koala
Flashlight Enthusiast
SOLD Surefire E-Series MicroTower (E-MT) LED drop in - Part II
Original thread
*** Sales Closed *** 2-July-08.
For ordering information, please continue to Post #3.
For Pre-Order List please continue to Post #4.
*** Update 27th November 2007 ***
Status: Building & Sales Commence.
Possibly start shipping first week of December.
For a start, will be two fixed brightness version available...
Note 1: If the drive current does not suit you, please PM me know we'll work out something.
Note 2: I must say this again, the E-MT hot spot is smaller compared to the original MN03 bulb. MN03 has further throw, E-MT has more flood.
Note 3: Test/Specifications data is based on a Lux III TWOJ mounted on a huge sink. The Rebel has a lower vf, don't be surprise if efficiency gets better
.
E-MT F1 Specifications
Battery: 2.0 - 4.2V ( 1 CR123A / 1 RCR123)
LED: Luxeon Rebel 100
1 Level: Fixed Brightness
Price: $65 includes International Shipping
Runtime: 3 Hours ( 2 hours flat regulation + 1 Hour drop )
Input Voltage v LED drive current : 2.6V@375mA 2.8V@420mA 3.0V@465mA 3.2V@515mA 3.4V@585mA 3.6V@680mA 3.8V@800mA
E-MT F2 Specifications
Battery: 3.0 - 8.4V ( 2 CR123A / 1-2 RCR123 )
LED: Luxeon Rebel 100
1 Level: Fixed Brightness
Price: $65 includes International Shipping
Runtime: ?
Input Voltage v LED drive current : 4.8V@590mA 5.2V@605mA 5.6v@625mA 6.0V@650mA 6.4V@675mA 6.8V@695mA 7.2V@710mA
New Beamshots from my hightech cave!!!
Camera EXIF: Manual 10mm f/4 1/15sec ISO1600, resize only untouched.
5.5 meters / 18 feet from source to door.
E2D MN03 bulb > E-MT F2 650mA > E-MT F2 1000mA
And for those who can't see the above gif animation...
E2D MN03 Bulb
E-MT F2 650mA
E-MT F2 1000mA
*** Update 24th November 2007 ***
Finally, after a long wait... yclo sent me some pictures... they arrrived last week. For those who didn't know, yclo is responsible for the aluminium towers. I didn't post earlier because we couldn't tell when the Rebels are coming. We manage to swoop a very limited quantity of premium tint Rebel 100. More details later when they've arrived. The Rebels are *very rare* at the moment, they cost us a bomb but we decided to absorb the cost.
Unfortunately we don't have enough Rebels for everyone on the unofficial list, people who come later may have to wait till mid January, when the Rebels appear again. We are terribly sorry if you happen to be the group of people. Please do not ask for premium tint Rebels in the future because we do not know if we'll ever get a chance like this again. One thing is for sure, you won't be getting unreasonable off-white tint because I would not allow such LED to go with the E-MT.
These are the long awaited E-Series MicroTowers (E-MT)
*** Update 11th October 2007 ***
For those who are looking to have the ultimate brightness E-MT, I have not so good news for you. I don't feel comfortable pushing the parts to its' limit. So ~900mA will be the max nominal LED drive current for *custom* made high brightness E-MT F2. Finally, at 900mA LED drive current, your looking at ~70C/158F (after 20mins). Something to think about...
*** Update 29th September 2007 ***
It has been sometime... yclo and me met up last night and we did some minor touch up to the dimensions and finalize on the cost. I guess this is the moment you all have been waiting for. We focus hard to keep our cost down, exhausted our list of manufacturing sources, tried to reduce the cost where possible. Now we have a figure. The price for a fully assembled and tested E-MT F1/F2 is $65 includes International Shipping. If we price any lower than that, we would have to scratch the project.
The Luxeon Rebels 100 are missing from my sources I hope they will become available again when all the parts have arrived. I have not much choice on the tint but it will be Cool White as the 100 Lumens parts are. Most reports I have seen is close to white slight yellow not blue. It will take at least four weeks for production, blame the guys at the CNC shop.
The multi-mode microcontroller E-MT FM will be available in 2008. I have not finalize on the parts yet.
We will only make as many as required there will not be extra as we don't want any left overs. If you are still going for the towers, please re-edit your post, stating your choice of tower and quantity. I will set up a pre-order list mid-way the production.
thanks for reading,
Vince.
*** Update 6th September 2007 ***
The 2.5-10V multi-mode driver will be delayed. We have decided that two versions of the single mode dumb tower (non microprocessor) version will be offered first since that's what majority wants. I will post specifications as soon as the parts arrives. The PCB is still being worked on. It's harder than I thought. To make a sloppy tower, just stick the Rebel on and stuff the electronics on a hand milled circuit board into the tower. It's simple. To make it look good is hard.
Once the single mode dumb towers are made, you all can sign up for the microprocessor multi-mode tower.
For those of you who like it low, it will be really low. It will be as low 5mA. That's as min as I can go because I don't want the sense resistor value to be too high which may have a tiny impact on the efficiency. It's a very small number but I like to make it look good. To me, efficiency is most important factor in a battery/portable application. I could use a higher value sense resistor and go 1mA if you make enough noise
.
It will cost a bit more than the dumb towers, since there a lot more work in the software and additional component cost. The dumb driver uses hardware IC for regulation. It will not work for a wide range of voltage. For those who like to have the 2.5-10V but single mode microprocessor, Yes I'll do that. I have been thinking of a survival mode in the driver. There will be a hidden mode so that you can trigger(say 5 clicks) when you need it, then the light will switch to lower level so you will have a 2-4x longer running light. The 5 clicks is there to prevent activation while your doing your tactical actions with the tail cap. So it's actually a 1 mode E-MT with a hidden feature.
We are working hard, hang on tight guys!
*** Update 1st September 2007 ***:naughty::naughty::naughty:
Fresh from yclo workshop...
Yes the tower is a bit higher than the MN01/2/3, compensate for some variation in the E-series lights. Reduced to exact height in the final production.
***
Hi all,
Announcing the Surefire E-series, MicroTower Rebel LED ( E-MT ) direct drop in.
Who
This is a collaboration project between yclo and koala. One day, I looked at my E2D, it would be nice to have a longer running light. I am not so interested in super long throwing light as there are others that do that, this is more like a bright flood light with a medium range hotspot to boot. The unique output is a result of the design of E series reflector. So I talked to yclo and challenged his mighty lathe skills. He jumped on the bait and designed me a cool adjustable focusing tower. It's so simple and genius work, to catch the exact focus height. He did it in like 3 seconds.
The project is suppose to be once off for myself, it seems to be quite useful so we're making it available.
I know most people like the design of the E2D crenelated bezel and also the petite size of the original E series reflector. This is a direct drop in, there is no modifications required to the bezel. It is designed to replace the original incandescent lamp assembly. I always wanted to do this but there is no suitable LED available, thanks for Lumileds it's finally possible with modified Rebels.
During the development, it has come to our knowledge that the idea has been executed by a Japanese CPF member "belyo" with the Rebel 50 lumens. His findings are very close to what we have. I must say these Japanese are very quick and innovative. My hats off to them. The show must go on.
What's in it?
On top of the E-MT sits a modified Luxeon Rebel. This does not seems to have any effect on the Rebel output wise. It is still being tested so I can't say for sure there is no problem for now. The E-MT also houses the electronics that works with 2.5V - 10V. I am especially proud about the wide operating voltage. Which also means it will be compatible with 1x CR123A/RCR123, 2x CR123A/RCR123, 3x CR132A. So you can use it in almost all of the Surefire E series including the 3 cell(9V) UBH. This may change depending on the efficiency. A second version may be made for 1 cell lights to better suit the lower input voltage for achieving higher efficiency. The E-MT is compatible with heads that fits MN01/2/3 lamp assembly.
Currently in development, is the multistage controller which is also the buck-boost controller. The planned modes are Dim, Low and High. There is no plans for super crazy advance UI, to keep the bugs down, there will be at most, user adjustable brightness level. I'll try to keep it as simple as possible so it will be simple to use.
Performance
Pitted against the orignal 60 lumens(true output) MN03 lamp assembly the E-MT will look weaker. That is because the reflector isn't optimised for the Rebel LED and also, incan warm color is distinctive. But hey, the flood/spill intensity is so much more brighter!! If you need a light for medium range work, the E-MT will make you smile. Then again it's very close and the E-MT will run much longer on high.
I must say the output is quite unique. I haven't seen such beam before in my lights and it works very well indoor and also outdoors. Most lights sacrifice spill for hotspot but not this one, it has the brightest spill I've seen to date. Think of it as a wide-angle flashlight with usable spill and medium intensity hotspot. The module gets warm after 30 minutes on High.
Cost
The price of the E-MT is $65 including shipping. We are in Australia, things don't come cheap here. Average price of a MAG 2D can cost US$65 here, a Surefire G2 USD$70 if you look hard. Please note that the E-MT is a custom made drop-in not mass produced. We'll try to keep the price reasonable but it will not be cheap.
When
Available for order now.
I know everyone loves pictures so here we go... beamshots at the end.
"yclo" alloy productions...
The prototype module, does not quite fit in the body, yet...
KL5 5W Luxeon V stock (1 meter away)
5W may look dimmer but the hotspot is actually very high intensity. I used a 5W for comparison because it is the only throw+flood light I have.
E2e Bezel E-MT Rebel 100 (1 meter away)
Both together
E-MT(Rebel@22mA) vs L1(gen1) Low 20mm relector mod
Thank you for reading, have a nice day.
Vince.
Original thread
*** Sales Closed *** 2-July-08.
For ordering information, please continue to Post #3.
For Pre-Order List please continue to Post #4.
*** Update 27th November 2007 ***
Status: Building & Sales Commence.
Possibly start shipping first week of December.
For a start, will be two fixed brightness version available...
Note 1: If the drive current does not suit you, please PM me know we'll work out something.
Note 2: I must say this again, the E-MT hot spot is smaller compared to the original MN03 bulb. MN03 has further throw, E-MT has more flood.
Note 3: Test/Specifications data is based on a Lux III TWOJ mounted on a huge sink. The Rebel has a lower vf, don't be surprise if efficiency gets better
E-MT F1 Specifications
Battery: 2.0 - 4.2V ( 1 CR123A / 1 RCR123)
LED: Luxeon Rebel 100
1 Level: Fixed Brightness
Price: $65 includes International Shipping
Runtime: 3 Hours ( 2 hours flat regulation + 1 Hour drop )
Input Voltage v LED drive current : 2.6V@375mA 2.8V@420mA 3.0V@465mA 3.2V@515mA 3.4V@585mA 3.6V@680mA 3.8V@800mA




E-MT F2 Specifications
Battery: 3.0 - 8.4V ( 2 CR123A / 1-2 RCR123 )
LED: Luxeon Rebel 100
1 Level: Fixed Brightness
Price: $65 includes International Shipping
Runtime: ?
Input Voltage v LED drive current : 4.8V@590mA 5.2V@605mA 5.6v@625mA 6.0V@650mA 6.4V@675mA 6.8V@695mA 7.2V@710mA



New Beamshots from my hightech cave!!!
Camera EXIF: Manual 10mm f/4 1/15sec ISO1600, resize only untouched.
5.5 meters / 18 feet from source to door.

E2D MN03 bulb > E-MT F2 650mA > E-MT F2 1000mA
And for those who can't see the above gif animation...

E2D MN03 Bulb

E-MT F2 650mA

E-MT F2 1000mA
*** Update 24th November 2007 ***
Finally, after a long wait... yclo sent me some pictures... they arrrived last week. For those who didn't know, yclo is responsible for the aluminium towers. I didn't post earlier because we couldn't tell when the Rebels are coming. We manage to swoop a very limited quantity of premium tint Rebel 100. More details later when they've arrived. The Rebels are *very rare* at the moment, they cost us a bomb but we decided to absorb the cost.
Unfortunately we don't have enough Rebels for everyone on the unofficial list, people who come later may have to wait till mid January, when the Rebels appear again. We are terribly sorry if you happen to be the group of people. Please do not ask for premium tint Rebels in the future because we do not know if we'll ever get a chance like this again. One thing is for sure, you won't be getting unreasonable off-white tint because I would not allow such LED to go with the E-MT.
These are the long awaited E-Series MicroTowers (E-MT)



*** Update 11th October 2007 ***
For those who are looking to have the ultimate brightness E-MT, I have not so good news for you. I don't feel comfortable pushing the parts to its' limit. So ~900mA will be the max nominal LED drive current for *custom* made high brightness E-MT F2. Finally, at 900mA LED drive current, your looking at ~70C/158F (after 20mins). Something to think about...
*** Update 29th September 2007 ***
It has been sometime... yclo and me met up last night and we did some minor touch up to the dimensions and finalize on the cost. I guess this is the moment you all have been waiting for. We focus hard to keep our cost down, exhausted our list of manufacturing sources, tried to reduce the cost where possible. Now we have a figure. The price for a fully assembled and tested E-MT F1/F2 is $65 includes International Shipping. If we price any lower than that, we would have to scratch the project.
The Luxeon Rebels 100 are missing from my sources I hope they will become available again when all the parts have arrived. I have not much choice on the tint but it will be Cool White as the 100 Lumens parts are. Most reports I have seen is close to white slight yellow not blue. It will take at least four weeks for production, blame the guys at the CNC shop.
The multi-mode microcontroller E-MT FM will be available in 2008. I have not finalize on the parts yet.
We will only make as many as required there will not be extra as we don't want any left overs. If you are still going for the towers, please re-edit your post, stating your choice of tower and quantity. I will set up a pre-order list mid-way the production.
thanks for reading,
Vince.
*** Update 6th September 2007 ***
The 2.5-10V multi-mode driver will be delayed. We have decided that two versions of the single mode dumb tower (non microprocessor) version will be offered first since that's what majority wants. I will post specifications as soon as the parts arrives. The PCB is still being worked on. It's harder than I thought. To make a sloppy tower, just stick the Rebel on and stuff the electronics on a hand milled circuit board into the tower. It's simple. To make it look good is hard.
Once the single mode dumb towers are made, you all can sign up for the microprocessor multi-mode tower.
For those of you who like it low, it will be really low. It will be as low 5mA. That's as min as I can go because I don't want the sense resistor value to be too high which may have a tiny impact on the efficiency. It's a very small number but I like to make it look good. To me, efficiency is most important factor in a battery/portable application. I could use a higher value sense resistor and go 1mA if you make enough noise
It will cost a bit more than the dumb towers, since there a lot more work in the software and additional component cost. The dumb driver uses hardware IC for regulation. It will not work for a wide range of voltage. For those who like to have the 2.5-10V but single mode microprocessor, Yes I'll do that. I have been thinking of a survival mode in the driver. There will be a hidden mode so that you can trigger(say 5 clicks) when you need it, then the light will switch to lower level so you will have a 2-4x longer running light. The 5 clicks is there to prevent activation while your doing your tactical actions with the tail cap. So it's actually a 1 mode E-MT with a hidden feature.
We are working hard, hang on tight guys!



*** Update 1st September 2007 ***:naughty::naughty::naughty:
Fresh from yclo workshop...
Yes the tower is a bit higher than the MN01/2/3, compensate for some variation in the E-series lights. Reduced to exact height in the final production.

***
Hi all,
Announcing the Surefire E-series, MicroTower Rebel LED ( E-MT ) direct drop in.
Who
This is a collaboration project between yclo and koala. One day, I looked at my E2D, it would be nice to have a longer running light. I am not so interested in super long throwing light as there are others that do that, this is more like a bright flood light with a medium range hotspot to boot. The unique output is a result of the design of E series reflector. So I talked to yclo and challenged his mighty lathe skills. He jumped on the bait and designed me a cool adjustable focusing tower. It's so simple and genius work, to catch the exact focus height. He did it in like 3 seconds.

I know most people like the design of the E2D crenelated bezel and also the petite size of the original E series reflector. This is a direct drop in, there is no modifications required to the bezel. It is designed to replace the original incandescent lamp assembly. I always wanted to do this but there is no suitable LED available, thanks for Lumileds it's finally possible with modified Rebels.
During the development, it has come to our knowledge that the idea has been executed by a Japanese CPF member "belyo" with the Rebel 50 lumens. His findings are very close to what we have. I must say these Japanese are very quick and innovative. My hats off to them. The show must go on.
What's in it?
On top of the E-MT sits a modified Luxeon Rebel. This does not seems to have any effect on the Rebel output wise. It is still being tested so I can't say for sure there is no problem for now. The E-MT also houses the electronics that works with 2.5V - 10V. I am especially proud about the wide operating voltage. Which also means it will be compatible with 1x CR123A/RCR123, 2x CR123A/RCR123, 3x CR132A. So you can use it in almost all of the Surefire E series including the 3 cell(9V) UBH. This may change depending on the efficiency. A second version may be made for 1 cell lights to better suit the lower input voltage for achieving higher efficiency. The E-MT is compatible with heads that fits MN01/2/3 lamp assembly.
Currently in development, is the multistage controller which is also the buck-boost controller. The planned modes are Dim, Low and High. There is no plans for super crazy advance UI, to keep the bugs down, there will be at most, user adjustable brightness level. I'll try to keep it as simple as possible so it will be simple to use.
Performance
Pitted against the orignal 60 lumens(true output) MN03 lamp assembly the E-MT will look weaker. That is because the reflector isn't optimised for the Rebel LED and also, incan warm color is distinctive. But hey, the flood/spill intensity is so much more brighter!! If you need a light for medium range work, the E-MT will make you smile. Then again it's very close and the E-MT will run much longer on high.
I must say the output is quite unique. I haven't seen such beam before in my lights and it works very well indoor and also outdoors. Most lights sacrifice spill for hotspot but not this one, it has the brightest spill I've seen to date. Think of it as a wide-angle flashlight with usable spill and medium intensity hotspot. The module gets warm after 30 minutes on High.
Cost
The price of the E-MT is $65 including shipping. We are in Australia, things don't come cheap here. Average price of a MAG 2D can cost US$65 here, a Surefire G2 USD$70 if you look hard. Please note that the E-MT is a custom made drop-in not mass produced. We'll try to keep the price reasonable but it will not be cheap.
When
Available for order now.
I know everyone loves pictures so here we go... beamshots at the end.
"yclo" alloy productions...
The prototype module, does not quite fit in the body, yet...


KL5 5W Luxeon V stock (1 meter away)
5W may look dimmer but the hotspot is actually very high intensity. I used a 5W for comparison because it is the only throw+flood light I have.

E2e Bezel E-MT Rebel 100 (1 meter away)

Both together

E-MT(Rebel@22mA) vs L1(gen1) Low 20mm relector mod

Thank you for reading, have a nice day.
Vince.
Last edited: