Why are 3 x emitter lights popular now?

That's all: Why are 3xXML lights popular now? 3xXP-G lights weren't, nor were previous lights going back...forever. What was the change?

Total lumen output. 3xXP-G could be matched with the MC-E led, but the only led that can match 3xXM-L is the SST-90 and it is a more expensive and probably has lower efficiency (I have not checked the data sheets recently).

Over the last few years people have been tending towards floody lights (hence zebralight's popularity and surefire's saint). If you can get a really bright light that's floody and you like floody lights. then, why not go for a 3 xpg or xml set up? I'm not one of these. I still like spotish beams.

People think they are cool since the fenix tk45, the tribarrel minigun
And maybe paralleling smaller led has a lower cost, i.e. smaller reflector
Heat is also a problem, 3 seperate emitter have a better heatsink than a single big guy

Because it's too hard to fit four emitters on a small board! Flood is king now... There are still plenty of throw junkies, but little brings more smiles than lighting up your entire yard!

shao.fu.tzer said:

Because it's too hard to fit four emitters on a small board! Flood is king now... There are still plenty of throw junkies, but little brings more smiles than lighting up your entire yard!

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One thing I don't often see mentioned here is that you could double wield flashlights and double the cd. So if you use 2 x DRY CW, you get 60k cd. If your usage condition is very cold and windy, you could get 15% more and take advantage of the higher drive levels so you'll do 69k cd (I have tested it many many times). More than enough throw, and you light up an entire building some 400m away rather than 2 tiny apartments with a XR-E aspheric.

I'm waiting patiently for the next Cree emitter, to give at least 30% more efficiency.

i dont know but its some thing when i turn on my TR-3T6 it makes me smile and lights up every thing a wall of light but will throw its only a cheapy but best bag for buck yet

I bought a TK70 because of the 3 emitters. It fills the yard with light! The interface was a bonus for me. I like the interface. Low gives more than enough light for walking, yet click click and it's daytime again!

with the TK70 on high how long does the potection take to kick in on turbo mode ? as the video's ive seen it seams to kick in early and drop the lights out put on the goinggear video it kicks in realy quick and drops the out put back

benckie said:

with the TK70 on high how long does the potection take to kick in on turbo mode ? as the video's ive seen it seams to kick in early and drop the lights out put on the goinggear video it kicks in realy quick and drops the out put back

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Should be more than the light can muster on a full charge, unless you are in a very cold environment (outdoors obviously) with wind to cool it down. 50 mins at the very least. Some are past 60 mins.

This is my light, 10 mins on Turbo and using half-discharged cells (actually also about 1 month on the shelf, never recharged somemore coz i am using 32600). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKvegtcbAp4

thanks for the video do you think its worth paying the extra over the TR-3T6

benckie said:

thanks for the video do you think its worth paying the extra over the TR-3T6

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Well it really depends. It's only $183 worldwide shipped w/tracking @ HKE so good for you coz you are in Australia. If you mind the length, then get 2 x 32600 from Kaidomain, those are good cells....just that they are unprotected which i guess would not be an issue for you as an expert user with cells plus you already have a hobby charger. 183 + 34 = 217 everything in. Get the $2 2AA->D adapter, stuff it nicely with alu foil, then it'll work with the 3D main tube minus the extension. So...why not? BTW 3D main tube + 2 32600s = 1kg, a good 400g lighter than with 4 NiMH. Handling is still ok. 2D tube is just a wee bit short and messes with the center of gravity (you need to hold very close to the neck area and still it tends to want to droop to the front a little, which is not good for long runs as it'll be pretty hot there).

Be advised that with 2 x 32600, you do loose the LV protection for both cell and in the light, so you might ruin the cells when it kicks down at about 3.7V. (3.7/2 = 1.85). I say might, because if you recharge immediately, it's not THAT bad.

Yeah probably total lumens. That said, single LED can do things that multiple ones cannot. The SR90 beam is way better than anything I have seen from a 3 x XML.

Great way to get a lot of light, in a floody setup from a small unit.

Lapetus said:

Yeah probably total lumens. That said, single LED can do things that multiple ones cannot. The SR90 beam is way better than anything I have seen from a 3 x XML.

Great way to get a lot of light, in a floody setup from a small unit.

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People say that the TK70 is too big. For me i think the opposite way, Fenix should have gone all the way and done a 125mm unit and fit in 60mm individual diameter reflectors. Take the budget light Fandyfire STL-V6 for eg. I measured 50k on the DX meter (it actually under reads by 10-15% easily, as demonstrated by A-B tests youtube vids). 150k would be a piece of cake and probably could hit 160-170k. SR90 is around 110-120k?

But in reality, the way light works is that you actually need quite slightly more than 4X lumens for the eyes to recognise anything to be 2X brighter (it's actually somewhat more than logarithmic). And at least 4X lux for something to throw 2X the distance. Seriously, the SR91 would under throw the TK70. (from what i have played with). In reallity, SR91/TK70/SR90/SR92 throw disnace = same league in the real world. Way better = 1.5M cd 100W carry-handle lantern type HID or at least a 500k Polarion CSWL from what we have played with. For info, I have 3 of those lantern type HIDs and while 1 is bright, i'd not say that it makes the brightness of 1 TK70 look like a toy. This is esp so if you fire it in the house, the eyes just shuts down the extra light. Take it outside, let it breathe with more leg room, then yeah. Of course 3 of them makes the TK70 output look like a toy, yes. Yes, I do understand that throw-oriented LED guys might have played with SR90 and TK70 and would say that A-B comparison there is a "very big" difference, well i respect those opinions too.

Also 4 x 18650 would be great and make it nearly perfect (with the low price). I mean Nitecore chose that route and threw caution/liability to the wind and let it operate with 1, 2, 3 or 4 18650s in parallel. If the light needs to be longer, just do 2S2P config. The weight saved could go to making a bigger head. Instead they went the D size route, good for versatility but it ranges from inconvenient to bad for true blue flashaholics.

BTW, just some SR90/TK70 beamshots comparison..... http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...enix-TK70-–-Olight-SR90-Microfire-Warrior-III

What it all boils down to is the law of diminishing returns... The less you push an LED, generally the more efficient it is, so you start losing efficiency at higher current draws. With three emitters, you'd be allowed to get more lumens at the same current draw by virtue of having to drive each LED at a lower rate. Thus you can create huge amounts of light with less power consumption compared to a single-emitter light.

Shao

LED flashlight manufacturers have been switching between single LEDs and arrays of LEDs for as long as LED flashlights have existed. It may not seem that way to people who are newer to the hobby, because they didn't get in when the 5mm plastic-encased LED was in its prime. People built lights with arrays of a dozen or more 5mm LEDs at one point.

Improvements in battery power and emitter efficiency push flashlight designers in the direction of using single emitters, because single-emitter flashlights are simpler and more reliable, whereas the demand for more brightness pushes designers in the direction of using emitter arrays, because multiple-emitter flashlights are more power-efficient.

So 3x:

• More efficient use of voltage vs. a single emitter
• Greater flood
• Total lumen output

Thing is - all of that has always applied. It's nothing new. The above are no reason such things should be more common now than in the comparatively lumen-deprived Luxeon 1 days. Or Luxeon 3. Or the early Cree days, etc.

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eebowler said:

Over the last few years people have been tending towards floody lights (hence zebralight's popularity and surefire's saint).

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Seems the best answer so far...just past the tipping point in popularity.

fyrstormer said:

LED flashlight manufacturers have been switching between single LEDs and arrays of LEDs for as long as LED flashlights have existed. It may not seem that way to people who are newer to the hobby, because they didn't get in when the 5mm plastic-encased LED was in its prime. People built lights with arrays of a dozen or more 5mm LEDs at one point.

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Sorry I was unclear. I'm familiar, but those were low-cost/low-output LEDS. I mean multiple high-cost/high-output ones. I'm aware say - the 4xAA propoly flashlight came in 9x5mm LED and 1x Luxeon versions...the thing is...there was no 3x Luxeon 1 version.

Thing is we went from <10 lumens = not enough, we need multiple LEDs...then skipped multiple LEDs for a very lone time...all the way up to 800 lumens = not enough, need multiple LEDs. Odd

Am still unsure what happened to cause the switch, unless it was just - Fenix tried out w/ the TK70, and things evolved from there in terms of popularity and copying. Perhaps. It's awfully neat anyway, even if I don't own any of these lights yet...

mmace1 said:

Am still unsure what happened to cause the switch, unless it was just - Fenix tried out w/ the TK70, and things evolved from there in terms of popularity and copying. Perhaps.

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Try reading my first post again (#2).

Sorry - I did read your post, and it was useful in the short-term. I use your reviews basically...always, so of course I read it! You're the reason I found a good EDC light....Thing is, that would explain say - during the MC-E days there being no 3 emitter lights, as a single MC-E trumped 3 XP-G. That was a great point.

Thing is - prior to that too - there were no real 3 x anything emitter lights. During the early Cree days, the Luxeon 5, 3, 1 days, etc. Sure, during XP-G vs. MC-E days - no 3 emitter lights. But why not before then, when lumens were far less easily given? Why only now?

eebowler said:

Over the last few years people have been tending towards floody lights (hence zebralight's popularity and surefire's saint). If you can get a really bright light that's floody and you like floody lights. then, why not go for a 3 xpg or xml set up? I'm not one of these. I still like spotish beams.

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For a good reason.

Back when you had only 40Lm in even a high end flashlight, you _needed_ throw in order for it to be of any use at night.

With a tripple XM-L, at 2000 lumen? Even if floody it can illuminate the whole road/yard/etc.


Also, XM-Ls are _cheap_. You can get a tripple XML PCB for less than a SST90. Back in the days of XP-G, the cost balance was quite different, so multiple-led solutions were much more cost prohibitive.