Lumapower DX-1 P7: Donut in the beam

[shomie911]

I bought one of the last Lumapower DX-1 P7s at Battery Junction (they're all sold out now) and to my dismay it has a donut in the beam.

I've talked with other owners and I seem to be the only one who has a donut in the beam. :sigh:

I'm asking the collective mind of CPF to think of a way to get rid of the donut. Maybe applying some sort of optic or diffuser over the LED?

Here's a pic I messed around with in photoshop a bit to show the extent of the donut, it is slightly exaggerated compared with how it looks in person though.

 

[shomie911]

Anyone?

 

[Paul6ppca]

I would ask for them to exchange it,not all P7 have the donut,usually it is a matter of focus,a textured reflecter aalso helps smooth out the beam.

 

[shomie911]

I would ask for them to exchange it,not all P7 have the donut,usually it is a matter of focus,a textured reflecter aalso helps smooth out the beam.

That's the problem, it was a limited run, there's none left to exchange. I already talked with Mattk about that, he said there was nothing he could do. :sigh:

The DX-1 P7 already has a medium orange peel reflector.

I tried unscrewing the module and positioning it differently in relation to the reflector but nothing I do make it go away, it usually just makes it look worse.

So I don't know what to do.

I'm going to buy one of the Lux V (120 lumen) modules from Battery Junction to throw in the DX-1 when the donut bothers me, it also ups the runtime to around 5-6 hours.

 

[mgarza]

Remove the lens and spray the lens with hairspray. Place the side of the lens coated with hairspray towards the led. This will insure that the hairspray can't be rubbed off the lens accidently. This will remove the donut in the beam. If the donut is still present, apply more hairspray. If you wish, you can easily remove the hairspray with soap and water.

 

[shomie911]

Remove the lens and spray the lens with hairspray. Place the side of the lens coated with hairspray towards the led. This will insure that the hairspray can't be rubbed off the lens accidently. This will remove the donut in the beam. If the donut is still present, apply more hairspray. If you wish, you can easily remove the hairspray with soap and water.

What type of hairspray? There's plenty different kinds in the house.

 

[lowatts]

I tried unscrewing the module and positioning it differently in relation to the reflector but nothing I do make it go away, it usually just makes it look worse.

So I don't know what to do.

I'm going to buy one of the Lux V (120 lumen) modules from Battery Junction to throw in the DX-1 when the donut bothers me, it also ups the runtime to around 5-6 hours.

Is it possible to get the LED closer to the reflector, since moving them further apart makes the hole worse?

I wonder if Lux V might have a small donut hole issue too, not unusual for Surefire LuxVs to have a small donut hole, though not as bad as your picture. But my Surefire Lux Vs don't have any holes unless the reflecting wall is only a few inches away.

 

[mgarza]

It doesn't matter what kind or brand, as long as it is in aerosol form (pressurized can).

 

[shomie911]

Is it possible to get the LED closer to the reflector, since moving them further apart makes the hole worse?

I wonder if Lux V might have a small donut hole issue too, not unusual for Surefire LuxVs to have a small donut hole, though not as bad as your picture. But my Surefire Lux Vs don't have any holes unless the reflecting wall is only a few inches away.

Nope, the LED is as close as it can possibly go. Maybe the reflector is just longer than it should be, a manufacturers defect. That would explain why mine is the only I've heard of that has a donut.

I hope the Lux V doesn't have a donut :sick2: It comes with a seperate reflector designed for the Lux V and it's orange peel so it should be ok.

 

[jirik_cz]

Can you raise the reflector a little? Maybe it can help.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Send it back for a refund. That beam is terrible.
If BJ won't take it back with a beam like that let us know...

 

[shomie911]

Can you raise the reflector a little? Maybe it can help.

I tried but it splits the beam into 4 seperate sections, I guess since the P7 has 4 LEDs.

Maybe I just have to live with it?

 

[jirik_cz]

Another question. How much apparent is it on a longer distance?

 

[shomie911]

Send it back for a refund. That beam is terrible.
If BJ won't take it back with a beam like that let us know...

"it is slightly exaggerated compared with how it looks in person though"

That pic shows the full extent of the donut on the overall light output in the hotspot.

But in person it looks more like this:

It's just about what I see from about 20-25 feet. The beam is, of course not grainy in real life and the donut is very, very slightly brighter. The rings in the spill are also a result of my camera lens.



EDIT:

Hopefully that looks right on your computers, my monitor is a 32 inch LG HDTV. It looks about right on mine, but different monitors look different. Hopefully the picture will be close enough.

 

[shomie911]

Another question. How much apparent is it on a longer distance?

It gets bigger the farther I move away from the wall.

I can't see the donut at about 2.5 feet but anything closer or farther than that reveals the donut.

 

[easilyled]

I find it hard to believe that yours is the only one of the DX-1 P7s with a donut in the beam.

Seems to me that this is going to be true for the others too, since
they all have the same reflector and the same head.

Remember that the light wasn't originally designed with the P7 in mind.

There is always a risk of the beam not being correct when the head/optics are not designed specifically for the led.

This is particularly likely for an led with 4 dies that are not close together.

I don't see why you shouldn't send it back. The beam is not really acceptable from your pictures.

The least Lumapower could do would be to send you a replacement reflector
with a very heavy orange peel which would probably help a bit.

 

[shomie911]

I find it hard to believe that yours is the only one of the DX-1 P7s with a donut in the beam.

Seems to me that this is going to be true for the others too, since
they all have the same reflector and the same head.

Remember that the light wasn't originally designed with the P7 in mind.

There is always a risk of the beam not being correct when the head/optics are not designed specifically for the led.

This is particularly likely for an led with 4 dies that are not close together.

I don't see why you shouldn't send it back. The beam is not really acceptable from your pictures.

The least Lumapower could do would be to send you a replacement reflector
with a very heavy orange peel which would probably help a bit.

I spoke with other owners and none of them had any traces of a donut in their beams. There also hasn't been any other threads about this. With that said there probably are people out there with the same problem as me, but I think the majority of the owners don't have the donut.

About sending it back, I kinda feel bad because I exchanged a lot of PMs with MattK from Battery Junction asking about the DX-1 P7 before I bought it and he was very helpful.

 

[easilyled]

I spoke with other owners and none of them had any traces of a donut in their beams. There also hasn't been any other threads about this. With that said there probably are people out there with the same problem as me, but I think the majority of the owners don't have the donut.

About sending it back, I kinda feel bad because I exchanged a lot of PMs with MattK from Battery Junction asking about the DX-1 P7 before I bought it and he was very helpful.

From what I can see, he's a very reasonable guy. Why don't you suggest that you (or he) send the light back to Lumapower
for them to take a look at it? They may be able to fix the problem.

After all, Lumapower have a reputation for being friendly and approachable, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind.

 

[Ziva2006]

Actually I received one of the new DX1 P7's myself. Mine does not have a noticeable ring in its profile. A person mentioned in another thread that the rings on the P7's were a result of the LED itself. Probably due to the fact that there are four individual Die's inside this LED. Another difference which I found out with the P7 is that the optic over the LED itself is squishy, or gel like... That was news to me . Which might result in variables in the manufacturing part.
I personally think the best option is to contact LP and switch out the emitter with a new one. LP was selling these as individual upgrades for current DX1 owners so they should have more in stock as compared to BJ, just going to take longer coming from over seas. Let us know what happens.

 

[Nitroz]

That donut is horrible and should be sent back for them to resolve or send you a refund since this is a limited product. It's ashame that this is the case as I have modified a DX-1 and it is a nice flashlight.

By the looks of that Beamshot, the LED is not adjusted to the sweet spot of the reflector like everyone elses. It must be a machining error in the reflector or maybe the mounted height if the p7. I hope this can be resolved.