Upgrading Nuwai Q-III with better LED!

Hey all,

I have a Nuwai Q-III and love it to death. However, I want to upgrade it a little bit. I already use a 3.6v RCR123, have a mineral glass lense on the way, and now want to upgrade the LED...

Looking at Photon Fanatic's selection (http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=85330), I'm looking at either a TWOJ or TWOH Lux III. Do I need an emitter or star? What's the difference?

I was told the TWOH will have a lower Vf, resulting in a longer runtime. If so, what is the attractiveness of the TWOJ that so many use?

Thanks!

Here is some good reading from the member Milkyspit.

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=103186

The board on a Q3 would probably overdrive a TWOH led. If you plan on a standard rechargable Li-ion you'll probably be overdrivign the led further. Some people have gone with TWOJ, but i've heard recommended TWOK. In case you haven't totally figured out the layout of binning the T stands for brightness level - WO is for color the last is for voltage that it takes. the lower the last letter the less power the led needs, but its much easier to overdrive.

an emitter is just the led and leads - the star includes a heatsink and much easier to sodder (sp?) PCB style board.

cryhavok said:

I already use a 3.6v RCR123, have a mineral glass lense on the way, and now want to upgrade the LED...

Do I need an emitter or star?

Click to expand...

You need a star because that is what you will be replacing. The star configuration includes an emitter on a MCPCB (metal core printed circuit board).

cryhavok said:

I was told the TWOH will have a lower Vf, resulting in a longer runtime. If so, what is the attractiveness of the TWOJ that so many use?

Click to expand...

With a Primary (non-rechargeable) Lithium battery, the TW0H will give a longer run-time. With a Li-ion rechargeable, the lower Vf of the TW0H will result in a higher initial current draw from the battery and will have a shorter battery life.

If you plan on continuing to use the Li-ion you should probably start with a K-bin emitter. With a H-bin, you will be significantly over-driveing it.

thanks all for the great replies

So now the question becomes where to find a TWOJ or TWOK star...

Also, i've read that the "new style" stars are a little bit shorter than the old style, messing up how well the led performs with the reflector. Anyone have any comments on this?

Thanks

Ooh, ooh, sorry for the hijack, but I have another thread currently asking a question that maybe you can answer... How do you get the reflector and lens out of the bezel once you've got the bezel off?

cryhavok said:

thanks all for the great replies

So now the question becomes where to find a TWOJ or TWOK star...

Also, i've read that the "new style" stars are a little bit shorter than the old style, messing up how well the led performs with the reflector. Anyone have any comments on this?

Thanks

Click to expand...

The new versus old style won't matter much with the already excellent, orange peel textured stock Q3 reflector.
It just isn't picky at all.
Try for a UX1K star for best performance.
A UX1L, or UX1N star will work too with an rcr123.

Just for kicks, even a Luxeon5 WXOS, or WWOS star will also work with the stock Q3 boost circuit and an rcr123.
But not a cr123 disposable.
It will still be underdriven and still stay cool.
The beam will be wider and better for close up work within 5 yards.

Thanks for the reply 3rd_shift

Any idea where I can find a UX1K? does the "X1" equate to a "W0" color?

Thanks!

Photonfanatic has them too last I saw.
9 out of 10 look good and white with no WO slight pink tint at all.
1 out of 10 are a bit nonfat milk greenish though.