What's the LED in the $10 Wal-Mart Dorcy 3AAA 1W?

It has a lens or lens/reflector combo instead of just the reflector. Looking down, the emitter is definitely not a Luxeon I that I'm familiar with.

THrough the lens, it looks like a 5mm LED stuck in a square base. What could it be?

I'm not sure what it is either...I got one of those about a year or so ago and I like the look and feel of it if it just had more output. Interestingly there's a thread in the homemade and mod lights regarding upgrading it with a higher output LED, I think its title is "which emitter" and I'm looking forward to reading more there.

I think this neat lil light might be a very nice candidate for the great modders on here....any takers???

Ooops....disregard this ...I was thinking of the Garrity 3aaa with the optic. Sorry. I REALLY gotta learn to read closer b4 replying.

If it's the focusing one I'm thinking of, it's the Nichia Jupiter. How do you like the light so far?

Edit: Does it look like this? http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/terralux_tle-6n.htm

defloyd77 said:

If it's the focusing one I'm thinking of, it's the Nichia Jupiter. How do you like the light so far?

Edit: Does it look like this? http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/terralux_tle-6n.htm

Click to expand...

That's exactly it!

If it's the light I'm thinking of, it says Nichea on the back of the package. I was wondering about this light too.

sino said:

If it's the light I'm thinking of, it says Nichea on the back of the package. I was wondering about this light too.

Click to expand...

You're right. It does say Nichia
LED receives exactly one watt with fresh set of alkaline.

It uses 3xAAA through a 3.58 ohm resistor in series with the LED and draws 0.218A (obtained by measuring voltage across the resistor and dividing by resistance, so as not to introduce the resistance of the meter into circuit)

It draws 860mW from the batteries and LED gets 690mW

Beam has a very defined cut off circumference like theatrical light, but does have some spill. The focusing range and quality is excellent and holds the beam clean throughout the entire range, but it has the same problem that always followed Nichia around.

Visibly blue tint and purple fringe along the outer rim of the beam.

The tail switch is reverse-actuated (push in all the way, then release to activate). Easy to operate good feel.

Is this a new Dorcy light? Looked at my Wal-mart today and no new Dorcys to be found.

I just finished a mod on one. Had an extra Cree and a shark driver. Made a copper heat sink out of pennies and a piece of pipe. Just left in stock reflector and lens. Turned out pretty good. Looks to be about 100 lumens on alkaline aaa's or so, just guessing with my eye compared to another light. Not sure about run time yet. I want to get rechargeable batteries in it or maybe a different battery set-up in the future.

I found one mis-marked at $4 so I bought it. no reflector internally, just a lens that I think is wasteful. Emitter mounts to a round PC board along with two SMD resistors.

i bonded onto this PC board a mini-mag reflector after planing off 1.75mm on the back side to bring the emitter closer to the focal plane of the reflector and opened the hole to 5mm to fit over the square emitter base. The result is more usable light but also found undesirable rings. Cut a circle of thin plastic diffuser material and placed between lens and reflector.

So I have now a good light with a very smooth fill - good for hiking, map reading. Focuses somewhat but no longer for throw.