Help, mod gone wrong!!

tabetha

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Hi,
Last night I did my first mod, by putting a cree Q5 led already on a 16mm base into a cheap RCR123 light bought from DX.
It lights up briliant, using the original driver thing/bit that was on the previous led, that went dodgy(it was cheap!!).
The thing is I don't know if it is under/over driven but it's about 2 times as bright, running a single AW 123 3.7V cell.
On the oe set up the led was totally flat, and therefore a lot closer to the reflector than the new Q5, that needs the hole opening a bit to accomodate properly.
Will this get rid of the artifacts around the spot and increase the spot size as it is very small, the beam on the oe one was much better but not bright enough.
Thanks for any help, sorry it's a bit long winded.
tabetha
 

Tekno_Cowboy

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It's a cree, they're very prone to tight spots with a ring or two.

If you really want a better beam pattern, you'll want an SSC or Luxeon emitter, or maybe an XP-E.
 

tabetha

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I've got a few torches with Q5's in them, but these are nowhere near as tight a spot, at 3 feet from a wall it is roughly 5" diametre, oh well experimentation time I suppose, will move position in relation to reflector to see what happens.
Thanks for the input,
regards tabetha
 

old4570

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There called Cree rings , some times you get them . some times you dont .
If you want to try SSC P4 , be careful , some are ok , others are weak .

Try the marketplace under Dealers , or HERE . This is the only SSC P4 I would recommend , it's the equal of a Cree Q5 . or at least the one I used was .

Try the marketplace , they may have better ones .
Or wait 2 week for Cree XP-G R3 and R4 ..

Hmmm , R4 @ 1A , just let me say that there very optimistic of 300+ Lumen @ 1A , I heard 350Lumen , but I didnt say that .
 

Tekno_Cowboy

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There called Cree rings , some times you get them . some times you dont .
If you want to try SSC P4 , be careful , some are ok , others are weak .

Try the marketplace under Dealers , or HERE . This is the only SSC P4 I would recommend , it's the equal of a Cree Q5 . or at least the one I used was .

Try the marketplace , they may have better ones .
Or wait 2 week for Cree XP-G R3 and R4 ..

Hmmm , R4 @ 1A , just let me say that there very optimistic of 300+ Lumen @ 1A , I heard 350Lumen , but I didnt say that .
You're right about the rings, it's mostly due to reflector design.

You may want to take a look at the spec sheet for the SSC P4 though. The current U2-bin P4's should be about the same output as a Cree Q5, IIRC.

I've found that the S42180-T1SS0I LED's I've used appear about the same brightness as a Q5-WC Cree, due to it's improved color rendition.

The W42180-U2 would be the part number and flux bin of the highest output SSC readily available. The tint bins vary, but IIRC the SW0 tint bin is most common.

The part old4570 linked is an amber colored P4, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you want an amber light.
 

old4570

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Cree XR-E R2 in L2 / SSC P4 in Mag ...
If anything to my eye , the Cree looks blue and the SSC looks more pure ...
The picture does not show this . But I dont see Amber ... ??
Im happy with the one I got , if I wasn't , I wouldn't recommend it .
 

Tekno_Cowboy

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Are you sure that you linked the correct part? If you look up the part number given by KD in that link, you will see that it is an Amber LED.

The first letter in the part number is what indicates the color. W is Pure white, S is Natural(neutral), N is Warm, A is Amber.

Either you linked the wrong part, KD has the part listed incorrectly, or KD sent you the wrong part, as an amber LED would be clearly not white.
 
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old4570

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Are you sure that you linked the correct part? If you look up the part number given by KD in that link, you will see that it is an Amber LED.

The first letter in the part number is what indicates the color. W is Pure white, S is Natural(neutral), N is Warm, A is Amber.

Either you linked the wrong part, KD has the part listed incorrectly, or KD sent you the wrong part, as an amber LED would be clearly not white.

???????????????????????????? I have no Idea ..

I put it into a P60 pill to test , liked it , then moved it into my 6D Maglite .
Anything you said could be correct , It is the correct link for the LED I purchased though , I checked my KD acc to be doubly certain .

???????????????????????????? :poke: KD

Anyhow , with XP-G only a few weeks away , I only see R4's in my future . Finding high output DD's - Luxeon's - and SSC P4's is a drag .
I should have a R3 and a R4 in a couple of weeks .
 
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Tekno_Cowboy

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Yep, finding good emitters is a drag, but I just can't sacrifice quality for quantity. :shrug:

The XP emitters are nice, but I think they'd work a lot better if there was a board with a raised center to mount them on, to make it easier to focus them.
 

Essexman

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Hi,
Last night I did my first mod, by putting a cree Q5 led already on a 16mm base into a cheap RCR123 light bought from DX.
It lights up briliant, using the original driver thing/bit that was on the previous led, that went dodgy(it was cheap!!).
The thing is I don't know if it is under/over driven but it's about 2 times as bright, running a single AW 123 3.7V cell.
On the oe set up the led was totally flat, and therefore a lot closer to the reflector than the new Q5, that needs the hole opening a bit to accomodate properly.
Will this get rid of the artifacts around the spot and increase the spot size as it is very small, the beam on the oe one was much better but not bright enough.
Thanks for any help, sorry it's a bit long winded.
tabetha

If you want a smooth beam (no rings) you could also look at the Osram range of LEDs. I've tried a golden dragen plus emitter and it gives a really nice hotspot going smooth into a good amount of spill.

If I remember rightly tabetha you're in the UK? RS sell lots of good LEDs, not cheap, but very good service.

Let us know how you get on.
 
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