L4 Two stage?

[smokelaw1]

So, I have an L4, and love it. I've had it for quite some time, and it is my favorite "clear the house" light. The more I think about it, though, the more I wish it had a two stage.
Which two stage would keep high as high, keep the function close to the same, and give a nice usable low? Anyone?

Thanks.

 

[Macaw]

You can order a two stage tail cap at the shoppe: http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?products_id=864

You can choose what value resistor to include. The higher the resistor value, the lower the low beam. I don't really know which value to suggest.

This mod will convert your L4 to a two-stage twisty with a momentary two-stage button on the tailcap.

 

[smokelaw1]

Fantastic. That was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.
Does anyone have any input as to comparable brightness at different resistor values?
For example, I have the A19-C and the Ti-PD-S, both two-stage. To get that level of light, (their low, obviosuly) what resistor value should i consider (I could just look at what they use, I know, but it is a different LED, different light).
Many thanks!

 

[labrat]

I have two of these two-stage McTc tailcaps, one 22 Ohm and one 15 Ohm.
In my opinion the 22 Ohm with the KL4 is too dimmed, the 15 Ohm gives a nice discrete walking/checking luminance.
With the KL1 for close-up work I find the 22 Ohm just suitable.
But I see many prefer a much higher resistance/lower luminance on low, that will be up to you.

 

[Delta447]

Beware! Careful for what you wish for. Once you get the 2 stage cap, you will be amazed at the added utility of a two stage switch and your heart will yearn for a KL1 head so that you can switch b/n a flood light and a throw light. After that, you will want the E1L body, so that you can have a very small carry light with the KL1 head. Then you will think about how cool it would be to run the L4 head on the single cell body, so you will be searching for the 123R rechargeable battery (and charger) to provide enough juice to power the L4 head. But it doesn't stop there b/c after that, wouldn't it be nice if your light could stand on it's tail cap so that it could light up a room candle style? But then what do you do with all the extra pieces you have acquired? Well, you add up what you have and buy whatever part is needed to make a complete flashlight. And then there were two or in my case, three!

 

[smokelaw1]

Well, I have the 1 X 123 two stages covered with the Ti PD-S and the A19 XRE.
Tehy also take care of most of the throw.
But who am I kidding? This isn't about utility...it's about more toys.

I am looking for the resistance that makes sense for use in the DARK in a tent, or in the house with dark adjusted eyes. JUST dim enough that dark adjusted eyes are comfortable with i, but no dimmer. I want to make sure there would be utility to it in a very dark area even if my eyes are not completely dark adjusted (in the wine cellar and the power goes out...which happened last night).

 

[Delta447]

I have a 22 ohm resistor in my 2 stage switch and am very happy with it. I don't like being blinded when I turn the light on in the middle of the night, and since your eyes are already night adjusted, you can see just fine at that low of a level. I also find it to be quite adequate for reading at night or when studying a map in the car. For what it's worth, I never found the power output of the 22 ohm to be inadequate except when I want full power.

 

[Ivanhoe]

I use the 60 ohm and find that this is great for the late night bathroom run or in my case last night, to see why my 6 yr old was crying.. Buy several, they are cheap and experiment to see what works for you. This l4 2 stage is my nightstand light...

 

[louie]

I use the 60 ohm and find that this is great for the late night bathroom run or in my case last night, to see why my 6 yr old was crying.. Buy several, they are cheap and experiment to see what works for you. This l4 2 stage is my nightstand light...

Well, the RESISTOR DISCs are cheap - buy 2-3 values and try them. I find 60 ohms a good mildly dim low, and 22 ohms a medium low, but YMMV.

 

[SCblur]

Beware! Careful for what you wish for. Once you get the 2 stage cap, you will be amazed at the added utility of a two stage switch and your heart will yearn for a KL1 head so that you can switch b/n a flood light and a throw light. After that, you will want the E1L body, so that you can have a very small carry light with the KL1 head. Then you will think about how cool it would be to run the L4 head on the single cell body, so you will be searching for the 123R rechargeable battery (and charger) to provide enough juice to power the L4 head. But it doesn't stop there b/c after that, wouldn't it be nice if your light could stand on it's tail cap so that it could light up a room candle style? But then what do you do with all the extra pieces you have acquired? Well, you add up what you have and buy whatever part is needed to make a complete flashlight. And then there were two or in my case, three!

LOL, That's exactly what I did, and in that order too. Creepy.

 

[RedLED]

An L4 two stage is a SF L2. Just buy an L2.

 

[Long John]

An L4 two stage is a SF L2. Just buy an L2.

That's not correct. The L4 has the circuit in the head while the L2 inside the body. The head of the L4 is useable with other body's, i.e. E1e and RCR123 LiIon while the L2 is and will be unchangeable.

Best regards

____
Tom

 

[Delta447]

Also, it would be substantially cheaper to make the L4 a two stage than to buy the L2. The L2 is probably more efficient in low setting, but the fact that you can tailor the L4's resistor to your desired output makes it more flexible.

 

[jumpstat]

To add, L4 much shorter than L2, TW4 config and can be made to use 17670 for long runtime---->Guilt Free Lumens!!

 

[smokelaw1]

Yargh. Had just decided to order one at 30 ohm, and got the dread *** out of stock.
Also, i couldn't find the product link for the Resistor Discs on the site for me to experiment with once this is back in stock. Is it an easy switch-out?

PS-- thanks everybody for the great feedback!

 

[louie]

Yargh. Had just decided to order one at 30 ohm, and got the dread *** out of stock.
Also, i couldn't find the product link for the Resistor Discs on the site for me to experiment with once this is back in stock. Is it an easy switch-out?

PS-- thanks everybody for the great feedback!

This? Sadly, sez out of stock. The swap is pretty easy, you need a hex key and some simple directions. You can also change resistors yourself, but they are small surface mount, and by the time you buy the resistors and do the soldering...well, most folks are better off buying the discs. Maybe an email will prod Wayne into making some more discs up soon.

 

[lightrod]

Yargh. Had just decided to order one at 30 ohm, and got the dread *** out of stock.
Also, i couldn't find the product link for the Resistor Discs on the site for me to experiment with once this is back in stock. Is it an easy switch-out?

PS-- thanks everybody for the great feedback!

Yuo might also want to try milkyspit - he's done a couple two stage mods for me. As a reference my L4 measurements show 108 lumens output. With 8, 12, and 26 ohms the output is 24, 17, and 8 lumens, respectively. (in general the lumens are about 200 divided by resistance).

My personal preference is the 12 ohm with 17 lumens. Pretty perfect for most tasks, and runs 4 hours to 75% output; about 5 hours to 50%.

 

[jumpstat]

Lightrod, you mentioned that your L4 shows 108 lumens, its modded by milky? BTW thanks kindly for the reference.

 

[ensile]

just a quick hi-jak here, whilst on the subject. i need to decide on a surefire this week. e1L, e2L, l1, l4 have all crossed my mind, I own a t1 tiros, and has 35 lumens on the box, it throws nicely, the spill amount in this beam is prolly too much for me, i'd like some thing so honed you think its a silver coin reflecting back at ya 100 yards away. Surefire... kl1, l1, l4, strange tail clicker but wait no, it twists.. wt..? can be modded for two stage... what would be the ultimate thrower in these small edc style SF's, that is or can be modde to be stage two.. with decent runtime. cheers. sorry again for hi-jack.. the beer made me do it.

 

[jumpstat]

ensile,

OF the 4 you mentioned, L4 is maintained by SF, the others are going to offered with upgraded LED (cree). I'd wait to see when they come out. According to SF catalogue higest rated would be new creed L1 @65lumens. If they use lens like current L1,then thats be the ultimate thrower between the 4.