P60 sized led drop-ins (part 3)

[Midnight Oil]

A bit off topic, but I've been wanting to ask this for some time. Why aren't there manufacturers who offer a selection of aftermarket Surefire C series and clone compatible heads of different sizes, say from D26 thru 6", and a selection of respective P60 pill compatible reflectors for the most popular emitters for those heads that yield different beam characteristics , e.g., beam angle, wide spill vs narrow spill, relative hotspot and spill size, transition from hotspot to spill, etc?

 

[kaufmanjd]

I am shopping for p60 dropins and was curious about a few things. First, is there any reliability downside to running a xpg r5 at 1.5A as opposed to 1A (Obvious loss of efficiency battery life, etc. not withstanding)? Second, is there any advantage to getting a relatively cheap (same cost as a thrulite xpg dropin) MCE dropin that runs at a relatively low A in terms of overall performance/bang-for-buck?
Lastly, why are there so few (if any) MCE dropins that can be run on ~4-8v -or am i missing something?

thanks

 

[pae77]

Well one thing is that running on max at 1.5 amps, the XPG will run pretty hot especially if run on max for more than a few minutes at a time. I'm just speculating but I would think that subjecting the emitter and electronics (as well as the battery) to such high heat could, over time, have an effect on longevity of these components. That said, I would think they should still last for a pretty long time anyway. Just not quite as long as they would if not subjected to such high temperatures.

The nice thing about drop ins is that they are easy to swap out and replace.

 

[kaufmanjd]

yeah.....I guess you are right.....dropins are replaceable. Longevity be darned! Max Lumens, Scotty!

 

[Tuikku]

Ordered my first P60 host recently.
I was going to purchase some high-end drop-in right away but decided first to try the host out with something cheaper.

I ended up bying a Solarforce 5 Mode XP-G R5 340 Lms 4.2V-8.4V.
I also checked out some cheapo DX drop-ins (didn´t dare although was reading also something good about them) and Nailbender thread.

Not wise to ask after buying but: are there any quality issues with these Solarforce drop-ins?

 

[pae77]

I think the Solarforce drop ins generally represent good quality and value, especially if you can find one that has the features you want.

I'm using the Solarforce low voltage R2 3 mode drop in in my L2R and find it to be a very good quality drop in with a nice tint for a cool white R2. However, overall I prefer the higher performance of my DX XPG R5 5 mode drop in with orange peel reflector. I was considering the Solarforce XPG drop in but I was concerned there might be artifacts in the beam from the use of a smooth reflector. I would be interested in hearing how the Solarforce XPG beam is with respect to artifacts? Perhaps it's just fine.

I wish DX offered a 3 mode XPG. Also wish they offered a neutral white XPG emitter. So far, have to look elsewhere and pay more for those features.

But I needed a low voltage drop in for the L2R because I wanted to have one P60 host I could run on Eneloops and the Solarforce low voltage drop in has proved to be very good for that and the price was very reasonable.

 

[Tuikku]

I was considering the Solarforce XPG drop in but I was concerned there might be artifacts in the beam from the use of a smooth reflector. I would be interested in hearing how the Solarforce XPG beam is with respect to artifacts? Perhaps it's just fine.

Thanks for your reply.

I noticed that smooth reflector in Solarforces drop-in and it made me think twice, sadly there was no choice to get OP reflector :shrug:
When I get my light and drop-in working, I will take a look and tell how it looks :thumbsup:

 

[MartinSE]

Which are the best drop-ins for 18650 now in different price classes? Flat regulation on 18650 is important. Do the drop-ins with wide voltage range not provide flat regulation on single li-lion?

To go in dereelight cl1h.

Thanks.

 

[how2]

heat issues?

I have got a Smallsun A1 which is the same as UniqueFire R5 Cree XPG-1AO-R4 and SKYRAY S-R5 Cree XPE-R.

When I use aluminium foil the head heats up quickly and gets hot. How hot is too hot?


My question is How Hot will the head get after:


Here are my results. The flashlight temp is 22C at the start.
1Min - 22.9 (73.22)
2Min - 24.4
3Min - 26.2
4Min - 27.6
5Min - 28.9 (84.02)
6Min - 30.1
7Min - 31.4
8Min - 32.4
9Min - 33.3
10Min - 34.3 (93.74)
11min - 35.2
12Min - 36.1
13Min - 36.8
14Min - 37.5
15Min - 38.1 (100.58)
16Min - 38.8
17Min - 39.3
18Min - 39.9
20Min - 40.8 (105.44)
21Min - 41.1
22Min - 41.5
23Min - 41.9
24Min - 42.2
25Min - 42.4 (108.32)
26Min - 42.6
27Min - 42.7
28Min - 42.9
29Min - 43.5
30Min - 43.8 (110.84)


The light was resting on a wooden table for this test.

 

[Superorb]

Re: heat issues?

^^ But did output noticeably decrease as a result of the heat in your test?

 

[how2]

Re: heat issues?

^^ But did output noticeably decrease as a result of the heat in your test?

Hi superorb

I did the test in the day time and the hot spot was just as bright. I also did the test at night but did not measure the temp. At night the output did not go down.

What i need to know is the normal temp at 30mins?

 

[MOS2111]

Thanks for putting this list together. It really makes my life easier.

 

[Shrigg]

Thanks for your reply.

I noticed that smooth reflector in Solarforces drop-in and it made me think twice, sadly there was no choice to get OP reflector :shrug:
When I get my light and drop-in working, I will take a look and tell how it looks :thumbsup:

I have and heartily endorse the single mode Solarforce XPG-R5 with smooth reflector. It has a pretty neutral tint, super bright hotspot and nice usable spill. Solarforce are the only ones I've seen that have managed to get an XPG to throw! It is my favorite drop in by far and I've tried most all the boutique drop ins. Sold em all and just enjoy my inexpensive 340 (claimed) lumen P60 throwers! I do wish they made a 3 mode with a 0.1% moonlight level, 20% medium and 100%

 

[pae77]

I have and heartily endorse the single mode Solarforce XPG-R5 with smooth reflector. It has a pretty neutral tint, super bright hotspot and nice usable spill. Solarforce are the only ones I've seen that have managed to get an XPG to throw! It is my favorite drop in by far and I've tried most all the boutique drop ins. Sold em all and just enjoy my inexpensive 340 (claimed) lumen P60 throwers! I do wish they made a 3 mode with a 0.1% moonlight level, 20% medium and 100%

Interesting review. I would probably get one if they made a 3 mode with the levels you mentioned. Might try one anyway.

I've recently been thinking about maybe getting one of those modules with 3 XPGs in it that also have 3 modes. They sound pretty amazing. A little expensive though.

 

[MartinSE]

Which are the best drop-ins for 18650 now in different price classes? Flat regulation on 18650 is important. Do the drop-ins with wide voltage range not provide flat regulation on single li-lion?

Sorry, just wanted to bump my questions. Any input?

Thanks

 

[red02]

The problem is that dropins aren't as well reviewed as complete lights themselves. Runtime graphs are very hard to come by if not impossible. If your lucky you'll find some beamshots but not much more. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone has that type of information.

In a more general sense you'll need something thats right for a single RCR123 with the appropriate voltage range. The difference is that the 18650 has more capacity.

I don't think flat regulation and large variation in range of voltage are mutually exclusive. Someone with more understanding and exp than me can speak to this.

 

[MosesM]

I have the 1-mode Solarforce XPG R5 w/ SMO reflector and concur with Shrigg's findings above. I replaced the driver in mine with a 1-mode 4x7135 driver and it is noticeably brighter but also heats up the host quite fast. Compared against an XRE R2 w/ OP reflector, the XPG still doesn't throw as far or have as tight a hotspot, but I believe it's pretty much the best option for a budget D26 XPG SMO reflector.

I also drilled out the base opening of the Solarforce XPG SMO reflector and tried it with an XRE R2 but could not get it to focus properly. Seems like the designs are quite different.

 

[gshack]

Thanks for the information. I have been looking for a XP-G three mode drop in. Great resource!

 

[Tuikku]

I noticed that smooth reflector in Solarforces drop-in and it made me think twice, sadly there was no choice to get OP reflector :shrug:
When I get my light and drop-in working, I will take a look and tell how it looks :thumbsup:

Got the Solarforce 5-mode 4,2V-8,4V R5 dropin today.
I have not tested it very long yet, but if I have time today, I post some beamshots. Not sure I can successfully take them with my skills.
Bought it from eBay, air_supply07

First impressions:
Led itself was about 1mm off from center :shakehead
There was some light dirt on reflector, very little scratch or two.
I wiped it with cotton pad and acetone. Did not get 100% off but seems decent to me now.

Led being off-centered seems to affect the beamshape quite little.
I have no bigger lights to compare this with.
If Taken side by side with iTP A1 SS (R2, OP reflector), this has roughly the same size spot.

Transition from spot to spill is quicker than iTP´s.
I pointed both lights to forest, about 50-80m away. This R5 seems to have almost the same size spot with iTP´s R2. With more output, this out-throws my little iTP.

I worried that this R5 would have too big hotspot to be usable at medium range but I think it will be quite good for my uses. Maybe I´ll take it for a walk tonight.

 

[Tuikku]

I tried to fiddle with my ye olde Ixus, but it ended up like this:

http://www.jynkky.fi/~drsnu/itp_low.jpg

http://www.jynkky.fi/~drsnu/itp_high.jpg

http://www.jynkky.fi/~drsnu/P60R5_low.jpg

http://www.jynkky.fi/~drsnu/P60R5_high.jpg

About only reasonable info you can get out of these is, that itp has wider spill while hotspot area is roughly the same...

About Solarforces tint, I could say its pretty much neutral. To my eye, there´s no sign towards bluish or yellowish. Not as warm as my Preon or itp A3.

pae77: about artifacts in beam. Maybe not the best drop-in to inspect since the LED is not centered. Otherwise I cannot see artifacts in beam. I see one or two very faint rings in beam, best visible at medium mode. I´m no-pro and I need a clean white wall to see these.
IMO for a user like me even that off-centered led makes "quite a small" anomaly to beam :shrug:
Cannot spot those flaws in normal outdoor use.