Streamlight Luxeon 3AA arrived today

[robk]

Well, today I got my Streamlight Luxeon 3AA. Real nice looking on the outside, well made, nice pewter color. Looked real nice until I put the 3 included alkaline cells into it and turned it on. It is the worst, ugliest, nastiest, dog urine green color beam I have ever seen from any flashlight, even in pictures. I have 7 lights built with LS's, some from a couple of months ago and some newer Q2's, and 2 Everleds. They range from not bad white to a little bluish. I never understood what Craig over at the LED Museum was referring to as Dog Urine green - now I own one! It's going back, probably try a twin-task. I'll try to post some beam shots when it gets dark if anyone is interested.
This could have been a nice light, too bad about the disgusting color.
Rob

 

[Ginseng]

Ouch. That's just too bad. I was worried the mainstream light guys might not get the Luxeon color issue. Seems my fears were founded.

Wilkey

 

[revolvergeek]

The one I played with at a store here in town and a pretty decent white hotspot, but very green corona.

 

[robk]

Here's a few quick shots from about 12 feet to show the color.
First, A homemade ZLT with a Q2 emitter

Second, a 5 watt with 30mm optic from Elektrolumens

And now for the new Streamlight (it looks more green in person - the camera actually makes it look better!)

Looking inside, it's a plain old star mounted LS. If I could figure out how to take the head apart, I'd do a transplant. Once you screw the reflector off, it appears to be a tight press fit. Don't know if I want to mess with it.
Rob

 

[BuddTX]

NO WAY!

Streamlight is really letting me down here!

I was really confident that Streamlight, a BIG BOY, among the flashlight world, would have used their muscle to get some good Luxeon's.

I was really hoping that they would be able to bring good, white, bright luxeons to the mainstream.

Guess I will have to wait for more LGI's!

 

[FalconFX]

Oooh, that's hard to look at... It's like a dying Luxeon color look... Looks actually dim... Did you try 3 NiMHs and see if there's any difference? I wonder if they resistored the thing so much there's practically no current going into it... Have you tried checking current drain for the batteries?

Lots of Qs...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[JohnK]

Ahhhhh !!! I expect to get mine in about a week. We can only pray to the Luxeon Gods to treat us right.

It seems that there is NO way to get a DEPENDABLE supply of really white Luxeons without scrapping 90% of the production. I hope the manufacturing expertise improves.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

THIS is what I'd call "rotten dog urine green"...

Your new StreamLight Luxeon 3-AA probably does a bit better than this! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

 

[Pi_is_blue]

I had an old Inretech that was the dog urine green color, but Inretech replaced it with a new, brighter, and much WHITER one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[robk]

Now that's puke green!
I did a quick check with a good DMM on 10A range on the current draw using alkalines - 490 mA!(2 A range showed 395mA - but that range adds a couple of ohms to the circuit) Certainly not underdriven. Tonight I'll check it again, the right way with a 0.1 ohm current sense resistor. I tried NiMH, no visible difference in brightness or color. And, yes, it is dim. The body and switch are real nice, the reflector is real nice too. Needs a transplant.
Rob

 

[treek13]

What kind of luxeon does it use (side emitter, high dome or low dome)?

Pat

 

[FalconFX]

Needs a transplant.

----------------

That, or it needs any resistance it's got taken out...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[robk]

Low dome. If I can find a way to disassemble it, I'd like to see what bin it is.

As far as resistance, it's already overdriven! And dim!

Rob

 

[FalconFX]

Compared to the LGI, this is "heavily underdriven"...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

Plus, if 3 NiMHs don't drive this LS beyond 500ma, then it's grossly underdriven by either a resistor or a faulty LS...

If you got the 490ma current measurement from tapping the negative tip of the battery to the edge of the flashlight's wall to turn on the light, then you're measuring the battery's drain, and a batt drain at 490ma is way too small (especially if this LS has a high Vf)...

 

[robk]

I got the thing apart (looks like I own it now!). It has a 20 ohm resistor. Hard to believe it draws 490mA with 20 ohms. I would think more like 300mA or so with so much resistance. Now to put a good LS in it and drive it a little harder!

Edit: The LS is a N1HW


Rob

 

[treek13]

Aaaaaaah, the dreaded 1 tint explains the yucky color.

The N rank isn't bad and the H forward voltage is fine.

But I think Lumileds should put all the 1 tint luxeons out of our misery at the factory.

Pat

 

[FalconFX]

Ouch! A 1 rank...
And a freakin' 20ohm resistor!
Makes me wanna /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif ...

Take it out, slap on a Q3L, maybe a .5 or 1.0 ohm resistor if you feel like it and watch that baby sing!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[robk]

Well, I just went out to the garage, I had a Q3JW Low Dome emmitter in a plastic bag and it was begging to be used. So, I popped the ugly emitter off the star and replaced it with my Q3. Usually I have to bend them, but this one came off with a blade (luckily). A little blob of Arctic Alumina Epoxy and 2 solder joints and now I have a Q3 Streamlight! I left the 20 ohm resistor for now, as it was drawing 480mA off 3 alkalines. That's enough for me, good balance of brightness/runtime. I must say the beam is not bad, a little wider than an NX-05, but cleaner and a nice corona. Now, this is the way the light should be sold to us! There is no excuse for the dim puke green N1H LS. It's as bright and white as any of my 9 LS based lights, maybe the runtime will be better as all my others use ZLT converters with 2 AA cells. This is my first DD LS except for a Reactor which I destroyed to get the LS out of it because it was a horrible light.
Rob
P.S. I have no use for the emitter removed from this light. It is so ugly I don't even want it hanging around. If someone wants it for research or practice, PM or email me and I'll send it to you, then you can too experience true pee green uglyness!
*************Edit: Sent to Tom L. so he can puke when he powers it up!

 

[e=mc²]

Hey Rob, I have a quickie question: Do you mix Epoxy and Arctic Silver (Alumina?) to obtain Arctic Alumina Epoxy, or is it sold as such? Maybe you could either PM me or I'll PM you when mine arrives, as I have a gut feeling Streamlight will have done the same to mine. I have 5 Q3's just begging for a good host. This seems like it. I have two other SL TTs the 2D and 3C. Both have met my expectations. The 3C is nice. The 2D is what I figured since it is only 3V and incan's just suck on 3V, IMHO. Thanks for sharing this info. Now I'll expect the worse when mine gets here.

Ed.

 

[FalconFX]

Ed, as a side note, you can buy either Arctic Alumina, which is already a thermal epoxy in itself, or you can buy Arctic Silver adhesive...

Check it out...

http://www.arcticsilver.com/