flashlight @lemmy.world vext01 @lemmy.sdf.org 1 yr. ago

Question about Olight specs

I wonder if any Olight owners can clarify something about their specs.

Take the i5t for example:

Level 1: 300-150-30 lumens, 3+25+122 minutes.
Level 2: 15 lumens, 20 hours.

Those measurements for Level 1, does the torch abruptly step down to the next luminosity, or are those readings more like samplings of a smooth discharge curve?

Thanks

5 comments

It abruptly steps down. It is solely dependent on the timing also, so it will always step down exactly the same.
- Interesting. So the throttling isn't to do with battery voltage, but time.
  
  Is this to stop the torch overheating?
  
  What happens if you run it in high mode until it throttles, then later switch back to high mode?
  
  Ya, it's just based on time. If the battery is low enough it will throttle from that sooner. I'm pretty sure switching back to high mode resets the timer until temperature or battery voltage starts contributing to throttling. I could be wrong on that, I don't use my olights super often.
Expanding a bit from what you asked, you'll find lights with the following behaviors with regard to battery voltage:

Output is the same in all modes regardless of battery voltage

Output is limited by battery voltage in maximum or near-maximum modes, but unaffected in other modes

Output is proportional to battery voltage in all modes

And when the battery gets low, you might see any of the following

The light turns off from full brightness

Brightness is reduced suddenly providing a low-output reserve mode

Brightness decreases as the battery nears empty, shutting off when a limit is reached

Brightness decreases as the battery nears empty, but does not intentionally shut off, which can damage Li-ion batteries