Adjusting the WA1185 LA in a KT4

I am still looking for that sweet spot..can't seem to find it. For the filament portion of the bulb to be the same height as the SF HOLA I have to put the WA1185 all the way down in the Bi Pin holder..is this normal? Any recommendations?
Also running 3 18670's and can say as I notice much difference over the SF HOLA LA...I thought the WA1185 was pushing close to 1200 Lumens in this configuration?!
Also there is not a tight "hot spot" It looks more like a figure 8..can I hope that this is all just because the bulb is not positioned just right?

Did you try using washers before installing the bi-pin holder?:shrug:
That will help bring the bulb in further and may help with focus.

BTW, did you mean 18650?...haven't heard if 18670's:thinking:

I tried the washer...makes it go back out to flood again...seems the tightest hot spot without the washer and bulb all the way down in the bi-pin holder. The part I don't get is the output...as I said minimal difference between the SF HOLA and this WA1185...have others experienced a significant difference in output? As far as the batteries I meant 3x 17670..sorry for the typo...

Yo Dave,

Are you using one of Greg's camless reflectors? If so, I've found that to get the best focus from an 1185/1331 I have to use a whole mess of shims to get either lamp as low as possible.

1200 lumens is bulb-lumens. More likely 800 torch-lumens. Also, your 17670's are sagging big-time. I saw a noticeable difference when I started using three unprotected C-cells on my Mag85.

Gary

Hi Gary..as you can see I'm entering the world of hotwire...not as sucessfully as I'd hoped...If I'm supposed to be getting 800 Lumens I would guess that I am right on target then...I will keep playing around with the settings until I get more used to it...knowing that I am getting the Lumens I should be is a great morale booster. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong.
I think nex I will try the WA1185 in a M3T with some IMR's...thanks again

DaFABRICATA said:

Did you try using washers before installing the bi-pin holder?:shrug:
That will help bring the bulb in further and may help with focus.

BTW, did you mean 18650?...haven't heard if 18670's:thinking:

Click to expand...

18670 would be the overall length an 18650 with protection circuit, as for example the Pila 600, which is longer than my unprotected 18650's. My 17650's are way shorter than my protected 17670's. I digress here, but it is interesting to note that the 17500 is the protected version of a 17490 that are available from Lighthound.

Bill

I ended up using a "custom" shim as one was not enough and two were too much. I just rummaged around my stuff till I found a thin washer. Now I use one thick shim (supplied) and one thin one but I too get the figure 8 hotspot. From what I have seen that's as good as I'm going to get. By contrast mt FM set-up using x3 17670's & the WA1185 blows away any other incan config in the KT-4 that I have seen...

Hi zx7dave,

What brand of 18650s are you using, and which tailcap switch are you using? (The SF clickie style switch may not be appropriate for this setup, as it will have a bit more resistance, and has also been shown to fail when used in configurations above ~2.5A.)

In theory, an 1185 on 3 li-ion cells should start off around 850 solid torch lumen, maybe even a little better.

Keep in mind, it takes a good doubling of lumen values to look like a solid "step" brighter to the eyes. But the output should be quite a bit whiter from the 1185 setup so you should definitely be seeing a difference.

Beamshot comparisons of all of these setups will always exaggerate the real-world difference between the bulbs, because they are using a fixed exposure setting to show those differences. Unfortunately, the eye does not have a fixed exposure, it adjusts on the fly, all the time, to varying light conditions.

As for focusing, I haven't used an 1185, but I have used bulbs with similar envelop designs and filament positions, I'm trying to remember now if I had to use the shim or not. hmmmm.... It's worth a try, worst thing that can happen is it moved it a little too far back, and you can then adjust the bulb forward in the socket with the shim in place little by little until you get a nice beam. Also, look down on the bulb from the top and make sure it isn't leaning one way or the other, also look inside the bulb and see if the filament is centered, you may actually need to bent the bulb over to one direction to get the filament in the center..

Eric

FWIW, I have found that with the WA 1185 seated well into the FM socket as far as it will go, the best focussing effect is achieved with 1 or at the most 2 of the shims FM provides with the sockets.

It can be a little nerve-wracking, pushing the bulb into the socket - one wonders how much force can be used without the risk of breaking the bulb. I always put a tiny dab of oil on to each pin, and then I find it slides in a lot better. Always push it in straight - don't wiggle it from side to side to work it in, as this applies lateral force on the pins and this WILL crack the glass envelope.

Yeah, you have to use the shim to get the focus with the 1185.

Check that your batteries are charged - are you using AW or good brand 17670s? That could account for the difference in brightness. I have to double click my AW 17670s for the 1185 to work, if that gives you any idea of how much current is being drawn. The 1185 should be noticeably brighter than the MN21.

Keep trying!

Thanks for the hlp and advise...The hot I am using is the M6 so there is no clickie tailcap. I played around more and with the bulb pushed all the way down without a shim is my best so far...when I have the bulb all the way down with a shim it goes to a pretty extreme floody output. I am using 3 AW 17670s for power..they are fully charged.
I tried the KT4 with the WA1185 in a M3T body using IMR's with a SW02 on the end. Actually seemed to be a little brighter, but I'm sure my runtime will be brief. I will keep playing around. My bulb is bent slightly so it is not centered as well as it could be, but I don't want to try to bend it as I have heard the horror stories about the bulb exploding inside the KT4 and ruining it.

To center a bi-pin while its seated, I gently nudge the bulb with the eraser end of a pencil.

edit: Just realized this method may not be possible on an M6, as I don't own one. This works on a Mag head with bezel and lens removed.

Cleaning the pins of the bulbs with polishing paste is what I do. The bulbs slides in without hesitation. I also found that the bulb needs to be fully inserted and seated squarely on the holder. The height of the filament I compare with the MN21 and its about there....shims not needed though...

DM51 said:

It can be a little nerve-wracking, pushing the bulb into the socket - one wonders how much force can be used without the risk of breaking the bulb. I always put a tiny dab of oil on to each pin, and then I find it slides in a lot better. Always push it in straight - don't wiggle it from side to side to work it in, as this applies lateral force on the pins and this WILL crack the glass envelope.

Click to expand...

funny, my 1185s slide into the MN to bi-pin holder quite easily, its nerver-wracking when you screwed the lock nut in too tight and can't get the lamp out

Heres what I did to get the focus correctly for my M6-1185 [EDit: jumpstat's got here first]
Find a piece of scrap wood, I happened to have a segment of 1x4 [2x4s cut down the middle], I drilled two holes on it both with the bore diameter pretty near the neck diameter of MN lamps...then I stuffed my MN21 in one hole and the MN adapter in the other, with a ruler I measured the height of the filament and aligned the 1185 while it was floating [not locked in] in the MN adapter. I didn't need the shims.

If you've positioned the 1185 all the way into the holder, you'll begin to notice through repeated assembly/disassembly that the shims are either too thin or too thick

This might sound like a silly question, but are you sure you're using the 1185?

Yes...WA1185
I am getting the closest to a tight hotspot with no shims and the bulb all the way pushed in...I've tried about 30+ little adjustments...this is about as good as I am getting with this particular bulb...