P60 - SSC P7 Picture Tutorial

[old4570]

Here are the parts needed .
Pill + Driver + P7 LED .


Tabs are too long !


So they need to be trimmed .


Hole in the reflector is too small .


I used a round file to open it up for a very mildly snug fit .


Fits reflector just right .


Now we lap the base flat [ 800 Wet n dry . ]


Not flat , hollow right in the middle of the base .


Non conductive thermal glue .


Screw to base , but not tight , dont want the base to short .


LED glued .


Time to test for + and - as well as to see if here is a short .


Time to install Driver / note the mark on the pill for +


Driver + springs installed .




Wrap in Al-foil for better heatsinking , and you have a SSC P7 pill for your P60 host .

:thumbsup:

 

[Norm]

Just wondering where that driver can be purchased. Any beam shots?
Norm

 

[kramer5150]

well done!!
I tried to do a video, but I couldn't get it right.

It should be noted that running a P7 at 2.8A in a P60 drop in will only achieve max brightness for the first ~20 seconds of run. Output will drop as temperatures increase over the duration of the run. Aluminum foil helps, but only so much. There just is not enough Aluminum mass/material to suffciently conduct heat away from the dies in a 6P or L2.

But nice job overall.

 

[old4570]

well done!!
I tried to do a video, but I couldn't get it right.

It should be noted that running a P7 at 2.8A in a P60 drop in will only achieve max brightness for the first ~20 seconds of run. Output will drop as temperatures increase over the duration of the run. Aluminum foil helps, but only so much. There just is not enough Aluminum mass/material to suffciently conduct heat away from the dies in a 6P or L2.

But nice job overall.

It cant do 2.8A , it's doing at best close to 2A at the tail with a fresh batt it likes.
Im going to try and make my own drivers and see what happens , got some of those DX 1400mAh single mode drivers on order for doing a sandwich driver .
I have a 2 mode driver and a 5 mode driver ready to be joined ...

This driver was from shining beam , 3 mode - 2500mAh ...4.2v
Like I said , 2A at best , at the tail ... Averages more like 1.8A at the tail .
I might replace the positive and negative wires , just in case they might be iffy ..

 

[Norm]

I'm sure the lack of current is caused by your battery not the driver, I tried the KD M-CE drop in running from 1 solarforce protected 18650 and it only measures between 1.8A and 2.0A depending on the cell use, the same drop in running from a regulated 4.0V power supply draws 2.8A.
You may be able to rig up two batteries in parallel to see the difference.
Norm

 

[old4570]

Same batts do more in the MTE SSC P7 ...
400mA to 500mA better ...

I have 3 of these P7 P60 pills now , as well as a MC-E ...

One P7 uses the same driver as the MC-E , and the MC-E draws some 500mA to 600mA more ... ????

Im thinking of pulling out the MTE driver ...

So far , 3 different drivers , 3 different levels of power ... But nothing over 2A
So time to start building my own esp as I would like to see 2A to the LED on high .

 

[Justin Case]

What forward voltage bin is your P7? That can have an effect on the output of the AMC7135-based driver due to the fact that the 7135 adds 0.12V of additional dropout voltage. Thus, if you have a J-bin and are unlucky to have Vf at the high end (3.75V), your 1x18650 has to hold at least 3.87V for the AMCs to run in regulation. At ~3A draw, I don't think that's going to happen for very long. If your 1x18650 holds just above 3.8V, the AMCs could put out ~250mA per IC, instead of the rated 350mA, giving you your ~2A draw.

I wouldn't waste time messing around with the wires. That is unlikely to be the weak link. The weak link is the 18650. I would try an IMR18650, which has lower internal resistance and can hold above 3.9V for about 8 min at 3A draw. I would also make sure to use an I-bin P7 in any future builds, with Vf rated between 3.25V and 3.50V. With an I-bin, regular 18650s should allow the 8xAMC7135 driver to deliver the full 2.8A one would expect.

 

[supasizefries]

Did you solder the driver board to the base? It looks like you did, but I just wanted to make sure. I'm guessing it's brass? I have an extra p60 heat sink but with an aluminum base and am wondering how to get a good electrical connection without soldering. I have an extra DSWOI laying around that I want to put to use 🙂

 

[kramer5150]

Did you solder the driver board to the base? It looks like you did, but I just wanted to make sure. I'm guessing it's brass? I have an extra p60 heat sink but with an aluminum base and am wondering how to get a good electrical connection without soldering. I have an extra DSWOI laying around that I want to put to use 🙂

Yes you have to run a line of solder at opposite points across the diameter of the board to connect the driver board to the brass pill. You dont need to run the solder 360 degrees around, I did that once but its overkill IMHO. I usually do 3 points at ~60 degrees apart. Personally I have had a difficult time soldering onto Aluminum, but other members report having success with it. Usually the Aluminum type pills come with a small brass collar that you press into the Aluminum. You solder onto the collar once its pressed into the Al.

^^IMHO cell and thermal limitations are going to prevent the LED from achieving max brightness... not so much the 7135 driver circuit. Ditto the AW-IMR recommendation, but even then... with increased current comes increased temperatures and a resulting drop in lumen output. Even large MCE/P7 designed lights that offer 2x the size, mass and heatsinking as the 6P/L2 suffer from thermal inefficiency. The Solarforce L900M for example quickly drops from ~650 Lumens to ~550 within 2-3 minutes, and continues to drop from there as temperatures rise.

IMHO a more practical design would be to use 4-5 7135 ICs and only push as much power as the tiny 6P can thermally dissipate. You loose more than you gain trying to drive the LED this hard in a host this small. BUT... for spot use the blazing high output from such a small size is a heck of a feat.

 

[Al Combs]

+1 on those IMR18650's. I bought myself a Surefire 6P that I bored out and a Malkoff P7 direct drive drop-in. The emitter was a J bin. The batteries arrived in the mail with 3.99 volts no load. I figured that's about as rested as you can get. I thought it would be perfect for a test before I charged them. It started out drawing between 3.3 and 3.4 amps. After about 10 seconds as the Vf dropped, I disconnected the meter when it hit 3.6 amps. The rise in current was accelerating at that point. I bought a set of Cobalt Li-Ion's and they work fine fully charged.

You don't have to worry about the IMR's being unprotected since the AMC7135 is buck. By the time you drop below the 3 volt mark your P7 will be putting out about as much light as a 99 cent Fauxton.

 

[old4570]

Did you solder the driver board to the base? It looks like you did, but I just wanted to make sure. I'm guessing it's brass? I have an extra p60 heat sink but with an aluminum base and am wondering how to get a good electrical connection without soldering. I have an extra DSWOI laying around that I want to put to use 🙂

Yes , driver board is soldered to base ..

You could use some copper wire , solder it to the neg on the board and jam it between the board and pill to carry current when you put it in place .
Would take a little setting up , but do-able ..

 

[old4570]

Yes you have to run a line of solder at opposite points across the diameter of the board to connect the driver board to the brass pill. You dont need to run the solder 360 degrees around, I did that once but its overkill IMHO. I usually do 3 points at ~60 degrees apart. Personally I have had a difficult time soldering onto Aluminum, but other members report having success with it. Usually the Aluminum type pills come with a small brass collar that you press into the Aluminum. You solder onto the collar once its pressed into the Al.

^^IMHO cell and thermal limitations are going to prevent the LED from achieving max brightness... not so much the 7135 driver circuit. Ditto the AW-IMR recommendation, but even then... with increased current comes increased temperatures and a resulting drop in lumen output. Even large MCE/P7 designed lights that offer 2x the size, mass and heatsinking as the 6P/L2 suffer from thermal inefficiency. The Solarforce L900M for example quickly drops from ~650 Lumens to ~550 within 2-3 minutes, and continues to drop from there as temperatures rise.

IMHO a more practical design would be to use 4-5 7135 ICs and only push as much power as the tiny 6P can thermally dissipate. You loose more than you gain trying to drive the LED this hard in a host this small. BUT... for spot use the blazing high output from such a small size is a heck of a feat.

The level of output Im getting is good for this size flashlight , I would just like to test one at higher output ...

The Ultrafire 502B is a solid built flashlight , more so than the Solarforce L2 , and takes a lot longer to warm up due to it having more mass , read thicker body .

The only " i " ones , that ive seen are C-bin .. Im not planning on buying any more LED,s until the new ones hit the market , so ill play with drivers and see what happens .. I know the driver in the MTE is much better cos I replaced it with one of the drivers Im using , and I got a performance drop to where these are .
I sure would like a source for the driver in the MTE , it's just better .
In anyway , I will try to make some sandwich drivers just to see , and I am trying to source Jap Batts , but in Oz thats not easy , as well as keeping the price sane !

 

[Illum]

8 7135s...so its 2.8 amps
P60 host? hot hot hot

for the heatsink capability of P60s...I'm surprised seeing drop-ins go above one amp

 

[Justin Case]

The only " i " ones , that ive seen are C-bin

PhotonFanatic sells both DSVNI and DSWOI bin P7s.

 

[supasizefries]

PhotonFanatic sells both DSVNI and DSWOI bin P7s.

Edit: Just saw that he got more in. 😀

 

[old4570]

Here

Anyway , I have 3 P60 SSC P7 drop ins now , Im just waiting for the SST LED's to hit the shelves . Then I will build SST P60 drop ins .

Under driven , heat does no really seem to be an issue , and a Solarforce L2 body seems to handle the output just fine .. The Ultrafire 502B is even better due to the beefy body . In fact , the 502B can probably handle over 2A output for a few minutes before getting hot , ATM it barely gets warm after a few minutes on High , whilst the L2 does get warm .

For a house light / or even a camping light , a under driven P7 P60 seems to be just the ticket if your not looking for a 100 yard thrower , and it would be just right as an entry light for Law Enforcement .

+ ATM I think its a driver issue ..
Simply due to swapping out the driver in the MTE for one Im using here and having the output drop to the same level Im getting with these P60 drop ins .

Anyways , for close work I find the R2's to be a little narrow of beam , and the hot spot a little reflective from white walls . THe SSC P7 is superior for indoor / backyard work , and on Lo I find that the two drivers I use are drawing about 200mA , so a good 18650 should give you over 10 hours run time if your looking for a bush walking light .

Here is a link to a nice driver : Here

Anyways , if your a P60 Host fan , then something to try rather than a R2
:wave:

 

[old4570]

SSC P7 P60 in my UF-502B 18650




Solarforce L2 R2 18650