It does give a nice hot spot with the 219C, SMO - looks ok to me.
I might have missed a post concerning the current on turbo. Does anyone know what the actual max current for the flashlight is? I think the specs for absolute max current for the 219D led is 1.8 amps. Anyone know ?
What the mx current for the 219D is, is not measured yet by anyone. Usually (if you ignore the 50,000 hours lifetime) it is more than what the datasheet says.
Yes, typically like 50% at least I'd think, and the current isn't listed intentionally - it's not so easy to do with a driver in the tail. It's doable I'm sure, not sure how though, and seems like a big effort, least for me.
maybe that helps (i was bored ;) )
www.youtube.com/embed/oRWaxY6HFXk
That helps a lot Martin. Thank you. The 219D led is driven at twice the recommended current by your test. I’ll just use turbo in rare instances then. :+1:
Thanks Martin! Nice setup there, thick cables all around, good use of the clips and tie straps (boy, didn't think of that) and of course our standard BLF UNI-T clamp meter. Good to know it hit 3.6A, probably does lower on a higher Vf LED. I got two 18650S's - one the bezel came off easy so I replaced the LED with a 219C, but the other is stuck tight still - I need more time I suppose to get it off.
I have a few of those 18650S’s on the way. One should be here Friday I think. I had already planned on swapping the emitter on one, most likely both. I see how hot air is used to reflow the LED. I guess a question would be is it possible and what would be the best method of reflowing with just a soldering iron? I mean I guess I could order a hot air station as I may be able to put it to good use in the future. I just don’t have one right now. All the other reflow’s I have done in the past I have used either a soldering iron or a cast iron skillet on the stove.
If you swap out emitters please take some photos of they event. I need all the help I can get if I give it a try.
Will do for sure. I got some info and pics from another thread on this light. I think I got a good handle on it in my head. Now I just have to see if my hands and eyes will cooperate. I think the main concern was that there are two resistors and a post that makes contact with the battery also on the MCPCB. Other than making sure those don’t fall off as you are reflowing, everything else should go as normal. I was going to use a few different sized alligator clips to hold all the parts in place as I heat the board to remove and replace the emitter. As soon as the solder solidifies again I should be able to remove my little clips and everything should stay in place. If my eyes hold up on me I should be okay. Getting older with already bad eyesight in general really sucks. 
What about applying a little super glue on the components to hold them?
Can easily dissolve it later if need be.
Just a thought.
I used a hot air station so can't give you much advice. I took the pics below. From what someone else said, the bottom post seems to be soldered on, but I don't know myself because on mine, it stayed in place from the reflow. I dunno what that black stuff is around the post though - looks strange to me. If you use an iron, or a torch (I've used a torch before for reflowing, just have to be careful and keep your distance with it), even if the solder for the resistors melt, as along as you are near level, they will stay in place fine.
Only way I can think of using an iron would be to first remove the post, then heat up the MCPCB below the LED - may take a while and probably need to wet the iron tip, but dunno, you may have a mess there to get the post re-connected. There's some risks for sure, which is why I saw the hot air station as the best option. I'm doing all my reflows with hot air now, but I have to really crank up the temp to like 480 F to get the heat through a decent MCPCB if done from below, but even from the top it's tough because the copper MCPCB's are so efficient in conducting that heat away.
I reflowed with generic iron with flat tip and didn’t remove the post. Nothing felt off. I’ll share pictures later.
UPS just dropped off my new flashlight about an hour ago. The Folomov included battery is happily charging at one amp. I used a battery I just had sitting around to test out the flashlight. My photos do not do justice to how yellow/orange the beam tint is. So far no dreaded blue shift. I really like how small the flashlight is. I would like the smaller flashlights posted earlier but hey this was a good price. My first small 18650 flashlight. I like it so much I purchased one more. I am weak. Getting used to the UI but no problem. The free charger also arrived.
Just got a second 18650S and it does the same thing. Highest setting turns bright white then a blue halo comes in at about 1 to 2 seconds then it dims slightly. Exactly as my first one does. Weird. At some point I will change the emmiters. Everything else works great just as long as I don’t use the highest setting.
That won’t work.
In my experience, super glue tends to melt when the temperature of the part it’s glued to is hot enough to melt solder. If you try gluing those parts on with super glue, you’ll probably just end up with a sticky mess and it will still fall apart.
Keeping the resistors from falling off is easy… just keep the star rightside up. The only hard part is the post. I used a hot air reflow station and the post still fell off. Fortunately, I didn’t have much trouble putting it back on using my vise arrangement.
I wonder if this light could be converted to a triple
From prior posts, it looks like it pulls around 3.6 amps and that’s with resistors. Would it be possible to replace the stock star with a chopped down triple star without the resistors for even more output? I’m not sure it would work, but if it did it might make a nice pocket rocket.
Hard part would be getting the star to fit together with its oddly place negative wire, positive post and screw holes. Might be easier to install a copper heatsink below the triple star. Also without the screws, the battery spring would be pressing directly on the lens, which isn’t a good way to have a long lasting light.
I have not used turbo for more than five seconds at a time. What is the shortest time used by others that causes the dreaded blue shift? Also in those five seconds you can feel the flashlight get warm.
Typically I don’t use “Turbo” hardly ever and it produces plenty of light on Turbo its just that some lights seem to do it (most) and some dont. Curious as to what causes it actually. It definately gets hot quickly while in the higher modes.
You do need the one resistor - it's what supplies power to the driver.