A cool light has more lumens because it has less phosphor on the die. The natural output is UV light in blue tones, phosphor is added to produce the desired color results. Or at least that is how I understand it from explanations given earlier.
Nope, you misunderstood me. I meant “usable” as in the hotspot size at distance. For a dedicated thrower, I would want no spill at all, so as not to hurt my night vision.
There is a tiny bit of spill in my L2 but it only interferes up close. I had to hold it above my head to ensure the white cowling from my boat didn’t light up while looking for markers and shorelines some few hundred meters ahead. Other than that it’s a beautiful beam that lights up just what you are pointing at. I wouldn’t call the beam in mine pencil thin, more like a shaft of light that has negligible spread all the way out.
I’ll see if I can get some decent beam shots tonight.
Since I don't have an L2, what are the common ways to bump up its power?
Do most folks do a driver swap to bump up the amps or mod the stock driver?
Can the stock emitter handle more power or should it be swapped out with a better one on a copper star?
I might buy an L2 just to check it out. I see the xpl-hi is an option, so I'll get that for sure. Maybe a 4 or 5 amp stock L2 will satisfy my needs, if not I can do more extensive mods. I don't want to get ahead of myself.
Wellp, with a different head, you can fit a deep-dish reflector (shaped more like a champagne flute than a salad-bowl) to “capture” more light and aim it straight ahead vs just having it spill out.
It’s still parabolic, just a different section.
The spill can be measured as the cone from the focus (where the LED chip is) to the edge of the reflector. Light outside that cone hits the reflector and is focussed straight ahead. Light inside that cone travels unimpeded in a straight line outwards, diverging outward.
Make that cone smaller, and a higher percentage of light hits the reflector vs “spills” outside. Hence, the champagne-flute reflector.
Oh yeah, that’s why a reflex setup (LED mounted “backwards” on a stick) has an incredible beam and virtually zero spill, because pretty much everything hits the reflector and is focussed out the front. Lousy heat handling, though.
No it’s a dedomed XP G2 S4 2B with a FET driver. Tried an XPL-HI, was nice but the dedomed S4 2B out throws it substantially and has a tighter beam. With XPL-HI V2 2C I got just under 900 meters. Getting 1050 meters with the S4 2B.
If you’re comfortable with a soldering iron here is the parts list:
Yes with a fully charged Basen 4500 I got a surprising 4.9 amps at start. I was expecting the forward voltage of the led to keep it down around 4 amps. With that much current a wire bypass of the tail spring is recommended to keep the spring and switch from overheating. Again, not difficult if you can solder. There are threads here to show you the various methods members have come up with.
The most difficult part of the process for me was finding the right focus. You need to sand down the height of the centering ring a little to tighten up the beam profile for a dedomed led. How much is just trial and error. Order a few of these so you can try varying thicknesses. You can use a lux meter to help you tune the focus if you have one or just go outside and shine it into the sky. You can see the difference in the beam.
I see that the host and centering rings are out of stock at the moment but they will restock soon.
Yes, I’ve heard that the R100 was pretty much like a direct short through the resistors. Also that the stock driver will not reach 8 amps, so a R120 or R140 are the better choices.
I found a good thread on L6 resistors, I’ll add the link here:
That is correct. Thankfully the first batch sold quickly enough that Simon agreed to produce a second batch. I will post an update when they are available.