tape to my Panasonic 3400 batteries as there was just enough rattle to disturb the power over very rough surfaces for the lights to go off. The battery pack is mounted on the bottle cage.

 

[potsy]

Have added the solarstorm to my bike to test on the way home on any unlit bits, a quick check it was working has left me with spots in front of my eyes

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Just ordered these bad boys for my lights

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181283336878?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

 

[Hacienda71]

Have added the solarstorm to my bike to test on the way home on any unlit bits, a quick check it was working has left me with spots in front of my eyes

You want to watch out mate. You will end up with Fossyantitis. Symptoms include at least 10000 lumens on the front of the bike at any one time, resulting in cars crashing as you approach as they mistake you for a plane coming in to land.

 

[potsy]

You want to watch out mate. You will end up with Fossyantitis. Symptoms include at least 10000 lumens on the front of the bike at any one time, resulting in cars crashing as you approach as they mistake you for a plane coming in to land.

Got a way to go yet to catch fossy, might just have overtaken @wanda though

New light was great tonight, kept it on the lowest setting and that was plenty, in fact I hadn't realised it turned on in 'low' mode, assumed it was on high it was that bright, got a shock when I pressed the switch and it went even brighter

 

[Hacienda71]

Got a way to go yet to catch fossy, might just have overtaken @wanda though

New light was great tonight, kept it on the lowest setting and that was plenty, in fact I hadn't realised it turned on in 'low' mode, assumed it was on high it was that bright, got a shock when I pressed the switch and it went even brighter

I think the beam is far more focused than the magicshine/T6 type lights. They seem to light up what they are pointed at rather than everything in a 50 meter radius.

 

[stumpy66]

Just got a cree t6 and im impressed, it got me thinking about a rear light that would work from the same battery pack with a y splitter. Anyone know of any (cheaper) alternative to the magicshine rear lights?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

You can't go wrong getting the battery pack and batteries from ollyboyd for £40.

I have also just checked that my magicshine charger does safely charge non protected cells in these packs. I have 4x 3400 panasonics in one pack (biggest capacity you can get at 6400) and the charger goes from red, to orange then green. The magicshine chargers have overcharge protection, I think like most others. Best use protected cells though if you aren't keeping the packs topped up.

As said earlier, I also have the Xtar charger for charging cells on their own.

It cost me £10 per pack to import 10 waterproof packs. The only way it's worth doing is to import many packs as the postage is quite steep to the UK. And to post one of these packs in the UK costs £2.60 from our Royal Mail.

So buy from the uK sellers on ebay if you want them promptly. Chinese sellers can take over a month.

I bought an extra pack off that UK seller, took just over a week to deliver, they charged me a tenner for it and it cost them £6.95 to deliver it! I think they might have missed the order and they rushed it out special delivery

 

[shouldbeinbed]

happy with my T6 & cheapy fresnel lens that helps direct the beam more onto the road than illuminating the ISS too.

 

[fossyant]

I bought an extra pack off that UK seller, took just over a week to deliver, they charged me a tenner for it and it cost them £6.95 to deliver it! I think they might have missed the order and they rushed it out special delivery

Ouch. £2:60 is the parcel rate. He must have imported a load. Glad I did it as I am using three of the packs I ordered.

 

[fossyant]

Quite happy with my little commuter L2-T6 lights with the angel eye feature. Very visible from the side. As I am running both off a splitter and one battery, one of the lights records the green light for battery status but the other one either shows green for a short time, then goes red, then the indicator switches off. Both lights remain on, I think that having two charge sensors on the one battery just throws a wobble.

It's a much tighter beam than the normal T6/U2 lights, so doesn't throw tonnes of light everywhere.