Please, help me find what's wrong with my Nuwai Q3 mod...

[prasinos]

I have a Nuwai Q3 modded with a FluPIC and a SSC P4 USW0H (with the stock "heatsink" and a cheap mineral glass lens).
I was generally pleased with it: the stock reflector is a good fit for the SSC and it gives a nice white beam with a well defined hotspot and smooth transition to usable spill.

Well... I *was* pleased with it, until I compared the beam with a friend's L1D-CE (textured reflector - not the Q5 version). Note: he bought it following my advice
The hotspot on L1D CE is brighter than my Nuwai, while the spill seems to be the same (it's hard to judge because the beam of the L1D has some rings).
Judging by the specs and the fact that the Nuwai is driven by RCR123 (while my friend had an Eneloop in the L1D CE) I expected the Nuwai to be brighter than the L1D-CE.

I checked the FluPIC operation and the highest possible setting for the "User brightness level" has the same intensity as the "Max brightness" mode which it shouldn't, "Max brightness" is supposed to drive the LED at >1A.
I checked the batteries (yellow Batterystation ones with the Nano charger) and they appear OK, they come out at 4.2V from the charger and seem to hold charge well.

So, I have a few questions...
- Am I wrong at expecting my Nuwai to be brighter?
- If it's supposed to be, what should I check next?

I was thinking about a heatsink (although the light does get hot which means heat is transferred away from the led) but I don't have the skills or the tools to make a better one myself.

I would be grateful for any suggestion.

 

[Nake]

You're comparing two different types of emitters. The Seoul's hotspot isn't as intense as the Cree. Try a ceiling bounce test in a closet or small room.

I've owned at least 6 QIIIs and in all of them the tailcap spring has quite a bit of resistance. You can use a piece of wire in place of the cap to make the connection to see if there is an improvement. I use a piece of solder braid that connects the tip of the spring to the tailcap PCB. Using my lightbox it gives about a 10lm increase.

There's a brass heat sink on sale at the Custom B/S/T Forum.

 

[TMorita]

You're comparing two different types of emitters. The Seoul's hotspot isn't as intense as the Cree. Try a ceiling bounce test in a closet or small room.
...

I agree with this.

From what I have noticed: the Seoul P4 has a milky dome, so the light tends to bounce around and not be emitted from a single point. When this light is focused, it results in a fuzzier bigger hotspot.

Toshi

 

[prasinos]

You're comparing two different types of emitters. The Seoul's hotspot isn't as intense as the Cree. Try a ceiling bounce test in a closet or small room.

You're probably right, I'll try the test next time I meet with my friend.

I've owned at least 6 QIIIs and in all of them the tailcap spring has quite a bit of resistance. You can use a piece of wire in place of the cap to make the connection to see if there is an improvement. I use a piece of solder braid that connects the tip of the spring to the tailcap PCB. Using my lightbox it gives about a 10lm increase.

My (cheap) DMM shows that the tailcap spring has 1Ohm of resistance, which is low enough. The switch is a bit worse, so I'll try to find a better one.

There's a brass heat sink on sale at the Custom B/S/T Forum.

I'll look into it.

Thank you (both) for taking the time to respond.