Another MR16 LED

[Overamp]

OptiLED has some interesting leds. 4 degree spot. 6 to 24v.
http://www.optiled.biz/products/products.html
Can the circuits in these lights run on dc?
That bayonet base has possibilities.

 

[Chris M.]

Just ordered one of each style - MR16 lamp, bayonet base spot lamp and a decorative one. No idea how long it`ll all take to arrive but I`ll post some details when they do.
They look rather nice.

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[Overamp]

Chris, what kind of prices are they? I didn't register on their site, so I couldn't get prices.

 

[Chris M.]

The MR16s are around $40, the mains powered spotlamps are around $45 and the decorative ones are around $36 - all for the coloured versions. For some reason the white versions seem to be about $4-5 more than the coloured ones. Registered shoppers are offered a small discount, something like 10% and probably more for larger volumes. Shipping is extra, but I`m waiting to find out exactly how much.

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[Overamp]

Thanx Chris. I sent them an email asking about the flashlights in the background of this page;
http://www.optiled.biz/onlineshopping/onlineshopping.html

 

[obeck]

What would be nice is if they would produce an MR11. Bicycle lights use the MR11 form factor, and this could be a drop-in replacement for those.

A good 10watt/15watt MR11 spot goes for about $15, or $22 if you buy (for example) the nitesun branded version at REI. If they could make these for $40 or $50, I'd buy one for a headlamp.

 

[Chris M.]

My MR16 and mains-powered LED spots arrived recently. Seems they forgot all about the decorative lamp but I`ve sent a message asking what happened there.

They are very nice indeed - I was surprised at the weight for a start. The mains powered one has a fair old mass for its size and the MR16 must weight a little more than a normal glass one, though not excessive. Both finished in smart silver-grey. The mains one has a plastic body but there`s probably metal in there for heatsinking. The MR16 has a metal body but plastic lens ring and cap/base.

They both have a large 35mm diameter collimator lens which is probably a Fraen 4 degree part. Over the top of these collimators is a proprietary diffusing material held in place with a threaded ring, which would appear to be the way they are able to offer different beam spreads. Mine come with the "Light Prescription Index - 4" diffuser that softens out the spot which is otherwise square and a bit rough round the edges. The LEDs are high dome Luxeon 1-watters. The white (mains powered) one is a very nice colour reminiscent of Philips Mastercolor halide lamps - very white with a hint of warmth, though the CRI is less being a LED of course. The blue (MR16) one is a Royal Blue LED giving a stunning deep blue colour that is every eye catching. Both projected spots are smooth and round just like the Surefire Original E2.

Brightness is OK but not blinding - they apear to be mildly underdriven. Total light output is a little less than an Arc LSH-P but it has only minimal side spill so I`d estimate the peak spot intensity is about the same. My light meter has gone missing right now so I can`t give any numbers, sorry. And the camera`s charging (it keeled over right after I downloaded that photo earlier on) so I`ll take some beamshots later when it`s full up again.


The MR16 one is something that Mod-ers might get mildly excited about. It`s current regulated by a down-converter that runs from 6 to 24 volts AC or DC, and draws about 200mA at 12v according to the (admittedly very low resolution) meter in my bench power supply. Rising to maybe 300-350 down at 6v. It drops out of regulation at about 5-5.5v though (yes, the volt meter is only a low resolution analog one too), and I do wonder if it might not be damaged by undervoltage since it bears the warning "not suitable for dimming". So for dropping in to 4 cell Maglites, etc, they might not be quite what you`re looking for, even though they probably would work OK. Certainly little problem with higher numbers of cells, or 3+ CR123 etc.


All in all, for fancy decorative lighting schemes and LED/light bulb enthusiasts like me these are great. Well made, compact and quite bright. Not sure how useful they`d be for flashlight mods though, and they could do with being a bit brighter.


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[The_LED_Museum]

I have an Enerleds MR16 retrofit bulb that also uses a 1.2 watt LS and runs from 12VDC or 12VAC, but I think you'll let all the magic smoke out of it if you put it on a 24V circuit. You aren't supposed to use it on a standard household dimmer circuit either, or it might pop.

I have a write-up of it right here if you're interested.