KL6 + MC-E

[DaFABRICATA]

After replacing the LUX V with a Seoul U2 bin a while back, I was not too happy with the brightness/size factor. I tried the MC-E that I ended up using for a KL4 with great results. I had to make a shim to bring the emitter up to the reflector, but did no other modifications. It's using the stock driver and output seems great! Almost on par with my P7/McR38 running 2.8
I will give more feedback as it gets dark soon. I will not be able to get outdoor beamshots for a few days due to snow.

P7 on Left..........................KL6-MC-E on Right

 

[shomie911]

Looks like it collimates the beam rather well.

Great job!

 

[ROK]

:goodjob:
How's the X-shaped donut at the center?

 

[DaFABRICATA]

Heres a beamshot from about 20'

The donut is barely there..:thumbsup:

 

[donn_]

Looks beautiful!

 

[LED Zeppelin]

Nice beam and clean work Tim!

 

[depusm12]

Nice work Tim. How far does it throw the beam? I'm getting ready to send my KL6 to Milkyspit and have him do this mod but replace the stock driver with a multi level Acorn driver for multiple modes/levels.

 

[roadie]

:O !!!

its the thing i need for my 'empty' M4 host.

btw, are u selling it? can it be run on 2 x 17670 ?

 

[mudman cj]

Beautiful beam indeed. That is one of the nicest MC-E beamshots I have seen. I am looking forward to seeing those outdoor shots.

 

[brighterisbetter]

Yes Tim I agree, nice work as always :kewlpics:

 

[mudman cj]

Does the head get warm in use? I wonder if the thin stock heatsink is able to transfer much heat to the head since it only contacts it at the three screw attachment points.

 

[Boltgun]

DA,

what thickness of shim did you use? I see another KL6 mod coming!

Boltgun

 

[Fusion_m8]

I'm surprised the stock KL6 relector didn't need to be drilled with a larger opening for the MC-E emitter.

Great job!

 

[9x23]

DaFABRICATA,

Wonderful work and innovation! It gives me hope that I might be able to modernize the emitter in my Surefire L7 and L5. The deep reflectors seem to work well with the MC-E.

One question for you. How did you wire the emitter to the stock driver? 2serial2parallel, 4serial, or 4 parallel?

9x23

 

[thegeek]

DaFABRICATA,

Wonderful work and innovation! It gives me hope that I might be able to modernize the emitter in my Surefire L7 and L5. The deep reflectors seem to work well with the MC-E.

One question for you. How did you wire the emitter to the stock driver? 2serial2parallel, 4serial, or 4 parallel?

9x23

I've had an MC-E in a KL5, the beam was identical to the luxV with a mild donut. MUCH brighter though. I used the stock driver and wired the emitter in 2s2p. There is a lip on the bottom of the KL5 reflector (where it meets the emitter) that I had to take off, and I had to shim the MC-E up to height. I was very happy with the result though.

 

[DaFABRICATA]

Hello all,

Thanks for the comments!

The MCE is wired 2s2p.

I didn't measure the height of the shim.
It was hand shaped with a file from some copper I had laying around.
It was just enough to bring the emitter up to the reflector.

I haven't run it long enough to see if it gets hot.
I am considering adding more heatsink to the bottom of the stock KL6 heatsink to help with thermal issues.
The ideal solution would be to use a "cone shaped heatsink/contact like the one Ledzep designed for the KT4.
This would give the driver something to desipate onto as well as help with the LED.
If I was able to do this, I would add a Shark Buck and run it at an even higher current.:thumbsup:

I must say the beam truely is awesome!!
One of the nicest I've seen.
IMO...its a great way to bring new life to this old head.

 

[9x23]

I've had an MC-E in a KL5, the beam was identical to the luxV with a mild donut. MUCH brighter though. I used the stock driver and wired the emitter in 2s2p. There is a lip on the bottom of the KL5 reflector (where it meets the emitter) that I had to take off, and I had to shim the MC-E up to height. I was very happy with the result though.

thegeek,

Is the donut bad enough where one would notice in real world use? Or, does it look similar to the KL6 beamshot posted by DaFABRICATA? For me, if it looks like the KL6 beamshots then I think it looks great and is definitely worth modding.

BTW how have you guys been opening the heads? Strap wrench and heat gun?

Thanks!

9x23

 

[zx7dave]

Nice work Tim. How far does it throw the beam? I'm getting ready to send my KL6 to Milkyspit and have him do this mod but replace the stock driver with a multi level Acorn driver for multiple modes/levels.

I had Milky do the "Sparkplug" build on my KL6 which I mated to my M4. A wonderful combination. 436 Lumens for 230 minutes...never really gets hot either...runs great on 2x18650's...

 

[thegeek]

thegeek,

Is the donut bad enough where one would notice in real world use? Or, does it look similar to the KL6 beamshot posted by DaFABRICATA? For me, if it looks like the KL6 beamshots then I think it looks great and is definitely worth modding.

BTW how have you guys been opening the heads? Strap wrench and heat gun?

Thanks!

9x23

It was a rather noticeable donut. I didn't play with the focus at all though, just guessed a shim size that made it work and threw it together. DaFAB's beamshots of the KL6 look nicer than the KL5 did. When actually using it I didn't notice the donut, and as I mentioned earlier it looked exactly like my original beam, which had a noticeable donut, just a LOT brighter. Even with the donut I would definitely consider it worth modding, but your opinion may differ.

 

[DaFABRICATA]

Outdoor beamshots

I know the comparison isn't fair but they are 2 lights that people can relate to.
Camera settings were locked.
Target is the far snow pile in front of the tree.

KL6 with MC-E

KL5A with U2 Seoul upgrade