LEDs and reflectors

[**DONOTDELETE**]

One thing I've noticed about a lot of LED lights is that a majority of them lack any sort of reflector.

While it may not seem necessary because a white Nichia has most of its light concentrated in the main 20 degree beam, IMO the light outside the main beam can still be useful, especially if focussed properly with a reflector.

Smooth reflectors (like the Minimag) produces interference ring. Facetted reflectors can work pretty well (like my 8AA DB) or amazingly poorly (like my 4AA DB), producing bizarre spots, rings and other artefacts. BUT a textured reflector like that found on Surefires or Streamlights would increase the brightness of any LED light.

So what do you guys think?

Also I'm looking for a 2AA torch with a textured reflector and a PR base bulb? I'm thinking of using the torch with a Versalux PR-2 or a 2-cell Night Pearl bulb.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Also what do you guys think about the focusing lens found on lights such as the Brinkmann Rebel or the PT Impact?

 

[funk]

IMO, reflectors offer LED light very little improvement - the nature of the LED light does not allow for the relector to make much of a difference in beam throw or beam pattern. The Lens allow for decent throw and beam and are the closest thing to allow the light to function kind of like with a reflector.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>IMO, reflectors offer LED light very little improvement<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm not too sure about that. Try looking at a 5mm white side-on while its lit. You'll see there is still quite a bit of light leaking out there.

Also I've tried sticking an old 3mm red LED the Scorpion's reflector and it improves the throw considerably.

 

[Lux Luthor]

It offers some improvement, just not a great improvement. But still enough for Peter to go to the trouble of grinding reflectors onto Arcs. Other than a compact reflector like that, you need to have a much larger light (like a Tec 20) to utilize a reflector for a single LED. The increase in size is probably not worth it for most people, but if you have a particular need I would go for it. I've read the Versalux goes well with a Tec 20 with faceted reflector, but I don't have one.

 

[jeff1500]

The Dorcy led lights at Walmart grind the lens off the led so it works better with the reflector. Those leds by themselves are wide angle.

Someday I want to see how different reflectors work with leds like that.

 

[funk]

I think we are really talking marginal differnces here. Does the reflector do something - perhaps - does the reflector allow it to perform better????

If you want to throw a beam or create a spot beam - the lens does a better job than a reflector I think. In the end, the reflector looks better and people are used to/expecting to having it.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I think we are really talking marginal differnces here. Does the reflector do something - perhaps - does the reflector allow it to perform better????<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Current multi-LED lights (like the Lightwave 4000) are almost like a floodlight. There is a bright hotspot but the falloff light has an extremely wide dispersion angle, not to mention the light wasted on the side of the LED.

If all this light was correctly focused by the reflector, the main hotspot could be wider and brighter. The falloff light would have a lower dispersion angle but it would be much brighter and more useful.

Of course this is all in theory....

 

[funk]

If you take a Tec 40 (dimpled)as an example and drill out holes in the reflector for mulliple LED's, I guess that you would be able to control some of the fall out, but not much and the outskirts would get be very fragmented and ugly I think. Anyway - we should try everything that we can!

 

[Bad Influence]

I think that the Dorcy "cool blue" or whatever they're calling it now is a perfect example of how a reflector can be used with an LED. The LED is ground down a bit, and is left with a matte finish so it's basically diffused, and has very little throw by itself. However, in the reflector, it produces a nice, round (but not perfect) spot with a decent amount of throw (for an LED) with a really nice large spillbeam. (light coming right off the LED, and not reflected) I think a reflector can make a HUGE difference with LEDs, but only if they are ground down in this fashion, otherwise I'd speculate it would only be a marginal difference.

If you think about it though, every little bit of stray light you make use of makes a little difference. Mr. Gransee makes a superior product, and attention to detail (like including a small reflector) is what puts products like his above the rest.

You do of course realize that I'm going to have to get an Arc AAA..... might make a good wedding present. (5/18/02)