What Are The Best Red LEDs To Replace the Apex's 5mm LEDs?

[jar3ds]

Hey Guys,

We've talked about this in other threads but I felt like it deserved its own thread since we haven't found a solution that I was satisfied with...

Basically, we are looking for the best RED 5mm to replace Nichia's CS 2x LEDs... I believe this is the PDF for the Nichia CS 2x LEDs we are talking about...

If these are indeed the LEDs that Princeton Tec use in their Apex then we are looking for the brightest RED 5mm LED that takes 3.6v and 20mA's... I've looked all over and all the red 5mm LEDs require different voltages or current for maximum flux....

I just feel that if someone was able to replace all 4 5mm LEDs with red ones, and replace the luxeon w/ a SSC P4 using an McR-20 or something you'd have the best of both worlds. A bright usable throw/flood beam of white light... and the night vision preservation/flood of 4 red 5mm LED's...

Maybe there just isn't a red LED that will do what we want it to do with the stock configuration that the Apex is already designed for... Maybe there aren't any red 5mm LEDs that are bright enough to make it worthwhile either...

Regardless, thanks for any help you can offer!

Jared

 

[VidPro]

yes the "gate" for red leds is about 2.4V quite a bit different from White (blue gate) leds.
because the 5mm leds are more often than not rated by MCD which is the spot angle , a 8* red led will have a high MCD rating, yet not really be much brighter than other reds.
8* red leds that i tested, ya know ones that are very spotty, show a lot of "artifacts" a square beam with a spot in the center.


is there any possibilty you could get an 8mm in the same hole?
CAUSE they have 80-100ma leds with QUAD DIE. quad die leds are not spotty, and of course have lower (looking) MCD ratings, but they have overall LOTS more light comming out of them, or if you run them low , they are more efficient because 4 dies are run slower, vrses 1 die being run so hard.

they do have a 4die in white 5mm, but i only see an 8mm in red.
the white 4 dies when run hard, be they 5-8-10mm sizes are quite blueish. and there is special concideration to heat syncing , by leaving the legs on and exposed, or syncing the legs.
4 die leds are Parellel, they do NOT like to be overdriven, 80ma is sufficient drive for them.

anyways, that is some info i know about red discrete leds.
http://www.quickar.com/discrete.php

quickar is moreleds.com also.
you can see there in the specs, that a 15-20* type of red led, is about 5000 MCD, that is sufficientally bright, and a good pattern for something like a headlight, whearas 8* ones , when you have multiple leds would be good for a flashlight.
again MCD is the SPOT rating only, usually the 20ma red leds all put out the same basic overall light.

so how much space you got? what is the beam pattern you desire?
and a resister can be added to red leds, and then they can be tossed right in where any ol white thing was without any Voltage issues, assuming its not regulated.

IN some situations you can series 2 REDS for each white 4.? volts.

then just to add more STUFF to this noise above, depending on the purpose of the led, leaning twards orange red, looks brighter, leaning twards deep red looks redder