Petzl Duo 14 LED

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Petzl Duo 14 LED

Postby NZcaver » Oct 6, 2006 3:36 pm

In another thread hank moon wrote:
NZcaver wrote:I've heard something about "new" Petzl Duo inserts (a brighter-than-before 14 LED module, I think), but haven't seen the specs.


Well...have a look...

Image

Thanks for the info, Hank! :kewl:

OK. If this uses new technology LEDs, I assume those times refer to just the regulated output? Actual run time (although giving dimmer light) is much longer - right? That's the only way I can think these specs would make sense, especially when compared to something like the Princeton Tec Apex.

14 LED Duo (with alkalines) -
34m for 3.5 hrs (max)
26m for 10 hrs (opt)
15m for 63 hrs (min)

Apex using only 4 LEDs (with alkalines) -
23m for 8.5 hrs regulated - 100 hrs total run time (high)
13m for 14 hrs regulated - 150 hrs total run time (low)

If I'm reading this right... LED-for-LED the Apex seems to get more efficiency out it's LEDs, although the settings on the Duo appear to be more efficient overall than the Apex 4 LEDs.

So if this 14 LED module does use "new" LEDs, was the same module initially produced using the older generation LEDs (and later updated) - or do all 14 LED modules use the same LEDs? And if this IS an updated version, when did the update occur and how does a buyer know they are not getting the old stock version?

Do the 5 LED and 8 LED modules available now from retailers use brighter LEDs than before, or are they the same old modules? The current specs on the Petzl website are different from the old ones (I saved the old PDF), but could the difference merely be that Petzl is now quoting the regulated run time instead of the total run time?
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Re: Petzl Duo 14 LED

Postby hank moon » Oct 6, 2006 4:02 pm

*** the bottom chart lists the TOTAL runtime; the top chart lists regulated LED runtime.

So if this 14 LED module does use "new" LEDs, was the same module initially produced using the older generation LEDs (and later updated) - or do all 14 LED modules use the same LEDs?

*** The new module uses the new LEDs and its regulation circuitry is different.

And if this IS an updated version, when did the update occur and how does a buyer know they are not getting the old stock version?

*** New ones bear a sticker reading "new LED technology +30%" - runtime and output have been increased overall.

Do the 5 LED and 8 LED modules available now from retailers use brighter LEDs than before, or are they the same old modules?

*** 5 and 8 do not use the brighter LEDs.

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Postby NZcaver » Oct 6, 2006 4:05 pm

Wow! Thanks for the fast reply.

Oh yeah, I see the bottom chart showing the total run time now. :doh:

Now... can you send me one to evaluate? :big grin: $80 for a 14 LED module is just a little too steep for me.
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Postby killian » Nov 14, 2006 4:11 pm

the 14 LED is on sale right now for somewhere around 54 dollars at Karst Sports .com go to the main page and click something along the lines of bargains or something..
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Postby JoeyS » Nov 14, 2006 8:23 pm

killian wrote:the 14 LED is on sale right now for somewhere around 54 dollars at Karst Sports .com go to the main page and click something along the lines of bargains or something..


Yes but this is just the replacement LED array/reflector, not including the Duo itself it seems.. Still a pretty good buy if you love your Duo platform but are longing for the benefits of LEDs.
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Postby Ralph E. Powers » Nov 15, 2006 9:29 am

A couple of my students went all out in buying gear to exploit the new caving bug that bitten them. The gear included new Petzl Erin Roc helmets complete with 14 LED Petzl Duos. They've been quite happy with them so far in terms of area visibility and brightness of the light in complete darkness. They haven't (to date) gone on a caving trip long enough where a battery change was required mid-trip but that'll come soon I suspect.
I'm still primitive in the fact that my headlamp is the old Petzl Mega which utilizes either 3-C cells or 3-AA batteries and the halogen bulb. My back-up is a 4 LED lamp though (along with a LED mod to my mini-mag, though I'm wondering if the Maglite company is going to make a modification/adaptor for their now 3 watt LED's... another thread).
Between 50 and 80 bucks is a bit steep for the adaptor at this time but with 14 bright LED's it's worth the price, considering the expense of batteries and run time, IMO.
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Postby Mike Cato » Nov 15, 2006 3:43 pm

Got the 14-LED upgrade for my Duo from Karst Sports for fifty-something bucks a couple of months ago. It's great. I'm so happy with it I'm not even going to check when I get home today to see if it has the newer LEDs. The upgrade was worth it. Also, I've got the Duo-belt version which uses 4 C batteries. Made two through trips at Sinking Cove Cave and a 4 hour bushwhacking night hike in Newsome Sinks on one set of batteries before it auto-switched to a lower brightness. Great improvement over the old incandescent bulb. Light spread is wide and completely uniform. Plus, the halogen bulb is still there for long distance spotting.
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Postby Realms » Nov 15, 2006 8:51 pm

a good mod on the Duo would be to replace the low beam with a Luxeon 3 watt or even a 1 watt. Upgrade cost including regulator w/dimmer would be less than $30. Maybe I could do one and post the how to pics :-) its really simple.
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Postby potholer » Nov 16, 2006 2:26 pm

Dumping 3 Watts of heat from inside a Duo might be interesting - the casings don't really seem built for heat loss
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Postby icave » Nov 16, 2006 3:53 pm

Replacing the low beam, which is usually replaced with LEDs, with a 3 W LED would lead to a light with two high beams. In my opinion, that would make the light useless for most applications. The wide angle beam provided by the low light LED replacements is what has made the Duo so popular. Now replace the high beam with a 3W, and the low with super bright standard LEDS, and you have a good light. (Except my Apex will still be smaller. :banana: )

I still think the DUO has some good potential, I'm personally just a bit bitter about having one that has 3 out of the 8 LEDs burnt out (no I didn't use any strange batteries) and turns on and off depending on how I jiggle the power cord. For reference, the 3 LEDs burnt out within a year after the warranty expired.
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Postby hank moon » Nov 16, 2006 4:32 pm

icave wrote:I still think the DUO has some good potential, I'm personally just a bit bitter about having one that has 3 out of the 8 LEDs burnt out (no I didn't use any strange batteries) and turns on and off depending on how I jiggle the power cord. For reference, the 3 LEDs burnt out within a year after the warranty expired.


Did you contact Petzl about the burnout? If not, please do!

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Postby Wayne Harrison » Nov 16, 2006 9:11 pm

I received the original Petzl Duo as a Christmas present and then upgraded to an 8 LED array a year later ($60 or thereabouts). Now, the 14 LED is available for about the same price. So when I figure in the cost of the original light, plus the $60 and now another $60, I have a couple of questions: should I even upgrade and would I better off just buying a new Duo and the 14 LEDs instead of buying just the LED module and putting it in my old Duo?
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Postby Realms » Nov 16, 2006 9:47 pm

I haven't had a heat issue out of my 3watt stars thus far and also the halogen in the duo gets much hotter than the luxeon.(if you look closely at my avatar you can see the (3) 3 watters there) But yeah I can see where having 2 high beams would be defeating the purpose. Ok try this. Don't use a reflector with the 3 or 1 watt. You will be amazed ;-) Instead of having a directional light you will have one of the most awesome evenly spread extremely wide angle patternless ambient lights short of an open flame :-) I like the Duo's got 3 of them. Good little rig to mod.
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Postby potholer » Nov 17, 2006 5:53 am

Thing is, a halogen can happily run at temperatures that would shorten a Luxeon's lifetime, so can survive even in a light where less attention is paid to heat paths to the outside. I guess in your homebuilds, you have good escape routes for the heat.

I do agree about unfocussed Luxeons - as part of a twin-beam setup, they can be sweet for close-up work like crawls or climbs, or for general moving-around in known and/or small passages where distance vision isn't important.
Run at very low power, they can be great for sitting around waiting for people in a tiny pool of light, or for climbing out of deep vertical trips where you don't particularly want or need to see a long way up or down.
They're also stunningly good in a headtorch for use a reading light when camping with a good book.
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Postby Realms » Nov 17, 2006 1:43 pm

I'll give it a try and see what happens :-)
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