5-Q5 Cree MAG how would you do it?Help!

[kabkbak7321]

Ok guy's help is needed!
I would like to place 5 CREE Q5 leds in a mag but need help on how to drive it. Any thoughts would be great and the winner gets to test drive it. (A.K.A 1 person passaround)

I have some parts listed here.

1 multi-sink
5 reflectors
5 Q5 CREE's
mad-d host's any size ( manny laying around the place)
1 cut down mag-c 1-18650
10 1450mah reg drivers (just in case dont we all)


I would like to know your ideas for a multi-mag-cree.Any config would be nice looking for verry small high output (run time be dammed).
Do you thing a driver or 5 of them or just direct drive it in series with a batt holder of nihms or lith's or maybe lith size c's.

Let me have it.
Thanks,Matt

 

[johnny13oi]

Wouldn't the current draw on 5 Cree's at 1450ma be way too high for the 18650 to handle? The current draw would be about 7.5A on the 18650 which is almost 4C which I think is dangerous for normal 18650s.

 

[kabkbak7321]

Wouldn't the current draw on 5 Cree's at 1450ma be way too high for the 18650 to handle? The current draw would be about 7.5A on the 18650 which is almost 4C which I think is dangerous for normal 18650s.

I'm sorry the mag-c cut down was for size ref not to use the batt. I like that one it's the best color bin I have ever had from a lux, I'm going to keep that one the way it is.:naughty: I fig I'm going to have to get a nother batt holder for some lith of some sort. Dont know if the 12nihm holder will handle the curent eather. I do have some gp2000's in it now but thats for the MAG-64138 and 1 for the MAG-64610. I like the bright and white :thumbsup:.

They where easy I just did what other's have done but I can't find this combo on the forums that list there batt config.

 

[johnny13oi]

I would say a li-ion C sized battery to drive those emitters and maybe at a lower drive current for each emitter at say 1A because the gains above 1A are minimal I believe. I don't know the capacity of a normal C sized li-ion cell but I found this LiFePO4 cell that is the size of a long C cell which might be able to fit and is able to take on large current draws and a lot less dangerous than a normal li-ion cell.
http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3294
With that capacity, you won't be able to drive those 5 Cree's for long, probably about 15 minutes at 1A and even lower at 1.5A.

 

[download]

For me. the most easiest way is maxFlex. Just connect all cree in serial, run the battery lower than Vin of Cree would be fine (5x cree =~15V). Although it still got very little bug. If you over driver the current it can stand / over the Vin voltage, it will go crazy. eg. 1 x Li-ion driver 5 cree to 1.4A each. If not, It is still the best wonderful driver that I am using right now. :twothumbs

http://www.taskled.com/order.html

 

[Long John]

Hello kabkbak7321,

my suggestion:

abandon on the 5.Led and take 4 Cree's, wire them 2xs and 2xp in direct drive.

This way you can run them with 2xLIR, i.e. 2xLiIon C-cells or 2x18650 or 6xAA-nimh (and for emergency with 6xAA alkalines).

You could put this package (LIR, 6xAA into D-Mag with 6xAA-holder)into a C-Mag host, cut down the batt.-tube and using "Modamags" MagClickie tailcap:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=159659

Swap the MagClicky to a McE2s two stage switch and you'll have 2 levels output.

Best regards

____
Tom

 

[VidPro]

For me. the most easiest way is maxFlex. Just connect all cree in serial, run the battery lower than Vin of Cree would be fine (5x cree =~15V). Although it still got very little bug. If you over driver the current it can stand / over the Vin voltage, it will go crazy. eg. 1 x Li-ion driver 5 cree to 1.4A each. If not, It is still the best wonderful driver that I am using right now. :twothumbs

http://www.taskled.com/order.html

yup great idea, specially with

User selectable voltage trip point to warn of low input voltage, useful to protect rechargeable batteries from overdischarge (Refer technical section).
and 2.5v stop operation for li-ion

and the cree items from the same batch have very similar Vfs, so similar as to be a total non-issue.

 

[Icarus]

Just to inform you the MaxFlex isn't available yet. :shrug:

 

[DonShock]

I am waiting on my Q5s now before I do a similar build (actually 3-4 of them). I am using Download's multisink also, one set of his metal reflectors, and a couple sets of the Fraen faceted plastic reflectors. To drive them, I am using bored out Mag2Ds housing 8AA cells and powered via a Shark driver with all 5 LEDs in series. At least one will also get an external potentiometer for dimming. Depending on how voltages and physical sizing work out, I am toying with the idea of doing one in a cutdown and bored Mag1D, 3-4 li-ion 14500 cells, and either a Shark driver or a DB1000. But some of this may end up being too close to some of the driver limits to work. But I've already done quad-crees with the 8AA/Shark setup and they worked great so I'm confidant it will work in a penta-cree setup with no problem.

 

[download]

No external potentiometer need, just press switch to change the power level. Made you light look so clean.
Email to George, I "guess" he still got some the "bug version" ( = First version I am using). Just try. :wave:

 

[kabkbak7321]

For me. the most easiest way is maxFlex. Just connect all cree in serial, run the battery lower than Vin of Cree would be fine (5x cree =~15V). Although it still got very little bug. If you over driver the current it can stand / over the Vin voltage, it will go crazy. eg. 1 x Li-ion driver 5 cree to 1.4A each. If not, It is still the best wonderful driver that I am using right now. :twothumbs

http://www.taskled.com/order.html

Now I like these idea's if I'm reading you right if the input voltage is over the forward voltage of the led's in serial 5 cree's is like 18.5 volt the driver will get flakey.But having the ability to change levels with a click and to have a low batt indacator for the cells seems the way to go.

having a small c-cell light seem's nice like 1 3.7 lith c cell but the run time would be a hair to short so I'm looking at the maxFlex with 5 Q5 cree's in
serial with 3 c-cells for a voltage nominal of 9.6 vdc and hot of the charger would be around 10.9vdc and i could set the low batt cut of to 6vdc to save the batt on the battS that JONNY13 found I could even put in a 4'th cell and not go over and extend the run time abit.

the output would be like 1100 on hi with several lower settings to use when needed
350mA: 107~114lm =553 - 570 @ 5 cree
700mA: 171.2~182.4lm =856 - 910 @ 5 cree
1000mA: 214 ~ 228lm =1070 - 1140 @ 5cree

How does that sound to you all? I hope I'm going In the right direction here.

 

[2xTrinity]

Now I like these idea's if I'm reading you right if the input voltage is over the forward voltage of the led's in serial 5 cree's is like 18.5 volt the driver will get flakey.But having the ability to change levels with a click and to have a low batt indacator for the cells seems the way to go.

having a small c-cell light seem's nice like 1 3.7 lith c cell but the run time would be a hair to short so I'm looking at the maxFlex with 5 Q5 cree's in
serial with 3 c-cells for a voltage nominal of 9.6 vdc and hot of the charger would be around 10.9vdc and i could set the low batt cut of to 6vdc to save the batt on the battS that JONNY13 found I could even put in a 4'th cell and not go over and extend the run time abit.

the output would be like 1100 on hi with several lower settings to use when needed
350mA: 107~114lm =553 - 570 @ 5 cree
700mA: 171.2~182.4lm =856 - 910 @ 5 cree
1000mA: 214 ~ 228lm =1070 - 1140 @ 5cree

How does that sound to you all? I hope I'm going In the right direction here.

That sounds like an excellent proposal to me, even going to a 4 cell if you want extended runtime and efficiency (the closer your Vin is to your Vout, the better). You should get over 2 hours of runtime on high with 4 cells. The beauty of LEDs though is that they can be ridiculously efficient at lower levels. I woudl recommend, if possible, introducing a very low setting, like 80mA. With highly efficient Q5s, you should still see over 100 lumens out the front, with continuous runtimes of over 24 hours, which would be absolutely fantastic for a power-outage light. It's features like that that set apart multi-LED lights from max-lumens-at-all-costs hotwires.

 

[kenster]

5 Cree MAG, eh? If you want the light to be extremely versatile in use........ :naughty:

Only have the two pics to show of this one. 4/1 with two switches and two drivers. Modamag PXR heatsink. No fancy tools like a Lathe or Milling Machine needed. :thumbsup: An Aluminum bolt can be used to make the tower for the center Cree which puts out a flood type beam for up close tasks like McGizmo`s Mule light. The 4 Cree`s with the Mcr19`s give you some throw from the light. Going from 4 to 5 Cree`s with reflectors might not do much in the way of a visable difference in output to your eyes??? :shrug: Deffinately create more heat which is a problem to dissapate at high currents with 4 Cree`s IMHO. Anyway, just tossing in my worthless .02 of what I did.

Have fun modding your light!

Ken

You can see a bolt in the heatsink but it is not sticking up like a tower where it needs to be to place the center Cree next to the lens. New hole(s) need to be drilled in the heatsink for the wires from the drivers to the LED`s, of course.