Need advice

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

I have C8 (aluminium reflector) with q5 and 501b with XML t6 and I want to change leds in them (and possibly, If possible, drivers, or I'll make direct drive from one or from both of these lights).

I'll be gratefull for some common sense advices regarding this little project.

Im doing it because I ned throwers, and by exchanging the LED's Ill get better throwers from both bodies... (501b will be with aspheric lense. I've tried aspheric lense with T6 combo, but its no use, XML LEd is to big and result is not good)

PS: Also, my assumption, I hope its not wrong, that Q5 and R2 have same surface area of the LED...? SO, it would throught similar, in 501b with aspjeric lense, both with R2 and Q5... If R2 is only 7% stronger than q5.)

I dont have suitable drivers at hand so Im just little woried about direct drive T6 in C8... But we havent done nothing similar before so I dont know will I have some problems with that plan...

2

Direct drive T6 in a C8 body puts out an awesome beam. If you can just swap the drivers and emitters, it is a good match.

Problem I've seen is the the drivers in the C8 bodies are usually screwed in, and the P60's are just drop-in, so you probably have your work cut out for you.

Ah, just re-read the OP, now I see what you are trying to do. Hmmmm, not sure how that would work out to just swap emitters.

3

Check your reflectors, you may have to open up the hole in the Q5 reflector to get an XM-L to fit.

I haven't swapped emitters before, I know that XR-E's typically pull less than 1A, not sure if that is regulated or DD.

I have a C8 body that has an Xp-G R5 in it, have been considering putting an XM-L in it instead, so I'm interested in how this turns out for you.

4

other issue would be a xml can be driven harder than a Q5 or R2 so if you swap emitters and not drivers you would be driving the XML at no more than 1.4A which is nowhere near its full potential. on the P60, by the time you do the work, it would be easier and probably no more expensive to just get a new drop-in. On the C8, one of the 2.8Amp drivers like this one from Shiningbeam and an XMl t6 or u2 swap should work nicely. Check the driver on the C8 and make sure of the size though as the linked driver is designed to fit a p60 and may be too small.

5

If your C8 is the single-18650 style, you shouldn't have any issues running the XML via direct drive. You will need an appropriate driver for the Q5/501b assembly though. I used DX SKU.6190 to repair the drop-in for my 501b with an XR-E emitter. This is the correct size (17mm) for a P60 drop-in. It should work fine for your Q5 as long as you will be using a single 18650 configuration. This is a 5-mode driver with the annoying strobe modes, but other than that, I have no complaints. It's also cheap at $3.19 shipped. If you wish to have the capacity to power this light via a multi-cell configuration, you will want to select other drivers.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/5-mode-1000ma-7135-circuit-board-for-cree-and-ssc-emitters-6190

6

I agree the R2 with aspheric aint nuthin special an way over rated as a thrower , I brought a SF L2T @ R2 and aspheric due to reccomendations I recieved here and the many posts that pump this combo as being somthing special in the throw department , it aint .

7

I'm not sure what you are comparing the XR-E with aspheric to and how you are measuring it?

If you have a light meter and measure at 15 m I'm pretty sure the numbers will be higher than if you measure that same light/emitter with a reflector rather than an aspheric. It depends on the quality of the reflector and of the aspheric as well as how the aspheric is focused.

8

The C8 has a larger diameter head (reflector) than the 501 right? So the larger C8 with a reflector and the smaller 501 with an aspheric both throw about the same distance. Is that correct?