VaraPower Turbo

[djans1397]

Dan, put very simply, the lux rating is a measurement that it is of primary importance to us flashaholics when we're trying to determine how far downrange a light can effectively project its beam. By using a lightmeter, a measurement of the luminous intensity at a single point in the brightest part of the flashlight's beam (usually the center of the hotspot) is taken. It tells us nothing more, not even how large in area the hotspot might be at that distance - only how intense the light within the hotspot is at a single point in space at a given distance.

Of course the taking of lux readings needn't be restricted to just the area within the hotspot. You could just as easily measure the intensity of the spill portion of the beam by aiming the hotspot slightly away from the lightmeter. But nine times out of ten, flashaholics want that hotspot centered on the light meter so as to be able to estimate the potential throw of the light.

The lumen rating, on the other hand, is simply a cumulative measurement of the total amount of light that a flashlight (or in some cases its emitter) is putting out in all directions. A specialized sphere is the preferred device for measuring lumens because it, unlike a lightmeter, is capable of recording luminous intensity at many points simultaneously, effectively capturing and measuring all the photons that are being emitted out the end of the flashlight.

Thus it is, that through the use of larger reflectors, optics, aspherical lenses, etc., you can easily have a situation in which one light with a tightly focused beam and high lux rating is easily able to out throw another light producing many more lumens, but with a less focused beam.

Take the example of a mini maglite. If I turn it on and adjust the reflector for the tightest beam, I could shine that hotspot on a lightmeter several feet away and maybe get a lux reading of 1000 cd (an estimate made strictly for illustrative purposes). Now, if I completely unscrew and remove the head of the flashlight using it in candle mode, I may only get a max lux reading of 50 cd at the same distance. In both instances we have the exact same batteries powering the exact same bulb putting out exactly the same amount of emitter lumens. But the luminous intensity is drastically reduced in the second instance because there is no reflector to focus the light energy.

Thanks much for the detailed explanation Bronco! This clears up any confusion I had on this. It makes MUCH more sense to me now

Dan

[berfles]

So the 5700K and 6500K are color temps, right? How different are they, I don't know much about them without seeing the differences.


EDIT: Actually, just googled it and found someone's picture here:



Guess that answers that.

[JudasD]

That is a nice example! Thank you for posting that. I dont see much of a difference between 5700 and 6500, but that 4500 sure looks nice!

JD

[berfles]

Yeah, 4500 does look nice but it's not binned as high as the other apparently... Also, according to the poster of that image, the other two temps don't look near as green as they do in the image.

[djans1397]

Does anyone know how I can get ahold of Kevin at Lambda lights? Is it his PP addy? Or does he on CPF here as well?

Thanks,
Dan

[bigchelis]

Does anyone know how I can get ahold of Kevin at Lambda lights? Is it his PP addy? Or does he on CPF here as well?

Thanks,
Dan

He only uses his personal email. I just got an email from him today. I am getting a 4D size VaraPower Turbo.
He makes the boards and hand assembles each and every varacontroller. Test the vF of each emitter and then bonds it directly to copper. There is likely a bunch of steps I missed but overall he does it all from start to finish. I will likely have to wait another month before he even starts on my build. But he never dissapoints.

bigC

[djans1397]

He only uses his personal email. I just got an email from him today. I am getting a 4D size VaraPower Turbo.
He makes the boards and hand assembles each and every varacontroller. Test the vF of each emitter and then bonds it directly to copper. There is likely a bunch of steps I missed but overall he does it all from start to finish. I will likely have to wait another month before he even starts on my build. But he never dissapoints.

bigC

I know there is a wait for these builds.

What is his email though???

Thanks

[bigchelis]

[QUOTE=djans1397;3881448]I know there is a wait for these builds.

What is his email though???

Thanks[/QUOTE

http://www.lambdalights.com/

email:
lambda@lambdalights.com


Good luck and hope you pick up a Turbo and take some beamshots for us.

[JudasD]

He only uses his personal email. I just got an email from him today. I am getting a 4D size VaraPower Turbo.
He makes the boards and hand assembles each and every varacontroller. Test the vF of each emitter and then bonds it directly to copper. There is likely a bunch of steps I missed but overall he does it all from start to finish. I will likely have to wait another month before he even starts on my build. But he never dissapoints.

bigC

I almost went with a 4D body. Since he just happened to finish up a 3D i just snagged it since i have zero patience in waiting for it to be built :P I will be using a mag extension to run it in 4D mode. I am going to try and take some VPT vs. TK70 beamshots. That should be very cool. Just hope my camera is good enough for the task.

JD

[djans1397]

I thought I read some where that running 4D cells wasn't advised or would harm this light? Since I only have any real experience with the Li-Ion cells I use in my other lights, what cells are the best to run in the VPT... brand and charger recs would be much appreciated. I did look at a few on batteryjunction, but was hoping for others who actually are using them in this beast.

Thanks bigchelis for the email btw!

Dan

[berfles]

I'm having a hard time confirming info on this light.... his site doesn't list a lot of the stuff being mentioned here.

So it's available in 4500k, 5700k, and 6500k but only the last two are binned the highest; 4500k is binned at the second highest. Based on that alone I'd rather get the 5700k or 6500k even though the image above seems to show 4500k being the most natural looking. This is a really hard decision to make without having any other beamshots. Ditto for the domed vs de-domed versions, just not enough comparisons.

So he's backed up enough that it will take him around a month to get started if I'd order one? Any idea how long it takes him to actually make it once he starts? I should probably just email him but thought I'd try here first.

[bigchelis]

I'm having a hard time confirming info on this light.... his site doesn't list a lot of the stuff being mentioned here.

So it's available in 4500k, 5700k, and 6500k but only the last two are binned the highest; 4500k is binned at the second highest. Based on that alone I'd rather get the 5700k or 6500k even though the image above seems to show 4500k being the most natural looking. This is a really hard decision to make without having any other beamshots. Ditto for the domed vs de-domed versions, just not enough comparisons.

So he's backed up enough that it will take him around a month to get started if I'd order one? Any idea how long it takes him to actually make it once he starts? I should probably just email him but thought I'd try here first.

Just email him and ask. Mine take longer cause they are slightly different. That's all I will say for now

[hahoo]

I'm having a hard time confirming info on this light.... his site doesn't list a lot of the stuff being mentioned here.

So it's available in 4500k, 5700k, and 6500k but only the last two are binned the highest; 4500k is binned at the second highest. Based on that alone I'd rather get the 5700k or 6500k even though the image above seems to show 4500k being the most natural looking. This is a really hard decision to make without having any other beamshots. Ditto for the domed vs de-domed versions, just not enough comparisons.

So he's backed up enough that it will take him around a month to get started if I'd order one? Any idea how long it takes him to actually make it once he starts? I should probably just email him but thought I'd try here first.

ditto ...x2...

[djans1397]

http://flashlightnews.net/forum/index.php?topic=2682.0

Check this forum. Kevin discusses his VPT and has lots of good beam shots! Worth a look.

I'm having a hard time confirming info on this light.... his site doesn't list a lot of the stuff being mentioned here.

So it's available in 4500k, 5700k, and 6500k but only the last two are binned the highest; 4500k is binned at the second highest. Based on that alone I'd rather get the 5700k or 6500k even though the image above seems to show 4500k being the most natural looking. This is a really hard decision to make without having any other beamshots. Ditto for the domed vs de-domed versions, just not enough comparisons.

So he's backed up enough that it will take him around a month to get started if I'd order one? Any idea how long it takes him to actually make it once he starts? I should probably just email him but thought I'd try here first.

[JudasD]

I thought I read some where that running 4D cells wasn't advised or would harm this light? Since I only have any real experience with the Li-Ion cells I use in my other lights, what cells are the best to run in the VPT... brand and charger recs would be much appreciated. I did look at a few on batteryjunction, but was hoping for others who actually are using them in this beast.

Thanks bigchelis for the email btw!

Dan

I emailed Lambda about it and he said 4D would be ok. It is the same voltage as 4C which is one of the shipped configurations.
You only want to run NiMH batteries in this light. You could run alkaline in a pinch but you wont get the highest performance out of the light. Any other chemistry could/will cause problems.

JD

[bigchelis]

I emailed Lambda about it and he said 4D would be ok. It is the same voltage as 4C which is one of the shipped configurations.
You only want to run NiMH batteries in this light. You could run alkaline in a pinch but you wont get the highest performance out of the light. Any other chemistry could/will cause problems.

JD

These lights are indeed perfect for NiMH chemistry due to the high current, but they are also perfect for emergencies and you have to use Alkaline C cells. However, keep in mind that Alkalines will work better at sub 200 lumens which is perfect since you get 33 modes.

NiMH C or D cells = top modes for highest output
Alkaline C or D cells = low modes for safe long term use


The issue at 4D size is the cells will sag even less and the Amperage can be as high as 16A to the LED. With More Heat and more copper might be needed to keep performance up.


bigC

[notrefined]

this may seem almost irrelevant, but do the varapower builds retain any water resistance, or is that switch just wide open to water entry?

[justanotherguy]

this may seem almost irrelevant, but do the varapower builds retain any water resistance, or is that switch just wide open to water entry?

I think you lose it. Its open to water...not sure how to fix that. I wish on mine I had an easy way to remove the dial and make a lower profile one...

[JudasD]

The issue at 4D size is the cells will sag even less and the Amperage can be as high as 16A to the LED. With More Heat and more copper might be needed to keep performance up.
bigC

I see what you mean. The lower output of the C cell is a built in safety feature. Makes sense. We will soon find out what 4D cells can really do

Besides, the VPT should work just fine on 4D since yours if being made on a 4D host right?

JD

[berfles]

Sent him an email with my questions... how long does he usually take to respond? This day and age I never know if something goes to a spam folder or not when I don't hear back within a day.

[BLUE LED]

I had to send my VPT back today. There is a minor problem and I shall miss the 200,000 lux. Should you choose to run the VPT on 4 x C cells, then I would recommend high quality Powerex 5000mAh NiMH C cells. Using different brands will yield lower results.

[justanotherguy]

would tenergy's work well?

[BLUE LED]

For this application the Tenergy Premium C cells aren't too shabby.

[JudasD]

Ok, here are some beamshots of the VPT 6,500 Domed 4C and a TK70. Please bear with me as these are my first ever beamshots. All pics are F2.8 and ISO80. The only thing i wish i would have done was zoomed in. Maybe next time. I did not post a control shot since it was just black. Please let me know if there is anything i could have done better.

Click on the image for the original sized version.

Distances


TK70 8 sec exposure


VPT 8 sec exposure


TK70 15 sec exposure


VPT 15 sec exposure

[fortean101]

Sent him an email with my questions... how long does he usually take to respond? This day and age I never know if something goes to a spam folder or not when I don't hear back within a day.

The makers communication is very good when I contacted him and his work is top rate (got a varapower 2000)

[Fresh Light]

Wow , excellent pictures Judas. That is the comparison that I really wanted to see! The VP absolutely smokes the TK70 as a thrower I do really like the tint of your Fenix though. I'm so glad you did that shot cause I really wanted to put the comparison to rest a bit. The dedomed unit that you have does throw much better than the TK70 while the dome intact version will have several hundred OTF more total lumens and maybe still beat the TK70 in throw.

[The_Driver]

Wow , excellent pictures Judas. That is the comparison that I really wanted to see! The VP absolutely smokes the TK70 as a thrower I do really like the tint of your Fenix though. I'm so glad you did that shot cause I really wanted to put the comparison to rest a bit. The dedomed unit that you have does throw much better than the TK70 while the dome intact version will have several hundred OTF more total lumens and maybe still beat the TK70 in throw.

If I read everything correctly, then Judas VPT has the dome still on. The VPT's spill does look much brighter than the TK70's, which is a sign of more lumens.

[Fresh Light]

If I read everything correctly, then Judas VPT has the dome still on. The VPT's spill does look much brighter than the TK70's, which is a sign of more lumens.

Oops, Hey thank you for catching that! Well I guess it's the dedomed one one up against the TK we haven't seen. But you can tell it crushed it even with the dome still on.

[JudasD]

Yes, my VPT is still domed. It would be very cool to see what dedomed looks like. I am glad i chose domed because i really like the extra spill and i still get great throw.

The VPT with 3C looks very close to the TK70. Its the 4th C cell that takes it over the top. When my extended tailcap comes in i will do some 4D shots to see if there is even more light. Chances are it would only be something that can be seen on a meter.

My camera has no selections in between 8s and 15s. The 8s are dim compared to what actual and the 15s are more light than actual. The truth lies somewhere in between.

In person the VPT color looks very close to the TK70 with the VPT be a touch warmer looking, but not by very much.

JD

[berfles]

The makers communication is very good when I contacted him and his work is top rate (got a varapower 2000)

I still haven't heard back. I joined at the forum he posts at and will ask in that thread I guess.

And awesome pictures Judas, that seals it: I want the domed version. Kills the TK70, plenty of throw, and I like something that throws and still has a ton of spill/flood.