Interesting find from Dx neutral white drop-in

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

I bought and got this:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12501

And it turned out to be 2 mode hi-lo. Nice low mode (maybe 25%?), too.

It took a lot of poking to get them to ship it (was in "waiting for supplier" forever, kept changing back and forth, and I pinged them several times) so I've ordered another one just to be sure it's not a fluke (that they somehow obtain one not from normal stocks just to placate me).

2
That does look like a nice find. Reading one users review comments at DX, he mentioned that this drop-in doesn't perform as well using 1 li-ion as it does on 2. Have you found this to be the case? Can you get a tailcap reading on high mode for me? I'm interested in how much current it draws at 4.20v. I also wonder if you got lucky with the 2-mode... I want one too! Thanks.
"Posted by sparktastic - This drop-in will work from a single 3.7v cell but the output is reduced slightly.
I have noticed minor flickering for a short time after switch-on, occasionally when running on a single 3.7v cell. Maximum brightness is acheived with a supply voltage of at least 4.5V. Works fine on 12-14V as well (for anyone thinking of running these from a vehicle supply. Current draw at 12v is around 330Ma. I like to turn these into compact throwers by replacing the stock OP reflector with a smooth one from an sku.5937. This setup works very well in one of my favourite hosts the WF-502B."
3

I don't have a 2 cell p60 host and my 2x 16340 are just ordered from dx, so not yet. Hard to read a warmer light as I don't have a point of comparison, but if I'd had to guess, close to 200lum on high (at least 150) and maybe 50 on low (just right, not like those shiningbeam "lows"). Frankly, if you can reproduce my order (I hope I can, too), I think you'll be happy.

I'll do a tailcap reading later, I just left for a conference.

4

Alright Agenthex,

You twisted my arm. Im in for one. Who knows what driver they will give me with that. I can always mod it if I dont like it. Does yours flicker on 1 x 18650?

5

I can't tell any flicker. The driver does have a very slight medium pitch buzz sometimes, though, which would imply a decent freq PWM. I was really pleasantly surprised at this item, I've never seen a low-price two mode, nevermind one that's actual well designed from a chinese maker , which is why I'm cautious.

6

Hmmm... I might've overestimated the 200lum, prolly closer to the 150. It only measures .6A with 1 cell, or about 2.4W to the circuit. The very good/clean throw prolly threw me off. Still, very happy w/ it.

7

Thanks for checking for me. If you're happy @ .6A draw, then I cant wait to get this into my 504B. It should last forever at that current. If I dont like it, I'll simply swap the driver.

8

It just shipped. That was fast! I should see it in about 3 weeks and will report back on how the driver performs. Thanks again!

9

Damn DX, I'm pretty sure I ordered my second one before you and it's still pending.

10

I ordered mine on 9/5.

11

8/31, still "awaiting stock". They figured I already had one.... why rush.

12

Same here! Grrrr.

13

Now I wonder if they sent my the right dropin.

14

Im looking forward to the 5A tint. Check out a tint comparison I found on CPF:

15

My second still hasn't shipped, but FlashPilot, I did measure brightness on 2 lithiums.

About 2.2 times brighter (center spot) on the lightmeter I just recieved.

16

Thanks but Im not sure that I understand you.

Are you saying that it is 2.2 times as bright on 2 x lithium cells than one 1 x lithium cell? Please explain.

17

Yes. Looks to be about linear (or slightly more) with voltage, implying the current is held flat from at least ~4v to 8v. I actually have a bench supply to find the whole curve, but I haven't pulled it out in ages.

18

So... it sounds like this would do better with 2 x 16340 than on 1 x 18650? If so, the driver seems better optimized for 8.4V. Lets hope I get the same driver as you.

19

First of all, I'd like to apologize to anyone who bought this because I said it was a 2 mode light. It is not. Now, the reason behind this:

I recieved this on the same day my solarforce L2 came in. I stuck it in and it is two modes. I liked it so much I never took it back out. But this was not because the drop-in was two modes, and today I found out why. The tailcap on the L2 is two stage??!!!ones??? I found out only because I was testing it with two lithiums for FlashPilot and the "low" mode in that case was not the same proportionate linear drop compare with that of one battery, which is suspicious for a more advanced density regulated driver. I'm going to investigate further when I get time.

I've never had a host with a switch like that, or any stock light for that matter. Are all L2 solarforce tails like that?? My L2r certainly isn't. I've never heard of it nor can I find any info on the web that states this. I bought this in Sand from ITC.

So that's the bad news. The good news is that you can keep following my misplaced recommendations and get a L2 like mine (what better excuse?). :D

I still like it a lot and it's my go-to light in this config.

20

Also, to address the 2 battery issue: I think this is going to be very clos to the limite for the emitter. The tail current is a bit over 0.6A . Assuming fresh batteries ~4V under load that's 4.8 watts, and with typical 3.9v Vf for a XR-E @ 1A that's around 1.2A plus losses.

Is there an easy way to measure current across the emitter?

The light w/ 2 batteries and low stage on my L2 is similar to high stage on 1 battery (numbers from meter).