Monday, September 15, 2014

Testing the CREE 5000 Lumen XML U2 LED HeadLight

The CREE 5000 Lumen XML U2 LED HeadLight was a topic of discussion at Ride Dual Sport.  The product seemed well built from the pics and at less than $18 shipped it seemed like a must try.

The unit comes complete with a the LED light, rechargeable battery (with a nice nylon case), handle bar mount, and charger.


The light feels solid and well built.


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So how does it perform?  First off; it's bright.  Really bright!!!  There are three brightness setting, but honestly, the dimmest seems plenty bright.  I ran the light from full charge to dead on LOW and HIGH.  On LOW a 4.5 hour run time was observed.  A Keithley 2110 5 1/2 digit precision digital multimeter was used to record current draw.


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The battery pack puts out 8VDC, so don't connect the headlight straight to a 12VDC motorcycle or car battery without spending 60 cents for 7808 regulation.  


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Current shown by the Keithley 2110 with the unit in STANDBY mode; ~50 hours estimated.



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Current shown by the Keithley 2110 with the unit in LOW mode; 4.5 hours observed.


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Current shown by the Keithley 2110 with the unit in MEDIUM mode; ~2 hours estimated.  



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Current shown by the Keithley 2110 with the unit in HIGH mode; 1.5 hours observed.

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The unit is built well, works great, and is a fantastic value.