First Time Flashlight Build

Hey all, I've really been getting into some cool lights and I've decided its time to build my first one. I have been on Dealextreme looking for emitters and some cool hosts to stick them into. the only part of the whole project that I'm lost with is the drivers. the emitter i found is this Link removed . solid 1000lumens i want to build something that packs a bit of punch. so my question is what would be the optimal drive to go along with this emitter that would run off a single 3.7v 3100mah 18650 battery? any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

3A to an XML emitter depending on the bin yields around 950-1000 LED lumens. Sadly overdriving it won't give you anymore than a 100 lumens extra. 2.8A is good for runtime. The thing is there are hundreds of P60 XML drop-ins available in any tint/reflector/drive current/program modes available so my advice is just to get a nice cerakoted Surefire host and pop in a P60 of your choice.

Thanks for the answer. The drop-ins are a good idea, I may be cheap but i don't think id wanna spend 30 bucks just for a drop in though haha. I think I'd find it more fun to build it myself also. So would a 2.8amp 2.8-6v max driver be a good choice for 1000lm xmlawt emitter working at 3-3.5v 3000mah?

dkongkill said:

Thanks for the answer. The drop-ins are a good idea, I may be cheap but i don't think id wanna spend 30 bucks just for a drop in though haha. I think I'd find it more fun to build it myself also. So would a 2.8amp 2.8-6v max driver be a good choice for 1000lm xmlawt emitter working at 3-3.5v 3000mah?

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The amc7135 2.8 amp drivers are good with the lower forward voltage of xml if thats the one you are refering to. They are reliable and efficient with a quality single 18650 li-ion. One of the easier flashlights to build is one of the dealextreme DIY flashlights. At dx type in 15969. Kadiomain also has lots of parts. The maglite is also a really good host to build with a xml. There are lots of threads on the mag builds here on cpf. They are some what expensive to build though. But are really nice host with lots of room.