(prototype) the GT Mini

So, DB you’re saying that I’m as strong as the hulk?
I just opened my GT mini with my bare hands! :smiley:

Fortunately, though I do see some signs of loctite on the bezel, it was not enough to glue the bezel!

Unfortunately, while putting the bezel back on something weird happened.
The led separated itself from the mcpcb!


Very odd. Maybe the plastic centering ring is gripping the reflector too tightly?

Is there an o-ring preventing the reflector from spinning against the glass?

Looks like the centering ring and reflector are indeed tightly together. Same as the led in the centering ring.
Also, even if there was an o-ring it wouldn’t prevent it from spinning against the glass. Rubber will have much more ‘grip’.
Normally the glass will spin against the reflector or the reflector will spin against the centering ring to prevents this from happening.

Well, the bezel isn’t glued in my light, maybe just luck?

Anyhow, I did some tests today, using a 3 year old Efest purple INR2500 (I think the 2500 LG cell is in there).
So, not the latest and greatest cell there is but still!

Measured at 10m for easy calculations using my cheap LX1330B luxmeter I got:

At start @ turbo (double click) 135Kcd
After approx. 30 seconds 130Kcd
After 30 seconds at maximum ramping 78Kcd.

Mind you, using what is certainly not the best cell and my light is “NW”, but I would rather say it’s WW (same as with my GT).
It could very well be that using a truly CW led it does better.
The light gets quite hot very quickly so it looks like the heat transfer is good as well.

Cheers
Nico

NW its using 4000k tint ? how yellow is that ? also when its hot does it burn your hands like d4 can?

It’s not “yellow” at all, just very NW :slight_smile:
The nice thing about Cree’s “flat dome / HI” leds is that you have no awfully discolored corona and the tint difference between
spot, corona and spill is much less apparent then with the normal cree leds.

My guess is that the XPL HI use is a bit below 4000K but maybe member Maukka can do a real color/CRI test?
.
It gets quite hot quickly but (luckily) the build in temperature step down steps in, in time.
The comprehensive manual lets you program the step down as well but I like it the way it is.
The only thing I turned of is the green light under the switch constantly glowing.
.
Cheers
Nico

Yep… it seems 4000K was the plan anyway.
Glad I went with CW on this one. :wink:

ok thanks for info, looking forward getting my nw.

On my way home, tracking says it is delivered to the neighbour. If I can retrieve it I will measure colour temp.

Got my GT-mini (NW) and it is a really nice well done light, even nice for actual use! :open_mouth:

The beam is great, as perfect as can be achieved by a medium size smooth reflector and a XP-L Hi, perfect centering and focus, very nice distinct small hotspot with useful corona, no apparent tint shifts. Just the center of the hotspot shows some yellow, a common flaw of the XP-L Hi, has nothing to do with the quality of reflector or host (some leds cause it, other leds don’t, never got it explained by anyone)

The colour temperature I measured 3950K for both hotspot and spill, the hotspot a littlebit above the BBL, the spill on top of the BBL. So at least my copy is pretty exact 4000K.

If I could change anything, I would improve the feel of the switch, it is ok enough but a bit mushy. And a flat bezel from SS of course.

Wow, I wonder if there are different switch boots… I find mine dang near perfect!

great :beer:

Stock on a 30Q@30seconds:

129 kcd (measured @7m)
1330 djozz-lumen, =~1240 real lumen

So it pretty much lives up to the specs :+1:

Hmm, fiddling with the light a bit more, and now I have switching problems, it seems that the switch does not make good contact, have to press several times to get the light on and off, and same for ramping. So possibly a mechanical thing. But it could be software too.

Me and GT lights seem an unlucky combination :frowning:

Maybe they didn’t get the press fit retaining ring pushed in all the way? Mine really works nicely, very reliable. The switch is mounted on the driver itself, the rubber boot is or should be in a fixed position relative to the switch, so if it’s acting weird it’s going to either be a loose press fit retaining ring or a loose switch on the driver. If your bezel isn’t glued that’s easy enough to find out and if you can get inside then you should be able to tell if the switch is mounted solidly on the driver.

My bezel is not glued so I will do some digging. I’m not very happy though, it is way nicer if a light works and feels reliable out of the box.

Really odd how some are glued hard, some glued lightly, and some not glued at all. VEry strange. Mine had great gobs of Blue Loctite in the bezel, had to mount it in the 5” chuck on my lathe and use a pair of 16” channel locks to break it apart, even then it did not want to let go.

Maybe the driver is turned a little bit too much. It seems the two ears allow for a little rotational play.

Looking at the driver, are the 2 black dots perfectly lined up with the exterior switch?

Maybe your driver needs to be rotated just a tiny bit?

The dots line up fine. And the switch clicks fine as well, you feel a good click and you hear it too, the response to the click (or hold) is just not there, as if the contact surfaces inside the switch are very dirty or something. But I’m not going to solve this tonight, tomorrow there is another day!

Even after being removed the driver presses back into a snug fitting position, even after a few removals. So it at least doesn’t get all loose and floppy after the glue is broken at the driver shelf. And yes, there is that bit of like Elmer’s glue holding the driver in place, ears/tabs or not, the driver isn’t shifting around not even after being removed.

G’Luck Jos….