**NEW** Nitecore TM26

[JB]

I do wish they had included thermal protection for 1700 lumen level also...but as long as you are aware of it, it shouldn't be a problem.

Since there is no thermal protection for Level 4, what happens if you leave it on for long and the light heats up?

I did read some past posts where it was reported the light temp hit 71-73 C and it was nearly too hot to hold. So I guess the light will just keep being lit until something inside melts?

 

[STiFTW]

As long as you are holding it, your body should be a good enough heat sink for high to run continuously. There is also the extended battery pack that adds more thermal mass to the light. I have not seen any reviews on the battery pack yet though.

 

[riccardo]

The temp is measured on one of the LED's copper stars, should be safe (for LEDs and electronics) till over 80 C..

 

[martin28]

Looks like the $195.00 deal is off, but they have a $245.00 deal with 4 Keepower 3400's which is slightly a better deal IMO.

Mine should be in in a couple days since they just came off back order. Looking forward to shedding some serious light on "the situation".

Any batteries that are Panasonic cells are very good, (which Keepower's are), so that is perfect deal....and Welcome BTW.

Could you send me the code, please.

It's a super price for me!

 

[RCTPAVUK]

Could you send me the code, please.

It's a super price for me!

It was mentioned before in the thread. Just change the month word...

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...itecore-TM26&p=4338507&viewfull=1#post4338507

 

[RCTPAVUK]

Strange... Russian fellows have their own flash-light forum...
Some posted that they got waterproof problems with the light and this weird issue:

Any Ideas or similar issues?

 

[thedoc007]

This is news to me. I assume thermal protection is just that. It should not matter the mode. Are you sure on this?

I am 100% sure. This is true both with the XM-L and XM-L2 emitters - the thermal protection only kicks in on turbo. With my first TM26 I found out the hard way, and I just tested my new XM-L2 last night - does exceed 60C at 1700 lumen level.

 

[thedoc007]

Since there is no thermal protection for Level 4, what happens if you leave it on for long and the light heats up?

I did read some past posts where it was reported the light temp hit 71-73 C and it was nearly too hot to hold. So I guess the light will just keep being lit until something inside melts?

The 73C post was me...I was tailstanding it to read, and fell asleep. Totally my fault, but I was surprised to see thermal stepdown only happens on turbo.

I wouldn't worry about anything actually melting - the 1700 lumen level will stabilize well before anything melts. But overheating the LEDs will reduce their lifespan, and can cause a permanent reduction in the brightness of the LEDs. In practice, I doubt this will be a significant issue, since the XM-L2 is rated at 85C, but I like to treat my stuff with care. It isn't going to be a safety issue - but I want to avoid overheating for the same reason I avoid dropping it, despite the impact rating. Just because it can take it does not mean that you should abuse it. And let me tell you, 73C is HOT. Rule of thumb, if it is too hot for you to hold, it is too hot for the LED also.

 

[RCTPAVUK]

Finally got a confirmation that my light is shipped, but tracking number shows that the package was already delivered to Korea, in August 2012...
Hope that this is just a minor error with tracking number...

 

[riccardo]

Upon insertion of the batteries and screwing in the battery tube, the word "NITECORE" will show and then the voltage. I guess this would be the average voltage across the 4 batteries?

The batteries are in parallel, there is no individual voltage, they will equalise their voltage as soon as you fully screw the battery tube.

And let me tell you, 73C is HOT. Rule of thumb, if it is too hot for you to hold, it is too hot for the LED also.

Why should be too hot for the LED? The XM-L2 are binned at 85 C, and the max junction temp is 150 C (at which the LED's efficiency is down of 20%).
Since the temp. sensor is soldered on one of the copper stars, the red temp. is very close to the LED's one, I guess till 90-100 C indicated there are no real worries (for the LED).

Personally I would start thinking about reducing power or switching off for a while only at 90C., anyway battery are the bigger concern..!

 

[RCTPAVUK]

The batteries are in parallel, there is no individual voltage, they will equalise their voltage as soon as you fully screw the battery tube.



Why should be too hot for the LED? The XM-L2 are binned at 85 C, and the max junction temp is 150 C (at which the LED's efficiency is down of 20%).
Since the temp. sensor is soldered on one of the copper stars, the red temp. is very close to the LED's one, I guess till 90-100 C indicated there are no real worries (for the LED).

Personally I would start thinking about reducing power or switching off for a while only at 90C., anyway battery are the bigger concern..!

Do you have some pictures of the sensor? It's a bit unethical to take temperature measurement from only one led. It would be more adequate if they put it on the other side of the body, closer to the driver and other components, since it shuts down at 60 C...
Or, if I'm not correct, please spill some light on the question...

 

[riccardo]

Here I have only this.. already posted in this 3d.. post #1185
You can see the PTC or NTC (didn't check) on the top left MCPCB, all others have the dedicated pads empty.

 

[thedoc007]

Why should be too hot for the LED? The XM-L2 are binned at 85 C, and the max junction temp is 150 C (at which the LED's efficiency is down of 20%).
Since the temp. sensor is soldered on one of the copper stars, the red temp. is very close to the LED's one, I guess till 90-100 C indicated there are no real worries (for the LED).

The LED may be able to take it, but that doesn't mean it won't reduce its lifespan, and lead to a reduction in brightness much earlier than with gentle treatment. At 73C it was already almost too hot to hold (definitely uncomfortable)...if you somehow managed to get it up to 90C, you might injure yourself handling it. Remember that water boils at only 100C, that is AWFULLY hot. Again, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. I'm not overly concerned about it, and I saw no deleterious effects afterwards, but I wouldn't want to repeat it...if you disagree, go right ahead!

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Why would anyone knowingly risk getting their batteries so hot they are uncomfortable to hold? That can't be good.

 

[poisonpill]

Hello all!

Love my TM26 but as of a few days ago the button has gone wonky. When I try to turn it off with a full depress, it treats it only as a half press. So this makes it difficult to turn off as most of the time it just cycles through the brightness settings.

Has anybody else experienced this? Any troubleshooting tips?

I've been turning it off by holding it down for a lock out.

Thanks.

 

[foxxkat]

Hello all!

Love my TM26 but as of a few days ago the button has gone wonky. When I try to turn it off with a full depress, it treats it only as a half press. So this makes it difficult to turn off as most of the time it just cycles through the brightness settings.

Has anybody else experienced this? Any troubleshooting tips?

I've been turning it off by holding it down for a lock out.

Thanks.

Yes, rather unfortunate. My button also experiencing erratic behaviour after few days use. It seems to execute two clicks instead of one so each press couldn't turn the light off. I have to try few times to get it to off. It was working fine when I first received it, so it means the button has deteriorated over use, in such a short time. Haven't reach the stage where I'm forced to use lock out to off. It's disappointing.

sent from phone

 

[Lou Minescence]

Beacon mode on my button quit bit works ok.

 

[dts71]

I had issues after a day as well. A heat treatment i.e. put it in a backpack where it turns on @ 1850 lumens for 40 minutes by mistake has helped though I'm not sure if it is a general fix. Temp was 62C when I turned it off.

Now I'm hesitant to play with it - I don't want it to stop working again.

 

[Skyz]

Having recently bought my first Nitecore, the P12, I'm considering buying the TM26. I notice on nitecores website there is a special battery pack NBP52 which offers superior performance. I was set on buying it, however, it doesn't seem to get talked about here. I realise it's more expensive, but I can't believe that's the only reason people on the forum don't seem to be buying it/ talking about it. Is there something I'm missing? Thanks in advance.

 

[thedoc007]

Having recently bought my first Nitecore, the P12, I'm considering buying the TM26. I notice on nitecores website there is a special battery pack NBP52 which offers superior performance. I was set on buying it, however, it doesn't seem to get talked about here. I realise it's more expensive, but I can't believe that's the only reason people on the forum don't seem to be buying it/ talking about it. Is there something I'm missing? Thanks in advance.

We have talked about it a bit...but I think the price is the main reason. If it was even roughly comparable to the price of equivalent 18650s, I might take another look. But I could easily get EIGHT 3400 mAh cells for far less than the cost of the pack, and would have better capacity, longer runtime, and would still have non-proprietary cells I could use in other lights in the need arose. If they knocked the price down to $80 or less, I think they would have sold many more.