I just began running "Luxeon reflector trials" too. I'm using a 5W blue HD driven by a 6AA battery pack. Using 5 moderatly used alkaline batteries (7.5v) yeilds 650mA, and 6 cells (9v) yeilds 1.1A The test reflector is from a D cell Mag.
What I've found, it that I can acheive the same super-bright hotspot with a tightly focused beam.
The problem is that I cannot retain the same quality of beam when I attempt to open the beam towards flood. I get "black holes" and other undesirable beam artifacts.. Has this been noticed by others using reflectors?? I'm a bit disappointed that I cannot get as nice of a flood beam using a reflector as I can using a collimator. Am I doing somthing wrong here or is this what I should expect?
On another note, I really like the beam I got when using a reflector in conjunction with a collimator. Now I just have to find a way to mount the collimator (without blocking light) while the reflector is in place..
What I've found, it that I can acheive the same super-bright hotspot with a tightly focused beam.
The problem is that I cannot retain the same quality of beam when I attempt to open the beam towards flood. I get "black holes" and other undesirable beam artifacts.. Has this been noticed by others using reflectors?? I'm a bit disappointed that I cannot get as nice of a flood beam using a reflector as I can using a collimator. Am I doing somthing wrong here or is this what I should expect?
On another note, I really like the beam I got when using a reflector in conjunction with a collimator. Now I just have to find a way to mount the collimator (without blocking light) while the reflector is in place..