Need help on a 3v PR-T options

I'd like your recommendation (and possible cost?) on what components (emitters, LS-wattage, etc) are needed to achieve this output on a PR-T head bezel :

1. Runs regulated on an 3V (either using 1xCR123A E1/VG123 or 2xNiMH-AA VGAA or UBH) host.
2. Bright hotspot, out-throwing an L4. I prefer hotspot vs flood. I already have a stock KL-1 for indoor flood capability.
3. Respectable regulated runtime -- at least 1 hour.

Secondary requirement: ability to run in 6V using 2xCR123A on my E2-body or a future 2xCR2 body.

I won't be doing this personally. I'll let someone here (in CPF) do the soldering, epoxying, etc.

Thanks.

Johnny

akula,

Going by the specs above, you'll need a buck/boost converter, such as the Wizard. I'd go with a bias in the neighborhood of 500-600mA to keep brightness and stay pretty close to your 1 hour runtime requirement on a single 123. If runtime is important I'd go with the 500mA bias, since the wizard is relatively inefficient.

I would also consider going with a nice 1W LED rather than a 3W. Although I don't have any testing equipment, I do believe that I've gotten better performance results with 1W's in situations where current is kept under the 700mA range.

Although I'm not a current hound and tend to stay on the conservative side of things, I do like to run in the 700mA neighborhood. That's why I recommended 500-600mA. If you wanted to be practical, you might want to consider a wizard 400. You'd really be surprised at the performance that you can get from a nice 1W luxeon bouncing its beam off of a PR.

As far as cost goes, you're probably looking at:

$10-$20 for a luxeon (either 1W or 3W)
$20 for a converter
$45 for the PR-T kit
$05 for incidentals like wire and AA epoxy (this stuff's expensive.
$?? for labor depending on the modder that you go to.

The labor using a wizard converter may be a little more because the wizards I've seen required the fabrication of an anode contact and housing to be used in a PR head.

The best way to go about it would be to have two heads built. Whenever you try to accomplish too much with one light, you sacrifice a lot. With the requirements that you specified you'll be sacrificing brightness on a 2X123 body and you'll be sacrificing runtime (efficiency) on the 1X123 body.

If you were to build a PR-T with a BadBoy500 for the 1X123 body, you could have really good brightness for a light that size and have your solid 1 hour of runtime. You could then build a PR-T with a DownBoy700 and have a really bright light that will run for around 2 hours.

I hope this helps.

What Chop said. Did he mention that the wizard is a PITA? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Don,

I think I put that in terms of costing more. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

What's the problem with the Wizard?

Daniel

Tony & Don> /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif You are the MEN on these. Using 3v, please enlightment me on BB500 and BB611. How far would a BB611 runtime be? What are TWAK, SWAK, TWOK, R1H, etc?

So, would you recommended that I have a 3v EDC, then a 6v Back-up EDC?

I've read the shootout on the 123 lights, but lost the address. Anyone care to post the link?

[ QUOTE ]
McGizmo said:
What Chop said. Did he mention that the wizard is a PITA? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

McGizmo,

Can a bare PR head be modified to accept a sammie? I've got several sammies for firefly and mini-mag. I'm sure getting spoiled by the modular benifits of being able to insert different sammies for different applications.

Has someone done this already? inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks,
CY

Akula88,

I don't do run times so someone else will have to enlighten you.

cy,

I suspect that with some effort, a PR (T) head could be bored out and an adapter made to host a sammich. I agree that modularity is nice but personally, I'll take the superior thermal and ground path of the standard PR build over the modularity potential of the sammich. I think the McModule is a viable alternative as well if modularity is the key goal.

Well,

I've never claimed to be a genius or anything. I just put lights together. I don't invent, design, or understand anything. Hell, I might be using my DMM wrong, but I've never been able to get more than about 575mA in regulation on a single 123. As far as I'm concerned, going with the 611 may be a waste of time. With dedicated single 123 lights, I stay with the BadBoy500. It's plenty bright and you get better than an hour of runtime. The heat doesn't get out of hand either.

I just built two single 123 lights based on turned down PR's and both are running Q3J's at about 500mA and they both outperform a modded KL4 running on a single 123.

If you build a fireplug with a BB500 and the PR in that McLux PR-T head, you won't be disappointed.

Has anyone tried running a Downboy on just 3v?

I was thinking of a mod with 3x123a or 2xC.

If you run a DB on 3V, it will not regulate and it will run in direct drive mode. The output could be considered useable, but not bright by any standard.