Another PWM multi-mode switch option for Surefires and compatibles

fyrstormer

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I might be the last guy to this particular party, but I was Legoing some parts I have this evening, and lamenting that incans are only single-mode by nature, and then I remembered something about one of my LED lights. The Jetbeam PC25 uses a 4-mode + strobe PWM tailcap switch that has Surefire-compatible threading. It works quite well with my Lumens Factory HO-9 bulb. Here are some pics for proof:

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I only have a Solarforce host on-hand so the tailcap doesn't bottom-out the way I expect it would on a Surefire host, but it demonstrates the concept quite well nonetheless. I ran the light for several minutes on each of the four settings (and on strobe, which was funny, but possibly at least useful as a beacon), and I didn't notice any heating of the tailcap that couldn't be attributed to the bulb heating the entire light. So it seems to be solid enough for the purpose of running at least a moderately-high power incan bulb.

You have to buy the entire PC25 to get the tailcap, unfortunately, but it is at least an option. I expect it would work well with Malkoff drop-ins as well.
 
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ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond

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Hmmm..... definitely a pricey way to obtain a multi-level switch.

Can you say if the 4 levels are relevant and usable when driving an incan? Also, does the light have memory or always start on Lo?

Do you have any idea what the PWM frequency is? I recall the SoftStart was in the range of 100Hz. I just wonder with the slower response of the incan filament how it may (or may not) favor the function and longevity of a bulb.
I also wonder what the upper limit on Vin would be since it's designed to drive an LED.
 

fyrstormer

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It's pricey, yes, but it has no parasitic drain and it has separate buttons for power and mode-change. It remembers the last mode selected.

I don't know what the PWM frequency is. I'll fire up the original light and swing it around a bit to see if I can spot any flickering.\

I think the modes are relevant, and there really isn't any reason why they wouldn't be. Since it's a PWM brightness control, the brightnesses are essentially percentages of the bulb's maximum brightness, whatever that may be. The curve must be a little steeper with an incan because there's a minimum wattage necessary to make any light at all, unlike with an LED, but the concept is still the same. The lowest mode is dim and orange but still useful in a dark room. I'll take some pictures of them later on. I'll have to use an LED light as a reference point, though, because I only have one incan bulb at present.

It can handle at least 8.4V, per the specs on the original light. I don't know what the amperage limit is, but I do know the original light used an XM-L that was not conservatively-driven. As far as I know there aren't any widely-available P60-compatible bulbs that can handle greater than 9V anyway.
 

enomosiki

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Does anyone know how much current PC25's switch can take? I'm planning to give it a try on a C2 with 4.2A drop-in.
 

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond

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I just got a PC25 from the marketplace and the tailcap does not fit on a 6P body. It threads for maybe one turn and then just sticks.
 

fyrstormer

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I just got a PC25 from the marketplace and the tailcap does not fit on a 6P body. It threads for maybe one turn and then just sticks.

That doesn't sound right at all. I tested it on the Solarforce in the pictures above, as well as a Surefire G2, which as far as I know has identical threading as the 6P. I suppose it's possible Jetbeam changed the threading in mid-run, but it seems unlikely.
 

fyrstormer

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is yours square-threaded, by any chance? Because mine definitely isn't. I wonder if Jetbeam had to hurry up and change the threading to keep Surefire off their back. That would be a shame, though entirely expected from the likes of SF.
 

enomosiki

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I tried it on my C2 and it didn't work as well.

And I had my hopes up, too.
 
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