Orb Raw Mod?

[Puppet]

Hi, all. I have an old (!) Orb Raw, and an Orb Raw NS. Both of them were acquired in 2007, or thereabouts. Since LED emitters have gotten so much brighter and more efficient since then, I was wondering if it would be possible to just pull out the old one and solder in a new one. Do the brighter ones get much hotter? Will they work with the Orb's elecronics? Anything else I should beware of? Etc.

Also, if it is possible, what emitter would you recommend (I'll probably go for maximum lumens on one of them, just for the hell of it).

Many thanks,

PPT

 

[FRITZHID]

When swapping LEDs, you'll want to make sure the driver is capable of driving the upgrade to your requirements. I'd say chances are, the stock driver won't, but as I'm unfamiliar with that light, I can't say for sure. As far as heat, when you upgrade to a higher wattage, typically heat increases as well. Depending on the stock wattage, your light may or may not be able to dissipate said heat from a large upgrade.
I've upgraded some 3 watt units to 10 watts and heat on max is an issue. Many upgrade drivers will have a "stepdown" when heat or timer demands.
Also, depending on what battery source your light uses, and how much you want to boost it, a battery upgrade may be required as well.

 

[Jay R]

Puppet. Send me a PM with your address. I think I have some unused emitter boards laying about for an NS and possibly for the Raw as well. I'll have a look when I get home.

Fritzhid. No drivers in these lights. Just a board with a resistor. The 2 stage have a little spring switch on the board and another resistor.

 

[PeterH]

A newer LED may have a much higher rated power than the old, but this is rarely a serious problem. The new LED will operate quite happily and efficiently at less than rated current. The one issue I'd expect is color shift in white LEDS operated undercurrent, which won't bother everyone.

 

[herbicide]

Here's one I made earlier. ...as in circa 2009.

I think it started out with a Luxeon III.

And ended up with a lovely neutral Luxeon K2

Note the thermal epoxy holding the LED in place. ...and the less than stellar soldering.

EDIT - here are my original images from when I did the mod (and I was right, it was in '09):