Has anyone tried this 4 die Solarforce dropin?

[Badbeams3]

http://www.solarforcestore.com/servlet/the-1137/MCE/Detail I`m thinking about trying one on the Solar force lights...thought the R-2 was the brightest drop in choice they had...now I see this. And this http://www.solarforcestore.com/servlet/the-1173/MCE/Detail

 

[USM0083]

I've got one on order and should receive it sometime next week.

 

[bigchelis]

Deal Extreme has a very similar option already for $24 delivered.

MrGman tested it and the lumens were very impressive.

1. w/ IMR 16340 = about 330 lumens out the front.
2. w/ IMR 18650 = almost 350 lumens out the front.

Note: The DX version is a 3 mode and will offer you the option to go to a lower level to allow the drop-in to cool. At 2.2~2.5A at the tail this thing will get super hot with that smalll P60 heatsink. You will be limited to around 5 minutes of use, unless you are willing to take the risk of , then you could run it for as long as you dare.

 

[lightmyway]

I have a solarforce L2 with the MCE dropin it has low,high, strobe,it compares with the other MCE i have as far as brightness, but i am only showing 1.3 draw at the switch it does not seem to get excessively hot.Is my Muttimeter faulty?

 

[Drewfus2101]

That website looks shady. I don't think I would want to put my CC number on there.

 

[rmteo]

If you pay with PayPaL, the seller will not see your CC info. I have placed several orders there without problems. Items were received about 7-8 days after the order was placed. Do a search for "Solarforce L2" and you will find that their service has been good.

 

[NigelBond]

I have a solarforce L2 with the MCE dropin it has low,high, strobe,it compares with the other MCE i have as far as brightness, but i am only showing 1.3 draw at the switch it does not seem to get excessively hot.Is my Muttimeter faulty?

I just posted a question at the sticky p60 drop in thread but I see that you should be able to answer my question so I'll ask you here. Does that solarforce drop in have true state memory? Does it turn on in the same mode you used last or does it start at the next level everytime?

 

[choaticwhisper]

Quote:
Originally Posted by lightmyway
I have a solarforce L2 with the MCE dropin it has low,high, strobe,it compares with the other MCE i have as far as brightness, but i am only showing 1.3 draw at the switch it does not seem to get excessively hot.Is my Muttimeter faulty?

I just posted a question at the sticky p60 drop in thread but I see that you should be able to answer my question so I'll ask you here. Does that solarforce drop in have true state memory? Does it turn on in the same mode you used last or does it start at the next level everytime?

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
It shows
3 Outputs: High, Low, Strobe with memory function [/FONT]

Deal Extreme has a very similar option already for $24 delivered.

MrGman tested it and the lumens were very impressive.

1. w/ IMR 16340 = about 330 lumens out the front.
2. w/ IMR 18650 = almost 350 lumens out the front.

Note: The DX version is a 3 mode and will offer you the option to go to a lower level to allow the drop-in to cool. At 2.2~2.5A at the tail this thing will get super hot with that smalll P60 heatsink. You will be limited to around 5 minutes of use, unless you are willing to take the risk of , then you could run it for as long as you dare.

Do you think those numbers would happened with a normal 18650 or does this pill needa IMR to get the 2.2A draw? most normal 18650 are limited to 1.5 or so, right?

 

[NigelBond]

I've seen situations where a light that turns on in the next mode every time will be said to have memory because it remembers the last mode used and starts in the next mode every time. Its kind if missleading but it happens.

 

[bigchelis]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It shows[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3 Outputs: High, Low, Strobe with memory function [/FONT]


Do you think those numbers would happened with a normal 18650 or does this pill needa IMR to get the 2.2A draw? most normal 18650 are limited to 1.5 or so, right?

If you don't use a IMR 18650 you will get less lumens. MrGman tested an MTE P7 from DX on direct drive with a regular no-name 18650 and it barely gave 250~300 lumens, but then a IMR 18650 made it nearly 500 out the front.:twothumbs

I have put 18650 cells in my direct drive P60 P7 and MC-E lights and the current at the tail is the same, but the out the front lumens are not. Don't know why, perhaps others can ellaborate.

Only the IMR 18650 can handle the high current applications, but that doesn't mean a Trustfire 18650 cant be used. In fact that is what I was using, but my 18650's kept dying after a single charge due to this high current usage. I guess the IMR 18650 was my salvation.

 

[Justin Case]

Deal Extreme has a very similar option already for $24 delivered.

MrGman tested it and the lumens were very impressive.

1. w/ IMR 16340 = about 330 lumens out the front.
2. w/ IMR 18650 = almost 350 lumens out the front.

Note: The DX version is a 3 mode and will offer you the option to go to a lower level to allow the drop-in to cool. At 2.2~2.5A at the tail this thing will get super hot with that smalll P60 heatsink. You will be limited to around 5 minutes of use, unless you are willing to take the risk of , then you could run it for as long as you dare.

Doesn't see that impressive IMO. Unfortunately, the DX information is typically scant regarding how their driver works. But my guess is that it is a cheap AMC7135-based linear regulator, which is consistent with the stated voltage range (especially, the min voltage of 2.7V). I'm not sure about the contradictory DX claims of 2.8A but only 410 lumens either.

But a K-bin MC-E that puts out only 350 lumens even though it is drawing 2.5A at the tail doesn't see all that efficient to me. And that's a near best-case figure as well, since it is my understanding that you generally measure lumens before
any module gets too hot (e.g., "turn-on" lumens) and high junction temperature effects kick in.

In fact, the DX drop-in seems to underperform relative to the current draw even when cool. If I simply went direct drive and sent most of the current to the emitter, I would expect an output of around 500 emitter lumens. If we subtract 20% reflector losses, we still should get around 400 lumens.

I think that a Malkoff M60 putting out 240 lumens while certainly drawing far less than 2.5A is much more impressive. And I bet that the M60 will deliver that same amount of lumens for as long as the batteries will last, not for just 5 min, after which you risk burning up your drop-in.

 

[jake25]

I've heard there were some problems focusing the dropin. Also there were some heat issues with testing. Of course Solarforce could dial down the Dropin to give a solid 300 lumens of flood. I think that's what they should do, just my opinion.

 

[lightmyway]

I just posted a question at the sticky p60 drop in thread but I see that you should be able to answer my question so I'll ask you here. Does that solarforce drop in have true state memory? Does it turn on in the same mode you used last or does it start at the next level everytime?

NigelBond ,Just to clarify It turns on in the same mode you last used.I have been using it a couple of days now and am quite satisfied. It does have a whiter tint that the DX one that i have.

 

[Wiggle]

Whats all this talk of standard 18650 not being enough to push 2 amps or so? That's not even 1C for some 18650.

 

[bigchelis]

Whats all this talk of standard 18650 not being enough to push 2 amps or so? That's not even 1C for some 18650.

I mentioned standard 18650's can handle the hight current (not as effective as IMR), but seing with my own eyes with MrGman's sphere the lumens were nearly half as opposed to a IMR 18650.

I had a Solarforce 1000 Lumen incandescent. When I used my Trustfire 18650 cells they wouldn't charge again. This was after about 20 minutes of use. After I went through about 6 of them, I found out about IMR's and haven't looked back.

bigchelis

 

[jeffosborne]

Hey bigchelis, I want to know about IMR batteries, too!
I've been using LIG 18650's, and stupid Trustfire.
Where do I buy these IMR's, and what's the part number?

Thanks so much,
Jeff

 

[csshih]

I don't trust that solarforcestore place they supply these junk 18650sbwith their lights while solarforce has their own authentic cells. Local dealer jake25 has a store at solarforcelights.com.. I trust that one more :shrug:

Anyways, you can get aw imr cells on the marketplace. Search for the user AW

 

[oldpal]

That website looks shady. I don't think I would want to put my CC number on there.

I recently purchased a Solarforce L2 and a L2m body from the Solarforcestore using my Paypal account. I received the order in about 11 days without any problems. I would order from them again.

Hugh

 

[bigchelis]

Hey bigchelis, I want to know about IMR batteries, too!
I've been using LIG 18650's, and stupid Trustfire.
Where do I buy these IMR's, and what's the part number?

Thanks so much,
Jeff

Jeff,
The IMR 18650 I purchase from a Texas based company called lighthound.com
If you spend $75 or more you get free shipping. They get me every time.:sick2:

I have IMR 16340 which are the same as cr123 rechargeables. You will notice that IMR cells have less advertised mAh capacity, but they are just honest ratings and are a great value.

Please note: The IMR cells are good for up to 4.5A, but they are not protected.
Cells I use:
IMR 16340 = cr123 size
IMR 18650
IMR "C" cells = fit only Maglight D sizes, but will fit a C Maglight if bored a bit.