fenix L2D, trouble in paradise, THE SEQUEL

[mimis]

ok, there was certainly a problem with my L2D runtime in turbo mode (35mins and sudden fading to 1/3 of initial output) and so i mailed fenix-store for some answers. Of course they suggested i'd send it back on my own postage fees, so i figured what the heck, i'll order a new one with not much higher cost. And guess what, new L2D just came, tested them out both in the cold (7oC) side by side old and new one, and yep, they acted as real twins, sudden dimming at the same time, less than 30sec time gap!!! The light bodies are only tepid at that point, overheating regulation can't be an excuse.. What's happening guys, i couldn't possibly be twice that unfortunate with technical defects! where's the claimed 150mins turbo run?

[dekindy]

What brand, size, type, and age of battery do you have?

What charger?

Are you using the same batteries in both flashlights?

:eek:

[mimis]

What brand, size, type, and age of battery do you have?

What charger?

Are you using the same batteries in both flashlights?

:eek:

i use non-recharg. panasonic cells, always fresh since i burn a pack every week. Anyway, if in had been using no-name brands or older cells could that explain this huge -80%- reduction in burntime? i could understand a 30% drop or sth..

[dekindy]

Hopefully someone with a lot more knowledge than me will chime in here. I went over to Panasonic's website and compared the graphs for non-rechargeable alkaline's and nimh rechargeables. At 20 degrees C, it only takes 50 minutes for the alkaline to drop below 1.2 volts and the overall drop is a long, constant rate drop over the discharge cycle. The rechargeable nimh voltage drops about the same as the alkaline for the first hour, but levels off and stays above 1.2 volts for 3 hours.

Based upon these graphs and my limited knowledge, I am going to guess that the alkalines are more sensitive to temperature than the nimh's and that the voltage is dropping more significantly causing the Fenix to dim.

The only thing that I can suggest is to get a battery charger and rechargeable nimh's like everybody else has. Most people, including myself, are getting 2+ hour runtimes using these batteries in temperatures below what you are quoting.

I did a search but could not find a specific reference to rechargeable versus non-rechargeable runtimes.

I know I am not exaggerating the runtime that I am realizing and I don't think others are either. It is possible, but highly doubtful that you received 2 defective units. By process of elimination it would seem that the batteries are suspect. Or not!:)

As much as you are using your light it seems that rechargeables would be much more economical anyway. Are you wanting to see longer runtimes before you make that investment? Maybe you can borrow a set of rechargeables and see if you get the claimed runtime?

I hope you find a solution.

[MR99SI]

Get yourself some high capacity NiMH's like sanyo, duracell, energizer ect. and you will not have this problem! I used mine in the snow this morning for nearly two hours straight (zero problems)!

[Ziemas]

Get yourself some high capacity NiMH's like sanyo, duracell, energizer ect. and you will not have this problem! I used mine in the snow this morning for nearly two hours straight (zero problems)!

+1

The alkaline batteries are the problem. I go for over two hours with each of my L2D lights using Sanyo 2700 rechargeables in below freezing temps.

[mimis]

ok guys, you've made it clear it's a matter of battery capacity.. Question: are high-end rechargeables of greater cap. than normal alkalines or vise versa? I think Fenix advertises the L2D unit as powered by widely on-route available AA's, implying ready to use normal cells, so i guess their claimed runtime is about them.

[Ziemas]

ok guys, you've made it clear it's a matter of battery capacity.. Question: are high-end rechargeables of greater cap. than normal alkalines or vise versa? I think Fenix advertises the L2D unit as powered by widely on-route available AA's, implying ready to use normal cells, so i guess their claimed runtime is about them.

Well, you guessed wrong. The runtime is based on high capacity rechargeable AA batteries. You'll find really quickly that rechargeables are much cheaper than alkalines, unless of course you steal the alkalines from work.....

[mimis]

[QUOTE=Ziemas;6065887]Well, you guessed wrong. The runtime is based on high capacity rechargeable AA batteries. You'll find really quickly that rechargeables are much cheaper than alkalines, unless of course you steal the alkalines from work.....[/QUOTE

ok, i think this thread gives some solid answers.. maybe my both L2D's are healthy after all and i'm sick ignorant!



http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=187825

[acroy]

yep, get yerself some nice rechargeables, and join the legions of 2+hr Turbo users :)

[evblazer]

ok guys, you've made it clear it's a matter of battery capacity.. Question: are high-end rechargeables of greater cap. than normal alkalines or vise versa? I think Fenix advertises the L2D unit as powered by widely on-route available AA's, implying ready to use normal cells, so i guess their claimed runtime is about them.
I thought they were specific but I just checked the L2D premium page and they don't seem to mention the different run times. In Fact if you look at their little adcopy image thing they specificially show duracell alkaline batteries.
I only knew to use NIMH from reading so much about them before finally caving in and buying a Fenix. They should probably put a obvious note in there where they speficy runtimes about the difference.

[daredevil]

I'm using rechargeables in my Fenix and I don't know much about nothing, but that does seem like some pretty short run times for fresh alkalines.

I run regular alkalines in my tail lights (Superflash/LD 1000) and ride in some mighty cold temps and they do fine.

Seems odd. Simply a case of a poor batch of batteries?

[socalrider]

here is a breakdown of the runtime plot for the older l2d-ce.. there is a huge difference between alkaline and nimh.. Lithium Ions are the best for cold weather but very expensive.. see the runtime plot below for turbo mode for L2D..

http://lights.chevrofreak.com/runtimes/Fenix%20L2D%20CE/

[dekindy]

here is a breakdown of the runtime plot for the older l2d-ce.. there is a huge difference between alkaline and nimh.. Lithium Ions are the best for cold weather but very expensive.. see the runtime plot below for turbo mode for L2D..

http://lights.chevrofreak.com/runtimes/Fenix%20L2D%20CE/

Great post. I remember seeing that information previously but could not retrieve it from my memory banks. Thanks for jogging the memory.

I am using Duracell 2650's and realizing the runtime illustrated on that chart, all the way down to 30 degrees fahrenheit. If I remember correctly, the alkaline line graphs pretty closely the OP's runtimes. Or was he experiencing even worse performance with his batteries?

There you go OP. I hope you can get a charger and batteries and begin enjoying the wonderful world of fenix the way it is meant to be!

[hxcxor]

I got ~100 minutes at <20 degrees fahrenheit with Sanyo 2700's (Turbo mode) this weekend. Very satisfied.

When I first got the Fenix I tried alkalines, and the runtime was awful. ~45 minutes.

[Atomic Cow]

Alkalines hate putting out the relatively large amount of current that the Fenix wants. They're great at small amounts for a long time, but if you plan to suck great gobs of power then either NiMH or lithiums are what you want.

I use NiMH rechargables as daily use batteries in mine and keep a spare CR123A in a P2D body/tailcap/dustcap as a backup in my bag. Should the NiMHs run dry I can just switch the head and dust cap and I'm good to go for another hour or so.

[tarwheel]

I've had excellent performance from the Sanyo 2700 rechargeables. I bought 4 Sanyo AA batteries with a charger for about $25-30. Wish I had bought 8 of the Sanyo batteries. Bought some DuraCell 2650 rechargeables later on, but they don't last nearly as long as the Sanyos.

[MR99SI]

I've had excellent performance from the Sanyo 2700 rechargeables. I bought 4 Sanyo AA batteries with a charger for about $25-30. Wish I had bought 8 of the Sanyo batteries. Bought some DuraCell 2650 rechargeables later on, but they don't last nearly as long as the Sanyos.




http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=79302


Good choice, as you can see Sanyo 2700mAh are king! The duracells are excellent cells also.





.

[dekindy]

I've had excellent performance from the Sanyo 2700 rechargeables. I bought 4 Sanyo AA batteries with a charger for about $25-30. Wish I had bought 8 of the Sanyo batteries. Bought some DuraCell 2650 rechargeables later on, but they don't last nearly as long as the Sanyos.

We have a Fry's Electronics and they are supposed to carry Sanyo's, which is what I really wanted because they are the best. Since they did not have any I went to Target and bought the Duracells which have been good enough so far.

[Nachoman]

I got really lousy run time on turbo until I discovered the right battery also. Good luck.

[fenixstore]

Hi Everyone,

My name is David. I'm the fenix-store guy :)

It looks like you solve the problem. Yes, alkalines are terrible for high current and cold conditions.
They are also notorious for leaking and ruining electronics.
Lithium AA's are the best for below freezing.
If you want a rechargable solution, I'd recommend enloops if you occasionally use them
and high capacity sanyos if you run one cycle per day.
The P3D is the only P series designed to work with rechargable lithium-ions - which also
work well under freezing conditions.

I have a quick story.... in 2001, a month after we were married, I took my wife hiking up Yosemite.
Equipped with a GPS, we did just fine all the way up half dome. We camped out at
little yosemite and overnight it snowed 3-4 inches, covering our trail back down.
No problem, I thought. I whipped out my GPS and we headed down following our tracks from
the day before. After 5 minutes the GPS would power down due to low battery. I broke open
a new pack of alkalines and put them in. The GPS shutdown after 5 minutes again. So I figured
it was a bad batch and opened another set of alkies. Again they failed. I ended us sticking the alkaines
in my armpit and swapping out cells every 5 minutes :( We were lost for hours before we found
the trail. I don't know if lithium AA's were available then, but now I pretty much use lithium AA's only. :p