# Small AA-powered LED headlamps?



## paulr (Dec 20, 2004)

I wonder how many LED headlamps exist, that are powered by one or two (not more than two) AA cells. That means they need voltage boost circuits. I think Princeton Tec makes one but I can't think of any others. I'm asking specifically about AA powered lights, not AAA, CR123, or any other type of battery. Can anyone list any?

Thanks.


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## Stanley (Dec 20, 2004)

CMG (now Gerber) has a Tracer which runs 1AA. Or was that 2AAs?


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## SilverFox (Dec 20, 2004)

Hello Paul,

The Matrix2 is the Princeton Tec one you were thinking about.

Tom


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## mrme (Dec 20, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*Stanley said:*
CMG (now Gerber) has a Tracer which runs 1AA. Or was that 2AAs? 

[/ QUOTE ]
If it is the one I think you mean, it is 1 AAA. 

There a re several cheap headlamps that run on 2 AA batteries. They look quite a bit like the Princeton Tec headlamps, but are really crummy. Harbor Freight puts them on sale from time to time for anywhere from $1-$5. Wal-Mart charges closer to $7 I think.


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## ACMarina (Dec 20, 2004)

PT Matrix is awesome. .


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## Stanley (Dec 20, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*mrme said:*
[ QUOTE ]
*Stanley said:*
CMG (now Gerber) has a Tracer which runs 1AA. Or was that 2AAs? 

[/ QUOTE ]
If it is the one I think you mean, it is 1 AAA. 

[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry, my bad, it is 1AAA after all... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif


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## PeLu (Dec 23, 2004)

There was the British Luxbrite with 9 5mm LEDs and tehre are now several Chinese headlights with 7 or 12 LEDs or one Luxeon clone.
All of them run with 2 AA cells and are somewaht waterproof. I do have a couple of them.


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## Denny Francisco (Jan 6, 2005)

paulr,
I have a PT Aurora(three 5mm leds) and liked it until I got the PT Eos(1 watt luxeon), which is very much brighter with a compromise medium beam and oh, so white. Eos is my favorite headlamp and I use it all the time. Great beam, easy intuitive switch(PT has the simplest, friendliest switching), very compact single strap headband. Flashlightreviews.com also agrees on it's superior design. 

I also was looking for a headlight using AAs, and found it with the new Black Diamond Zenix IQ. The original Zenix was not that bright but the IQ model is awesome, making the Eos look pale. It has three light levels and uses 2 AAs. In addition it has a battery power indicator(doubles as a "find me" constant tiny flashing led) and also two 5mm leds, also with three levels. It has a very white medium-wide beam, although mine has some annoying peripheral rings also. It uses a headband and top strap with the battery case in the rear. Got it from www.caves.org/imo. I'd say it's a pefect caving light and that's how I'll use it. 


My question to throw out for grabs is, Why don't we have a compact 2AA flashlight, 1 watt luxeon with 3 light levels? With side-by-side AAs, you could have a non-rolling pocket light that would have some throw, yet dimmable for long running time? Two /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gifAAs cost a buck for 2 hours use of a 1 W. luxeon. Can't get that economy with 123A lithiums, even mailorder.

Denny Francisco


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## paulr (Jan 6, 2005)

Thanks, the Zenix IQ looks like a nice light, but bigger than I'd hoped for. It has a top strap and a rear battery pack. I'd thought that using 1 or 2 AA's instead of more might make it possible to have an all-in-one unit like the PT Aurora.

Re side-by-side 2AA light, you can put the Matrix module into the Princeton Tec PT20 or Aqua Flare, but those have large heads and aren't really pocket lights. I think the UK 4AA eLED lamp module will physically fit into their 2AA flashlight. It won't work, but it shows they could do one with boost electronics that would fit in that light. Neither of these is dimmable.

Generally though, small plastic flashlight bodies and 1 watt Luxeons don't mix, since powerful LED's emit a lot of heat. (Incandescents waste about the same amount of energy, but it goes out the front as infrared. LED's have to be heat-sunk by the actual flashlight body).

Also, 2 hours of runtime isn't so good for alkaline cells. They perform best at lower power levels, like 4+ hours. That is, they contain a certain amount of energy when new, but if you try to get it out too fast (like in 2 hours), you lose a lot of it.


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## Alan (Jan 6, 2005)

I agreed with Denny. I just got a Zenix IQ the day before yesterday. I like it so much and got a 2nd one yesterday just for backup.

The top strap could be removed and I did remove one. I don't have Matric 2 but I do have a Solo with EverLED installed. Before I got Zenix IQ, my Solo w EverLED is one of my favorite small AA headlamp.

By the way, unlike regular Zenix and Yukon HL, its dimmer 5mm does drain less power than the 1 Watt.

The rear battery pack doesn't bother me that much even when lying down for reading.

Alan


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## Denny Francisco (Jan 7, 2005)

Paulr,

I think plastic bodies for headlamps are the way to go, and allow compact units like the type you seem interested in. Overdriven handhelds need the aluminum bodies for heat dissapation, but you don't get the compact shapes needed for a headlamp, nor do you get long burn times. Both the PT EOS and the BD ZENIX IQ are NOT overdriven and their internal aluminum heat sinks work fine. If you want a compact single strap headlamp with a nice white beam, I don't think you can beat the EOS. The Zenix IQ is brighter and uses economical AAs but adds bulk with the rear battery pack. Once you've had a dimmable luxeon, it's HARD to accept those darn blue 5 mm leds! The dimmable luxeon can rack up some impressive burn times for long night hikes and caving. The secret in utility, in my opinion, is being dimmable, and I predict with confidence, the dimmable luxeon will become the dominant light source for headlamps and many handheld flashlights in the very near future. Surefire's U2 is the expensive handheld dimmable, but I bet inexpensive versions are on the drawing boards as we speak.


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## paulr (Jan 8, 2005)

Denny, the EOS is a nice light but it runs on AAA's. For the purpose of this thread I'm specifically _only_ interested in AA lights, not AAA, or anything else that isn't AA. I'm quite aware of any number of good AAA lights but finding AA lights with similar characteristics is more difficult which is why I started a special thread asking about them. I haven't ruled out AAA lights for this application, but I know what I need to about them already, so I'm trying to find out about AA lights, which I know less about.

I'm not trying to give you a hard time, I simply thought I'd made it clear what I was looking for and what I wasn't looking for. Thanks for the suggestion and if you have any ideas about AA lights I'd still be eager to hear them.


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## LowBat (Jan 8, 2005)

I wish someone would make a single AA headlamp that powers a single led, and have a thin retractable strap. That way you'd hardly feel it around your head and wouldn't worry about using up the cheap AA cell.


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## paulr (Jan 8, 2005)

LowBat, yes, Gerber makes a very nice 1-cell, 2-led headlamp called the Tracer (formerly CMG Tracer), but it uses an AAA. A lot of us wish there were an AA version.


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## pedalinbob (Jan 8, 2005)

i8 am building one, paul.

i found a cheapie ray-o-vac kid's 2xaa headlamp (aka optronics, i think) for $6. it appears to be pretty nicely made, with a clicky on the side, and decent strap. it uses o-rings throughout. plenty of room to cram everything inside.

im placing a luxeon III driven by a micropuck in it, and using a switch w/resistor to create a low beam.
i dont believe heatsinking will be a concern, since i have used the same combo in 2 angleheads with difficulty.
the star will be bolted to a small computer heatsink.
oh...and i can choose my optic.

i like aa bats as well, especially with step-up electronics. this allows me to use whatever i like: alkie, lithium, rechargeable, whatever.

just food for thought.

Bob


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## cy (Jan 8, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*pedalinbob said:*
i8 am building one, paul.

i found a cheapie ray-o-vac kid's 2xaa headlamp (aka optronics, i think) for $6. it appears to be pretty nicely made, with a clicky on the side, and decent strap. it uses o-rings throughout. plenty of room to cram everything inside.

im placing a luxeon III driven by a micropuck in it, and using a switch w/resistor to create a low beam.
i dont believe heatsinking will be a concern, since i have used the same combo in 2 angleheads with difficulty.
the star will be bolted to a small computer heatsink.
oh...and i can choose my optic.

i like aa bats as well, especially with step-up electronics. this allows me to use whatever i like: alkie, lithium, rechargeable, whatever.

just food for thought.

Bob 

[/ QUOTE ]

bob, I've got a kids ray-o-vac $6 wally spl sitting right here thinking of the same thing. 

but I'm waiting for Lamda's new bi-pin led for $10. 35+ hours of runtime at brightness better than TNC N-cell. 

should require almost no mod to install. I just did the $12 version of same light by dropping a TWOK star. 

the bi-pin led will drop right in there too. ray-o-vac ez headlamp mod


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## pedalinbob (Jan 8, 2005)

Sweet!!!

i will have to llok at the lambda drop-in.
sounds VERY nice!

Bob


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## PeLu (Jan 10, 2005)

The Zenix IQ looks nice, how regulated is it (semi or full)? 
And it is really cave-proof?


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## Flying Turtle (Jan 10, 2005)

I kind of like my Tracer headlamp. It does a nice job for only one batt and two LEDs. Warning, it is far from waterproof. It is the smallest and lightest out there except for those lights using button batteries. I happened to find mine on sale at REI for $16. Just checked their site and it's gone. This one could be a discontinued light since Gerber's takeover of CMG.

Geoff


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## StuU (Jan 10, 2005)

The 3AA Pelican 2630 headlamp looks pretty cool. Does anybody have one of these?


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## paulr (Jan 10, 2005)

Pedalinbob, your 2aa/micropuck light does sound interesting. For this application I'd been thinking in terms of something lower powered and ready made. A 1AA (instead of 1AAA) version of the Tracer would be perfect.


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## stringj (Jan 11, 2005)

Look here.
http://tinyurl.com/5p227

Jerry


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## StuU (Jan 11, 2005)

Thanks stringj. These headlamps seem pretty rare. Maybe I will order one from Pelican.


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## mossyoak (Jan 18, 2005)

the princeton tec corona 8-led 3AA headlamp also the first 5mm led headlamp to get a five-star rating on flashlightreviews.com


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## Kiu (Jan 20, 2005)

I like my BD ZENIX IQ very much. Good runtime with 2AA. Total 5 or 6 level of brightness. Just swap the original LD to HD if you want more flood light on high.


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## carnal (Jan 20, 2005)

was someone looking for the tracer?

http://www.pocketlights.com/gerber_tracer.asp

powered by one aaa bat
Burn time: 10 hours peak; 40 hours of usable light 
Water-resistant 
Pivoting head 
Removable over-the-head strap


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## Alan (Jan 21, 2005)

Tracer doesn't use AA.

Alan


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## Barry_Handler (Jan 23, 2005)

Hi-
New to site but looks interesting. I'm trying to see if I can adapt an LED headlight for use in the operating room. One came on the market (www.visiled.com) last year but I cannot contact the makers to get a price (have heard they're asking around $3000) I've found a cheap $25 headlamp from China with a ?1W luxeon star. It's not bright enought to keep up with a halogen or xenon source I presently use. It runs on three AAA batteries and I'd like mine to use a 7-12 V rechargeable lithium and ideally should run for 4-8 hrs. The light from the headlamp I bought was too blue. Anyone with any ideas?


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## cy (Jan 23, 2005)

Welcome to cpf barry H

What you want to check out is the upcoming HDS 100 lumen headlamp. 

to keep up with or exceed a hotwire setup, you would need either a tri-lux 3watt setup or a single high bin 5watt luxeon light. 

I just did a EZ mod with a common Ray-o-vac headlamp by inserting a TWOK luxeon. runs on 3x AAA and gets 4-5 hours runtime. but is going to be no where near bright as you need. 

To get that kind of runtime and 100+ lumens output. you may need to consider a belt battery pack.


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## Barry_Handler (Jan 23, 2005)

cy-
Thanks for the reply. I've been studying the luxeon products. The five watt light, from what I can tell, will need a heat sink in addition to the one built into the PCB. I was hoping to use one or two lithium ion camcorder batteries to power this contraption. The guys at www.visiled.com claim 4 hrs run time and hot swapable batteries on the headband and the whole thing only weighs 16 oz. The hot swap seems doable if a large enough capacitor is added to the circuit but this is not that important a feature. With a battery belt they claim 9 hr run time. I just don't know how much light to expect from a single luxeon star 5. Everybody expresses light output in different measurements. As I said, I bought a headlamp prety similar to yours made in China. I opened it up and it has a luxeon star-presumably 1 watt. Also thought of swapping it out for the 3 or 5 watt star. I could put the voltage regulating circuit in the space that now holds the AAA batteries and attach a 7.2 volt lithium battery to the headstrap.


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## cy (Jan 23, 2005)

Barry H,

I just viewed the visiled page. can't tell much details. they don't go into spec's at all. 

claiming a four hour runtime, with two luxeons. not that hard to achieve using 2x 18650 2400 mah li-ion cells. 

amodotech sells 2x 18650, 2,400 mah protected li-ion packs for aprox. $20 ea. 

one can drive 1x 3watt Kbin prefered with 1x 18650 in direct drive or with simple resister to limit current. there are a number of different boards available depending upon what is more important. 

a 5watt's vf or forward voltagle is higher than 3watt. would need a board to boost voltage to required. 

A very simple possible mod is to take a surefire U2's head and mount on a headband to a 18650 batt pack. but draw back is costs starts to mount up at $270 for U2. true not even close to $3K

advantages is you will have imediately a very reliable veriable 100 lumen white light source. please note lumens or flux is very hard to measure. lot's of bogus claims floating about. 

general rule of thumb is a 3watt putting out 48 actual lumens out the front end is a very bright 3watt. 

luxeon lottery count extra, a 5watt can range from 65 lumens to 150+ lumens out the front end. high bin 5watts are rare no matter how much $$$ you want to throw at a light. 

then again you may be better off looking at HDS's upcoming 100 lumen headlamp system.

black diamond headlamp below is an excellent candidate for a luxeon mod using 3x AA cells for a Kbin Direct drive light.


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## Hoghead (Jan 25, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Barry_Handler said:*
the whole thing only weighs 16 oz. 

[/ QUOTE ]

A headlamp that weighs 8 ounces is (for lack of a better term) a full sized headlamp. I think a 16 ounce headlamp would be a monster. A light weight headlamp usually weighs 2 to 3 ounces.


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