Im sure most have heard of these Copper MCPCBS sold from intl-outdoor.com. In case some have missed them, this is a reminder.
There is a review here of pre-production samples.
They have now been out on the marked for about 2 weeks, and I guess packages will start arriving across the world soon.
I received some of mine today. I am still waiting for some packages, have not received XM-L boards yet (which I ordered first). But I just wanted to share some pictures and a bit info based on first impressions.
They look nice!
Side by side with Sinkpad 20mm XP-G
Nictigon on the left, Sinkpad on the right.
Like Sinkpads. The 20mm boards are larger than 20mm.
But not as large as a Sinkpad on the widest.
In some flashlights the 20mm version might need some trimming. My 16mm XP-G Noctigon boards are about 15,98 wide.
Thickness is about 1,51-1,55 depending on the size of the MCPCB (16/20) and how hard I press.
In comparison a 20mm sinkpad measures about 1,7mm
16mm vs 20mm XP-G
So far so good… Just need to reflow some emitters…
They are so sweet looking! I can't wait to get mine. I hope they show up today or tomorrow. I've been holding off on a light build for someone here because I've been waiting for these to arrive. I honestly prefer them to the Sinkpads because these have a flat, gold plated bottom where the Sinkpads have that recess under the emitter where they were pressed to make the LED mount flush with the front surface. That alone makes these far better IMO.
Forgot to add the link to the picture of the undersides in here. Its added in the first post.
On the 20mm XP-G MCPCBs the Sinkpad hole is tiny compared to the MCPCB surface/bottom area. Dont think its an “issue” on those.
But on a 16mm XM-L Sinkpads the difference is much larger due to smaller MCPCB and larger XM-L hole.
Not sure if there is a real disadvantage though, but every detail counts…
In most cases i would prefer the Noctigion based on design. And they are cheaper…
Thanks ImA4Wheelr!
It was more like a simple preview to show the production samples (compared to a Sinkpad).
For those who want more details, there is a link to a review in the OP. No need for me to say lots of the same stuff, and I don’t have the gear to do proper measurements in terms of light output.
Compared to the Sinkpad I really like that they have space for access solder to escape from the middle. + the obvious flat underside.
Edit: Also, 4 holes. I have never needed 6. Two holes for wires, and two holes for screws. Less holes adds more contact area to the pill.
Weight comparison:
20mm Noctigion XP-G MCPCB: 3,3g
20mm Sinkpad XP-G MCPCB 3,5g
Id guess the main reason for the 20mm Sinkpad being slightly heavier is due to being 9% thicker.
Is it just the photos, or do these stars look like some type of bronze instead of pure copper. If they are some type of alloy, they will be worse than aluminum. In order to get the heat transfer of 110 copper, they have to actually be 100 copper, like the sinkpads are. If they have any brass added in them, then they drop way past aluminum in the heat transfer scale.
Maybe my old eyes are bad, but so many things made overseas state copper and end up being bronze or an alloy instead of pure copper. I'm guessing they are alloy and that's just a bad thing for leds.
Totally wrong. Gold plated. I can't read too well.
Don’t have time to reflow? Soldering the driver leads to the star takes almost as much time as reflowing.
Reflowing takes only minutes. All you need is low temp solder paste and a soldering iron.
Here’s what I do:
apply flux to bond pads on star and bottom of LED.
apply very thin layer of low temp solder paste to bond pads on star
Use tweasers to place LED onto star.
Place star into spring loaded wooden clothespin. The clothespin should be near the edge of the star. Enough to hold it in place, but not enough to block the center or hit the LED.
Place clothespin in small vice to keep star horizontal.
Hold soldering tip to bottom of star until solder paste bubbles and turns silver.
Remove soldering iron, wait a minute for it to cool… done.
A butane soldering iron, with the tip removed so it just blows hot air, will do just as well and can also be used for just about everything SMD-related that you just can't do with a regular iron. For hot-air use block off the side vent hole with a C-shaped piece of copper so it doesn't send hot air other than where you need it to go.
Impressed. I wonder how do they make it without the press and keep the price reasonable?
The I looks like I, it’s just a font. In other font it could be a small L. And sometimes it can get confused with 1 as you pointed out. And Os with zeros.
It is, I have a guide around here as well.
Get a piece of metal to place underneath the star. Heat that metal with soldering iron instead of touching the star or needing a vice. Works very well for me from MCPCBs to soldering a big chunk of copper to extend a pill.
Until now, all my intl-outdoor packages have arrived in 10-21 days after I have placed an order.
The copper mcpcbs and some stuff that I ordered on the 5.arrived yesterday. After 23 days. New “slow” record for a intl-outdoor package. Not really that slow.
My second order, placed on the 7. arrived after 8 days! (the ones pictures in OP) That is insanely fast!
Strange how it works. Both were shipped out fast, only two days difference, but a huge difference in arrival times.
