Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I modded mine last summer (July?) with a high-cri xp-g from Illumination supply (this), and it works great. If I remember correctly, it was a little tricky trimming the mcpcb to fit and to be at the right height, but it's certainly doable. I used arctic alumina adhesive to attach the LED. I think I turned either a quarter or a pre-1982 penny into a little copper heatsink for it, but I can't quite remember. Good luck all.
Coleman 3AA High Tech LED Mini Lantern
- Thread starter LowBat
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Do you think this neutral XPG-r5 LED would fit in the Coleman? I bought two for my two Rayovac sportsman extreme laterns, but would be great if I could get this in the Coleman as well:
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-24/**NEW**-Cree-XP-dsh-G-R4/Detail
Was the install pretty easy for you?
What does "CRI" mean, specifically?
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-24/**NEW**-Cree-XP-dsh-G-R4/Detail
Was the install pretty easy for you?
What does "CRI" mean, specifically?
Well I took the lantern apart successfully but the wires are so tight that I can't get it assembled back again. I'll try a little bit more but just give up if I can't. I have a modded Rayovac SPortsman Xtreme now and working on my second moded Rayovac, which puts out a ton of light.
Chrisdm
Enlightened
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
- Messages
- 917
I just modded the coleman with a neutral r5, it is much improved. Man those 4 skinny little screws holding the thing together were a serious pita. I had to buy a special skinny screwdriver to get to them, and basically trashed it because those threads were so tight.
I havent done a heat test but i dont think it will do well theres no real heatsink, just a metal plate no thicker than a quarter that the pcb is glued to... but fortunately due to the variable levels design, i dont have to run it maxed out to get good light out of it.
I havent done a heat test but i dont think it will do well theres no real heatsink, just a metal plate no thicker than a quarter that the pcb is glued to... but fortunately due to the variable levels design, i dont have to run it maxed out to get good light out of it.
coachclass
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2011
- Messages
- 109
Coming into this thread really late, but I'm also interested in replacing the LED with a neutral XP-G. From the spec, the original LED is a XR-C, with a forward voltage of 3.5V at 350mA, 0.5A max. The nominal rating for XP-G is 2.9V at 350mA, about 1.5A max. Is there any issues with the difference in specs? I thought that since the brightest setting would have a resistor set to supply 0.5 amps (maybe?), you would be around 42% of XP-G brightness, so over 150 lm?
Any other details on what you use for heat sinking?
I just picked one of these lanterns up and I like it but am considering upgrading the LED and changing some of the resistors in it so as to get better output. I measured the current in all 6 modes using nimh batteries and got the following:
1)7.5ma
2)14ma
3)28ma
4)40ma
5)85ma
6)125ma
I believe the 200 hours runtime, I calculate at ~8ma it should run for about 250 hours or about 10 days off 2000mah nimh batteries. I'm guessing off alkaline or lithium primaries the currents and outputs will be higher. One note is to use a #2 phillips screwdriver on the screws with a long shank using a #1 will probably have you slipping off the heads. Don't overtighten the screws on the LED part they tighten up fast and too easy compared to the base screws. One other thing is the board the LED is on is about 19-20mm not sure of the thickness though so I'm thinking of a 19mm LED on a board should be fine may need to shim it though. I'm not sure if you can drive an LED much harder on a bare board with no extra heatsinking to it I'm wondering if anyone has run LEDs on 19mm boards without external headsinking at over 130ma current through them or not. I'm guessing that on alkalines the current may be about 150-160ma nominal.
I got to thinking off alkalines this thing may run for well over two weeks on low as there is no regulation it could possibly keep running down to nothing.
1)7.5ma
2)14ma
3)28ma
4)40ma
5)85ma
6)125ma
I believe the 200 hours runtime, I calculate at ~8ma it should run for about 250 hours or about 10 days off 2000mah nimh batteries. I'm guessing off alkaline or lithium primaries the currents and outputs will be higher. One note is to use a #2 phillips screwdriver on the screws with a long shank using a #1 will probably have you slipping off the heads. Don't overtighten the screws on the LED part they tighten up fast and too easy compared to the base screws. One other thing is the board the LED is on is about 19-20mm not sure of the thickness though so I'm thinking of a 19mm LED on a board should be fine may need to shim it though. I'm not sure if you can drive an LED much harder on a bare board with no extra heatsinking to it I'm wondering if anyone has run LEDs on 19mm boards without external headsinking at over 130ma current through them or not. I'm guessing that on alkalines the current may be about 150-160ma nominal.
I got to thinking off alkalines this thing may run for well over two weeks on low as there is no regulation it could possibly keep running down to nothing.
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FroggyTaco
Flashlight Enthusiast
Just a heads-up since I have used mine a LOT as a night light for the kids. I'm now having intermittent operation issues from what appears to be spring contact issues.
My lantern has been feed eneloops it's entire service life.
I messed around with the springs & it seems to have cured it for now but before I tried that I was using a "Quik-Clamp" to hold the battery door tighter against the lantern to establish a circuit connection.
Other than that it has been rock solid & provided hundreds of hours of use oftentimes being left on by accident.
My lantern has been feed eneloops it's entire service life.
I messed around with the springs & it seems to have cured it for now but before I tried that I was using a "Quik-Clamp" to hold the battery door tighter against the lantern to establish a circuit connection.
Other than that it has been rock solid & provided hundreds of hours of use oftentimes being left on by accident.
petrochemicals
Newly Enlightened
I would have thought that a low current of 150ma (around 0.5 i guess)would be ok on its board, only one way tofind out, buy three and test it to possible destruction, crank the current until you reccon its getting too hot ie hot to the touch, from what ive read the temperature needs to be beneath boiling point, so if its getting near that the heat isnt dissipating, and will get worse when enclosed in its housing. It of course depends on the components used. Mind you there's ok and then there's brilliant, and that few degrees extra can reduce efficiency by 20%+. You could by a cluster on the same board if the optics allow to split the load. I've run leds off that sort of current very successfully without extar heatsinking than the housing of the light. But i suppose the components will dictate it more,
http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/...-loses-heat-sink-to-engineer-cheaper-led-bulb
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I could always figure out how to add on extra heat sinking I was just sort of thinking that it would be cool to have a high mode of about 300 lumens with 6 modes available I'm thinking a setup of 300/120/50/15/3/0.5 would be most useful and perhaps an XPG2 emitter or maybe an XML2 emitter whichever is more efficient (less heat) at the two higher output stages. It looks like I would need 700ma to drive an XML-2 emitter around 300 lumens it should run for about 2.5 hours off my nimh duraloops at that output.
I think I may just get one of them I have a digital infrared thermometer I can just experiment with a power supply cranking it up and seeing how high the temperature jumps.
petrochemicals
Newly Enlightened
To be honest if I was going to crank a lantern up that high (3 watts?) id go for a central pillar. One of the things that makes flouresant tubes so goood in mi opinion is that you get a diffuse light over a long area, theyre just not great if you knock them when I operation. I you centrally position 3 leds centrally I reccon that lantern will be very good. A few more optics for a smooth light and please frost the glass, and I would be a superb lantern, thats bump proof. 3 120• degrees equal 360•degrees. One thing I always thought was missing from this forumn was an optics area. I find any small lantern very hard on the eyes, especially so if the output is bright and the optics poor, fortunatley rather than just sticking in efficient led in they are also begginning to think about optics more.
