Mr.Lite KC-05





Mr.Lite is a manufacturer with a broad selection of lights, here I am taking a look on a AAA light. The light is a small but solid looking aluminum tube coated with a bright color. The user interface on this light is a surprise, see below.
As can be seen from the pictures, I have the pink version but the light also exist in red and yellow versions.






The light arrives in a small metal box with foam insert. There is not much in the box, only the light and a manual.



The light has a Cree XR-E led in a smooth reflector



Looking into the back of the head, the driver board can be seen.



The battery tube has some good threads and a o-ring. Power is connected from the end of the tube to the outer ring on the driver board. The light has a spring in the bottom of the battery tube, i.e. no battery crusher here.



The tail has an eye where a split ring can be added and even with the slit ring mounted it can tailstand. In the comparison below I think this light has the best tail for key chain use.



The light is a twisty, i.e. twist the light together to turn on, twist fast off/on to change level. The user interface has many settings on this light, as the above diagram shows, but for people prefering less levels this is not really a problem, because the light can be ordered with other user interfaces. If I want a medium-high-strobe, I can just order that and Mr.Lite will reprogram the light.




I think that the light is a practical design for a keychain light. The big plus for this light is the possibility to get a custom user interface. I would have liked a few more possibilities for color, the current selection is mostly for girls/women.



Technical specification and measurements



The light uses one AAA battery. The light can use all 1.5 volt chemistries (Alkaline, Lithium and NiMH), but not LiIon batteries.

Measured size and weight:
Length: 74 mm
Diameter: 14.4 mm
Weight: 28.4 gram with eneloop AAA battery

The light uses a Cree XR-E Q2 led.

The light has 5 brightness settings, controlled with pwm and 4 flashing modes



I have collected all modes in a table, the values with gray background is from the specifications for the KC-05. For the brightness I used a luxmeter and then scaled the values, the pwm is measured with my oscilloscope and a light sensor, the current with my DMM on peak/average (Fluke 289). For the estimated runtime I have take the current measurements and divided into 0.8 (i.e. a 800 mAh battery), this is a very rough estimate.
PS: The , in the table is a decimal point.




The light uses pwm at 300 Hz to regulate the light, but looking at the signal it contains other frequencies, both from the regulation and from the boost converter. The above trace is from #3 brightness (60% pwm). it shows both current (red) and light (blue). Note that the current continues a little bit after the light has been turned off, this is probably the reason that #4 and High brightness uses nearly the same current.



Doing a voltage sweep, shows that the brightness rises with the voltage (This is normal for AAA lights) and that the current is limited to around 1.3 A. The light will turn on at about 0.8 volt and stay on down to about 0.5 volt.



Measuring the runtime, confirms that brightness #4 and High is very close. At High I get 42 minutes, #4 is 45 minutes, #3 is 64 minutes and #2 is 186 minutes (3 hours and 6 minutes). All is measured with 800mAh eneloop cells.



Strobe is a fast 15 Hz strobe with high brightness.



The low sos uses #2 brightness and both dot and space is 0.5 second long, it takes 12.6 second to send the sos and then there is a 50 second pause, before the next transmission.



The high sos uses #4 brightness and same timing as above.



The Stand-by mode is a slow beacon, each 8.2 second it will give a 0.05 second flash with #2 brightness.



Comparison to other Flashlights



I have selected the following lights for comparison (Same sequence as picture): Mr.Lite KC-05, 4Sevens Preon I, ITP A3 EOS Upgrade, Maratac AAA, Fenix LD01



Measuring the output with a ceiling bounce the KC-05 does match the other AAA lights in brightness.



Comparing all the levels, the KC-05 has lots of levels but lacks the low levels. With the possibility of ordering other user interfaces, it might be possible to change that.



For an AAA keychain light KC-05 has a fine throw (Looking on the photos below it can also be seen that it also has a good spill).



Beamprofile

Mr.Lite KC-05, 4Sevens Preon I, ITP A3 EOS Upgrade


Maratac AAA, Fenix LD01




Beamprofile, reduced exposure

Mr.Lite KC-05, 4Sevens Preon I, ITP A3 EOS Upgrade


Maratac AAA, Fenix LD01




Lowest brightness

Mr.Lite KC-05, 4Sevens Preon I, ITP A3 EOS Upgrade


Maratac AAA, Fenix LD01


Dark reference:




Mr.Lite KC-05


Low, #2, #3:


#4, High:


Low:


#2


#3


#4:


High:




4Sevens Preon I


For more information about the light, see my Danish review.

Low, medium, high:


Low:


Medium:


High:




ITP A3 EOS Upgrade


For more information about the light, see my Danish review.

Low, medium, high:


Low:


Medium:


High:




Maratac AAA


For more information about the light, see my Danish review.


Low, medium, high:


Low:


Medium:


High:




Fenix LD01



This is the LD01 with a XP-E led.

Low, medium, high:


Low, medium, high:


Low:


Medium:


High:




Notes

The light was supplied by Mr.Lite for a review.