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NZcaver wrote::
Most disturbing was that although the black headlamp continued to function fine, the orange one had issues. I could turn it on, but it would repeatedly shut off again after anything from a couple of seconds to a minute later. Occasionally it would do a funky flashing thing, alternating between 3W and the 4 LEDs for a few seconds and even switching itself back on a few times. I swapped out the batteries for newly-charged ones, and got the same result - the moisture was clearly causing havoc with the switch/electronics.
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bigalpha wrote:Wow, awesome testing. It seem that that the warm water doesn't have any effect on anything; but the culprit is the cold water. That would definitely jibe with cave usage. I wonder if the cold is shrinking the rubber o-ring or something?
fuzzy-hair-man wrote:Are you saying that your Apex doesn't let water in ? how cold is the water in your caves? the reason I ask is one of our club members suggested that it might be that a sudden immersion cools the heatsink and inside of the Apex very quickly, as we all know hot air expands, cold air contracts so if it cools suddenly there is suddenly a suction of the air inside the Apex this is right when it is underwater or covered in water so it sucks the water in, making it that much harder to make it waterproof.
I did have thoughts that if I cooled the heatsink (by dipping only it in water) then went and did the wet section I'd be cooling the light down significantly before it gets immersed..... I haven't tried that yet though....
fuzzy-hair-man wrote:Hey NZCaver you don't want to humour me by trying the 2nd paragraph, ie dunking only the heatsink first and then the headlight? not that it will confirm much (I guess we know the temperature difference is the problem) but it might prove or dis-prove it as a way of minimizing the amount of water that gets into your Apex.
bigalpha wrote:Someone had posted about replacing the reflector in the Apex -- has anyone tried this yet?
I took mine apart the other night...
The 20mm IMS reflector looked to be a good diameter, but its a bit too tall.
Might be worth cutting one down to fit.
I plopped a 17mm IMS in it, which fits, but is a much smaller diameter than the optic.
I actually got a goof bit less Lux out of it though,
yes, it was a smoother beam, with some spill to it,
but I didnt like the drop in lux.
The 5mm leds do a nice job of flood, so I left it stock.
I just wish you could turn on both sets of leds at once.
~John
Biggimo1 wrote:bigalpha wrote:Someone had posted about replacing the reflector in the Apex -- has anyone tried this yet?
I replaced the reflector in my PT EOS. This worked out great and made it more of a useful caving light. I don't own an Apex, but if I did, I would change that optic. I would put in a 17 or 20 mm IMS reflector. I used a 17 in my EOS, but I think the Apex's optic is a little bigger.
bigalpha wrote:I was just wondering if anyone had replaced the reflector, and what kind of difference it made. I thought perhaps changing the reflector would make it brighter/more efficient.
Biggimo1 wrote:You have to see it to beleive it. The reflectors better focus the the center of the beam , making it brighter and whiter, but also gives it more useable side spill. You lose alot of light in the optics.
The 17mm would not be a waste, you would just have to use some silicone to hold down the reflector.
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