(BLF) Sofirn Q8 V1.5: The XPL HI monster, DIY parts + Extended 8x18650 tubes GB Interest List

Interested in 1 set to run 8x18650 for BLF Q8.

Actually it’s 1+1, the first one is connected with the head, the second one is connected with the tail. If you wanna make it longer, it’s 1+2, 1+3….1+N

The first one never change, because you need it for longer extension.

I have read that you can not use the new sets together with the original battery tubes.
That means you need 2sets for 8 batteries.
And there will be 2 different tubes, for the BLF and for the Sofirn, which has different threads.

The original battery tube has to be set aside and not used anymore.

1 set = 2 battery tubes + 2 carriers

I must be missing something…near the end of the video, he takes off the BLF Q8 head sets it down, picks up and threads on the Sofirn Q8 head onto the same tube section that he just removed the BLF Q8 head from…. perhaps it does thread on but is not water tight so after this video was done they had to made a different set of threaded tubes for their Sofirn Q8 version? Is that correct?

I have both Q8 lights and you can put me down for +1 set but if truly different threads and have to specify which one I am not sure which I would pick right now, I know…the right answer is to get one set for each!!!

Must admit that I just found this thread, read from beginning and some good LOL posts in the last half helped me forge on to the end…so thanks to those that make this fun! You know who you are (BlueSwordM included)! :smiley:

Interested in 1 set as well

1 set for me, thx

20. HONDARIDER +2

21. Greenlights +1

22. Nite Shadow +1

23. bkp +1

24. Robert B +1

For what ever reason, the Sofirn tube doesn’t make contact with the blf head. But the blf tube works and makes contact with both heads. I have both, and thats the way is works (or doesn’t work) on mine.

I mentioned this in the Sofirn Q8 post but it’s because the head of the Sofirn Q8 has 1 less thread, I assume, to account for the new style and o ring location of the Sofirn bat tube.

Yes, a Q8 orange peel reflector, please Sofirn.

Put me down the list for 1 set of BLF Q8 tubes and carriers.

I wantet 2:

Interest

1 “set” is correct.

I, uh, got impatient a little… tried something. Figured that with these new tubes coming I had the original tube to play with, hope that was figuring correctly. I, well, kinda bored the original tube and did some file work such that two 21700’s fit. So it will remain to be seen as to whether or not I can actually get these two cells to power the big light and if they actually deliver more than 4 top 18650’s.

I happen to know they can deliver nearly 40A long enough to screw things up if the light isn’t ready for that much. :slight_smile: Banking on that to deliver power to 17 emitters. Not very convinced that these carriers will deliver the power I need here. Which is fine, I have other Q8’s the new tubes can be used on. :wink:

Probably diminishing returns as far as resistance goes, the more carriers used. Something’s got to give (or melt) with 40amps

Um, I’m expecting 40A plus draw from each of two 21700’s, potentially 86 Amps total. Pretty doubtful a carrier will deliver 86A from 4 18650 no matter what cell they are. The question for me is, can the carrier be modified to deliver this kind of performance.

Which is why you are going to be using 2 carriers to spread the load :slight_smile:

The problem now is that how the top carrier will be handling 80A+ to the emitters.

I think it would have been better to put the emitters in a xP 2S configuration, and then zener mod the drivers. 2S config would easily be obtainable would a simple thick trace bypass, and would allow for only 40A+ to the emitters, which would be much easier on the traces.

Potentially true, yes, but I’m building the light on a Quad bore tube that has 4 cells in direct contact with the driver. So I built it according to what it actually is not what it might end up being.

Mind you, when I put 12 Samsungs in my Meteor and used a similar Master/Slave set-up I’m getting 58.8A in that light with Samsung 25S cells for right at 5A per emitter, 18,940 lumens. This light will have 4 additional Samsungs and an SST-40.

One thing I may well have overlooked though, in my lumens calculations, is that where I used the W bin Samsung in the Meteor, I now have U binned 80 CRI emitters in hand. The W’s are not in stock at Arrow. So it may well not make the lumens I was first expecting. So I’m not sure if I should wait on the higher binned emitter which I actually like the color tint of better or go ahead and build this one up with emitters on hand. OR use 8 of the Samsungs and 8 XP-L HI, there won’t be a Vf disparity as each quad board effectively has it’s own driver. This might help with the overall beam profile, might not. Still thinking about which way to go… Heck I might put different emitters on each quad board just because… you know, like Nichia 219C on one, Samsung LH351D 80 CRI 5000K on another, Cree XP-L HI V3 3A on yet another, and …. hmmmmm…… if I don’t want to keep up the search for ultimate lumens I could put 4 Black Flats on the 4th Quad board. I have all these emitters on hand, who knows what it’d look like in practice? lol

That actually intrigues me, 5 different manufactures on one light… Nichia, Samsung, Cree, Oslon and Luminus. Just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser…