Upgrading LEDs in older MC-E and P7 lights?

[ErickThakrar]

The question is drive voltages and current. I need something that will run with the stock driver. I'm not adverse to building a new driver board for a single-mode light, but I wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to doing something with these magnetic control rings. That's why I was looking at the XM-L, be it the 1st or 2nd gen versions.

 

[datiLED]

Nice, Dati! Thanks! Yeah, I'm expecting the reflector to be the biggest issue as far as fit and focus goes. Do you have an idea of how much I might need to raise the LED? The dome is a lot smaller on the XM-L compared to the MC-E, correct?

The way that I focus an LED in a reflector is to hold the LED on my finger tip, and experiment with the reflector. When I have a rough idea of where the LED needs to sit in the reflector, I do a dry fit with a copper shim, and try to achieve the same focus. Once I get the proper height for the shim, I put everything together with thermal epoxy. Wait 24 hours for the epoxy to fully cure before connecting the leads to the LED.

The question is drive voltages and current. I need something that will run with the stock driver. I'm not adverse to building a new driver board for a single-mode light, but I wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to doing something with these magnetic control rings. That's why I was looking at the XM-L, be it the 1st or 2nd gen versions.

The voltage and current should be fine using an XM-L. The XM-L (3.0A) actually has a higher maximum current than the MC-E (2.8A).

 

[ErickThakrar]

Yeah, that's what my initial research had shown me, which is one of the reasons I was thinking XM-L in the first place. Thanks for the fitting tips too!

 

[ErickThakrar]

I ran into a post on another forum where a fella had swapped the LED in his Sunwayman M40C with an XM-L and somehow managed to fry the driver. Magic smoke and everything. Any reason other than a colossal ****-up on his part that would cause that? Difference in wiring inside the MCPCB?

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Your LED has all of the dies in parallel. It will be a straight LED swap, without worry about LED voltage. The focus of the LED in the reflector will be your only concern. If the light had the LED wired in parallel, you would have two sets of connections to the board. You only have a + and - connection.

Huh? You say the dies are wired in parallel then turn around saying if the light had the LED wired in parallel it would have two sets of connections... methinks you met SERIES in the first sentence.

 

[datiLED]

Huh? You say the dies are wired in parallel then turn around saying if the light had the LED wired in parallel it would have two sets of connections... methinks you met SERIES in the first sentence.

A prior post was talking about having the dies two series, two parallel, which would require two sets of wires to the board. Driving the MC-E LED with four dies in series at 12V+ is the only other way of powering an MC-E with two connections as shown. 12V+ is not an easy task for most converter boards, and the LED is almost certainly being run with four dies in parallel.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

A prior post was talking about having the dies two series, two parallel, which would require two sets of wires to the board. Driving the MC-E LED with four dies in series at 12V+ is the only other way of powering an MC-E with two connections as shown. 12V+ is not an easy task for most converter boards, and the LED is almost certainly being run with four dies in parallel.

I agree that all in series = 2 wires and anything else with parallel in mind would take more than 2 wires.

 

[Toaster79]

Your LED has all of the dies in parallel. It will be a straight LED swap, without worry about LED voltage. The focus of the LED in the reflector will be your only concern. If the light had the LED wired in parallel, you would have two sets of connections to the board. You only have a + and - connection.

Don't know how you came up with that this is a parallel wired board. I'm pretty sure it's 4S.

For example, have a look at series MC-E PCB

There could be two more pads on the sides where the + and - traces are (like in the picture above), but they are missing on this PCB

and individually adressable PCB

which can be connected in parallel by connecting all the pads on one side and all the pads on the other side, or, like most do connect all the pins of the emitter on one side and on the other side.

So, a direct swap would be 12V XM-L EZW.

 

[ErickThakrar]

Well, I just put the multimeter to it. I got 12.93 on high. So the XM-L EZW looks to be the winner!