Stenlight in the UK

vanoord

Member
Copying a thread from elsewhere: StenLight are now available in the UK at http://www.excellentstuff.co.uk

Prices look comparable to (if not slightly better than) the US price once you've taken import duty and VAT into consideration.

I'm almost considering saving up, but I wouldn't mind borrowing one before splashing out.
 

MatthiasM

New member
Perhaps consider also the new Scurion @ http://www.scurion.ch/ms

It may look more expensive, but if you compare the different battery capacities, you must take two from Stenlight. The Scurion has the latest LEDs (Seoul Semiconductor P4), the latest Li-ion accumulators, a waterproof accu box and claims to be antimagnetic (no magnets in the switch).

Best regards
Matthias
 

paul

Moderator
vanoord said:
Copying a thread from elsewhere: StenLight are now available in the UK at http://www.excellentstuff.co.uk

Excellent. I've been using a Stenlight since buying on in the US for about 18 months now and can definitely recommend them.
 
MatthiasM said:
Perhaps consider also the new Scurion @ http://www.scurion.ch/ms

It may look more expensive, but if you compare the different battery capacities, you must take two from Stenlight. The Scurion has the latest LEDs (Seoul Semiconductor P4), the latest Li-ion accumulators, a waterproof accu box and claims to be antimagnetic (no magnets in the switch).

Best regards
Matthias

Yeah the Seuol p4 is the most powerful LeD out there right now I think, that Scurion boasts 400 lumen output... I might have to look into getting one.
 

andysnook

New member
I've been keeping an eye on this one for a while.  Now they're in production it'd be useful to hear independent reviews of how people are finding them.

The specs are very impressive indeed, but i have to be honest - as soon as you make things complicated, they have a habit of letting you down.  And this thing looks VERY complicated.

Anyone out there actual got one/used one ?  Is it really going to survive being the relentless abuse it's going to experience ?
 

Rob

Well-known member
andysnook said:
I've been keeping an eye on this one for a while.  Now they're in production it'd be useful to hear independent reviews of how people are finding them.

The specs are very impressive indeed, but i have to be honest - as soon as you make things complicated, they have a habit of letting you down.  And this thing looks VERY complicated.

Anyone out there actual got one/used one ?  Is it really going to survive being the relentless abuse it's going to experience ?

Are you asking about the Stenlight or the Scurion?

Either way Henry Rockliff has both, i'll ask him tomorrow and try to get him to rite up wot he finks. The Scurion sure does look good though!
 
W

Wolf

Guest
Hello,

I have the Scurion and I really like it. I had it in use on 3 Trips so far but the light output is really enormous (this is especially true for the spot). The big test of the lamp will be on a 5 day trip mid of August, then I can probably tell more about the lamp.

Wolf
 
C

Cave Monkey

Guest
andysnook said:
The specs are very impressive indeed, but i have to be honest - as soon as you make things complicated, they have a habit of letting you down.  And this thing looks VERY complicated.

They are not as complicated as they seem.
Lithium cells require the drain on them and the charge applied to them to be carefully regulated, otherwise they have the potential to explode.
With the increased popularity in lithium cells being used in mobile devices there are loads of semiconductors (micro chips) available on the market that regulate said loads and charges.

The LED that are used are already commonplace in things such as mobile phones, sign lighting, hand torches and even kitchen lighting, again regulation circuits are readily available to control the loads supplied for the LED.

With the correct circuit which could consist of as little as 6 components, including the Lithium cell(s), LED and switch, you could have a perfectly feasible caving light that would run on any voltage input from 1.2v up to 36v providing light for in excess of 25 hours. Making the enclosure is the hard part.

If you have ever taken and Oldham headset apart its simplicity at its best. It is however reliant on moving parts, susceptible to internal corrosion and not designed to be submersible without modification. The FX headsets of traditional style look and feel like kids toys and perform as well.

Comparing the two types, if something goes wrong with the newer LED lights, fixing it could be a major problem, the older mechanical lights can nearly always be fixed underground unless it’s a problem with the cells or bulb and spares are not being carried. But you should always have another form of light on you.

From my experience, LED lighting in all the guises made for caving use (apart form the old FX units) are tried and tested, and are almost bullet proof.

I have included some pics of my homemade hybrid unit using LEDs in the much loved Oldham headset.

lamp1.jpg


lamp2.jpg
 

andysnook

New member
Wolf said:
Hello,

I have the Scurion and I really like it. I had it in use on 3 Trips so far but the light output is really enormous (this is especially true for the spot). The big test of the lamp will be on a 5 day trip mid of August, then I can probably tell more about the lamp.

Wolf

Wow - i'm quite excited about this now.  Keep us updated wont you ?

How heavy is the battery part ?  Given that it's machined aluminium i'll bet its pretty bomb-proof.
 
W

Wolf

Guest
andysnook said:
How heavy is the battery part ?  Given that it's machined aluminium i'll bet its pretty bomb-proof.

I can't tell you exactly in grams but the Scurion is well balanced when fitted on a helmet. But I suppose that the battery itself is more heavy than the alloy case.

Wolf
 

potholer

New member
An Austrian guy I know had a Stenlight, bought a Scurion, and then sold his Stenlight, which I guess is an indication of how he rates the two lights.
He does like having a floody flood beam, though, so I guess an independent-beam twin LED light is particularly to his taste.
 

andysnook

New member
Wolf said:
andysnook said:
How heavy is the battery part ?  Given that it's machined aluminium i'll bet its pretty bomb-proof.

I can't tell you exactly in grams but the Scurion is well balanced when fitted on a helmet. But I suppose that the battery itself is more heavy than the alloy case.

Wolf

I'm actually having to try really hard to prevent myself from ordering one now.  What can i say, i love gadgets - and this one looks like a serious gadget.

My only other question would be about mounting the lamp part.  I have an ecrin roc ready for use as a replacement caving helmet, so it's not been drilled full of holes yet.  I assume it comes with the bracket seen in the photos ?  Two screw job ?

Apologies for hijacking this Stenlight thread and turning it into one about another lamp - soz.
 

Rob

Well-known member
Cave Monkey said:
andysnook said:
The specs are very impressive indeed, but i have to be honest - as soon as you make things complicated, they have a habit of letting you down.  And this thing looks VERY complicated.

They are not as complicated as they seem...

I beg to differ in the case of the Scurion, it is actually more complicated than any other lighting system i've seen. From the website...

lots of easily accessible features
li-ion battery supervision
overtemperature protection
configurable number of brightness settings
transport lock
flexible programmable brightness settings
keeps all settings without battery
settings can be locked (disables programming)

I do REALLY want one though!
 
W

Wolf

Guest
andysnook said:
My only other question would be about mounting the lamp part.  I have an ecrin roc ready for use as a replacement caving helmet, so it's not been drilled full of holes yet.  I assume it comes with the bracket seen in the photos ?  Two screw job ?

The battery tank is fixed with 2 screws and the bracket for the lamp with 3 screws (but using only two of them should be sufficient). All needed screws are shipped with the lamp. I can sent you a picture tonight.
 

andysnook

New member
Wolf said:
andysnook said:
My only other question would be about mounting the lamp part.  I have an ecrin roc ready for use as a replacement caving helmet, so it's not been drilled full of holes yet.  I assume it comes with the bracket seen in the photos ?  Two screw job ?

The battery tank is fixed with 2 screws and the bracket for the lamp with 3 screws (but using only two of them should be sufficient). All needed screws are shipped with the lamp. I can sent you a picture tonight.

Please do - that'll be great.

Ta  (y)
 

potholer

New member
Rob said:
I beg to differ in the case of the Scurion, it is actually more complicated than any other lighting system i've seen. From the website...

lots of easily accessible features
li-ion battery supervision
overtemperature protection
configurable number of brightness settings
transport lock
flexible programmable brightness settings
keeps all settings without battery
settings can be locked (disables programming)
Well, Lithium battery supervision is kind of necessary, unless rely just on the cell protection circuits to do the supervision for you, which would basically mean a light that just goes out with little or no warning. (A multiple-cell lithium battery without circuitry to protect the cells would be a pretty bad idea)

The configurable number and levels of brightness settings and the nonvolatile storage of settings are all really aspects of the same thing. As features of a presumably fairly small microcontroller program, they don't really add complexity in the sense of extra physical failure points, and it's probably not too hard to be confident that adding those features doesn't really affect reliability.
I'd expect that most people (excluding inveterate tinkerers) would at best only change the number of levels, and leave actual brightness settings at the default values.
 

paul

Moderator
Rob said:
Are you asking about the Stenlight or the Scurion?

Either way Henry Rockliff has both, i'll ask him tomorrow and try to get him to rite up wot he finks. The Scurion sure does look good though!

That must have been the Scurion Henry was using last Saturday night in P8, judging by the photos on their website. I was wondering what sort of lamp it was. It looked very bright (I was using a Stenlight on low) but with so many cavers around (and all their lights) it was difficult to see what it was like.


 
C

Cave Monkey

Guest
Rob said:
I beg to differ in the case of the Scurion, it is actually more complicated than any other lighting system i've seen. From the website...

li-ion battery supervision (standard on lithium battery controller chip)
overtemperature protection (standard on lithium battery chip)
configurable number of brightness settings (standard on LED controller chip)
transport lock (Good god, you mean you don’t have to unplug the battery)
flexible programmable brightness settings (Yeah, a few resistors and a switch)
keeps all settings without battery (As do nearly all solid state electronic devices)
settings can be locked (I really don’t know what this implies)

An example of a simple LED driver IC can be found at…
http://www.linear.com/pc/downloadDocument.do?id=5050


I don’t doubt that both the mentioned lights are exceptional pieces of kit, but don’t get blown away by all the gumph they spout to try and sell you the product. Ultimately you have to be happy trusting it.

One little point, using my light before high power LED lights were common, I made an awful lot of people fall over. Having one light in a party that’s so much brighter then everyone else’s, forces other party member to walk in their own shadow.



 

potholer

New member
Cave Monkey said:
li-ion battery supervision (standard on lithium battery controller chip)
Undervoltage cutout is standard on fully protected Lithiums, but a smart lighting circuit could try to detect approaching undervoltage and do stuff like lowering power levels and/or giving a decent warning.
Cave Monkey said:
overtemperature protection (standard on lithium battery chip)
I assume it means overtemperature for the headset (useful if running at highest power settings)
Cave Monkey said:
configurable number of brightness settings (standard on LED controller chip)
On the chip you linked to, there weren't even multiple settings as standard. Having a user-configurable number of settings isn't remotely standard in lights. Can you select whether a Duo 14LED has 2,3, or 4 settings? Can you configure a Nova?
Cave Monkey said:
flexible programmable brightness settings (Yeah, a few resistors and a switch)
I guess it means the user can change what the brightnesses are at various settings without modifying the circuitry.
Cave Monkey said:
settings can be locked (I really don’t know what this implies)
Presumably it means they can be made more difficult to change, so someone playing with a light is unlikely to alter anything accidentally.
 
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