Dinotte 1200L vs. DIY

[Sardius]

Hi all (n00b here),

I have zero LED experience with the exception of a Dinotte 200L which doesn't come close to my dual 20W halogen setup. However, I notice that Dinotte has release a 6-LED headlight (claimed 1200 lumens) at a price of ~$500 (including Li-ion battery + charger).

Things around here seem to change so quickly, and I don't have free access to CNC/fabrication facilities. Is it (financially) worth pursuing a DIY LED build or is $500 for a 1200 lumen commercial light a good deal?

FWIW, I love tinkering and prototyping (I have an extensive collection of MR11/MR16 DIY halogen lights). Just haven't made the leap to LEDs yet.

TIA

 

[BentHeadTX]

I have a Dinotte 200L and although it is very high quality, my Fenix L2D Q5 (2AA flashlight) destroys the thing in all performance aspects. Not even close! The flashlight is rated at 180 lumens at the LED so the Dinotte is really poor. I don't know if I got a bummer LED, but I will change it out with one of the new Cree XP-G LEDs and get 270 lumens.

Another option would be to get a used Dinotte and have the LEDs upgraded to the XP-G series. It might be much cheaper in the long run.

 

[Sardius]

I happen to have two 200L units, and at this point I'm ok with dismantling/performing a swap. While I don't have access to machining tools, I do have access to a good soldering station.

Do you know of any guides to swap the 200L LED? I assume there's a luxeon in there right now, but no idea of the operating current or even if the Cree XR/XP series would be compatible. Again, n00b. I'm trying to catch up by reading as much as possible.

The DX MagicShine also caught my attention...

 

[herulach]

Theres been a couple of threads, IIRC it's a Lux V, but that may have been one of the older ones. If it is, then your best bet is probably an MCE as replacement, should provide a nice boost in power.

edit: Old thread here, looks like it may be a newer LED (that was a 5W,not sure what the difference is) I'm sure someone will be able to ID it shortly.

As far as what you should do? It's largely up to you, if your light is the same as the one in that thread, then it looks to me like an ideal candidate for gutting, stuffing a new driver in (probably hipFlex, but I don't know what the buttons are like) and a shiny new quad die LED, probably set you back $50/60 and get you up to 650/700 lumens (actual) Couple that with a couple of throwy helmet mount flashlights (I'm thinking Romisen RC-G2 with upgraded emitter, and possibly modded for external battery, and I reckon you won't gofar wrong. Total lumens is probably going to be in excess of the dinotte, and you have the advantage of being able to stick a good deal of it wherever you're pointing.

 

[BentHeadTX]

My 200L uses what looks like a Seoul Semiconductor LED, it is not a Cree XR-E. The stock driver puts out about 750mA so it is not a slouch and I'll use the stock driver for my upgrade.

The issue is the "star" the stock LED sits on, it is around 17mm in size so don't use a "standard" 20mm star. I am going for a 10mm to give me more room to play with so it should not be too hard to configure. The other issue is the optic, I will have to get an XP-G optic to match the new LED and pay attention to how it all goes together since the optic seals against and o-ring for water protection. If I have to, I'll use a reflector and a plastic window for a proper seal.

The 4AA Dinotte 200L running an XP-G should give me at least 3 hours of runtime and will be the bicycle mounted light. For my helmet light, I use 2AA so I don't have wires etc. Just waiting for Fenix/4sevens or Eagletac to convert over to the new LED to replace the venerable L2D Q5 light.

 

[Sardius]

Thanks for the input, I'm very excited about this! I've got 4 batteries for the Dinotte, so *not* switching to a new light system is a good thing.

I will dismantle one of my 200L units and try to determine what emitter is being used, take some measurements, and determine if an emitter/optic replacement is a good option. I've also got two 140L (red) units, which are probably using Luxeon III's. Lots of possibilites here.

I live in Canada, so the bizarro international shipping rates may dictate feasibility. Sad.

 

[lagcisco]

Any updates on progress with the swap?

I've got 2 of these lights that I want to swap out.

 

[BentHeadTX]

Any updates on progress with the swap?

I've got 2 of these lights that I want to swap out.

The LED is easy, Cutter has the XP-G R5 on a 10mm star for around $6. My issue is the optics and trying to FIND my 200L Once I find it, then I'll mic out the optic and see if I can find one that will fit. Sure wish they went with a 20mm star with matching optics, but what fun would that be?

 

[ArisaemaDracontium]

I am considering upgrading my wife's 200-L. Do you guys have any pics of the guts so I can see what I am up against?

A few years ago Dinotte upgraded the LED for us, for a fee of course, but I wonder if it might just be worth it to send the light in and have them deal with it?