DBS V3

Ive had the dbs v3 r2 for a while now but recieved the
3SM CREE MC-E-M pill today along with the op reflector & the extension tube & wow the light output is amazing, i have nothing to measure it with and im in the process of purchasing a decent camera so cant get beamshots at the moment but its fantasticly bright i will try my best to get some beamshots comparing the r2 with smo reflector to the cree mce on friday night with my friends camera as we r going a hike.

Does any know if using and extension tube with just the r2 pill will damage it in any way ? or will it just give me alot better runtime with a touch more power as im considering on purchasing another extension tube as i already have the DBS host on the way to save me changing pills & reflectors from one to another all the time.

Which R2 do you have? 1S? 1SM? 3SD? 3SM?

The 1S and the 3SD only take 1 x 18650 battery.

The 1SM and 3SM take a single 18650, 2 x CR123, 2 x RCR123, or 2 x 18650 batteries.

Can i ask what 3sm stands for im not to sure to be honest i tihnk it may be the 3sm tho or it might even be the 3sd againe i dont have a clue what that stands for.

3SM = 3-stage multi-power digital, 3.4~9V 2xCR123A, 2xRCR123, 2x18650
3SD = 3-stage digital, 2.8~4.2V 1x18650, 1x17670

1SM = 1-stage multi-power, 3.4~16V 1x18650, CR123A's, RCR123's,
1S = 1-stage, 2.8~4.2V 1x18650, 1x17670

Am i rong on guessing thats the low medium and high light settings then ? If so i guess its the 3sm. And if so againe lol itl b safe to run on 2 18650's then

Yes, those are the high, medium, and low settings. The 3SD also has 3 stages though. If you take the head of the light off, there should be a sticker on the reflector that tells you what pill came with that reflector.

If you have been using 2 batteries with the R2 pill, you should keep using 2 batteries. If you have only been using one with it, you should keep using 1 with it.

For instance, if you have always used 2 CR123s with the R2 pill, you can use 2X CR123s or 2X18650. Both are fine.

If you have always used 1 18650, you should continue to only use 1 18650.

Tom

No problem, well its the 3sm r2 pill i have anyway and ive always used 1 18650 with it the only reason i thought about usin 2 now as i will be using 2 with the cree mce pill as i got an extension tube aswell

But if changing over to 2 18650's will damamge the r2 in anyway or if it aint a good idea ill stick with using the one :twothumbs

With the 3SM you should be fine running 2 18650s. The pills usually run along what I said earlier. The exception is the SM. With the SM, it is designed to run 2 batteries (either 2 CR123 or 2 18650) but it CAN run 1 18650 at a reduced output. If you start using 2 18650s you should be fine and the light ought to be brighter. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I know that's correct with my 3SM MC-E pill.

Tom

Ok thats great info, im home now i was on nightshift and checked the reflector its 3sd lol my mistake but will i still be ok to run 2 18650's ? If so ill order another extension tube in a day or 2 i think

Dave,

No, do not use two cells with the SD pills, otherwise you will almost certainly damage them.

I have the DBSv1 and, unforunately, they don't make an extension for it. The MCE looks nice though, looking forward to seeing your beam shots.

Andrew

The 3SD is designed for 2.8 to 4.2 volts, so use only one 18650 with it.

No problem thanks guys :thumbsup:

Ill hopefully get some over the weekend anyway

cdosrun said:

Dave,

No, do not use two cells with the SD pills, otherwise you will almost certainly damage them.

I have the DBSv1 and, unforunately, they don't make an extension for it. The MCE looks nice though, looking forward to seeing your beam shots.

Andrew

Click to expand...

You can use 2X AW RCR123's... Runtime is shorter but thats what I've been using

Just to clarify Dole's post above... he's correctly saying you can use 2 x RCR123's in the with the MC-E pill, even in the DBS V1.

At first I thought the post was saying that cdosrun could use 2 x RCR123's with his 3SD pill... you don't want to do that, as 2 lithium batteries of any type will ruin the pill.

In summary:

3SD pill -- One battery only, an 18650. (Also applies to 1S pill)

3SM pill -- Two batteries, either CR123A's, RCR123's, or 18650's. Can also use 18500's or 3 CR123A's with the 18500 extension. (Also applies to 1SM-2 pill).

If you ever see the beam turn blue and dim right after turning the light on, or if it just blinks off right away, double check which pill you have in it. The 3SD and 1S pills behave this way if overdriven by incorrectly using 2 batteries. Turn it off immediately and check for the proper battery/batteries choice.