Fenix P2Dce Comparison Review

[supes]

Nice long break, must have been a big feast, eh mate? Just kidding.

Thanks again for doing these excellent reviews, makes a flasholic's life 100 times easier and 10 times harder on the piggybank, but I can see in the dark now! :rock:

I'm currently camped outside in the yard, near the mailbox waiting for the P2D to come in, any day now. I hope it doesn't rain...

 

[audioman]

Thanks for the great comparison review. very nice :goodjob:

 

[LESLIEx317537]

Vincent,

Curious if your L1D or L2D is the Cree Edition - CE?

The pics are the body of the tube right? I thought they were the head and tailcap pics.

 

[garageguy]

I'm currently camped outside in the yard, near the mailbox waiting for the P2D to come in, any day now. I hope it doesn't rain...

You shouldn't do that, I used to and it creeps the mailman out. :laughing:

 

[UnknownVT]

LESLIEx317537 wrote: "Curious if your L1D or L2D is the Cree Edition - CE?
The pics are the body of the tube right? I thought they were the head and tailcap pics."

Yes they are CE Cree Editions -
as in : "vs. Fenix L1D-CE (NiMH) both Turbo" and "vs. Fenix L2D-CE (NiMH) both Turbo -"
I thought I was clear in the review -
I'd be grateful if you can please point out where I was ambiguous/unclear - so I won't do it again?

Same for the photos of the body tube - I thought I was clear in the notes directly underneath the photos -
was my writing that UNclear/ambiguous?

 

[LESLIEx317537]

No, you were clear. The pictures that show the thickness of the walls of the body. I thought they were the tailcap pics and the head pics. But I soon realized they weren't after I saw no springs.
-Les

 

[cliff]

Gents, I am a bit confused and wonder if I have this right:

Can I take the head off a P2D, screw it on to the body of a L2D, insert two 3.6v 14500 batteries and have it all behave like a P3D?

 

[gunga]

Nope. Cicuitry not designed for that.

 

[vhyper007]

hi today,
would you mind explaining the rationale for the 2 stops underexposure when convenient for you?
Sincerely,
vhyper

 

[LESLIEx317537]

Gents, I am a bit confused and wonder if I have this right:

Can I take the head off a P2D, screw it on to the body of a L2D, insert two 3.6v 14500 batteries and have it all behave like a P3D?

The cree L1D, L2D, and P2D are the same heads.
The P3D is a different head.

 

[UnknownVT]

Current Draw readings at the tailcap -

Primary CR123A 2.96V open circuit
Turbo = 1.38A
Low = 0.05A
Medium = 0.22A
High = 0.55A

3.7V Rechargeable Li-Ion RCR123 4.01V o-c (3.96V @ test end)
Turbo = 0.77-0.82A
Low = 0.42A
Medium = 0.42A
High = 0.42A

ref: Comparison of current draws -

Post #40 in Fenix P1D-CE comparison Review

Post #92 in Fenix L1D-CE Comparison Review

Post #11 in Fenix L2D-CE Comparison Review

 

[mchlwise]

Current Draw readings at the tailcap -

Primary CR123A 2.96V open circuit
Turbo = 1.38A
Low = 0.05A
Medium = 0.22A
High = 0.55A

3.7V Rechargeable Li-Ion RCR123 4.01V o-c (3.96V @ test end)
Turbo = 0.77-0.82A
Low = 0.42A
Medium = 0.42A
High = 0.42A

ref: Comparison of current draws -

Post #40 in Fenix P1D-CE comparison Review

Post #92 in Fenix L1D-CE Comparison Review

Post #11 in Fenix L2D-CE Comparison Review

:shrug:

Could somebody help me out with a translation.

What does this mean (if anything) for brightness. It appears that it's drawing nearly half on the RCR123 than the primary.

:candle:

 

[UnknownVT]

mchlwise wrote: "

Could somebody help me out with a translation.
What does this mean (if anything) for brightness. It appears that it's drawing nearly half on the RCR123 than the primary.

"

This is a hard call....

1) when on Primary CR123A - the P2Dce is using its regulation/step-up circuitry to slightly boost the 3V up to the LED's forward voltage (Vf) - so there are some loses due to that.

Current draw taken at the tailcap is useful as a total current draw from the battery, but it is not necessarily an indication of what the LED is actually drawing - this is dependent on the efficiency of the circuit - approx in the range of 50-80%

2) when using a 3.7V Rechargeable Li-Ion RCR123 - the P2Dce ciruitry is by-passed [because the Vin (battery voltage) exceeds the circuit's set Vout (= LED's Vf)] so in effect the LED is in direct drive - ie: it's just battery directly driving the LED - so the current draw at the tailcap is close to the actual current at the LED.

Current draw at the tailcap gives a reasonable indication of the total consumption from the battery - and may give some indication of battery runtime/life -
but unless the circuits are the same or behave identically - current draw at the tailcap may not give an indication of relative brightness - current draw at the LED is needed for that.

 

[UnknownVT]

vhyper007 wrote: "would you mind explaining the rationale for the 2 stops underexposure"

On my side-by-side comparison beamshots I use the evaluative auto exposure to take the full exposure shot -
that gives the "optimum" exposure to try to show the different beam characteristics.

Since the lights used to compare are similar/close - in the full exposure shot the hotspots are usually grossly over-exposed - so does not compare the difference in brightness that well.

As an attempt to show the difference in brightness the usual way is to take a -2 stops underexposed shot from the full exposure - this usually compares the brightness of the side-spills quite well - but the hotspots are still pretty well over-exposed - although having slightly less exposure often shows up some more characteristics of the beam, like rings etc.

Hope that helps.

 

[vhyper007]

thanks Vince. That also helps my understanding of photography as well as flashlights.
Regards,
vhyper