LRI Photon Freedom

[lampeDépêche]

Update- If you sent me a Photon for a Yuji emitter, it's on the way back to you. They just went in the mail at the P.O. I had one Photon 3 sent to me- momentary at the front, click on at the rear. Your emitter needed to be unsoldered and re-soldered. It's been years since I soldered, so if you have a problem with it, let me know and I'll happily do it again. Enjoy, folks!

Scout24, this is beyond generous of you. I hope the recipients are properly grateful.

What's a "Photon 3"? I've never heard of that, and google doesn't find it for me.

 

[carrot]

Scout24, this is beyond generous of you. I hope the recipients are properly grateful.

What's a "Photon 3"? I've never heard of that, and google doesn't find it for me.

The Photon 3 was a discontinued Photon that had two switches on the face - the front being for momentary at full power and the back an electronic switch much like the arrangement on the newer Photon Freedom. Besides being able to go from any other level straight to high momentary and back again (like the Surefire Lx/A2/EBx-T/EDCLx-T), functionally the same as a Freedom.

 

[lampeDépêche]

The Photon 3 was a discontinued Photon that had two switches on the face....

I'll be darned. There I thought I was a Photon Phan-boy, but I have never heard of this one. Must not have been in release very long, either, given how few traces there are on the web. (Though I did finally see a picture of one).

I don't see it offering a *lot* of functionality over the Freedom. A bit, and it would be nice to have the option, but I can see why LRI may have decided it did not justify complicating the product line and inventory control.

 

[carrot]

I'll be darned. There I thought I was a Photon Phan-boy, but I have never heard of this one. Must not have been in release very long, either, given how few traces there are on the web. (Though I did finally see a picture of one).

I don't see it offering a *lot* of functionality over the Freedom. A bit, and it would be nice to have the option, but I can see why LRI may have decided it did not justify complicating the product line and inventory control.

Boom. I found a Photon 3 review over at The LED Museum, which is, incredibly, still up and around. I miss seeing Craig around these parts.

 

[archimedes]

Boom. I found a Photon 3 review over at The LED Museum, which is, incredibly, still up and around. I miss seeing Craig around these parts.

Yes, those reviews were (and are) entertaining ....

 

[iamlucky13]

I see allot of post concerning the use of the 2032 vs the 2016. I was able to find my post, from sometime ago, to answer my questions concerning this same subject

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/183955

It's a pity Photobucket has blocked the photos, but the description helps - getting any useful light from a coin cell after 12+ hours is awesome. It's seems I've been too stingy with my own coin cell light.

I wanted to add a comment that the low forward voltage of the Yuji's should help bring the brightness of running 1 x 2032 closer to that of 2 x 2016 cells. If anybody has the Yuji emitters and is just running with the stock battery configuration, I think it's worthwhile get a 2032 battery to try out and see if it is satisfactory to you.

 

[gurdygurds]

Pretty sure kitrobaskin found that his Yuji Photon was brighter running a 2032 than a pair of 2016.

It's a pity Photobucket has blocked the photos, but the description helps - getting any useful light from a coin cell after 12+ hours is awesome. It's seems I've been too stingy with my own coin cell light.

I wanted to add a comment that the low forward voltage of the Yuji's should help bring the brightness of running 1 x 2032 closer to that of 2 x 2016 cells. If anybody has the Yuji emitters and is just running with the stock battery configuration, I think it's worthwhile get a 2032 battery to try out and see if it is satisfactory to you.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

One 2032 battery may be satisfactory for some. Was initially worried the higher voltage of a pair of 2016's may cause Yuji failure but so far it has not. It is brighter. Curious to hear from other users.

 

[lampeDépêche]

One 2032 battery may be satisfactory for some. Was initially worried the higher voltage of a pair of 2016's may cause Yuji failure but so far it has not. It is brighter. Curious to hear from other users.

Just to make sure I understand you: the Yuji is brighter with the 6v, 2x2016 set-up, right? That's how it works for me, Yuji no different from stock emitter in that regard.

One thing about the Yujis--in my experience, they have almost no hotspot. I have one that I put into a Gerber Infinity Ultra, and the beam it shines is pretty much like a 90-degree mule.

That's good if you like even, smooth light. But if you want your Photon to throw, then it will not. The Photon stock LED probably gives you about 3k-4k lux, with a fairly ugly color and artifacts (not as bad as an E01, but in that direction). The Yuji probably gives you sub-1k lux with perfect color and no artifacts.

For my uses, that's okay. But don't expect throw!

 

[this_is_nascar]

It's a pity Photobucket has blocked the photos, but the description helps - getting any useful light from a coin cell after 12+ hours is awesome. It's seems I've been too stingy with my own coin cell light.

I wanted to add a comment that the low forward voltage of the Yuji's should help bring the brightness of running 1 x 2032 closer to that of 2 x 2016 cells. If anybody has the Yuji emitters and is just running with the stock battery configuration, I think it's worthwhile get a 2032 battery to try out and see if it is satisfactory to you.

Interesting. I see the photos when I view the thread.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Video with comparisons. One can see how much brighter the sunlight Yuji is over the warm Yuji. The warm had a single 2032. The sunlight had fresh 2016's. Not an exact comparison between battery choice, true.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ct4aWQTdjaI

 

[Tixx]

Video with comparisons. One can see how much brighter the sunlight Yuji is over the warm Yuji. The warm had a single 2032. The sunlight had fresh 2016's. Not an exact comparison between battery choice, true.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ct4aWQTdjaI

I don't think that would even be a proper comparison of brightness if running 2 different voltages through the leds. Run both with 2x2016 or both with 1x2032. Otherwise this is not going to work at all.

 

[iamlucky13]

Interesting. I see the photos when I view the thread.

Strange. Yesterday, I got Photobucket's bandwidth exceeded message. Today, I can see them. Anyways, thanks for digging that up.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

I don't think that would even be a proper comparison of brightness if running 2 different voltages through the leds. Run both with 2x2016 or both with 1x2032. Otherwise this is not going to work at all.

The question was difference with the two different voltages. I remember my tests showed a definite difference but now have found the photos. This was an attempt to give some perspective at best.

Yuji daylight in Photon II with new 2032
https://goo.gl/photos/FgGofMJPMU5DhbWX9

Yuji daylight in Photon Freedom with fairly fresh 2016's (Notice overexposed image, showing a brighter beam than the new 2032 battery, direct driven Photon II)
https://goo.gl/photos/i3Toe3mxYK11725Z8

Taken from post#186 of this thread

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?424438-5mm-LEDs-Any-love-left/page2

 

[Tixx]

The question was difference with the two different voltages. I remember my tests showed a definite difference but now have found the photos. This was an attempt to give some perspective at best.

Yuji daylight in Photon II with new 2032
https://goo.gl/photos/FgGofMJPMU5DhbWX9

Yuji daylight in Photon Freedom with fairly fresh 2016's (Notice overexposed image, showing a brighter beam than the new 2032 battery, direct driven Photon II)
https://goo.gl/photos/i3Toe3mxYK11725Z8

Taken from post#186 of this thread

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?424438-5mm-LEDs-Any-love-left/page2

Thank you! Sorry my post sounded like a jerk. I read it in your quote and should not have been so curt. Appreciate the links. Thanks!

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Thank you! Sorry my post sounded like a jerk. I read it in your quote and should not have been so curt. Appreciate the links. Thanks!

ANYONE who likes Yuji emitters and Photon pinchlights is clearly not a jerk. They are to be respected and given as much slack as needed. I figured I was not clear enough for the kind of fast moving knowledge-seeking so many of us enjoy.

 

[lampeDépêche]

ANYONE who likes Yuji emitters and Photon pinchlights is clearly not a jerk.

This is a good example of why I like this forum. Kitrobaskin says I'm clearly not a jerk!
Whereas, everybody who meets me in person says that I clearly am a jerk!

No--it's weirder than that: they say I'm a jerk, even when I pull out my collection of Yuji emitters and Photon lights and offer to explain to them the difference between CRI and CCT!

Anyhow--last night I did a quick and dirty mod of a Gerber Ultra Infinity with a Yuji 3200k light. (It takes a minimal amount of soldering--even I can do it).

I am still amazed at the quality of the Yuji 3200k light. It's the most perfect warm glow, somewhere between incan and candle-light. It not only makes the colors pop, it also makes depth-perception work better. I was down in my pitch-black basement with my ZL H502w and my Yuji-fied GUI, trying to get an eyeball estimate on the Y-GUI's output by comparing it to the ZL's levels. I think it's fair to say that it's right around 10 lumens--a little less than the H502w on M2 13 lumens, quite a lot more than the H502w on L1 at 3 lumens.

Anyhow--the really amazing difference was how much more depth-perception I got with the Yuji-fied GUI. Incredible. The ZL H502w has a pretty good tint overall--not at all bad. But by comparison, it made everything in the room silvery-hazy, and it flattened out all of the shadows and made everything seem to be at the same distance. The Yuji made everything stand separate from everything else. Pretty striking visual difference.

 

[Bimmerboy]

Quite enjoying this thread, T_I_N.

A GS modded Photon III has been on my keychain for who knows how many years, and there's a GS modded Freedom laying around somewhere as well. I also have a NIP Freedom that's just waiting for the right emitter, like a daylight Yuji.

Always preferred the two-button interface of the III as it's much less prone to activation in pocket than the centered single button of the Freedom.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Don't forget, you can put the Freedom into signalling mode to avoid those accidental constant on issues.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Well, I tried and tried some more. I can not get the LED out of my Freedom Covert.

From what I understand, I should be pushing from the inside, to make the LED exit from the front of the covert hole.