luxeon bin code questions

across the pond · May 7, 2003

I recently bought a pair of blaster III's and just compared the LSs in them. One is binned P3H and the other R4K. Is an R bin brighter than a Q? I compared the two side by side, and to be honest couldn't tell for sure which was brighter... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

LED_ASAP · May 7, 2003

You are in a very interesting situation: one of them has better Flux bin and the other has better Vf bin. Depend on how you power the LS, if it's constant current, then the R bin should be brighter; but if it's semi-regulated or DD, then the H-bin will get higher current, which may be just enough to compensate for the lower flux bin.

FalconFX · May 7, 2003

If you consider that both are running at the exact same current, you should see the R as a tad bit brighter, and that the R's just a slight bit bluer. Generally, though, the R's still so rare right now that you'd be glad just to be in possession of one...

across the pond · May 7, 2003

Well, here's the situation-

I ordered two blasters, one for me, one for a friend.
But I only got one at first, and the second was another 10 days or so behind. Because my friend was pining away waiting for his flashlight, I let him have the first one while I waited. The first one to arrive was the R4K, so I have the P3H. Didn't think to check the bin before handing it over. D'oh! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif

I was still suprised to see very little difference. Maybe a light meter would tell a different story... (must get one!)

shiftd · May 8, 2003

Well, if you like a whiter one, then it is better to have P3H in possesion. But, if you like brighter (even though not by much), then take the R4K from your friend when he does not see it. But don't tell him that i told you this /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

paulr · May 8, 2003

I think LEDMods makes a good point, since the Blasters are resistor current limited, the P3H will be getting a little more current because its lower Vf means more voltage across the resistor. So that will bring the brightness closer to the R4K. If you look at them together and the brightness is close to the same, that means the R4K will have slightly longer runtime on a set of batteries. The Blaster III is a pretty long running light either way though, so the difference shouldn't matter much.