This would be very interesting for just boosting the output to a single die emitter. I have an S2 bin (~60L @ 350mA) high CRI SSC modded NT 120 that could use a boost to get back over 100L.
BTW, I think they ran T-bin LEDs (at least at first) because many people did U-bin upgrades on the first NT120's for a noticeable increase in output. So they may be running more than 500mA in some cases (if they are tuned to 120L like HDS).
I searched CPF on this issue and the results were that some saw an output increase, others did not. It appeared to be a flux lottery issue as to what result one got. The U-bin is quite wide -- 91-118.5 lumens at 350mA drive current. One poster also contacted Novatac, and they responded that they used U-bin. This was only a month after release, so some speculated that it seemed hard to believe that they'd switch flux bins (and presumably alter the driver to stay at 120 lumens) after such a short period on the market.
Let's see if 500mA drive current is consistent with the run time in high mode.
efficiency * Vbatt * Ibatt = Vf * If
Let's assume
- 80% driver efficiency
- I Vf bin P4
- If = 500mA; thus Vf~3.4V
- Vbatt (1x123A) = 2.5V
Thus, Ibatt = (3.4*0.5)/(0.8*2.5) = 0.85A
Looking at the various CR123A curves in Silverfox's 123 shootout, I can believe that the Novatac falls out of regulation after about 30 min.
A T-bin would need about 750mA drive current to reach roughly 120 emitter lumens. That would give a value of Ibatt~1.3A, which seems less consistent with the claimed run times for the 120P.
Of course, this is all guesswork.