Replacing my tr-1200

I've thought about this, too. But it maybe better to get a whole working light where everything fits.

http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=10510 is supposedly decent.

Lightake also has the new Ultrafire version: http://www.lightake.com/detail.do/sku.UltraFire_MCU_WF_900L_Cree_5_x_Q5_5_Mode_240_Lumen_LED_Flashlight_Black_%282x18650%29-32375

Dinodirect http://www.dinodirect.com/led-flashlight-1200lumen-cree-mc-e-yg-1200l/s-103.html

they have a 20% coupon so all about the same price ~40.

Ignore the lumens number and also probably the bin. They are all 5x cree's and it comes down to your luck at getting a good driver. The kd one is 2x18650 only, though, and the dino one goes to 3x batteries.

But whatever you get, let us know how it works out.

thanks! I bought the one from dino direct in hopes that it has a good driver *fingers crossed*....i'll let you know when it arrives if it lives up to what the trustfire tr-1200 was supposed to be :)

also, i have only ever purchased from DX, anyone have experience with dino? how is shipping time in comparison? service? thanks again!

Hey, look forward to hearing from you about the light. My tr-1200 is driven at 1A, but seems bright. The 1A reading is just from measuring from the tailcap - and I'm assuming this means 1A overall to all the LEDs? Would anyone know?

The 1A reading is just from measuring from the tailcap

To get an estimate to the emitter:

First calc power from batteries. In your case, assuming 2 batteries, 1A * ~4v * 2, or 8w. Then divide this into how many led's, or 8/5w per led. Then divide into approximate led Vf, maybe 3.5v or so. I get ~0.45A. Then minus losses in the system.

Not great news I'm afraid. Ideally in theory this light should have ~2A on 2 batteries.

But it does mean that the LEDs ought to live for ever as the drive current is on the low side. I'd guess the losses in the driver etc. are probably dropping the current at the LEDs to about 350-400mA. Heat on these multi-LED lights is probably a big issue - one of those with 5 R5s driven hard would probably melt itself.

That's the power of positive thinking :).

If power/heat output is a concern, I think a 3x at ~700ma would be a better, more efficient package.

But 5x R5 at 1500mA would be brighter! :)

Though a bit warrmer :(

I left some commentary here that you might be interested in.

There's also a lot to read on the forum for each of these sku's:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.35243

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.35244

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.35241

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.35242

Although its an older copy (before production problems arose), my TR-1200 has seen a lot of use and its still going strong. If it gives up, I might try an xp-g R5 mod.

The pill (thing with the 5 leds mounted to it) is sinked well however it doesn't make contact with the flashlight body... so its poorly heat sinked to ambient air. My solution was to carve up some copper roof flashing, roll it up and squeeze it into the body to bridge the gap between the back of the pill and the flashlight body. It takes patients and a lot of trial and error to make it fit and work properly. Also, the reflector transmits heat to the bezel where it makes contact. I unscrewed the bezel and added a very small amount of this gunk to the threads and now the head heats up. Before it remained warm, now it gets hot so its doing its job. Some day in the future, its going to be a bear to take this apart again but I'm sure I will find a way. For now, I can burn this thing on high mode without shutting it down, as long as I'm walking or biking with it outside so it has an airstream across it. As with most high powered lights, they tend to overheat if not moving around constantly. The cooler night air also help keep things cool.

reading 1a at tail cap. As its 2 x 18650's that would be 1a at 8.4v which at 4.2v would be 2a? Or have I got it all wrong?

That's right. Or at least it ought to be.

However, some drivers don't scale linearly with voltage and it may use a bit more or less than the predicted value. Above an amp or so the resistance of the meter leads and the internal resistance of the meter also come into play.

Above 10A or so you need to be very careful to get meaningful current readings.

well an update, the one from dinodirect arrived, one week less shipping time than all my DX products!....first i was nervous to open the packaging because i noticed after ordering that it was described as an MC-E light. I opened it thankfully to find the 5 q5 emitters as shown in their photos. I was nervous to try it out. It had the tail cap/clicky that the original tr-1200's had when people still raved about the lights. that was my first note of excitement. i screwed on the extension, popped the batteries in and turned it on....

its bright :D my tr-1200 was no brighter and could throw no further than my skyray sr5. Its daytime here so i cannot do a true night time comparison but so far the hotspot on the new palight is much brighter :D can't wait for night time! Also i dont have a multimeter at the moment but i'll get tailcap readings soon!

Also, dino direct sent me a $10 off coupon for any purchase over $40! not bad at all!, and they also sent a $8 off any purchase over $25! I am pretty impressed with their service thus far!

thanks for the help everyone!

almost forgot to mention, my tr-1200 suffered from flickering in all modes except strobe and high. this new palight works flawlessly in every mode so far!

Beamshots please!

i'll get some up asap, i am gone for the long weekend but once i get back i'll do some. i've never taken beam shots, can anyone instruct me on how they want them done?

Find some obvious feature at a sensible distance - 15-30 metres. Aim at it. Exposure that makes sense - you'll need to experiment with this.

sounds good! i'll compare it to perhaps my skyray sr5, and my aurora ak-p7 2 mode :) when i get the chance of course.

Congratulations on your new replacement. I hope it works out well for you.

Let us know how that light measures out w/ 1 and 2 and all 3 cells. Also, you mentioned modes, but their listing make it seem like 1 mode?

Also, dino direct sent me a $10 off coupon for any purchase over $40! not bad at all!, and they also sent a $8 off any purchase over $25! I am pretty impressed with their service thus far!

Do those coupons stack with their 20% off code? or only one valid at a time?

bad news :( It must have simply been an illusion. I brought the light out to my cabin on the weekend to find that yes, its very bright, however when turning on my skyray sr5, it is still only slightly brighter. not a big difference. I just got home and measured at the tailcap. 1.02A on high on fully charged 18650 :( apparently the 'good' ones were pulling over 2A.

well. I guess i took a risk, but its safe to say this lousy driver has been put into all of these lights, no matter what the branding is on the light.

can anyone suggest a light thats going to be brighter and throw farther than my aurora ak-p7 2 mode and m skyray sr5. im having a hard time finding a light more impressive than my $20 skyray. the aurora is BRIGHT but all flood.