# A new light xml U2 light (review)



## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

While spending way too much time googling compact helmet lights I found 
this one 
HI-MAX 1300Lm CREE XML T6/U2 LED Headlamp Rechargeable Headlight set | eBay

Any how I received the kit a couple day ago.
The reason I chose this one was the U2 emitter,smaller size ,and the overall design of battery case and the light housing and had the OP reflector.

Well it is cool. The head unit is small sexy and very well made.

specs

The lens is 31mm
light head 4.7cm
4.3cm wide 
110gms

I took the bezel off and found the Op to be nicely Machined reflector 8.4gms (should absorb some heat) The bezel clamps the reflector to the emitter spacer tightly, I added a small amount of arctic silver heat past between the base of the OP and the spacer just for kicks.

The cord exits the head unit with seal grommet.

Beam shot at 6 ft with my 808 xmlT6 clone with SMO of off same battery pack using y adapter.
The big Brighter spot is the Hi-Max As you can seen it blow my xml clone ( i have two ) away.

Has o rings on body of housing as well as bezel between the glass .

Uses trail tech style connector that have the locking o ring.

More to come...including pics


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)




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## roadrider1 (Mar 20, 2012)

Nice! Like the machined look and battery case seems well done. Looks like it is a bit shorter than the MS808 but about the same diameter? Also, how many days did it take to get it?


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

roadrider1 said:


> Nice! Like the machined look and battery case seems well done. Looks like it is a bit shorter than the MS808 but about the same diameter? Also, how many days did it take to get it?


An 808 is 4.7 c'mon diameter vs the
The hi max is 4cm flat side to flat side or at its widest it 4.3
It's about 1. 3 cm shorter than the 808.
About 2 weeks to arrive.
It looks wicked in person. The light output is considerably more than my 808's.
Awesome!


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## Pedalfast (Nov 4, 2005)

It looks interesting. Keep us posted after you test it on a ride.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Reelchef67 said:


> An 808 is 4.7 c'mon diameter vs the
> The hi max is 4cm flat side to flat side or at its widest it 4.3
> It's about 1. 3 cm shorter than the 808.
> About 2 weeks to arrive.
> ...


Interesting. I would be interested to know how much current the _Hi Max_ pulls on high. With the wider beam pattern it should be more of a flood output. I am curious to know how the two different lamps compare in actual throw. The only way to demonstrate that would be with a couple outdoor beam shots. To bad it is only a two mode. Nice looking lamp head though. The hexagon shape was popular a year or so ago. I'm glad to see it is still knocking around.


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## Dwayne (Jun 3, 2005)

This is the same light sold by advmonster, I've been using it as a commuter light since August. Nothing to write home about, it's been reliable, but the button on the back always glows green, it doesn't chance color as the battery charge goes down (I think it's supposed to). Typical symmetrical beam, good spread though without too much of a hotspot. There's been a thread before about it:
http://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussion/advmonster-com-waterproof-bike-light-757010.html


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## PedroDank (Oct 27, 2012)

Funny thing, i just came across this clone light a few minutes ago  
I'm looking for something cheaper or as cheap as my 808 clone...but stronger. This one looks good. It is a clone too, but it looks strong and with a great beam pattern for my commuting. Too bad the lens is 8mm smaller than MS's wide angle lens... It is floody, but i love the wide angle lens. 

Reelchef67, will you provide outdoor beamshots of the 808 clone vs this one?  Too bad the 808 has the smooth reflector, otherwise it would be the perfect comparison as mine has an OP instead.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

PedroDank said:


> Funny thing, i just came across this clone light a few minutes ago
> I'm looking for something cheaper or as cheap as my 808 clone...but stronger. This one looks good. It is a clone too, but it looks strong and with a great beam pattern for my commuting. Too bad the lens is 8mm smaller than MS's wide angle lens... It is floody, but i love the wide angle lens.
> 
> Reelchef67, will you provide outdoor beamshots of the 808 clone vs this one?  Too bad the 808 has the smooth reflector, otherwise it would be the perfect comparison as mine has an OP instead.


I love those wide angle lenses too, good new for you is that sinse this light has a smaller diameter you can just grind down the 39mm lens to fit. If your using this light for commuting/road another thing you might want to consider is glueing the lens to the front of the bezel instead of replacing the stock len with it. The benefit to this is that it makes a glowing ring the thickness of the lens around the front of the light and increases your side visiblity. I accidently ran across this modifying a Gemini Olympia light sinse it was the only way I couild think of to mount the wide angle lens with a optic equiped light. Another thing I want to mention is that the Action wide angle lens does not work the same with all lights. It didn't have near the dramatic effect using it with the Olympia and I didn't like it at all with my Xera w/optional reflector, though it worked fine mounted to the front of the Xeras bezel with the standard optic. It's easy to test though, all you have to do is hold the wide angle lens on the front of the light and you can see what the beam pattern is going to look like before you modify anything.
Mole


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## PedroDank (Oct 27, 2012)

That is great Mole, thanks for your feedback. I am using it for road/commuting, yes. Are you going to try yours with the wide angle lens?


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

I will try to get some beam shots tonight.
Personally I'm sure it clone as I can't find no company selling such a light .

Mine says made in Korea and there is Korean website ( that I can't read ) that has some intersesting pics, as well they are on Nasdaq as publicly traded company..



PedroDank said:


> Funny thing, i just came across this clone light a few minutes ago
> I'm looking for something cheaper or as cheap as my 808 clone...but stronger. This one looks good. It is a clone too, but it looks strong and with a great beam pattern for my commuting. Too bad the lens is 8mm smaller than MS's wide angle lens... It is floody, but i love the wide angle lens.
> 
> Reelchef67, will you provide outdoor beamshots of the 808 clone vs this one?  Too bad the 808 has the smooth reflector, otherwise it would be the perfect comparison as mine has an OP instead.


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## PedroDank (Oct 27, 2012)

That is great, thanks!

Here is your seller (the clone maker): CREE XML U2 Hight Performance Head Lamp_Headlamp_HI-MAXMALL You can use google translate to translate the entire wepage, or you can dynamically do that with google chrome.
Dwayne already told us the original manufacter: ADVmonster.com

Sometimes the clones are almost as good as the originals... This one, for example, seems to be pretty great.


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

I am sceptical of clone "theory" having looked at Adv's post and my li which is not close but Identical in every aspect of the light including battery bag wire thickness , connectors, minus the name on the bezel.


Quote from ADV 's post " I am glad that someone brought this up. That is the same style housing that is used by us and a couple of other companies. 
I would not be surprised if the Adv sourced the light overseas to their specs (This is very common in retail products) made some additions like thermal paste on the reflector base and and epoxy adhesive where the wire comes out of the head for strain relief.
Adv does not have the light on their website anymore btw.

I have electronics back ground as well as machining( i have a lathe/mill etc)
I took my head unit apart and it is very well machined and designed right down to water proof grommet where the wire leaves the head unit. 
I like the light so I am happy


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

PedroDank said:


> That is great Mole, thanks for your feedback. I am using it for road/commuting, yes. Are you going to try yours with the wide angle lens?


Pedro, I don't actually own one of these lightheads. In one of your previous posts you made it sound like being able to use the Action wide angle lens was an important factor in choosing a light and I just wanted you to know that with a little work it can be used with any light that has a lens diameter of 39mm or smaller (although results can vary).
I have plenty of lights at the moment (8 lightheads & 5 batteries) so I'm not buying anything soon, but if you decide to get this clone lets us know how it works for you.
Mole


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## mb323323 (Aug 1, 2006)

Here's a spot XML U2 clone. Looks like they are just starting to come out now.

2 in 1 1800 Lumen CREE XM L U2 LED Bicycle Bike Headlight Light Headlamp A3 15W | eBay

Maybe someone will take the plunge who already has a T6 clone and give us a comparison.

MB


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## PedroDank (Oct 27, 2012)

MRMOLE said:


> Pedro, I don't actually own one of these lightheads. In one of your previous posts you made it sound like being able to use the Action wide angle lens was an important factor in choosing a light and I just wanted you to know that with a little work it can be used with any light that has a lens diameter of 39mm or smaller (although results can vary).
> I have plenty of lights at the moment (8 lightheads & 5 batteries) so I'm not buying anything soon, but if you decide to get this clone lets us know how it works for you.
> Mole


Oops, I'm sorry, i thought you were the thread starter... 
However, I will post photos if i do get this light or any other kind of other U2 clone as i also have a T6.



> [Here's a spot XML U2 clone. Looks like they are just starting to come out now.
> 
> 2 in 1 1800 Lumen CREE XM L U2 LED Bicycle Bike Headlight Light Headlamp A3 15W | eBay
> 
> ...


That got me thinking... My clone is a 9W (at least that is what the eBay seller is saying - i can't actually measure it) T6 headlight and this one is a *15W U2* led. It should be pretty powerful! I've checked the LED datasheet and i can see the U2 is ~8% brighter under the same Amps. So...it is 60% more powerfull (15W vs 9W) + 8% more efficient. 
That should make a noticeable difference...


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

I used the u2 last night on my ride. I didn't take beam shots as it was very foggy.
However here's what I could discern .
1) it does not throw like my XML Mj clone 
2)The light fill was much more usable in stock form, rendering a wide Angle lens pointless
3) my riding partners all voted it the brightest of my three lights.
I had 1 mj 808 xml clone with a Smo
1 mj 808 XML clone with two wide angle each st 90" to each other.














I think I will be adding two wide angle lenses to my 2nd 808 clone as the spot was pointless on my bars. The U2 on my helmet worked great.
However It did not stop me from going Otb on the first log crossing last night resulting in three massive bruises on my left thigh and hip bone. I forgot my fork lockout was on and hit a root at the base stopping me dead and cartwheeling me onto a bunch of cedar roots with my bike on top of me.
Barely walking today. Felt like fell three feet onto a pile of 2x4 's...


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## PedroDank (Oct 27, 2012)

Thank you very much, Reelchef67. That is a great review and it made me happy.  
I don't need a thrower, but a light that can illuminate a good area in front of me, as i will be riding mostly on road. 

You mentioned something very curious: two wide angle lens mounted in a 90º difference. How is the beam pattern of that configuration?! 

I wish you a quick recovery!


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## mb323323 (Aug 1, 2006)

I'm sore just reading that. Hope your back on the bike fast!!


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

PedroDank said:


> Thank you very much, Reelchef67. That is a great review and it made me happy.
> I don't need a thrower, but a light that can illuminate a good area in front of me, as i will be riding mostly on road.
> 
> You mentioned something very curious: two wide angle lens mounted in a 90º difference. How is the beam pattern of that configuration?!
> ...


Thanks Pedro
Btw it's still a thrower but wide too(very happy with that)
I came across using two wide angle lenses online somewhere. It turns the beam from 10x30 to 30x30.
Works brilliantly, I used a little plastic glue to stick them together at 90" it's easier to line it up that way.


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

mb323323 said:


> I'm sore just reading that. Hope your back on the bike fast!!


Thanks 
Right now it's hovering close to freezing now making woodwork and roots teflonic..
It's going to be a bit before I ride on that..


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## PedroDank (Oct 27, 2012)

Hm, a 30x30 would still make it a spotty beam, but a bit wider, right? I guess that is a cool setup for road use if i pointed even lower to the ground. I will try to find that on that web and see if i can see some photos for comparison. 

Just one more thing: when you say it is the brightest, is it only due to the spotlight or as whole considering the illuminated surroundings? (my english gets funnier when i get sleepy...)

EDIT: 
Found you  http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/magic-shine-808-xml-clones-825449.html
That looks great. How did you glow them? I know the wide angle lens has a roughed stripped surface and a smooth one... Did you glue only the smooth side of them? That beam pattern would be a great addition to my bar lights (already have a 808 clone with wide angle there) while commuting and road biking.

EDIT2:
What do you think of these one: 2 in 1 1800 Lumen CREE XM L U2 LED Bicycle Bike Headlight Light Headlamp A3 15W | eBay ? It is 30$


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## WVBikr (May 18, 2009)

I have had this light about a year now. I consider it a disposable light at this cost. So far so for Me it has a spotty beam but no where near 1800 lumen



mb323323 said:


> Here's a spot XML U2 clone. Looks like they are just starting to come out now.
> 
> 2 in 1 1800 Lumen CREE XM L U2 LED Bicycle Bike Headlight Light Headlamp A3 15W | eBay
> 
> ...


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

PedroDank said:


> Hm, a 30x30 would still make it a spotty beam, but a bit wider, right? I guess that is a cool setup for road use if i pointed even lower to the ground. I will try to find that on that web and see if i can see some photos for comparison.
> 
> Just one more thing: when you say it is the brightest, is it only due to the spotlight or as whole considering the illuminated surroundings? (my english gets funnier when i get sleepy...)
> 
> ...


I aligned the two flat side to flat side at 90" then clamped them gently together and dabbed a tiny bit of glue at 2 spots just on the edge. Let dry
Just barely glued is all u need.
I used methylene chloride which welds plastic , but u could use a little thick NOT thin! Crazy glue


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## PedroDank (Oct 27, 2012)

Hm, ok, thanks!

I guess i should be ok with one wide angle lens pointed closer to the bike (the 808 clone i already have) and that 30x30 a bit further but also too the ground...that will give me a nice pattern for road biking. What do you think?


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

Sounds good should work fine


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## PedroDank (Oct 27, 2012)

Thanks! That will probably be my final setup.

I'm sorry to be a PITA, but could you please provide an outdoor picture of that 30x30? It really looks interesting, but i want to make sure i'm not wasting money...  Take your time, I don't need to buy it just now. Will only do so probably in around 2 weeks...


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## robinmbers (Dec 14, 2012)

yeah,I used methylene chloride which welds plastic , but u could use a little thick NOT thin! Crazy glue


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

Huh?


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

I just ordered one of the HI-MAX 1300Lm CREE XML T6/U2 light off ebay (HI-MAX 1300Lm CREE XML T6/U2 LED Headlamp Rechargeable Headlight set | eBay)

I should get it first week of January. I'm excited to get more tinkering going on on my bikes 

edit. Should I be alright with the stock beam pattern of this light as a weekend warrior type of night riding ? Or should I go ahead and get the wider lens so I can have everything in time ?


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

David C said:


> I just ordered one of the HI-MAX 1300Lm CREE XML T6/U2 light off ebay (HI-MAX 1300Lm CREE XML T6/U2 LED Headlamp Rechargeable Headlight set | eBay)
> 
> I should get it first week of January. I'm excited to get more tinkering going on on my bikes
> 
> edit. Should I be alright with the stock beam pattern of this light as a weekend warrior type of night riding ? Or should I go ahead and get the wider lens so I can have everything in time ?


Cool 
Depends on your plans
I would not ride without a light on my helmet.., 
If its on your bars you will be blind while turning corners.
The light has good spread, it's somewhere between a spot and wide.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Thanks. I'm planning to put this one on my bars and eventually get a helmet one too.

I'll be riding mostly wide and quite easy trails, nothing fancy, and also for the next months there will be plenty of snow to provide ambient light I should might not even need the light much 

For me it's really an experiment to see if having a light setup will really push me to go ride more often at night like I think I will or will not do much difference to my riding pattern... If I get to go ride more, then I'll check for helmet light too. How did you fix the light in a good and reliable way to either your helmet or bar ? The o-ring system has left me suspicious of an too easy to happen failure and I'd hate to waste my ride fighting with the light mount.

Thanks for the help


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

You' ll be fine on the bars with the trails you plan then. The oring system is very secure and not flimsy and if you wipe out it lets the light move instead of breaking a rigid mount.
I ride some gnarly north shore Vancouver trails , o ring mount are the way to go.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Surprised to hear that. I had trouble to believe that those o-ring mounts were actually not just a quick fix. I'll take your word for it and see for myself.

Anyway I'm not a fast rider in tech stuff, more of a slow, but enjoying type of rider. Still have to get a lot of MTB skills in and unfortunately not having many real MTB trails around here are leaving me with the basics. But it's alright. I only ride for the god damn sake of simply riding my bike  fast or slow, it's all about enjoying it.


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

Same here, I'm 45 I ride because I can.
Doesn't matter how fast , or how hard it is. Just being outside and moving and getting in shape. I am a gear junkie , so I'm lit up


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## wayonbird (Dec 17, 2012)

It looks interesting. Keep us posted after you test it on a ride.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Just got the light in yesterday. Everything in the package looked good, I ran the battery down after playing around a little first, took about 4 hours on max output to empty the battery pack out of the box. Then charged it overnight and now I'm waiting for the next night ride to go check it out !

I've also went riding for a few hours yesterday, so I got a good idea of the trails condition after that big snow storm, will be helpful when I go back at night. Power is great and beam looks wide enough to my untrained eyes.

I'd like to mount the light on the front of my helmet, but that headband thing isn't gonna make it around the helmet. I thought about using a piece of pipe attached to the helmet to mount the light on. Ideally would be to screw in a little pod, so it looks clean and secure. My concern with helmet mount however is what happen if I crash. I'm afraid the light will be ripped off or damaged, considering I'm usually going OTB a few times every ride, nothing hard, just kissing the snow bank, but I don't think it would be good for the light.

And I was wondering if you should charge the pack after every ride or if you should wait for it to be near the end (at worst by monitoring the run time and guessing how much battery left there is afterward) ?


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

Lithium batteries prefer to be charged after every ride , not drained and charged.
I cut the straps of one of my head mounts ( I have 3) then use 1 inch Velcro straps from Home Depot to strap to helmet. I route my wire along top with smaller velcros so does not snag.
I have been Otb several times light is fine.. The oring let's it move and not get damaged.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Thanks for the tips 

We just had another snow storm, so no riding tonight. Bike is a real ***** to pedal around and even more to clean up since I have to ride in the city to get back home, and all the streetshit is clogging up and I can't let it sit overnight with all the salts and chemicals, my brake rotors and drivetrain don't like it... But once you get to the mountain, it's a lot of fun ! I just wish I would have bought a lighter bike to begin with, instead of that 40lbs FR pig.


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

40lbs? Yikes and I thought my bike was heavy @32lbs...
Snow bites , we still have only rain here in Vancouver , unfortunately I have whiplash from a bad Otb so I can't ride right now. I was lucky could have been worse..


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Yeah... it was my first mtb, and I had quite a good deal on the bike. Was pretty much new and decent specs, plus at the time I didn't wanted to buy used too much since I wasn't familiar with all the fancy mtb stuff 

Now I bought a nice '00 XC bike in mint condition, one of my dream bike actually. But can't ride it till I first get some workshop remodeling done in my basement... Plus I'll need a disc wheelset, and eye-balling the carbon rim from china... otherwise I'd rip riding that bike at under 28lbs ! A GT XCR3000 with i-drive suspension is sooooo sweet 

But yeah, till I somehow save $1 800 and manage to justify spending it on a $2 400 MSRP frame hand made in Bromont (Xprezo Super-D), then swap the parts over, I won't have a 150mm AM frame under 5lbs in my collection.

At least at 20yo, I still have years ahead of me 

And considering I'm about 110lbs without gear, it's easy to understand how I can run out of breath pushing that bike uphill. At least I'm strong.


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

20yo ... Rub it in...why don't cha


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

haha, well I don't think age matter much, it's all in your head.

As long as you ride


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## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

What kind of run times are you getting with this light?


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

the mayor said:


> What kind of run times are you getting with this light?


I got at least 4 hours out of the factory charge on the battery pack. At the beginning of the thread, the info is posted I think.


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## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

D'oh! just saw that....Thanks!


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## hernluis (Nov 16, 2008)

*settings*

by the way, how many brightness settings does this light have?


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

hernluis said:


> by the way, how many brightness settings does this light have?


Three modes in the following order :

Steady Hi
Steady Low
Flashing Hi

You click the button to switch from hi, low, flash and off. Honestly I would have taken the flash setting in low-output, since you're more likely to use it to only show your presence and at max output it simply look like a stroboscope and not very useful at all.


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## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

mb323323 said:


> Here's a spot XML U2 clone. Looks like they are just starting to come out now.
> 
> 2 in 1 1800 Lumen CREE XM L U2 LED Bicycle Bike Headlight Light Headlamp A3 15W | eBay
> 
> ...


After seeing this thread..I just ordered the Hi-Max U2
I might order one of these clone U2s also at that price.
Thanks for all the details here, guys!
Finally replacing an old Niterider Moab that is starting to have some issues....


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Well I tried it last night on a short urban commute just for fun. Power is awesome and beam pattern is nice. Good ambient light and spot. Weather is awful to ride in unless you wanna spend over 1 hour cleaning out your drivetrain and bike after the ride. Streets are full of salt and chemicals so unless you drive to the trails, it's killing your bike. Sad. I'll see if I could take some pictures of the light beam though.


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

Salts nasty, glad you like the light.
Thankfully I live beside the trail head so I just ride without roads...


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Meh, I have like 2-3 km to do on a bike path, so it's not that bad since when you ride the trails all the nasty stuff kinda wash out. But it's the ride back that just coat the bike all over again and you don't even have enough energy left in your body to at least wipe the chain... That's why I like it better at least below -5°C, so the streets stay dry.

But yeah, for the price I really like it when I see the cost of similar "genuine" big brand name setup. I mean, it's just badass to light up the whole street when riding your bike


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## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

Finally received my light. It took about 4 weeks from Singapore to Boston,MA.
I got a pretty good deal on Ebay on a non buy-it-now auction....ended up getting it for $43.
Great light...low weight...
I ran it on the helmet with a 3X XM-L clone on the bars.
Best set up I have ever had....


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

Nice, I went for a night ride last night by myself on a local xc/ DH trail. I ran 2x808 wides on my bars and the hi max on my helmet. It was awesome .
However a little unnerving as there are cougars, coyotes and bears in the area...


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Reelchef67 said:


> Nice, I went for a night ride last night by myself on a local xc/ DH trail. I ran 2x808 wides on my bars and the hi max on my helmet. It was awesome .
> However a little unnerving as there are cougars, coyotes and bears in the area...


Lucky on my night rides downtown, I just have to watch out for cougars


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## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

Looks like Hi-Max is selling this light direct at $45....and they sell the battery also
CREE XML U2 Hight Performance Head Lamp_Headlamp_HI-MAXMALL


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

Good deal , great small light


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## ironbrewer (Oct 17, 2012)

Does it come with a battery or not. I can't tell. the verbiage is hard to follow.



the mayor said:


> Looks like Hi-Max is selling this light direct at $45....and they sell the battery also
> CREE XML U2 Hight Performance Head Lamp_Headlamp_HI-MAXMALL


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## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

ironbrewer said:


> Does it come with a battery or not. I can't tell. the verbiage is hard to follow.


Yes it does. I have gotten 5 hours out of the battery.....don't know how much longer you can get out of it.
Great light.


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## ironbrewer (Oct 17, 2012)

What did they charge for shipping??

It looks like they want to charge a minimum of $18.50 for shipping, or is that if you want it faster.


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## Reelchef67 (Aug 21, 2011)

Dunno I got my on eBay..


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Well it's been since january that I've used this light (maybe 15 times total) on both trails and streets, and I'm happy with the performance of the whole package. However I think I would have to get a more "spot" beam type of light to mount on my helmet if I was to do more technical trail riding at night. But for urban and trail riding, this is a good compromise.

I've been very happy with this light except for a few nights ago when I was coming back home at 2am from a friend's house, halfway home the light went off and left me without any safety light to cars to notice me. The little green light for the switch was still on, but the LED light was out. I was just riding along in the streets, no trails...

So today I took it all apart and couldn't find anything wrong, except for the volt meter reading of the current going in the emitter. High mode read 1.00v, low mode 0.38v and strobe 0.50v. A quick search tells me that this CREE XM-L should be running on 3v, and a few amps, so I took a pack of 2 AA rechargeable batteries that reads 2.75v and hooked them right on the emitter, giving it at least 2.7v, but still no sign of success. Last thing I tried was to set the light on high mode (1v) and also use the 2AA battery pack to boost it up to over 3v and all in a sudden I revived the light, like you'd get your car's engine to start up again and run on it's own during winter.

My guess now is that the 8.6v battery pack included with the light (which has to be the cheapest thing on earth to get into the $60 price tag) and failed to give enough output in amps to get the emitter running again. Right now the issue is not happening again, but I would like to make sure it won't do it again, even more that I have a 25km night ride next friday and I can't afford any technical issues. I'm not too light savy, but I'm pretty good with everything electric/mechanic, so I would like to hear some advices as to what I could do next to make sure this will not occur again (beside getting a better battery pack). I'll keep the light on evening to drain the pack and charge it back at least, and check if the light goes off again with plenty of juice left.

Thanks for your help


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

David C said:


> Well it's been since january that I've used this light (maybe 15 times total) on both trails and streets, and I'm happy with the performance of the whole package. However I think I would have to get a more "spot" beam type of light to mount on my helmet if I was to do more technical trail riding at night. But for urban and trail riding, this is a good compromise.
> 
> I've been very happy with this light except for a few nights ago when I was coming back home at 2am from a friend's house, halfway home the light went off and left me without any safety light to cars to notice me. The little green light for the switch was still on, but the LED light was out. I was just riding along in the streets, no trails...
> 
> ...


First thing is; You broke the golden rule, never ride at night with just one lamp. That is "Never" a good idea and a big no-no. I'm assuming that you took the lamp home and tried to recharge the battery and it still wouldn't work. If that's so then this is not a good thing. The fact that the light went out "while riding" is not a good sign. ( I take it the lamp has battery indicators and the indicators showed you still had power (?) )

If you had a replacement battery ( and charger ) it would help in narrowing down what the issue was. Without more information it is impossible to know where the problem lies ( with the lamp head or the battery ). If the lamp is still on warranty ( usually three months ) you might try contacting the seller to get a replacement. The Hi-Max stuff has been around for quite a while. This is the first I've heard of one failing. That said, there is a first time for everything.

( *Edit: Sorry I reread what you wrote. If you tried hooking up current directly to the emitter with the AA's ( and did it correctly ) and nothing happened that is not a good sign. Chances are the emitter is burned out. If so that is very rare. If you are able to measure the current levels ( not voltage ) on the emitter terminals ( if they are exposed ) that would let you know if it is the driver or the emitter. ) I'm also assuming that you are able to measure the voltage on the battery and can determine that it is functioning normally. )


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Well I did not measure the current (amps, right ?) and I should have done so while I had it all apart.

I just got a full 5 hours out of the battery pack tonight. I had charged the battery a few days before that night, and was only commuting for 1.5km home anyway, so it wasn't that critical. So the battery (and/or lamp head) got issues within the first 30 minutes (and about 5 minutes after I turn it on on my way back) on a full charge.

The voltage at the emitter connection when I had no light from the emitter at high lode was 1v, while the voltage at the same high mode, but when the emitter worked again was about 3v.

My understanding of what happened is the following : something happened with either the emitter, battery pack of circuit board causing the emitter to receive an amount of power too low to power up, a bit like neon lights, and when I boosted it up above 3v with the battery pack plus the 2AA's, everything got started again and haven't been showing any more issue since (I left it on for 5 hours inside).

But when I had only 1v reading at the emitter and no light, the emitter was heating up significantly, like it would when light is on, but since there wasn't light, I assume there was something bad going on, like a short circuit or looping resistor.

Since the emitter is alright now, and the battery pack didn't showed any issue since, my guess goes to a glitch in the circuit board and a potential sign of sudden failure from a component of the circuit board. I'll try to see about the warranty, but I bought the light in late December, so 3 months are far gone already. Worst case replacement parts should be easily available, considering the wide hobby market of these CREE LEDs. I'll be spending a few months in the USA in 3 weeks, so I can always order stuff and build a backup unit meanwhile. Most of the light value is in the CNC'd body anyway, everything else can be had for around $10 each from what I can see on the webs.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

David C said:


> ...*But when I had only 1v reading at the emitter and no light, the emitter was heating up significantly, like it would when light is on, but since there wasn't light, I assume there was something bad going on, like a short circuit or looping resistor.*
> 
> Since the emitter is alright now, and the battery pack didn't showed any issue since, my guess goes to a glitch in the circuit board and a potential sign of sudden failure from a component of the circuit board. I'll try to see about the warranty, but I bought the light in late December, so 3 months are far gone already. *Worst case replacement parts should be easily available, considering the wide hobby market of these CREE LEDs. I'll be spending a few months in the USA in 3 weeks, so I can always order stuff and build a backup unit meanwhile. *Most of the light value is in the CNC'd body anyway, everything else can be had for around $10 each from what I can see on the webs.


If the lamp is heating up with no light being produced than this should send up red flags; something is likely shorting out or there is a loose connection within the lamp.

I don't know why you are considering replacement parts. These are so cheap you just buy another lamp head and it should cost about the same amount ( minus all the work of trying to DIY ). Just keep the old one for parts. Many lamps being sold around $30, this is just an example. Personally I like the D99 for just over $33 ( light head only ). If you really like the look of the Hi Max lamp ( and want to stay with it ) you might try contacting the seller to see if they can sell you just the lamp head only.

Now if you can fix the issue and are sure all things are good I'll tip my hat to you. Regardless you need two lights, even if one is just a cheap torch reserved for back-up. Personally I usually use two lamps unless I'm riding on the road. Even then I still carry a torch that can be mounted on the bars in case one lamp fails. Add to that I also carry a small mini AA pocket torch for emergency repairs. At night, you never know what can happen.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Yeah, you're right. Well my trails here are on the mountain which is right in the middle of downtown, so even if your light goes out, there isn't a big safety issue, you'll simply have to call it a day and ride back home (which is pretty close). If I was to go ride trails out in the wild, I would carry a backup. I'm still experiencing how much night riding I'm doing before deciding to invest in a full setup or just keep it casual. 

I have to say I really like the look of the Hi Max, but I guess I should be looking at the trail, not my lamp  For $30 I might also get a night fishing light setup for this summer by the ocean.


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