FM CL1909 bulbs / JC5607

[hoongern]

Hi all,

I really love my Mag2D/1909 conversion - it's given me lots of "wows" whenever I take it hiking or use it for extra lighting in photos - people just can't imagine a flashlight giving out more light than their car headlamps or their house lights!

But, I've been a bit concerned because I don't have any spare bulbs, and dread the day it s. So, unless people know when more will be available, I was curious about the JC5607 as a replacement.

In particular, my Mag mod is a low-resistance Kiu socket, and I have also performed a copper-braid tailcap mod for the lowest possible resistance - I don't have any softstart.

Will the 5607 flash on 3xIMR26500 at full charge? I know people have used it as the poor man's 1909, but I'm not sure what kind of resistance mods their hosts have.

To give you an idea of the resistance in my host, WA1185 bulbs with 3x IMR26500 charged to only 4.05V each.

And according to Luxluther's charts, the 5607 flashes at 12.1V, compared to the 1185 at 12.3V, and the 1909 at 13.0V. Of course, the cells will probably sag more under the 5607's higher load.

Also, secondary, but is the beam pattern similar to the 1909? I use my 1909 with SMO reflectors for max throw, and with the 1909 it has batwings, but the hotspot is still fine.

 

[jaundice]

I think LuxLuthor's data pretty much speaks for itself. Although I haven't pushed a 5607 as hard as you're talking about, I think you're definitely in instaflash territory. The upside is that 5607's are so cheap, you can expiriment with them an not break the bank.

I think that in order to run the 5607 you're going to have to either add some resistance back into your setup, or add a thermsistor softstart. I haven't used them, myself, but others report good results, and they're also inexpensive.

I find the 5607's to put out beams with large artifacts the Hikari bulb construction leaves a large blob of glass at the top of the envelope, unlike more expensive bulbs that have a thin glass envelope. This blob causes artifacts. I generally use MOP or LOP reflectors, so it doesn't bother me.

Good luck!

-John

 

[mrartillery]

I run my 5607 on 3 IMR 26500's with no yet. I always power mine up at about 12.3v, and yes my host has all of the resistance mods done to it including the KIU. I use one of Lithos MOP reflectors and the artifacts aren't bad at all. Ive tried a LOP with it as well with similair results, I cant speak for the SMO because I hate SMO reflectors :sick2:. Best part about these bulbs other than there output and resilience is the price! I bought 10 of these on ebay a few months back for $12, and yes that price included shipping. :thumbsup:

 

[hoongern]

Thanks for the replies so far!

Hmm.. sounds promising. Of course, everyone's host will be slightly different, and at that level, slight differences can make all the difference, but as these bulbs are so cheap, maybe I'll just go ahead and try it out!

My worry with a is not just the bulb dying, but if it explodes and kills off my reflector & lens.

And I totally understand you not liking SMO. In fact, I can't stand it indoors as well, but I never use this light indoors, and 95% of the time I'm bouncing the light off another surface for diffuse lighting, so I'm just trying to get every last bit of light out of it I do have an FM bi-focal which cleans things up well, though, on the occasion I want to use direct lighting indoors (which, frankly, I find it too bright for! I normally use my LF IMR-9 for indoors)

Hmm, is it a bad thing that I no longer find the WA1185 that impressive?

 

[mrartillery]

My worry with a is not just the bulb dying, but if it explodes and kills off my reflector & lens.

Start it up without the head on. I do this on all my new ROP bulbs to keep from smoking the reflector over. But I think you shouldnt have anything to worry about these bulbs are incredibly resilient. Here's the seller I bought from, enjoy!

 

[Linger]

hoongern,
That little hikari is a lot more durable than people give it credit for.

I've plugged a Hikari JC5607 direct into the JST plug on a 3s lipo hobby pack (20c rated packs, 30c rated packs). Repeatedly. I've used that direct set-up to burn through an order of MR11 format 5607's I got for free. I'm still on the first bulb. So no poof. Same goes for 3s AW 26500's, and 3s IMR 26650.

 

[hoongern]

As they're pretty cheap, I went ahead and bought a couple of the 5607s, we'll see how they turn out

Do people find them any brighter/whiter than the 1909s?

 

[hoongern]

I just received my JC5607s! With gloves, eye protection, a clean cloth and alcohol, I switched my bulb over.

No yet, so that's a good thing The cells are slightly discharged though, so the real test will be when it's charged full.

I can't really tell the brightness as I can't compare it side-by-side to the 1909, but the ceiling bounce seems similar enough. Of course, BigC's readings of the 5607 w/ Kiu & 3xIMR26500 were slightly lower than the 1909, but everyone's hosts are slightly different...

 

[hoongern]

Update - !

I'm not too surprised, honestly. This was on 3xIMR [fast] charged to 4.2V using a hobby charger at 1.2A terminating at C/5 (240mA), and then each discharged for a minute at 1A before using it on the 5607. (Open voltage of the cells was 4.12/4.13V)

I'm guessing that this bulb will only be able to take 4-4.1V charge with my resistance mods in place.

It was bright for the second it lit up, though!

Back to my 1909 for now... which hopefully lasts!

 

[mrartillery]

Try them at around 4.1v each, this is what I run mine at with the 5607. Although if you are wanting to run full charge you may want to consider a NTC if you keep flashing the bulbs.