Discussion: burn time

I have tested mine recently and get 12 hours on my medium (2500mAh), 23 hours on my large (5700mAh) NL batteries. If you are predicting 40+hrs on a large, is that because you have charged and drained it a few times (yields max battery power) or do you have a larger one than the one we all bought last year (with charger).

Also, is [medium brightness time = 4 x high brightness time] a suitable estimate?

The light has programmable brightness settings. I programmed Bash's light, and her medium may be set up slightly lower than yours.These lights are so efficient on lower settings that it may not be very noticeable to the eye. Her medium battery is 2200 mAh.

Bash's High setting is set up for more efficiency right now, not max blast. I think hers is running 700ma on high, while yours may be 1000ma.

Have I got it right- you're getting 23 hours on the light on Medium brightness on the big battery, and 12 hours on Medium brightness on the medium sized battery?

Medium burn time = 4X High burn time is probably a good rule of thumb, but I'll know better once her big light finally runs out of power on high.

Yes, you've got it right. 23hrs on medium for the large battery, 12hrs on medium for the medium battery. I only tested the medium since I think that would be the best for racing (or low).

Is there a similiar model to estimate the approximate burn time on low using medium extrapolation (i.e. 4 x medium time)?

Interjecting off-topic as an fyi... the reason for these tests is that my medium battery died without warning during E2C after about 5-6 hrs at what I believe was mostly medium. In doing some investigation, it seems that that medium battery probably has a faulty cell since (a) the time was too short and (b) there should have been warning flashes before it died. If I had been on a bike, it would have been scary.

So we've now determined that my other medium battery from a custom battery builder does 17.5 hrs on medium and it flashed a number of times in the final half hour. My large battery is now up to 11.5 hrs on high. (We didn't have the patience to do the large battery test on medium light level since we need to be watching to know when it turns off. Also, we have the light hanging over a fan to prevent it from overheating.)

According to NL: Approximate battery run times

Li-ion 14.8V 4.4Ah 505gms
12W LED full power 5.5 hours
LED lowest power 90 hours

Li-ion 14.8V 2.2Ah 295gms
12W LED full power 3 hours
LED lowest power 35 hours

Note: Full power (High) default is 1000ma.
Increase run time by 20% if High is set at 700ma

So Harps, you should get over 100 hours on low on the big battery, 35+ on the medium.

Wicked, thanks!

Note- I think the lights I got you guys draw 9W, not 12. They make a 4-LED version, which draws 12W, so you should get 25% more than the specs above on High power.

Only 100 hrs of light on the big battery? I'll be lucky if that gets me through a 12-day race. What a rip-off.

Is this set-up a better option than the Ayups?

The NL is more powerful, more efficient and burns far longer. It's also bigger, and it doesn't sit as nicely on your helmet with its own battery, it's bulky on a headband and their battery prices are high from NZ. If you're a fiddler you can get the batteries in the US, but it's a hassle. I had to do the soldering work for all the ones we got.

(EDIT- see posting #12- they now have a US distributor with much better battery prices- $329 for light + battery)

Here's another option worth looking into for an all-in solution:

http://cncdelite.com/
Same power and brain as the NL, smaller head, better battery prices, fantastic charger, excellent reputation for quality. Many battery options, custom builds. No headband that I can see though.

I'm getting other great complete AR light suggestions from the Light Geeks.
This is from Jay, the guy who built Barb's great Medium battery. He sells a very nice light at a great price, including waterproof batteries:

"Just waiting on deliveries of LED's and I will be able to fire up the production line again. I have the new 2x XP-G with the b2Flex driver that would be perfect for adventure racing. I also have some head bands in.

Should start offering up some lights in the classifieds here in about a week. Look for an upcoming update to my blog. http://amoebalight.blogspot.com/
Jay"

Update from Eric at Night Lightning- he now has a US distributor, and they have much better battery prices, so you can get an all-in kit from him at $329 for full kit including battery and charger, plus he can make bigger batteries for ultra-long AR.
http://www.xcleds.com/index.html

Headbands?

I suspect NL still uses the headband that Harps uses, the one you don't like as much as the Niterider one I made. It's a biggish light for a headband however you attach it, compared with the others. I suspect the Amoeba will work very well with a headband.