Triple S2+ build
My goal for this light was to build a relatively conservative triple emitter useful for general hand illumination. What I got was a pocket sized, very bright, very floody and useful light.
Components
White (aka Clear) host http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=66&product_id=877
10508 Carlco lens - 3 up frosted medium spot optic http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=68_69&product_id=63
Aluminun triple spacer http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=25_95&product_id=546
(3) Cree XP-G3 S5 3C LEDs on Mountain 3XP MCPCB http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=60_62&product_id=723
17 mm DrJones H17Fx Driver w/ Lucidv2 - 7135 + FET http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=67_117&product_id=659
I chose the Aluminum (Al) spacer over the Copper (Cu) out of concern for the overall weight of the light. The final build (sans battery) weighs 80.9 grams. Another Clear S2+ I have (a single emitter) weighs in at 74.6 grams. Holding each in opposite hands I cannot clearly identify which is which by their weight.
There is much more for me to explore with the DrJones driver. 24 programmable brightness levels, three memory configurations, programmable thermal control, and battery monitoring. Where do I start?
Assembly
The assembly was straightforward, the only hand tool work required was to drill a hole through the middle of the stock Convoy pill to accommodate the LED leads from the driver. Mine came with LED leads attached to both the MCPCB and the driver. I chose to leave the included wires on the driver which allowed me to attach the leads to the MCPCB from the top. Thermal paste was used.
The stock driver board retaining ring which came with the host would not clear the electronics (those little cuby things soldered to the driver board) so I was forced to solder the driver board to the inside walls of the Convoy pill. I didn't do a very good job of it but it's still holding.
One of my biggest worries was that I might decapitate the LEDs with the optic during assembly. The optic has three legs which fit into three holes on the MCPCB. This fixed the optic in place while the head was being gently screwed down. Nonetheless I would advise anybody else to be cautious at this point. The host lens fit between the forward o-ring and the optic and the head still completely seated on the body (battery tube) section.
Beam
This is now the floodiest light I own. Even more so than my convoys with XM-L LEDs and Orange Peel (OP) reflectors. Comparing this triple to other lights against my light gray wall I cannot discern a hot spot at all. It's just one large hot spot. The spot tapers to darkness, there is no sharp falloff at the edges. I didn't notice any rings or bands of color.
Tint
The supposedly ~5000K tint is decidedly rosy. Compared to my other lights this one appears more like 4000K. I have no instrumentation to provide actual measurements. My understanding is this tint shift may be due to the optics in part and the LED's reaction to changes in voltage level. I'm beginning to get accustomed to warmer than nuetral tints though.
Tailcap measurements
Using a room temperature battery (Samsung 30Q) indicating 3.63v I read 3.1 amps at the tailcap. With a freshly charged battery at 4.18v I measured 5.4 amps at the tailcap.
Temperature control
I stood the light up on it's tail at Full turbo. Over ten minutes the following temperatures were observed (ambient temperature was a Northwest sunny day of 62 degrees):
five minutes - 136 degrees F
six minutes - 144 degrees
seven minutes - 144 degrees
eight minutes - 138 degrees
nine minutes - 136 degrees
ten minutes - 116 degrees
Measurements were made with a budget-priced cooking thermometer (non contact, laser sighted).
I think the brightness stepped down at around four minutes and then again around the six minute mark, but I didn't see it happen, it just seemed dimmer. The DrJones thermal regulation scheme uses 60 deg C/140 deg F as it's default "go to work" setting. All of the emitters still emitted after the test.
Final results
All in all I'm very pleased with how well the assembly went and the final product. The parts fit together without difficulty and the assembly order became mostly intuitive once I had the parts in hand. My soldering skills still need much improvement but I didn't melt anything except some solder. I am pronouncing the light to be a very usable tool which produces more than adequate illumination for close to medium distances and remains comfortable to use and carry.
Future concerns
If I do another one of these I'd consider using XPL-HI emitters and maybe a tighter optic. I still prefer the BLF A6 User Interface (UI) over the DrJones, Bistro, Biscotti or Convoy 3/5 . Can anybody tell me if the BLF A6 driver will support 3 emitters?