What does the new K2 mean for flashlights?

[eyeeatingfish]

http://flashlightnews.org/story1077.shtml

It seems good, but I am actually not sure what this will mean.
Brighter? More efficient?

It seems it will have less problems with heat which is good.

 

[bondr006]

 

[Marduke]

Not brighter or more efficient :thumbsdow

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=180258

 

[orbital]

+

Inova can hardly wait

 

[Marduke]

+

Inova can hardly wait

Sad, and hopefully not true.
Perhaps they will hear the "Rebel" in them trying to get out...

 

[Lightingguy321]

A bright light that isn't too bad in efficiency, puts out less light than a cree or SSC, but has a better handle on the thermal management. I think that the K2 with TFFC personally might be a good replacement LED for people who want to retrofit lights that use Luxeon I, III, and older K2s in order to maintain the same optical design with a slight change (keep in mind evan reports that the Lux III and older K2s all have higher die heights within the package then the new K2 TFFC die.) I don't know for sure how well the K2 with TFFC can be over driven, but from the looks of it, it can be pushed very hard (with a good heat sink), with out tint shifting too much (remember the angry blue that the SSC P4 gives you with currents above 1.1A?). Other than that I have to wait and make buy some to see how well they preform.

 

[evan9162]

Probably not much. The last year has seen a significant shift in LED usage - tons of manufacturers have bit the bullet and moved their designs over to use the SSC P4 or XR-E. By not exceeding the performance of new XR-E and P4s, the currently available TFFC K2s aren't much of a value proposition to those who have done the switch.

For those who have stuck with the K2 design, then it's likely they will move over to using the new K2s.

I would think it would be very likely that Mag would move their drop-ins to using the new K2, since the K2's beam profile works better with their reflector, and they don't have to worry about die height due to the adjustable focus.

 

[woodrow]

+

Inova can hardly wait

I like buying Inova's every once in a while. They make all my other lights look VERY bright and effecient.

 

[Lightingguy321]

Wouldn't mag have to take their LED mounting base (ahem heatsink I mean) back to the drawing board in order to incorporate a K2 TFFC in any of their LED models? From what I recall, I was trying to mod my 2AA LED to a K2 (U-Bin) and it won't fit. But I would be very willing to give the new 2AA LED a try as soon as it comes out. (the K2s foot print is large enough to allow for the lux I, III, V, and SSC P4 to be used, but you can't set a K2 into the footprint of a Luxeon emitter or SSC P4 base without some modding.

 

[evan9162]

I'm not sure about the AA models, but the C and D LED drop-ins just use a stamped steel/aluminium shell for the "heat sink". I think all they'd have to do there is change the stamping die for that step to one that fits the K2, and they'd be pretty much done.

 

[yellow]

perfect example of the best dept. in the Luxeon enterprise - the MARKETING

the led sucks, AGAIN!

 

[Patriot]

perfect example of the best dept. in the Luxeon enterprise - the MARKETING

the led sucks, AGAIN!

LOL!!!!!!!!!! How perfect that comment was.

Yeah, and when the K2 made it's first fly-by at least a few people looked at it and considered it's potential. This time I don't know if it will even be worth looking up at when it flies by. I really don't see what it offers, with the trend going toward smaller and smaller LEDs.

 

[saabluster]

perfect example of the best dept. in the Luxeon enterprise - the MARKETING

the led sucks, AGAIN!

Notice how they try to make it sound as if the K2 can do 220 lumens at 1A drive level to someone not paying real close attention to the wording.

"Light output performance from a Luxeon K2 with TFFC part binned and tested for 160 lumens minimum and 1A drive current can easily exceed 220 lumens at higher drive currents."

Oh yeah here is my favorite part. "delivers unprecedented performance for a single 1mm2 chip"

 

[Daylo]

Are there any advantages to the K2 over the SSC P4 or XR-E LEDs? Thermal management was brought up, any word on durability or longevity of the life of the LED?

Thanks for any info.

 

[evan9162]

Going by each companies reliability data, the K2 is more durable than the others at high current and high temperature. Seoul and Cree don't provide detailed data about how lumen maintenance is affected by drive current or operating temperature.

The beam profile of the K2 is significantly different than the XR-E, and may be more suitable depending on the optical system of the application. It also seems to have better color uniformity across the beam. There are many reports of color shifting of Seoul P4s after a few hundred hours (turn more blue).

It's a pretty broad playing field right now with lots of options to choose from.

 

[Anglepoise]

I suspect that the new K2 package will be ideal for someone still running a Lux III and wished to update performance.

I doubt members that have modified their reflectors to work with Seoul and Cree will want to purchase new reflectors and start from scratch.

 

[Daylo]

Thanks for the info evan9162.

 

[Marduke]

Sure, the thermal management is better, but other more efficient LED's can output the same lumens at nearly half the current, so you don't need to worry about the temperature as much because the more efficient LED's aren't being driven as hard.

 

[Illum]

never understood why K2s are made the way they are, its as if it was created for a reflector with a square opening

 

[evan9162]

The square package might make it easier for automated equipment to pick and place them vs. a round package.