To tri-build or not to tri-build a LED light

[Northern Lights]

Building a tri-build LED light can cost more than buying one from a good vender:

http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/powerreg-cree-high-power-flashlight-p-782.html

As a matter of fact this light is probably brighter than most modified lights and the one piece reflctor appears to be the same as the Shyguang Nuwai TM-800x3 and it has different modes too. So why build a tri-build light?

I think the best excuse to build the light is run time. Second excuse the reflector supplied with the TM-800x3 is one piece a proven thrower that because of its one piece manufactured design is alway collimated! Only a good size power pack will give you the long run, like a 3D size.

The best and easiest LED tri-build host light is the TM-800x3, well, maybe.

(used with permission from ED!)

The Nuwai TM-800x3 has been around, a sleeper it was and is a great light as it comes with LUXIII luxeons of various tint bins. CPF folks found that an easy mod was to change from 3D cells to 4 NiMh C cells and boost the votage to 4.8Vbat and then you pretty much got the lumens that Nuwai claimed, 200+ with all three LEDs illuminated. But that has led up to failure on some LEDs because it was too much Vf for the bin. I burned out two this way. This light is made in 4D and 3D by Shyguang and Nuwai brought the 3D to the USA:
http://www.shykuang.com.tw/new%20english_web/p06-03-TM-800X3.html

http://www.shykuang.com.tw/new%20english_web/p06-07-TM-802X3.html
(I always have trouble loading these site)

Ed, LED_experimenter, sells them, http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=111651&highlight=tm-800x3 . The same reflector appears to be used in some DX and qualitychinagoods lights now, the 3-cree MX light for one. That reflector is one piece so it is perfeclty aimed and collimated for throw.

The circuit is three parallel resistor drive circuits, that is the LEDs are not in parallel or series, each has its own circuit and the light functions turning on 1-2 or 3 of the circuits. This assures balanced power to the LED so if you do not over voltage it, it should run forever. The circuit appears to have a power equalizing circuit before each of the LED circuits take off. The board is behind the generous heat sink. Very ingenious design, well done.

Now for the best build! I put in three U bin SSC P4s. Fred, photonfanatic, has the P4, http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=169467. The P4 angle of the emitter is close to the Luxeon and not as narrow as the Cree so it works well with the reflector. The P4 is 3.25 Vforward so I could use 3D batteries for a very long burn time, Vbat=3.6. Recently I saw a comment from 3rd Shift that he likes to power a light this way too, http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2159914&postcount=29. Some Ds are 10-12 Ah capacity and if you are running 3 amps on high figure 3+ hours run time on high.

I ran my P4s at just under 1amp for about 240 lumens each! In comparison my mod light is brighter with one P4 running than a stock light with 3 LUXIII running! To mod the light I replaced the resistor with two resitors in series to get .36 ohms for each of the three circuits. I was not able to find a .35 ohm 2 watt resistor locally, that would put it at 1 amp; I should be running at .972 amps, (972mA), just a little safer margin against burn out I would say. The stars just drop in, exchanged them with the Luxeons.
I had a problem where the reflector wanted to spin when putting the bezel on, I sheared off one set of P4s that way. I solved that by putting a pin through the top edge of the bell into the reflector and then put the bezel on. I drilled a hole in the edge through the aluminum and plastic and modified a brad picture nail to be short with a flat small head. BTW- a TM-800x3, 3 resistors and 3 P4s costs less than a mag mod thri-build and consider I only changed three LEDs and 3 resistors.
My favorite tri-build:

I have up to 720 lumens at over 3.5 hours time, well, maybe.

Coming soon are some Q5s, a driver and 3x AW lithium C-cells for my next TM-800x3 modification.

Need some help here, I lost the links to the CPF thread where a photo spread is done on the dissasembly of the TM-800x3 head, PCboard and switch. Can you find it? Good shots to reference to from this thread.

Above I mentioned two vendors of production lights. I think I should mention that Wayne at Elektrolumens makes some great tri-build custom lights to consider too.

 

[jimjones3630]

Northen Lights, throurgh review, informative as usual.

 

[Northern Lights]

Finished the second TM-800x3 mod, now equiped with 3 Cree XRE Q5.
I had already modded the light to 4X NiMh C batteries for Vbat=4.8. That is good because the Q5 Vforward=3.75. I wanted to run close to 1 amp, that would be a 1.05 resitor. No such thing locally so I piggy backed two resistors paralles to get 1.08 ohms on each circuit. 2 watt resistors, I guess that is a 4 watt stack, more protection. That calculates to 972 mA. Again a safe margin.

I had bare emitters so I ordered bare Cree stars but could not figure how to solder them together. I erroneously cut the corners to disable the underside contact of the LED but did not have to with this star. I then added leads to the LED, epoxied it with Artic Alumina to the star. I had to grind a little of the corners of each channel of the star to fit the sink, no big deal there. Dropped them in. Opened the holes in the reflector so it would sit down over the steel Cree ring. Boy do I have light. It has that funky Cree pattern with the Smooth reflector with 1 LED on but with three it evens out. More light than the P4 version.
Took most of the day because of wierd things and mistakes. Cutting the corner meant I had to solder to the middle of the contact and I slopped solder onto the ring for a short between contacts and now after removing the short it left the ring rough. That problem and because the contact is now right at the ring, those will not allow me to use a Fraen Cree reflector which cleans up the Cree donut. If you want a cleaner beam pattern, use the Fraen reflectors in stead of the original reflector.
The sink would not ground out upon putting the light together. A one coil seating spring under it is steel and just did not ground good. I ran a braid from that coil that contacts the backside of the sink to the rear past the switch to two brass seating washer where the main tube fits to the head, very similiar to the hot wire tail cap spring fix. That is such a good idea I will go back and do it to the P4 mod.
I knocked a dome off. But after I sqished it back on and turned on the light is seems to be in place again. After all it is a soft material and it may be ok, I think it just slipped past the support ring.
The thing that took the longest to figure is there was a short that allowed the LEDs to glow when off. If I took the board out of the light and put it on jumpers and it still did it (about 20 times I put it together and took it apart). When I handled it they would flicker. Finally I figured that the circuit is so sensitive that contaminants on it were actually shorting. accross the components! Contact spray and alcohol cleaned that up. I notice if I touched the solder points it would short accross my finger and glow and flicker. Keep that in mind if you attempt this mod.
LED_experimenter, Ed, I think has a special price on TM-800x3 but you will have to go to his sale thread and contact him.
In all I have two 3D builds using the latest brightes LEDs, SCC P4 and Q5 multi level lights, one burns 3.5 hours and the other about 1.5 hours. Not bad for less money than using a mag host.

 

[missionaryman]

Great work, once again very innovative - so have you made two different mods or is it just the one?

PS - Beamshots, need beamshots!!!

 

[Mr_Light]

I have one of these I have wanted to mod. Any tricks to unlock/unglue the head? Anyone use superglue solvent?

 

[richdsu]

To unlock glued-thread barrels :

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/175714

I've done successfully using a hot air gun to heat up the threaded location for a few seconds to soften the embedded adhesive. Next wearing thick leather gloves to hold and twist the barrel.

:naughty:

 

[Northern Lights]

Two MODS. I love this light. Beats home made tri-heads because the reflector is enginered to a focal point collimating at a good distance so it has great throw. I will buy and build another.
Cree has a bit more light. But as with the commercial lights I sell LEOs the Cree looks best in a LOP which reduces throw. Without the LOP it is a crummy beam pattern, donuts. Also it just may look brighter because of the narrow emitter angle and that what makes it so difficult to make a reflctor for it. SCC P4 is better suited in that regard. Cree has some advantages related to output and high drive currents.

I forgot to mention how to take it apart, thought that had been covered when these lights first began to be modded in 2006. To remove the heads just put them in heat, not enough to melt the plastic reflector. Well aimed micro torch and immediate ice bath. Then freeze it. The heat deterioates the glue and the cold breaks it loose. ONe of mine was left in a car floor board. Cars get over 180 degrees in this desert. Just time and exposure to head did in the glue. But sometimes it can be difficult. The other head I took off with the micro torch and rubber strap wrenches even after deteriation of the glue.

 

[sysadmn]

Amondotech has something similar:
There is also a 3x1W, 3D for $45 and a 3x3W, 3D for $75, or both plus a "mod kit for NIMH C" for $125. IIRC, the mod kit is a piece of 1" sched 40 pvc and a new spring.

 

[Northern Lights]

Amondotech has something similar:
There is also a 3x1W, 3D for $45 and a 3x3W, 3D for $75, or both plus a "mod kit for NIMH C" for $125. IIRC, the mod kit is a piece of 1" sched 40 pvc and a new spring.

This is the same light. The mod kit I made is a PVC and this tail cap mod:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/143345
The resistors need be changed for sure when going to the high flux LEDs, the circuitry before the resistors I have not deciphered, I am not the person to do that but it may be a power balancing act. As I mentioned the other source maybe selling those lights for $40. Looks to be $35 cheaper.
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=111651&highlight=tm-800x3
Both suppliers have been around and members of the forum and I like them both.
On powering the original lights at Vbat=4.8 volts get the thing up and ready and bright but I have had LUXIII in the light fail from overdriving them this way.

The light is made for Nuwai by Shyguang, they make a 4D too, which I do not think was readily available, never have seen one.
http://www.shykuang.com.tw/new%20english_web/p06-03-TM-800X3.html

http://www.shykuang.com.tw/new%20english_web/p06-07-TM-802X3.html