Nice job Mrs. & Mr. DBCustom………… :+1:
Great beamshot Dale!
I remember when I first got into this hobby - which was more than 5 years ago, it was extremely hard to have a 1km LED thrower, let alone a one-mile LED thrower!
My 55W Sanmak SM5200 HID spotlight does around 680~700kcd, and if I am living near with you definitely I would want you to bring along my HID spotlight to join this one-mile beamshot!
My wife complained about not being able to get the sheet in focus, I had the camera set up in manual focus but she said she couldn’t see it well enough to know if the focus was right and shining her headlamp on it blew it out and she couldn’t see any letters at all. When we got home and I saw what she had, I asked her if she realized about 5 stops of exposure adjustment would allow the headlamp to be properly exposed to adjust focus, then reverse the 5 stops and shoot away. She got mad at me for implying she doesn’t know what she’s doing. No win scenario right there.
Winds are up again of course, last night was a rare opportunity. Sorry folks, really really wanted a nice clear legible shot of that sheet.
Here’s a dark shot from my 5DMkII, 21MP full size image at 40mm on a full frame sensor. You’ll have to look at it full size after clicking on it to be able to see across the lake. The target was clearly in full dark no ambient.
Hey DB, remember: “If mama ain’t happy…………. ” 
In focus or not, it can clearly be read. :+1:
I only wish I had a K70 to run beside it for a side by side comparison. Perhaps something like that will be more doable in the future.
Thank you for the kind words. Appreciate it. Went to a lot of trouble lining all that up, not very happy that I didn’t end up with a clear photo of the sheet. But it is what it is I reckon. Windy today. I’ll continue looking for a better place with object matter at relevant distances so various throw lights can show well against each other. I think I need a high ground start point, with everything from 200 yards on out easily shown so that various lights will fare well at the same site. Hmmmm……
Nice test! That TN42 sure throws some light.
I’d like to test my K70 like this. I looked at Google Earth and I have handy landmarks at 1 mile, 3/4 mile, and 1/2 mile. Moon doesn’t rise until near daylight and is almost new, so it’s very dark out in the field. I might give it a shot.
Thanks and it was always a test that I always wanted to see for myself actually.
Must be cool to see the other end of the beam to see what kinda light is hitting the target from very far away.
I gotta say, the thing that gets me is that it’s not a de-domed XP-G2 or something, you know, very small die surface and all that? It’s the XHP-35, the die surface of the 4 mated dies is comparatively large, and yet BAM! That’s the thing I think is amazing. Getting 2400+ lumens to push that far.
That’s amazing… high lumens is the new small die. Would get a TN42 if I manage to sell my K70
Neat video. I was really hoping to see some of the k70 vs tn 42 shots tho.
Hey Dale, are you considering modding the thing? Sounds like there’s room to up the amps since it doesn’t get hot too fast.
If we wanted to change out the driver, you think it’s possible?
When are the first mods of double current to the XHP35HI going to come? 
Dale, have you checked what’s the PWM frequency? Is it used on all modes other than the highest?
Set your camera to a fixed shutter speed, wave the flashlight (or move the camera itself) in front of it until you get a good shot. Adjust ISO/fstop as needed. Multiply the number of distinct images by the inverse of the shutter speed to get the PWM frequency.
With my Canon G1X, Manual setting, 1/100th sec, varying f stops with each mode level, I get exactly ONE image. All modes.
Edit: For the smart alec’s out there, the one image has one single view of the flashlight, no ghosting, no secondary images. Flashlight waved back and forth while a 10 second timer counted down and snapped the shot.
In order of L-M-H
And for the question about bumping output. The XHP-35 is a 12V emitter that is listed as having a max current of 2A. I have built one that is working at 3.13A but I know it’s got to be on the very edge of going POOF! Several other’s I know have had them fry at high 2.8-2.9A range.
Mine at 3.13A is making 2989 lumens, this TN42 is making 2463 lumens. So while there might be some small gains to be found, it would mostly be invisible to the naked eye. And since I don’t really relish messing up a proprietary driver on a new $200 light, I’m not playing around with it.
2463 lumens for 702.5Kcd and one mile throw suits me just FINE!
Wow, awesome for the TN42, and awesome technique to accurately measure PWM's.
Max current rating is 1A (not 2A), so 3A is actually quite something to maintain, 200% more than max rating.
I don’t know what kind of flashlights y’all got that make those multi image exposures, but every light I try doesn’t show any of that. The little Thrunite Ti AAA, Convoy L6 XHP-70, MecArmy PT16, Solarforce S2200, Nitecore MH20GT, zanflare f1, SkyRayKing 9 emitter with Richards driver…. none show this multi-image effect at 1/100th of a second and waving the light side to side in front of the lens.
HI
I,ve done a (non profesional) review- comparative k70-TN42. Its in spanish Flashlight Forum ForoLinternas. (In spanish).
If there’s no PWM, the image should be a long streak of continuous light, not a single point. If not, you’re not moving the light/camera fast enough.
If you have a BLF D80, drop the shutter speed to 1/10 and try that.
Hi Maiden666, great looking review with plenty of pics. Sorry I can’t read spanish.
I would say you review looks very profesional. Do you feel the TN42 has made much of a step forward over the K70?