Where can I source Nichia CS 5mm LED?

Hi,

I've been meaning to upgrade the LEDs in my Photon and other lights (CMG Infinity Ultra, etc.) with the new Nichia CS 5mm LEDs. I am new to modding, but I assume that these can be directly retrofitted to replace existing LEDs. Is this correct?

Also, does anyone know where I can source a couple dozen of these, as I cannot find them for sale anywhere? I've checked eBay, but can only find JELED 50,000mcd LEDs there, and I don't know if these will be as bright as the Nichias. What grade do I require for the brightest, whitest output?

Any help from candlepower members will be much appreciated. Many thanks.

Nic

I purchased my CSs from a member on the board. There's occasional sales from members. You can also get them for a bit more at the Sandwiche Shoppe here:

http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_52_77&products_id=678

The brightest is the V-bin, but those seem hard and rare to find. I have U-bins and it's quite bright. A good improvement over the stock LED in my KeyMate. Good luck.

Nic said:

I've checked eBay, but can only find JELED 50,000mcd LEDs there, and I don't know if these will be as bright as the Nichias.

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See this thread for some tests I've done. In terms of both lumens and intensity the Jeled are brighter than the U-bin Nichias. Average intensity is 41,000 mcd at 20 mA versus 24,000 mcd for the Nichias, mostly by virtue of the Jeled LEDs having a somewhat tighter beam. In terms of lumens, the difference is less (4.83 for the Nichias versus 5.59 for the Jeleds), and if you could find a V-bin Nichia it should match or even better the Jeleds. The Nichias do much better at higher currents, though. At 80 mA their lumen output actually exceeds that of the Jeleds, and as you may already know the Nichias generally hold up better in terms of lumen maintenance when overdriven.

Thanks a lot guys...some very useful info you supplied. I think I'll give the JELEDs a go, seeing as they are easy and cheap to get hold off.

Thanks again.

Nic

Oh yeah, that's what I forgot to mention about the Nichias. I chose them over the other high-flux 5mm brands for the lumen maintenance and robustness to being over driven. I saw the tests that were performed and the additional initial brightness offered by the other 5mm LEDs weren't enough for me to trade off lumen maintenance and robustness.

Nichias it is then... :lolsign:

Does anybody know where I could get a few JELED 50k mcd white LED's. I'd like to see what they are like without ordering 50 of them.

vortechs said:

Does anybody know where I could get a few JELED 50k mcd white LED's. I'd like to see what they are like without ordering 50 of them.

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Try eBay...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Brightest...596736895QQcategoryZ66952QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

vortechs said:

Does anybody know where I could get a few JELED 50k mcd white LED's. I'd like to see what they are like without ordering 50 of them.

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Try eBay...

JELED 5mm White LED 50,000mcd

You can get 50 of them for only $16.50 shipped here.

Hi all,

Thanks for the links to eBay. I was actually already watching the 'Buy it now' for 50 JELED 50K white 5mm LED's for $16.50 (including shipping) over on eBay (50X 5MM Super Bright White LED Lamp 50,000mcd FreeShip), as well as the 50 JELED 18K white 3mm LED's for $14.99 (which they said includes shipping when I asked) (50X 3mm White LED Lamp 18,000mcd Wide Viewing Angle F/S). I just figured it seemed to be inefficient for me to order 50 of them if all I wanted were a couple to see what they were like. The review of the JELED 50K's on CPF make them sound very interesting but that's not quite the same as seeing one. I was hoping somebody on CPF might already have ordered some of the JELED 50K's and be willing to sell me a smaller quantity. If nobody on CPF is currently selling them, perhaps we should do a small group buy for people like me who are only intested in getting a few to try them out first. 50 for $16.50 is almost exactly 3 for $1 but I'd be glad to shell out some extra to just get 3 or 6 of them.

Actually, what I'd really like to have is a "beginner's sample" package of 2 of each of the more popular 5mm LED's, such as: Nichia's (both tints), Snow Peak 29's, KevinL 40K's, JELED 50K's, etc. Unfortunately I haven't seen anybody offering this yet but I'm hoping some enterprising person will put something like this together. Ideally, there would even be an option for a dozen cheap photon clones to drop them into (the perfect "beginning modder's package"). Would people please let me know if anyone is currently doing anything like this, or has done anything like this in the past. Perhaps a dealer like the Sandwich Shoppe could put something like this together. Any thoughts on this?

I am checking if I can get the Nichia NSPW500CS U intensity bin leds again.
I think that I will be able to get them. If I can get them I will start a thread to see if enough people are interested in them to do a group buy. I would sell them for $1 each.
I will probably have to give more than they cost at the Nichia site to be able to get the U intensity bin. It can be difficult to get the U intensity bin.

Grumpy said:

I am checking if I can get the Nichia NSPW500CS U intensity bin leds again.
I think that I will be able to get them. If I can get them I will start a thread to see if enough people are interested in them to do a group buy. I would sell them for $1 each.
I will probably have to give more than they cost at the Nichia site to be able to get the U intensity bin. It can be difficult to get the U intensity bin.

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Hi Grumpy,

Thanks for trying to organize a group buy of U bin Nichia's. I was recently comparing a T bin CO tint to a new LRI Photon Freedom microlight (the "100% brighter" version) and the LRI seemed significantly brighter. Do you happen to know what LRI is using in their new "100% brighter" microlights?

vortechs said:

Actually, what I'd really like to have is a "beginner's sample" package of 2 of each of the more popular 5mm LED's, such as: Nichia's (both tints), Snow Peak 29's, KevinL 40K's, JELED 50K's, etc. Unfortunately I haven't seen anybody offering this yet but I'm hoping some enterprising person will put something like this together.

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I put out a feeler for a sample package of 5 mm LEDs similar to what you suggested. If there's enough interest I'll go ahead with it. See here.

Grumpy - how hard would it be to get V-bin Nichias? I'd be very interested in getting some of V-bins.

Mmmmmmm Nichia CS...... I wonder how much you'd have to pay for the V bin......


The chinese 26k/35k/40k/50k are nice but after instantly frying one in a Dorcy AAA with a Li-Ion (Don't try this at home!) and watching a Nichia CS survive with no apparent ill affect (only a second or two) I'm sold on them for my mods. I do have some of the 35k in Fauxtons where they get relatively little cycle time.

I tend to run my dorcy AAA's as candles for an hour at a time.....

The nichia online store doesn't seem to allow buyers to choose a specific 'bin'...

http://store.nichia.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=138

Some V bins would be very nice indeed.

I have tried and have found no way to get the "V" bin
I am not even sure that they exist.
I think that the ones used in the photon are "U" bin. I modified some "cheaper" coin cell lights that use the same batteries as the photon and they were the same brightness as the photon. That is why I think that they use "U" bin.

I wonder if any other 5mm LED is as robust as the nichia. I Know my 26K and 35K's are really quck to dim even slightly overdriven.
Not heard much about the jeled, how bad do the snow29's fare? VDG