tylerdurden
Flashlight Enthusiast
Since LEDs are more efficient at lower power, we should be able to run two luxeons at, say, 200ma, and have the total light output be greater than a single emitter at 400ma. Multiple emitters make a good floodlight, but getting a tight beam is extremely difficult if not impossible. The 5-watt luxeon was a good attempt at implementing multiple emitters while retaining the possibility of photon management, but I'm wondering if it can be improved on.
Reflectors are the currently most-favored method for creating a long-throw light, so the question is how to get two (or more) emitters working together in a single reflector (mutliple reflectors are too bulky and require alignment, etc). Here's what I came up with:
Two emitters pointed directly at each other, one in the standard position at the base of the reflector, and one in the "recoil" position at the mouth of the reflector. Both emitters would be wired in parallel with a single driver, each getting half of the driver's rated output. Total output should exceed that of a single emitter at the full output.
My first thought is that the emitter at the mouth will block a signifcant amount of light from the base emitter. To check that, I just set a McLux PR up on its tail and placed a loose emitter on the lens. Casual observation revealed no noticable difference unless the beam was aimed at a target less than 6 inches away, at which point I begin seeing a hole in the beam anyway with the single-emitter setup. No doubt a light meter could detect some difference, though. The question is this: will the amount of light from each emitter that is absorbed by the other emitter be more or less than the extra light generated by the greater efficiencies at the lower power levels?
Reflectors are the currently most-favored method for creating a long-throw light, so the question is how to get two (or more) emitters working together in a single reflector (mutliple reflectors are too bulky and require alignment, etc). Here's what I came up with:
Two emitters pointed directly at each other, one in the standard position at the base of the reflector, and one in the "recoil" position at the mouth of the reflector. Both emitters would be wired in parallel with a single driver, each getting half of the driver's rated output. Total output should exceed that of a single emitter at the full output.
My first thought is that the emitter at the mouth will block a signifcant amount of light from the base emitter. To check that, I just set a McLux PR up on its tail and placed a loose emitter on the lens. Casual observation revealed no noticable difference unless the beam was aimed at a target less than 6 inches away, at which point I begin seeing a hole in the beam anyway with the single-emitter setup. No doubt a light meter could detect some difference, though. The question is this: will the amount of light from each emitter that is absorbed by the other emitter be more or less than the extra light generated by the greater efficiencies at the lower power levels?