StefanFS
Flashlight Enthusiast
My last Luxeon light gets a new brain.
To get the pill out of the head I used needlenose pliers. Put the outermost tips of the pliers in the depressions on the pills outer edge, then turn counterclockwise slowly with steady pressure, so you don't slip. Depending on the amount of epoxy this is either very easy or very difficult. Mine was easy.
The start. Must remove evil emitter from pill. Which soon proves to be almost impossible as Fenix have used some really tough epoxy to fix the emitter. Strangely they neglected the threads on the pill in their epoxy mania. Contacts have been desoldered. Violence is about to start.
This is how a Luxeon III looks after you have used a small wood chisel on it. Sadly this was the only way to get it off. Had plans for it.
The Lux is off and the SSC P4 have had the connections clipped to fit the pill. Also the copper disc, 0.5 mm (0.020") is seen. This pill is somewhat different from LxT. The emitter goes down deeper into the pill. Apply thin layers of Arctic Alu. epoxy on the disc and in the heatsink depression on the pill, put the spacer in place. Make sure there are some epoxy around the edges of the spacer when you have placed it in the heatsink depression. Also check that the copper spacer don't touch the "walls" of the heatsink depression before you put the emitter on top of the spacer. Apply a thin layer of epoxy to the emitter and press lightly on it to get it horizontal on the spacer.
(The slug/underside of SSC P4 is not isolated, and could cause a short if attached incorrectly. I use a copper spacer that is slightly smaller in diameter than the heatsink depression in the led pill. If you use a spacer you get two thin layers of Arctic Alumina epoxy for isolation. The keyword is thin layers for best thermal transfer. Don't press the emitter down too hard, that could press out all the epoxy. Wait until the epoxy has set before you solder the leads, best is to leave it to cure over night.)
Before the epoxy sets, start screwing the pill into the head to check centering in the reflector, don't screw it in to far so the emitter turns on the reflector, that could mean isolation have been lost because the AA epoxy layer have been compromised. It takes a few times to get it centered.
Yet to be soldered emitter and reflector backside in the head.
Emitter soldered to the pill. Use flux, pretinning and a 30 Watt soldering iron. Adequate heat shortens the heat exposure of the material because hotter is quicker. Before soldering wait for the epoxy to set (several hours/overnight).
The good looking result. Centering was successful and the reflector isn't ruined!
Beamshot @ 1 meter. Complete beam distribution. Hotspot size as before, spill is much brighter. Output is more than double compared to the Lux III. Energizer primary lithium cell. Exposure 1/60, f 2.8.
Hotspot and corona @ 3 meters. Exposure 1/60, f. 2.8. Spill not in photo.
Stefan
Edit.
The emitter used is an SSC P4 USVOI, good stuff. From the five bought from PhotonFanatic all five have now proven themselves. Very white and no tint variations.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Edit 2007-02-08.
Luxreadings added. Total output is measured the Flashlightreview way. I made a lightbox for my lightmeter the way it is described there. The led doesn't blow up using a 3.7 Volt LiIon cell and the light doesn't get quite as hot as as it did before, with the Lux III in combination with a LiIon cell.
Total / throw output with:
The total output figures are spectacular, even better than I hoped. Throw doesn't improve so dramatically, but keep in mind that the reflector is rather small. Incidentally, the throw numbers doesn't improve if I screw the light engine further in against the reflector.
To get the pill out of the head I used needlenose pliers. Put the outermost tips of the pliers in the depressions on the pills outer edge, then turn counterclockwise slowly with steady pressure, so you don't slip. Depending on the amount of epoxy this is either very easy or very difficult. Mine was easy.
The start. Must remove evil emitter from pill. Which soon proves to be almost impossible as Fenix have used some really tough epoxy to fix the emitter. Strangely they neglected the threads on the pill in their epoxy mania. Contacts have been desoldered. Violence is about to start.
This is how a Luxeon III looks after you have used a small wood chisel on it. Sadly this was the only way to get it off. Had plans for it.
The Lux is off and the SSC P4 have had the connections clipped to fit the pill. Also the copper disc, 0.5 mm (0.020") is seen. This pill is somewhat different from LxT. The emitter goes down deeper into the pill. Apply thin layers of Arctic Alu. epoxy on the disc and in the heatsink depression on the pill, put the spacer in place. Make sure there are some epoxy around the edges of the spacer when you have placed it in the heatsink depression. Also check that the copper spacer don't touch the "walls" of the heatsink depression before you put the emitter on top of the spacer. Apply a thin layer of epoxy to the emitter and press lightly on it to get it horizontal on the spacer.
(The slug/underside of SSC P4 is not isolated, and could cause a short if attached incorrectly. I use a copper spacer that is slightly smaller in diameter than the heatsink depression in the led pill. If you use a spacer you get two thin layers of Arctic Alumina epoxy for isolation. The keyword is thin layers for best thermal transfer. Don't press the emitter down too hard, that could press out all the epoxy. Wait until the epoxy has set before you solder the leads, best is to leave it to cure over night.)
Before the epoxy sets, start screwing the pill into the head to check centering in the reflector, don't screw it in to far so the emitter turns on the reflector, that could mean isolation have been lost because the AA epoxy layer have been compromised. It takes a few times to get it centered.
Yet to be soldered emitter and reflector backside in the head.
Emitter soldered to the pill. Use flux, pretinning and a 30 Watt soldering iron. Adequate heat shortens the heat exposure of the material because hotter is quicker. Before soldering wait for the epoxy to set (several hours/overnight).
The good looking result. Centering was successful and the reflector isn't ruined!
Beamshot @ 1 meter. Complete beam distribution. Hotspot size as before, spill is much brighter. Output is more than double compared to the Lux III. Energizer primary lithium cell. Exposure 1/60, f 2.8.
Hotspot and corona @ 3 meters. Exposure 1/60, f. 2.8. Spill not in photo.
Stefan
Edit.
The emitter used is an SSC P4 USVOI, good stuff. From the five bought from PhotonFanatic all five have now proven themselves. Very white and no tint variations.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Edit 2007-02-08.
Luxreadings added. Total output is measured the Flashlightreview way. I made a lightbox for my lightmeter the way it is described there. The led doesn't blow up using a 3.7 Volt LiIon cell and the light doesn't get quite as hot as as it did before, with the Lux III in combination with a LiIon cell.
Total / throw output with:
- Batterystation 3.7 Volt LiIon: 7200 / 1800 Lux.
- Energizer 3.0 Volt Lithium: 5080 / 1400 Lux.
The total output figures are spectacular, even better than I hoped. Throw doesn't improve so dramatically, but keep in mind that the reflector is rather small. Incidentally, the throw numbers doesn't improve if I screw the light engine further in against the reflector.
Last edited:
