PT40 on xenon

lighthead

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i just bought a p-40 .. where did you purchase the kpr bulbs. and are they brighter than the original bulb ? Tks
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pedalinbob

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well, i changed out the original bulb because it seemed to have a pretty blotchy beam.

i wouldnt mind testing the original halogen, but i broke it up to create a pr base for an led.

anyway, you can get the kpr 113 and kpkr 103 from radio shack, but i got mine from walmart. i think they were $150 for a 2 pack.

i find that the kpr113 is very nice--for me, the beam was MUCH improved over the stock bulb. it might not be as bright, but i cannot be sure. it is a bit yellow, but it should be reliable, because im not overdriving it. but the lithiums will probably drive it a bit harder ( i will probably test the lithiums tomorrow).
although i love bright, i prefer a balance of brightness, reliability and runtime.

today i picked up the xenon xpr 103 at sears. they were $3 for 2. these things are BRIGHT! from the back wall of my garage to the street is 117ft. i can light up the inside of the garage BRIGHTLY at this distance. i just ran the light for 15 mins, and it did get pretty warm--but nothing melted. i have concerns about bulb life, however. im sure runtime will be greatly reduced.

the kpr 103 lies right between the xpr and kpr113 in brightness. it gets hot as well. havent tested it much yet.

i would suggest you do some inexpensive experiments: purchase some bulbs and try 'em out! you will probably need some spares onhand anyway.

Bob
 

Velcro

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Originally posted by pedalinbob:
anyway, you can get the kpr 113 and kpkr 103 from radio shack, but i got mine from walmart. i think they were $150 for a 2 pack.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Those are some very expensive bulbs.
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Velcro

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radellaf

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I wonder how the MagNum Star Xenon 3-cell would work in it...

I have a couple of 4aa lights that I run KPR103s in because I think they have high switch or contact resistance. 4-cell bulbs are, compared to other 4aa lights, dim in them. Garrity steel beam and a translucent orange dorcy (frost bite?). Both have the AAs in a D-size holder...which is, alas, too big for a mag.
 

lemlux

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Lighthead:

Pull the black plastic assembly that slides over the reflector back and off of the reflector. Then remove the spring from the bulb.

It doesn't take much force to separate the assemblies. They slide together when the bezel is screwed down to make battery contact.
 

lighthead

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ths, i just had to try a little harder. just tried the kpr113 and don't like it as much as the stock halogen .will try the xpr103 if i can find one.
 

pedalinbob

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i know this is probably a boring subject...but im still having fun with it!

i took some advice, and tested my PT40 using the XPR103 xenon, KPR103 krypton and KPR 113 krypton.

here is how they stacked up--sorry, i have no beamshots!
i measured the brightest part of the beam at 1 meter, in lux--and i rounded slightly. the batteries are fairly fresh duracells with about 10 minutes on them.

kpr113: ~750 lux

kpr 103: ~1600 lux

xpr103: ~3100 lux!

interestingly, i like the beam better on the kpr's. the xpr has a more oblong-irregular hotspot , with more artifact in the surrounding flood.

also, the kpr 103 and xpr get quite hot--even after only being on for a few minutes. the bulb just might get hot enough to burn you--i didnt try it! heck, it even smelled hot!

will this thing melt the lens?

anybody with any more experience with this mod, please speak up!

i think if i use lithiums, i will stick with the kpr113. it is bright enough (havent tested it with lithiums yet) and have good bulb longevity.

however, for wow-factor, that xpr is amazing. very white--but without the smoothest beam. i will use the xpr and kpr 103 with alkalines only.

Bob
 

Kiu

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I want to ask the NEW PT 40 must buy with the kpr113 bulb??
or is there three different packages?
THX!
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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From what I have seen so far, I WILL NOT overdrive a Xenon bulb.

I tried my TEC 40 the other night with:

a: Stock Halogen Bulb - Kinda splotchy and rather tight of beam.
b: M*gnum St*r Xenon 4 cell (found at FRY's) - Rather darn tight and not as white as....
c: Rayovac KPR103 3 Cell Krypton - WHITE, SMOOTH, DISPERESED, At least 150ft throw.

I'm pretty sure a 3 cell xenon would have a life measured in minutes if not seconds.

My KPR103 has lasted at least an hour of on/off a LOT. This with Rayovac Max Alkys right out of the package when the 103 was installed.
They have certainly lost some oomph now, but didn't flash the bulb initially. So that is what I recommend anyone use for a configuration.
 

pedalinbob

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hey playboy--i tried a xpr103, and ran it for 15 minutes straight. besides getting hot, i didnt have any problems. the batteries are pretty new, with only about 5 minutes (rayovac maximum plus, i think).

but, for reliability--and a very nice beam, i too will stick with the kpr103.

i will try lithiums with the kpr 113 and see what happens...might just poof on me.

im going to try another halogen like the stocker, just to see if the original was a dud.

Bob
 

lemlux

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I keep two of my PT40's in my car.

One has 4 lithiums and an XPR113. I rarely use it, but it is bright enough and should give 4 hours of emergency run time without blowing the bulb.

One uses a jbechtold 4 LED cluster tuned for 4.5 to 4.8 V. I usually load it with partially spent alkalines.

The PT40's I carry in my briefcase and have lying around the house have NiMHs and a Carley 3.7 v 1.5 A Krypton Star. Very nice and bright and driven at about 4.0 V. (between P60 and P90 output) This will run for 10 minutes without doing visible damage. I've stopped using my 3.7 v 1.7 A Krypton Stars in the light because the additional .7 watts generates too much hot plastic smell when I take the bezel off. I try to recharge these or swap batteries shortly after use or every three weeks or so when not used.

The more readily available KPR 139 specced at 3.85 V and 1.2 A runs somewhat cooler and less bright for those who might want to run for longer than 10 minutes with NiMHs. It probably runs at about 4.2 V.
 

pedalinbob

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oh, there is a xpr113?

i didnt see any at radio shack or sears...

what is the volt/watt/amp rating? do you like the beam?

if it is similar to the kpr113, it should run nicely on lithiums and have a reasonably long runtime and life. the xpr 103 was rated at 40 hours--but will probably not run that long being overdriven.

honestly, though i love super bright, i would rather have reliable performance.

yet...i love the beam with the kpr103...im just a little worried that it will poop out early.

many thanks to everyone for all of the advice!

Bob
 

lemlux

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Page 260 of the RS 2002 catalogue includes:

XPR113: 4.80 V 800 mA 6.50 MSCP 40 hours (= 82 lumen)
KPR113: 4.80 V 700 mA 4.06 MSCP 15 hours(= 51 lumen)
HPR50: 5.20 V 850 mA 6.76 MSCP 25 hours(= 85 Lumen)

The HPR50 at rated voltage is less efficient than the XPR113 (19 Lumen per watt vs 21 Lumen per watt.) I have driven HPRs at 6.0 V with 5 rechargeable C and D cells, so it can be somewhat overdriven. The XPR113 with lithiums probably isn't getting much more than 5.2 V, so it's less overdriven -- apparently within its tolerance.

I question the accuracy of the relatively high XPR113 life rating, but I've had no problems.

Edit: The XPR113 is considerably less bright than the Scorpion it lives next too, so take R/S lumen ratings with a few pounds of salt.

The XPR113 is brighter on 4 AA lithiums than the HPR50.
 

txwest

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You need to be careful on these. As I recall from previous threads on this subject, some of the lamps are to long & hit the lens. TX
 

lemlux

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tx:

Yes -- Alan burned a hole in a PT40 lens from the contacting HPR nipple and I destroyed an HPR by trying to file off some of its tip.

The lamps that are too long are opnly some of the HPR's. I included the HPR50 only to emphasize that the XPR113 is a very attractive option with lithium AA's.

The XPR113 is disappointly dim in a PT40 with NiMHs that only deliver around 4.3 V to 4.4 V.
 

Klaus

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I went from Halogen HPR53 (4V, 0.85A) to HPX41 Xenon (4.8V, 0.9A) as I was tired of blown bulbs when not thinking about NOT to fire the light up with cells fresh from the charger - the HPX41 is very nice for the TEC40 with 4 NiMhs.

Klaus
 

Al

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Lots of threads dealing with the PT40 and it's variations ... IMHO one of the best bang-for- the-buck all around lights available. I found that with the 4AA configuration, NIMH's gave about the same overall brightness as alkalines in spite of the reduced voltage. My guess is lower internal resistance coupled with higher output capability. I also determined it not wise to overdrive 3.6V bulbs with the NIMH's ... very short life span with the flat discharge curve of the rechargeables.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=003434#00 0002
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002505#00 0002
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002204#00 0002
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001526#00 0004
 
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