can I solder a cree XR-E LED?
- Thread starter sskyy
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Re: can I solder cree XR-E LED
Good luck.
I am not a beginner at soldering but I am not a pro either. I purhcased all that I needed for a Tri-Cree and after about 4 tries I sold the crees and the heatsink. I am sticking with the Souls!
It may just have been that I had too much on my mind at the time. I may try again one day, but I have had good luck with the Souls, hb.
Good luck.
I am not a beginner at soldering but I am not a pro either. I purhcased all that I needed for a Tri-Cree and after about 4 tries I sold the crees and the heatsink. I am sticking with the Souls!
It may just have been that I had too much on my mind at the time. I may try again one day, but I have had good luck with the Souls, hb.
DonShock
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: can I solder cree XR-E LED
Yes, the Cree emitters are pretty hard to solder to. I wouldn't recommend it if you've only ever soldered once before. You'll find emitters on stars, or the copper tabs on Luxeon and Seoul emitters, much easier to work with. On the other hand, if you have the patience to learn to solder to the Cree emitters, anything else will seem a breeze.
Yes, the Cree emitters are pretty hard to solder to. I wouldn't recommend it if you've only ever soldered once before. You'll find emitters on stars, or the copper tabs on Luxeon and Seoul emitters, much easier to work with. On the other hand, if you have the patience to learn to solder to the Cree emitters, anything else will seem a breeze.
Timson
Enlightened
Re: can I solder cree XR-E LED
If you have your crees already mounted on the heatsink - you will find that heat applied is conducted away very quickly, making it hard to solder.
Make sure you 'tin' the contact pads before mounting to heatsink.
Use a soldering iron with a decent power and has a decent sized tip - so as to retain a lot of heat.
Hot and fast is the trick here.
A lower powered iron with a small tip won't melt the solder - it will just heat up the emitter and will probably cook it before the solder melts.
pre tin your power wire. When ready to solder, apply the iron to your tinned wire and re-melt the solder...Keep the heat on the wire and bring it all into contact with the contact pad on the emitter.
If it's all hot enough the tinned solder pad will melt when you make contact and hey presto...youre done...without pumping loads of hea into your emitter.
Make sure you don't let your wires and solder touch the metal cree ring, because it's conductive and you will get a short.
I found this out the hard way and blew a driver.
Good luck
Tim
If you have your crees already mounted on the heatsink - you will find that heat applied is conducted away very quickly, making it hard to solder.
Make sure you 'tin' the contact pads before mounting to heatsink.
Use a soldering iron with a decent power and has a decent sized tip - so as to retain a lot of heat.
Hot and fast is the trick here.
A lower powered iron with a small tip won't melt the solder - it will just heat up the emitter and will probably cook it before the solder melts.
pre tin your power wire. When ready to solder, apply the iron to your tinned wire and re-melt the solder...Keep the heat on the wire and bring it all into contact with the contact pad on the emitter.
If it's all hot enough the tinned solder pad will melt when you make contact and hey presto...youre done...without pumping loads of hea into your emitter.
Make sure you don't let your wires and solder touch the metal cree ring, because it's conductive and you will get a short.
I found this out the hard way and blew a driver.
Good luck
Tim
Re: can I solder cree XR-E LED
I did my first bare cree the other day. Not much fun. I used the same method Tim has described above, and I still managed to leave some solder on the metal ring around the emitter.
You could by the crees mounted on a star instead, that would save you going mad.
Do you mind telling us a bit more about the build? Batts/drivers/optics or reflectores etc ??
Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
I did my first bare cree the other day. Not much fun. I used the same method Tim has described above, and I still managed to leave some solder on the metal ring around the emitter.
You could by the crees mounted on a star instead, that would save you going mad.
Do you mind telling us a bit more about the build? Batts/drivers/optics or reflectores etc ??
Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
Re: can I solder cree XR-E LED
Well the build I am trying to make up my mind on would be a Quad Cree (hopefully Q2) 2D Mag. Using Modamags Perfect XR Cree Heatsink, the Shark driver with a Remora UI Board, powered by 8AAs in a modamag holder and McR-19XRs or something cheeper but I don't know what yet. I had planed to start this a few weeks ago but it didn't happen. My main concern is having bought all the parts I will not manage to do the soldering. The soldering iron I have is a 25 watt Weller like this.
Thanks
sskyy
Thank you really usefull.
I did my first bare cree the other day. Not much fun. I used the same method Tim has described above, and I still managed to leave some solder on the metal ring around the emitter.
You could by the crees mounted on a star instead, that would save you going mad.
Do you mind telling us a bit more about the build? Batts/drivers/optics or reflectores etc ??
Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
Well the build I am trying to make up my mind on would be a Quad Cree (hopefully Q2) 2D Mag. Using Modamags Perfect XR Cree Heatsink, the Shark driver with a Remora UI Board, powered by 8AAs in a modamag holder and McR-19XRs or something cheeper but I don't know what yet. I had planed to start this a few weeks ago but it didn't happen. My main concern is having bought all the parts I will not manage to do the soldering. The soldering iron I have is a 25 watt Weller like this.
Thanks
sskyy
Re: can I solder cree XR-E LED
There would appear to be more optics available for the Cree than reflectors. The optics seem to be better suited to the Cree so far.
Here's a thread about a new reflector for Cree :
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=166210
There would appear to be more optics available for the Cree than reflectors. The optics seem to be better suited to the Cree so far.
Here's a thread about a new reflector for Cree :
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=166210
My solution for handling surface-mount parts in general - and it's worked nicely with Crees in particular - was to build a reflow controller that converts a standard electric hotplate or griddle or convection oven into a reflow soldering system. My writeup on how-to is here.
Soldering surface-mount parts by hand is at best a hassle and at worst could be well nigh impossible.
oO
Soldering surface-mount parts by hand is at best a hassle and at worst could be well nigh impossible.
oO
I have built some lights with Crees already, one multihead even has 16, 17, 19 and 27 mm XR-Es.
imho there is nothing that compares to the Shoppe reflectors, if You are willing to pay for them.
Within the reflectors, the 19 mm is the best by very far, if possible use this. You will be disappointed with the others.
f.e. those two mods here are totally identical
(the Inova uses a Q2 while the 6P runs with a P4, but except for this indentical)
the 17 mm in the Inova had to be shortened by 1mm to fit into the housing, dunno if this changes much of the outcome.
Anyway, the beam is so much weaker, I really think of selling the light. If I had another Flupic here, I would do it
(the lights really are the same, built the same, using identical Flupic set for 850-900 mA max, same wires, same mounting, same batteries, drawing the same current, ...)
Next best step is the original Cree optic, way cheaper and maybe better suited for beginner mods.
PS: I used the McR-XE and the normal 19mm and both work the same. The normal one offers more material at the base and thus can be glued in easier
as to solder in the Crees:
I solder quite much and find the Cree very difficult.
Now I use a hotter iron (normally 15 W, the Cree with the 80 I have) and put some solder on the bare contacts. I also switched from braided (?) to single copper wire. That way the connections work, but they dont look good
imho there is nothing that compares to the Shoppe reflectors, if You are willing to pay for them.
Within the reflectors, the 19 mm is the best by very far, if possible use this. You will be disappointed with the others.
f.e. those two mods here are totally identical
(the Inova uses a Q2 while the 6P runs with a P4, but except for this indentical)
the 17 mm in the Inova had to be shortened by 1mm to fit into the housing, dunno if this changes much of the outcome.
Anyway, the beam is so much weaker, I really think of selling the light. If I had another Flupic here, I would do it
(the lights really are the same, built the same, using identical Flupic set for 850-900 mA max, same wires, same mounting, same batteries, drawing the same current, ...)
Next best step is the original Cree optic, way cheaper and maybe better suited for beginner mods.
PS: I used the McR-XE and the normal 19mm and both work the same. The normal one offers more material at the base and thus can be glued in easier
as to solder in the Crees:
I solder quite much and find the Cree very difficult.
Now I use a hotter iron (normally 15 W, the Cree with the 80 I have) and put some solder on the bare contacts. I also switched from braided (?) to single copper wire. That way the connections work, but they dont look good
Last edited:
chesterqw
Flashlight Enthusiast
soldering flux will make it easier and also, a good soldering iron with a clean, good tip.
uk_caver
Flashlight Enthusiast
As Tim said, a big tip on the iron, and pre-tinning the wires seem to be key.
I also found that my solder didn't seem to stick terribly well to the tinning on the Cree. Very gently Dremel-ing the solder pads to clean copper and then tinning with a somewhat thicker layer of fresh solder seemed to make the subsequent attachment of the tinned wire a bit easier, though that might have been simply down to having a thicker tinning layer, and/or the original tinning on the Cree having had a slightly dirty/oxidised surface.
I also found that my solder didn't seem to stick terribly well to the tinning on the Cree. Very gently Dremel-ing the solder pads to clean copper and then tinning with a somewhat thicker layer of fresh solder seemed to make the subsequent attachment of the tinned wire a bit easier, though that might have been simply down to having a thicker tinning layer, and/or the original tinning on the Cree having had a slightly dirty/oxidised surface.
ICUDoc
Enlightened
uk caver is right- you need to clean up the solder pads on the Cree first- I use some fine sandpaper to make the solder adhere.
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