surefire g2 drop in? noob

[mojeb21]

ok so my friend gave me one of these and im looking to get an led drop in.


i see lots of reviews for the mc-e and then on the $12.50 one from dx


im pretty much looking for something cheap (under 20) that will be bright and last a fair amount of time.

not a fan of all the mod ones.. just want a light.. haha


and i saw this alphaseries g6 on ebay that looks pretty good for $20. and says it lasts 3 hrs. now i know it wont last three hours with the same intensity, but it still does last quit a bit.


any help would be awsome

 

[bigchelis]

If it is on ebay it is likely a lower quality bin Cree R2 or Q5. For the $20 dollars the ebay one charges you could purchase 2 at Deal Extreme. Most Cree R2 run about 1 hour on 2 cr123.

To Calculate runtime you need.
1. the battery capacity listed on the battery as mAh. EX: 2 cr123 rechargeables say 600mAh capacity.
2. You need to know the mA the Cree will be using to operate. Ex: Most Cree R2's use up 1000mAH (the H= hour).

3. Then calculate in formula.
600ma(battery capacity) divided by 1000maH(current the LED will draw)=.6
.6 multiply by 60minutes= 36 minutes

I have the MC-E P60 from Deal Extreme and it is a bargain at the $23.49 price. It has a low mode that can go for as long as 90 minutes and 30 minutes on high. It also made 345 Lumens out the front as tested. (check the LED lumens test thread, it is a sticky).

Note: for the MC-E drop-in you need AW 17670 rechargeable cells, and I would get a aluminum bezel from lighthound.com; they are under $10. The aluminum bezels work better for LED above 100 lumens or so. Too much heat is bad for the LED and the plastic G2 bezel is likely plastic.

 

[mojeb21]

so i ended up buying one of these
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11836


ill see how it works... but as far as the reviews go.. they are great

 

[CampingLED]

In a SF G2 you should steer away from P7 and MC-E drop-ins. I use a 17593 module in mine and usually use it in the lowest modes. You can run it for long periods on 50% or lower output in a G2. The advantage is that the higher modes are available when needed for only a few minutes.

 

[chmsam]

At the top of the LED Flashlights section (that's this one) is a "sticky" with the title "P60 sized led drop-ins (part 3)" which will answer most of your questions (and there are links to parts 1 & 2 there as well). Some reading and maybe some searching will bring you up to speed on what's been suggested.

Good luck.

 

[Zatoichi]

so i ended up buying one of these
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11836

Those are great value, and bright. I'm not sure how long you can safely run it in an all plastic G2 though.

 

[bigchelis]

so i ended up buying one of these
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11836


ill see how it works... but as far as the reviews go.. they are great

That R2 is awesome. I initially used it in a Green Surefire G2. I then got a Surefire 6P as a host and gave it to my father. He uses it as his gear bag with 3 18650's; the 6P is bored to accept 18650. It is a little long, but he caries it in a bag in his work truck. The trow on that R2 is just awesome and you will love it. The beam quality is could be better, but you might get lucky and get a donut free version.

 

[Gunner12]

If it is on ebay it is likely a lower quality bin Cree R2 or Q5....

R2 and Q5 are flux bins of the Xlamp series of LEDs from Cree. There is no such thing as a lower quality R2 since the XR-E model being discussed here have the same manufactring process. Do you mean a lower flux bin Cree XR-E?

The "R2" drop-in(probably uses a Cree XR-E Q5 flux bin not R2) is a pretty good deal but since you are using a Surefire G2, make sure not to run it for too long so the drop-in doesn't overheat. Polymer isn't a very good transmitter of heat.

:welcome:

 

[mojeb21]

thanks for the input guys! ill keep in mind about the time limit on the g2 to make sure it doesnt over heat

not sure if i should make a new thread but what do you guys think about the UltraLast CR123 Rechargeable Battery?

i can get two 700mah batteries and charger for $16


is 1400 mah total good with the R2 bulb or die within 20 min?

 

[Wattnot]

The DX 6090 is a better choice for a G2. It only draws about 600ma so the heat will not build up as fast. It's an impressive thrower too with not too bad a beam.

You can search this subject for more info/opinions. . . . this is one of those subject with many, many threads. :wave:

 

[bigchelis]

R2 and Q5 are flux bins of the Xlamp series of LEDs from Cree. There is no such thing as a lower quality R2 since the XR-E model being discussed here have the same manufactring process. Do you mean a lower flux bin Cree XR-E?

The "R2" drop-in(probably uses a Cree XR-E Q5 flux bin not R2) is a pretty good deal but since you are using a Surefire G2, make sure not to run it for too long so the drop-in doesn't overheat. Polymer isn't a very good transmitter of heat.

:welcome:

Opps,
That is what I meant. It can be advertised as a R2, but you may be getting a Q5. :laughing:

 

[Gunner12]

When you have batteries in series, the voltages add up so you'll still have 700 mAh, persuming that is the right rating, but at 7.4v.

Persuming that the battery rating is right, you should get a bit more then an hour of runtime with those batteries. The current draw at those voltages is a bit more then 600 mA.

 

[michiganstud]

and i saw this alphaseries g6 on ebay that looks pretty good for $20. and says it lasts 3 hrs. now i know it wont last three hours with the same intensity, but it still does last quit a bit.


any help would be awsome

DON'T (DO NOT DO NOT) waste your money on a G6 bulb. I did thinking it would be so much brighter and better than my Q5 bulb.

It was not as bright as my Q5 in any way. I would say maybe about the same, but the Q5 was brighter in my Surefire light. I wasted 25 bucks on it - the seller even sent me a G8 bulb as a "free upgrade" - yeah right!

Go to deal extreme and get a Q5 or a R2 for half the price.

 

[Flashfirstask?later]

DON'T (DO NOT DO NOT) waste your money on a G6 bulb. I did thinking it would be so much brighter and better than my Q5 bulb.

The Q5/R2 are flux bins of the Xlamp series of LEDs from Cree and in other words emitters, not bulbs as bulbs is generally used to refer to incandescent bulbs.

I do believe there has been a thread or two about this eBay seller making his output claims and overpriced and such and should stay away

Here is a thread. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=220089&highlight=Alpha+USA

 

[michiganstud]

The Q5/R2 are flux bins of the Xlamp series of LEDs from Cree and in other words emitters, not bulbs as bulbs is generally used to refer to incandescent bulbs.

I do believe there has been a thread or two about this eBay seller making his output claims and overpriced and such and should stay away

Here is a thread. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=220089&highlight=Alpha+USA

This is why I am on here talking about my future purchases. I got ripped off.

 

[Spence]

I bought a couple of the R2's from DX and run them in a G2 and 9P. I removed the outer spring so the head would tighten down flush with the body, and occasionally I have to palm slap the light to come on. The performance is fabulous w/ great throw and run time is acceptable (I use both the 18650 and 17670 rechargeables). I never leave it on long enough for overheating to be an issue in my G2. Good luck.
:thumbsup:lovecpf

 

[Justin Case]

The DX 6090 is a better choice for a G2. It only draws about 600ma so the heat will not build up as fast. It's an impressive thrower too with not too bad a beam.

You can search this subject for more info/opinions. . . . this is one of those subject with many, many threads. :wave:

Not quite sure what you mean when you say that the DX6090 "draws about 600ma". Tailcap draw? That depends on the input voltage from the batteries. 600ma draw is correct only for an input voltage of about 7.6V-8.0V. Current delivered to the LED? That's been established to be about 1A when in full regulation.

This thread, for example, shows a measured drive current of 0.96A being fed to the LED when running in full regulation. The current draw (current input to the driver) ranges from about 800ma down to about 560ma for the voltage input range of 5.4V to 8.4V, which pretty much covers the voltages for 2xCR123A and 2xRCR123A. That's the nature of a buck driver. It seems pretty clear from the data presented that the power in is relatively constant in full regulation at about 4.7W, and the power to the LED is also relatively constant at 3.18W. Efficiency is about 67%, with about 1.5W wasted as heat. This seems like the important figure of merit.

The basic equation to consider is

Driver efficiency * Battery Voltage In (V) * Battery Current In (A) = LED Vf (V) * Drive Current (A)

If you know something about the LED and driver, you can get reasonable estimates for Vf and Drive Current. You can measure the tailcap current draw (Battery Current In). Knowing what batteries you are using, you can estimate their voltage under load (Battery Voltage In). From that, you can estimate driver efficiency and how much power is wasted as heat (W).