Pila GL2 Cree and Codex Review (pics!)

[luigi]

Hello Everybody,

This is my review of the Pila GL2 with Cree LED and the Codex Module.

Let's start with the GL2

Pila GL2 Cree

The GL2 uses 2 cells, either two primary C123 batteries or a rechargeable Pila 600P battery AKA 18650.

It is built like a tank, you can drop it crush it hit it and abuse it in many ways and it will still be working as the first day.

This is the Cree note there are some space to install a tritium vial next to the led (idea!)

The Cree module is extremely bright producing about 130 lumen for 1 hour and a half on primaries or about 100 lumen for 5 hours with a 18650.

The switch is a tactical clickie with real momentary operation and great tactile response.

There are orings where they have to be and the threads are great, everything is very well built and strong.

The beam using a OP reflector is very smooth with a strong hotspot and a lot of sidespill, a very good balance between flood and throw, without going to either side, so it is good indoors, outdoors,etc. Probably one of the best Cree beams I have seen to date.

I loved the GL2 Cree is a very strong EDC light specially if you venture in the wilderness or need a very strong and reliable yet bright light.

Codex

The Codex is a programmable extension that goes between the bezel and the body, it has a LCD display with blue backlight.

The codex is a simplification of the ideas behind the never produced Indium Smart. You can program up to 4 programs (a,b,c,d). Each program is a set of frames (up to 9). Each frame indicates a brightness level (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 99%) and an duration from 0.0 to 9.9 seconds, the frames repeat one after the other.

So for example:

A single 25% frame of any duration is 25% constant on mode.
A 99% frame of 0.1 seconds followed by a 0% frame of 0.1 seconds is a strobe.
A 25% frame of 0.1 seconds followed by a 0% frame of 9.9 seconds can work as a locator beacon.
etc.
You can program sequences, messages, etc.

The programs are cycled pressing the switch in the codex module, the module remembers the last program that was activated and starts in that program. The Codex adds a battery warning indication with automatic brightness reduction to preserve runtime. It also has a built-in SOS mode that you don't need to program saving one program slot.

Pila with Codex. You can crush some bones with this!

There are several things I didn't like about the Codex:

- Only 4 programs, if you want four brightness levels that's it, no more modes for you.
- Strobe ratio can't be more than 5 hertz (0.1 seconds On, 0.1 seconds Off, repeat). Too slow to my taste to be effective.
- 25% is not low enought to preserve night vision, an even lower brightness level would have been useful to preserve night vision and even longer runtimes.
- The light flashes when it starts using Codex so you lose momentary activation (big no no) and furthermore if you want to start it in 25% you have to yet go thru a 99% flash that is very annoying.
- Too bulky for what it does and with the limitations it has

I loved the GL2 with Cree and the Codex is a very interesting gizmo to program your own custom sequences, to my taste the limitations it has are a big disappointment but I'm sure new versions will be improved and corrected.

Luigi

 

[regulator]

Thanks!!

Thank you for the review. I just ordered a Cree G2 today with charger. All the components (charger etc) look very high quality and will last for years. This will be my first 18650 lithium powered light. Should be economical and fun to use.

I think the codex is too big for what it does. It would have been kinda cool if another battery coulod have been used in the space as well - giving more runtime. Or if the Codex simply replaced the exisiting battery tube (the battery would fit in the Codex unit).

Nice pictures for me to look at until mine arrives.

 

[luigi]

Re: Thanks!!

Thank you for the review. I just ordered a Cree G2 today with charger. All the components (charger etc) look very high quality and will last for years. This will be my first 18650 lithium powered light. Should be economical and fun to use.

I think the codex is too big for what it does. It would have been kinda cool if another battery coulod have been used in the space as well - giving more runtime. Or if the Codex simply replaced the exisiting battery tube (the battery would fit in the Codex unit).

Nice pictures for me to look at until mine arrives.

You will really like the GL2, it's a Cree tank
Agree about the Codex, I wouldn't mind the size if they fix the problems I didn't like and allow more than 4 programs.

Luigi

 

[Foxel1]

I also own this beautiful light. I advise to use two CR123 rechargeables (3.6-3.7V!), protected or not, with this light and Pila charger. That way you will get 100% regulated light for about an hour, not like with single 18650 cell, which doesnt give regulated output. I love it this way

Of course youll need a spacer of some kind for the RCR123 to fit in the charger. Use dummy CR123 or piece of metal, i made my own.

A few more technical info on the regulation in this light
The regulation actually works from 4.5 to 9 Volt, below 4.5 the light starts to dim, which is one of the reasons i dont use 18650. The current draw changes with voltage, but multiply voltage and current, and you get a stable 4.4 Watts in the regulated area. Not sure why so much, the Voltage at LED was always about 3.46V, so i guess the regulator has loss of 2 Watts (thought the efficiency of these was 80% or so?). Very faint signs of a switching regulator (PWM of some kind) can be seen on supply leads, about 270kHz frequency.

Another tip: dont ever touch the inside of the reflector or try to clean with any kind of tissue. It will scratch it.

Why did it not warn in the manual. I have lots of tiny scratches that can be seen at an angle now, doesnt seem to affect the beam, spill, or output though.
My advice if you got dust in it (which looks not so nice when the light is on)use water to flush it out and dry throughly, use destilled water so no traces of chalk are left after evaporizing. Also rather not remove the front lens from the bezel, the O-Ring is smaller diameter than the glass and is tensioned around the perimeter of the glass, which makes it hard to get it back inside (but i managed after an hour

)

Im planning on doing a Light vs time plot with a set of ebay-RCR123s (actual capacity 620mAH, actual nominal voltage 3.68 at 660mA discharge) to get the precise runtime (1hr was calculated from reference load of 660mA)

Im also planning on doing a polar plot of light radiation pattern (angle vs light intensity) just for fun

 

[greenLED]

Thanks a bunch for sharing this info, luigi.

Sounds like the GL2 with the Cree drop-in is killer combination.

 

[luigi]

Foxel: You are right about the 2x RCR123 combo the light seems to be even better with 2 rechargeables than with the 18650 and it has no problem with the voltage since both the Cree and the Codex are fine up to 9v.

About the dust you can use an air blower spray, the ones that just blow air or an inert gas to remove the particles.

GreenLed: It is a killer combo, the first Surefire-Quality Cree light that can take Rechargeables RCR123, 18650 or primaries without any problems. Great light to drop and pick up without worrying about if it will work or not

 

[regulator]

Got mine yesterday...

I received mine yesterday and really like the light. It is a piece of sculptured artwork! Very well made and SOLID!! The beam (Cree LED) is fantastic and very white. Very nice balance with both a nice throw hotspot and wide/bright spill.

While the output on 2 CR123's is slightly brighter than the 1 18650, it is not very noticable "by eye" to me. I prefer running it on the 18650 with the long runtime and it still puts out a LOT of light.

While small, it is not a pocket light and requires a holster due to the width. It feels very comfortable in the hand and has a nice feel and balance. The charger is nice and has a little more output than some of the less expensive ones (which should charge batteries a little faster). JSBurly delivered it very fast - I received mine in 2 days from orderering - great service.

 

[Foxel1]

Well, with one 18650 it will slowly dim throughout usage and you wont notice until at some point you think hmm its kind of weak, batteries must be empty...
I dont like that, being in this state of not knowing "is this really the max output or are the batteries already half drained?" i love to have 100% regulated, so i get full light power until batteries are empty, then it starts to dim very quickly and also noticable, with protected cells it would even turn off completely, which is very nice. This way the light no longer is something undefined, it is either on at full, or off. Also can make use of the complete battery capacity without having to go with low (and less useful) light output at the end. This is such a blessing if your someone like me, who hasnt ever had a regulated light

Remember the long runtime with 18650 does not only come from the slightly higher capacity. Because of the lower voltage the light will be dimmer, and also pull less and less current as the cell gets drained, thats also a big factor why it lasts longer.
Lets say you use an 18650 with 3.6V and 2.4Ah, thats 8.64 Watt-hours
Compared to two RCR123 of say 600mAh and also 3.6V - in series 7.2V, this gives 4.32 Watt-hours so the capacity is doubled with 18650, but the runtime is not doubled but tripled or more, because is dimmer. Dont compare the 2 cases with full batteries, insert a half drained 18650 and you will see a much bigger difference in brightness

 

[regulator]

Hey Foxel1 - I am very familiar with full regulated lights and have many. I do prefer a fully regulated light. But after using them and thinking about it - A lithium cell provides a bit of regulation on its own. In the G2 case, I would most likely be putting the battery on charge if it started to "appear" dimmer. This would also be benificial to the logevity of the rechargable battery (I have 2 rechargables). So it is not too much of a deal in this case and I am aware of exactly what you described.


But - ultimately, I would have preferred a fully regulated module that works on 3.7 volts. I would have liked a regulated 60-70 lumens for 6 hours. I have an inquiry to JS to see if a module like this is available.

Unfortunately the two RCR123 cells do not match the capacity of the 18650 cell but does provide an alternative. I don't like only 1 hour of light (even if it is brighter) that the RCR123 cells would provide. 1 hour is just too short to me. But its nice to be able to use the different battery combinations.

 

[Foxel1]

I know somene else already posted runtime graphs on this with different cells but it cant hurt to have more than one of it right

Here the first light vs time graph, the light gave 64 minutes of regulated output, and i let it run for another 6 minutes with a low but still useable light level. It looks like a hell of a brightness drop at the end, but this is actually not so, its barely noticeable. The sensor setup is not really linear, just made for showing when it falls out of regulation

therefore the intensity axis is also unitless.

Cells used are two rechargeable CR123A, 3.7V and about 620mAh actual capacity (but labeled 1000mAh...)

Both unprotected cells recovered to 3.05V after a few minutes, this is good

Not that i care about over-discharging them, they are so damn cheap it doesnt matter...

The slight drop in brightness in the regulated area i suspect was because of the light heating up, (hot LED will make less light) - close before the end the case was at 49°C. Im running another test right now, with a fan standing next to it, lets see if this flattens the curve. In normal use theres of course always a hand holding it, which will dissipate much more heat than when the bare light is just lying on a table

 

[Foxel1]

Ok, here it is. This time the curve is a little flatter, the lights case was at stable 27°C at the front (of course you cant keep it that cool in your hand, unless you got refrigerant in your blood

). Being blown at with a regular 80mm fan.
Regulated output this time only a little over 60 minutes, with my second set of rechargeables (same type as above).

The cells voltages recovered to 3.06 and 2.83V after a few minutes, guess one of them is a little weaker

 

[regulator]

Thanks for the graphs

Thanks for the graphs. I really appreciate those who dedicate the time to do these. I believe they provide the best idea of how a light performs. Anyone can just increase power to the LED to make it brighter - but without knowing about efficiency or regulation, brightness numbers don't tell how well the light "performs".

I'm a bit bummed that when I ordered extra 18650 rechargables that I didn't also pick up a set of the rechargable RCR123's. I bought 10 primaries since my thought was that they are pretty cheap in bulk and would give about 2 hours of regulated light when I wanted to run the G2 at maximum regulated output.

I am still waiting for someone to offer a regulated 3.7V version of the lamp module - with the increased number of people running single lithium ion's, maybe one will be available. The 18650 cell provides a nice amount of capacity.

 

[dudemar]

Pila with Codex. You can crush some bones with this!

There are several things I didn't like about the Codex:

- Only 4 programs, if you want four brightness levels that's it, no more modes for you.
- Strobe ratio can't be more than 5 hertz (0.1 seconds On, 0.1 seconds Off, repeat). Too slow to my taste to be effective.
- 25% is not low enought to preserve night vision, an even lower brightness level would have been useful to preserve night vision and even longer runtimes.
- The light flashes when it starts using Codex so you lose momentary activation (big no no) and furthermore if you want to start it in 25% you have to yet go thru a 99% flash that is very annoying.
- Too bulky for what it does and with the limitations it has

I loved the GL2 with Cree and the Codex is a very interesting gizmo to program your own custom sequences, to my taste the limitations it has are a big disappointment but I'm sure new versions will be improved and corrected.

Luigi

Hi Luigi,

I have some good news for you, but first I'll add my 2 cents.

There are three things that I thought were already on the Codex : pre-programmed letters and messages, and far bigger programming capacity. Imagine how much easier the Codex would be to utilize. I mean it's cool you can program whatever you want, but picking and choosing individual letters would make the job much faster/easier. With an expanded progamming capacity this would be killer.

Obviously the Indium Smart would be the "killer app" in this situation, and my hats off to JonSidneyB, Angus and others for making such a leviathan effort. Until it comes to fruition or an enhanced Codex comes out, we'll just have to be patient.

Another thing that would've made the Codex cool is being able to adjust the power levels using the up/down buttons.

Now here's the good news: you can have momentary on/off with the Codex attached! Well, sort of. When you power the flashlight on with the tailcap switch, you'll see all the digits/symbols appear on the LCD screen. Hold for one second (one-one-thousand), then instantly release and push the switch. It should bypass the Codex, and will remain so as long as you hold down the tailcap switch. It takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it it's pretty easy. I'm not sure how this method will affect the Codex, or if it can damage it. One is to practice this method at their own risk.

Speaking of momentary on/off, I don't think programming Morse code is practical on the Codex. For example, if I wanted to program just one letter, It will take up one of four program sequences. That said I could somewhat fit a three or four letter word (don't let your imagination wander on this one:laughing using all the sequences, but it would be very impractical. One would have to time it just right switching between each letter/sequence, which is a pain in the butt. Memorized Morse code would be far easier to implement than programming one word at a time.

Overall I still love the Codex, but I agree with most of your points. The strobe feature does need to be faster, at least 1/100 sec. on/off. I made up my own programming sequence that is rather disorienting, here it is:

Frame 1: 0.1 sec. 99% Frame 2: 0.1 sec. 25% Frame 3: 0.1 sec. 99% Frame 4: 0.1 sec. 75%

Thanks for the awesome review. Do you have any Cree/Incan beamshots?


Dudemar

 

[letschat7]

I sure wish I could find a NIB Codex to play around with. Of course it would only add weight to an already heavy flashlight.