I've finished building the Electric Ultra Orange Model 1. It now uses NiMH batteries (much safer). Two Tenergy 2/3AA 700mAh batteries are hooked up in series. Unlike the prototype, it's reasonably easy to replace the batteries. It still requires cutting zipties and replacing them with new ones, but these batteries should give years of service, so I don't think it's an issue.
And this time, I actually bought a couple of Cyalume(TM) Ultra Orange sticks to compare!
It's a bit longer than the prototype. You can see it compared to the 12-inch Cyalume(TM) (SnapLight sub-brand) and standard 6-inch Cyalume(TM) sticks. It's obvious I used the shell of a 12-inch stick to build the EUO.
Zipties are inserted through both the external tube as well as the inner tube, making the whole thing pretty solid. Bottom tube contains only some wiring and the on/off switch. All the main components are in the main tube, so it should be able to take a bit of abuse without breaking.
I'm using my most versatile charger (Multiplex) to charge the batteries. For long-term stability, 300-400mA charging rate should be used. In a pinch, 700mA rate is probably okay, but I don't want to reduce the life of the batteries.
This is the basic set up. You can see the empty foil for the Cyalume(TM) 5-minute stick on the bottom. I am using the real thing, not some cheap knockoff brand. Also, this picture was taken after the comparison was completed.
This is the timed sequence of over an hour. Believe or not, Cyalume(TM), cracked after warming to my body temperature, is actually brighter for the first 5 seconds or so. However, that advantage lasts no more than 10 seconds. Also, Cyalume(TM) light is more yellowish orange, compared to the almost pure 605nm orange light from the LED stick. It's impossible to tell from the picture, but the orange color from the LEDs stands out better than the yellowish color of the Cyalume(TM), at least in my opinion. Last image at 61 minute mark shows a regular single-LED stick held by me. Basically, at that point, Electric Ultra Orange is not any brighter than a regular stick, so I stopped the test.
Larger version (less than 3 seconds after Cyalume(TM) activation).
Larger version (30 seconds after Cyalume(TM) activation). Electric Ultra Orange is already beating the Cyalume(TM).
Larger version (5 minutes and 50 seconds after Cyalume(TM) activation). They don't call it "Ultra Orange" for nothing. It really does only last 3 minutes or so. It's actually more like 1 minute, if you ask me.
Larger version (33 minutes and 47 seconds after Cyalume(TM) activation). Electric Ultra Orange is still doing fairly well. Realistically, I think 45 minutes is about the usable time for the Electric Ultra Orange. Good thing is that when better batteries come out in the future, it can be upgraded for a longer runtime.
