M3T-LED Single Mode LED lumens factory Surefire M6 Mod

strideredc

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Dec 13, 2006
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I recently picked up a surefire M6 and it came with the the original two bulbs (incan) and a 2x 18650 battery pack and a lumens factory M3T LED

I noticed it said max current draw is 2 amp but i tested my one with a multi meter and i am getting 0.74a so way off the 2 amp? do i have a old version? can anyone let me know what led is in there and what mods would be good. it prob putting out 400lm. this is just a guess and probably totally incorrect i am just going of the scientific was of comparing one to another at night!!

Pic to follow...
 

strideredc

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AF1QipMoD3X70GliM279Vdz6etaBz-GIVJm1E5Iz13FJ
AF1QipMoD3X70GliM279Vdz6etaBz-GIVJm1E5Iz13FJ

thumbnail_20200131_173745_zpsntci4hfy.jpg
 
Last edited:

strideredc

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Dec 13, 2006
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will have a look when i am back home. works when i click on it but maybe its linked to me...
 

sween1911

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Hey buddy, just stumbled on your thread. I'm not a professional electronics guy but I've burned myself with a soldering gun and have made some stuff. What power source did you have running the led tower when you measured the current? I assume the 2-18650 holder. I ask because the voltage range on the unit is so wide and it says "MAX" current draw that it would also theoretically work in an M4 with 12v worth of CR123's, I wonder if that current draw number takes that all into account and varies with the input voltage.

How does the beam look? Are you pleased with the output, throw, and tint? That's all that really matters.

In my own experience, I have an M3 and I bought a Millennium turbohead for it awhile back and tried a few Lumens Factory tower assemblies and found the output disappointing, the tint was weird, and not worth the weight, at least on an M3. I ended up selling the T-head and modules and modded my own. However, that was my own experience. The lack of heat sinking on those tower bases that have to protrude up through the reflector means they don't run them very hard, and those big turbohead reflectors were meant to gather all the light from an incandescent filament and don't really maximize the beams we wanted out of an LED.

If you're inclined to mod it, you can try your hand at removing the LED and trying other options in there. Not sure how much you've modded, but the fork in the road is always "I can sell it here and now, or once I take soldering iron to this, I need to accept the possibility that I could destroy it reducing it's resale value to zero." Once you cross that line, you can make wonderful things.

Now that that's out if the way...

That LED looks like an XPG2 or XML2. You can tell it's not an XML or XPG because the little board under the LED would be green. You can try your hand at unsoldering that and putting in an XP-L. Good luck! Let us know how you make out. Oh, for images, I recommend making an imgur account.
 

cody12

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Sep 28, 2016
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N. Hollywood, California
I've found after trying many lumensfactory led dropins/towers I get the same results as you. Weak. Except for mini turbo head made for an M3. I have an earlier model (1150 lumens) and it is every bit of that. Clean. Of course it probably helps that it was bored for 18500s. But still, now they're
doing 1500lms. Worth the money and looks good too.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Candlepowerforums mobile app
 

badtziscool

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
1,722
Are you measuring current at the tailcap? Maybe the 2A rating is at the LED? You are running 2x 18650 so is that in series or parallel?

I recently picked up a surefire M6 and it came with the the original two bulbs (incan) and a 2x 18650 battery pack and a lumens factory M3T LED

I noticed it said max current draw is 2 amp but i tested my one with a multi meter and i am getting 0.74a so way off the 2 amp? do i have a old version? can anyone let me know what led is in there and what mods would be good. it prob putting out 400lm. this is just a guess and probably totally incorrect i am just going of the scientific was of comparing one to another at night!!

Pic to follow...
 

Icarus

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Nov 1, 2003
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3,495
Location
Belgium
If you measured 0.74A using 2 batteries in series and since the LED looks like a 3W LED, 2A going through the LED should be about right.
 
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