xp-g in xr-e reflector?

[doctaq]

this is the flashlight i plan on getting
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.28546
i plan on swapping out the driver and led and driving an xp-g to 1400ma with an amc based driver with a 14500 li on battery.

i understand that this will generate a lot of heat and i will not be able to turn this on for more than a minute at a time but what would the beam look like? has anybody done this before? ive swapped one of these out before to get rid of the foolish modes but i kept the led and just swapped the driver and battery.

 

[PerttiK]

I tried a dereelight xp-g pill in a no name xr-e reflector, and didn't notice any difference.
The only difference to naked eye in those reflectors was the size of the hole for emitter.
Both reflectors were orange peel, xp-g in a smooth reflector might not look so good.

 

[Sprinkles]

HAHA - I have an XPG in the 3-mode programmable version of that light. It's pretty nice, but was super floody until I took the time to shim it. Also, I think those boards are like 16mm if I'm not mistaken. Someone might be able to tell you though....just a little FYI.


What I've found in the few emitter swaps that I've done is....

Reflectors that were designed for XRE typically need to be shimmed away from the XPG emitter a little in order to get a tighter spot. If they are just replaced at the same level, then I've found they become very floody.

(You can purchase the little plastic disks from dealextreme/Kaidomain to use as shims. I've been using hardened plastic disks cut from 3 ring binder dividers. They show no signs of warping yet - and I have an XPG being driven to 1250ma in one.)


With P60 pills you can use the fact that the pill screws to the reflector as a means to "shim" or control the distance between the reflector and the emitter.

 

[qwertyydude]

If you don't want to shim you can always use any reflector that's compatible with ssc p4 led as these types seem to be pretty much a lambertian light source. The problem with shimming xp-g's into an xr-e is that the light emitted from the side of the led is pretty much wasted. With an xr-e there's not much side emmitance because of the optics so the reflectors have a different focal point compared to the xp-g. So it does end up focusing if you shim but you just end up losing light.

 

[doctaq]

interesting, how much do i stand to lose by shimming ? will it be signifigantly brighter than the xr-e at 1050ma?

 

[doctaq]

based on the datasheet and the beam angle there it would seem like it would kinda just be like a xr-e with higher current no?

 

[Sprinkles]

If you're driving the xpg to 1400ma, then it will be quite a bit brighter than an xre at 1000ma. Yes, you'll lose some lumens out the side, but there is a significant increase due to the higher lumen/watt and drive current to that xpg. I've found that when in at least partial focus using the reflector in that light, the spill is noticeably brighter as well. I like mine a lot, and I'm actually still using the programmable driver that came with it.

 

[doctaq]

i absoluteley hate that driver, why does dx or thier provider feel the need to make every flashlight with 5 or 6 modes, i realize some people do like all those modes, but for those that dont the options are much more limited

are there any xpg specified reflectors that will fit in this thing? i would prefer not to frankenstien this by putting in some optic that probably wont fit easily and will look ugly

 

[doctaq]

i think i will go with an optic to get the most light out of this

i am thinking of the tina xp-d, digikey doesnt have the xp-rs in yet which seems a little tighter. any thoughts anyone?

 

[doctaq]

i tried the optic on an xp-g that i already had, it doesnt compare to the original spread that the xr-e has in the akoray flashlight, its much wider and more diffuse.

does cutting the end of the reflector off usually make a signifigant difference? im thinking i might need to cut 25-50 percent of the reflector off