that just can’t possibly work as well as it does because it has just one lowly TF 26650 with a junky East-092 direct driver you know vs 2 x 18650 IMR’s in series with a fancy schmancy buck driver or what have you. Bet me.
Argggh! This beta Imageshack version ain’t cooperating! Sorry no pics, yet. Btw, anyone working with the Imageshack beta version who’s having luck with it lemme know your secrets.
What was so wrong with the old version that worked well enough?
Ok I think I got em’ all right this time.
ps. As you can see in the reflector front shot this just has the original XML but de-domed. It really cranks out the lux regardless of it not being an XML2 btw. So you don’t even need to get an XML2 to see fantastic results. The stock emitter de-domed is quite good in of itself IOW.
A stock DST with 3C alkalines weighs about 720 grams. This chopped TF 26650 version weighs about 550 grams.
A stock DST is 12 7/8” long. This chopped version is 9 3/4” long. Note how I hold it. It balances beautifully. And the side switch is right there. It very naturally fits the hand without any head heaviness or anything like it. Of course if you held it close to the tail cap it would feel otherwise as would just about any other light of this head dimension.
And no I’m not going to provide tail cap amp readings or thrower lux readings. I posted this intently on keeping things as simple as possible so that those of you that don’t have the equipment can duplicate what’s done here. Others that have the skills and the right equipment to truly provide accurate data can do so and tell us what they find. I don’t have Texaspyro equipment. Now OTOH you will appreciate a lathe to bore out that switch end tube to accommodate a protected 26650. Some here without a lathe will get creative with a drill press and still do the same thing with determination. Note the tail cap. It’s just set-screwed into the tube. No female rethreading necessary IOW. Again to keep things as simple as possible so that those of you with DST’s can do this too.
So how far does this pocketable DST hang outside of my cargo pants pocket? 2 inches. You’ll have a big bulge down there but at least the ladies won’t object. :bigsmile: If you try this with a stock DST they’ll know you’re really falsie packing.
Other than that I hope this isn’t a waste of anyone’s lofty time because I decided not to get electronic measurement reading technical and such.
Come on, your equipment can’t be that bad. If you think they’re so inaccurate that you won’t post your results then why would you even use them in the first place? You already have the stuff, why not settle our curious minds
If you ever do take beamshots, compare it to something else if you can because a beamshot without a baseline is worthless (since bright lights can be made to look dim, and dim lights to look bright depending on settings).
If you want to upload pics, use imgur.com. No account needed and it literally takes 2 seconds.
Don’t worry about ‘readings’ so much at the tail, Vi, Vf, at the emitter, etc., ad nauseum. Whatever I did provide won’t be accurate enough IMO especially with a direct drive crappy driver. Again real world results.
Besides, now you’re making me dig my heels in even further.
What I do like about the crappy old-style East-92 drivers tho is that they have a nice low to them IMO. This DST with a 26650 should run like forever in that mode. lol
Ok, I better go out and leave one on low to see how long in hours, minutes, and nano-seconds it runs to satisfy ya, right? :bigsmile:
Your light looks great. Outta put out a bunch of light with your setup. Before I MG-T2’s mine, I had xml u2 2c at 4+ amps. I was very satisfied with it like that. Probably will go back to xml, but more amps. Thanks for sharing.
Believe me this thing cranks out a not too small at all hotspot waaaaaaaaaaay out there with just a simple TF26650 and a de-domed XML or XML2. It’ll do the same with an XPG2 but the hotspot is a little too pencil narrow to my eyeballs. Real world. I could spout off numbers but what good does it do until you crank one up yourself since you can’t because you’re in Australia and can’t get one too boot. Besides, any of the experts here can tell you what one TF protected 26650 with an East-092 driver through a de-domed XML2 with 22 awg wires should do with the numbers through that particular switch and braided tail cap. In the ballpark at least. :bigsmile:
IMO btw, so far the DST reflector does best with XML-class de-domed emitters. The XPG2 will throw a bit farther but it gives up too much usable flood IMO.
Bottomline folks, this thing with just one TF 26650 as described is a beast. I’ve done this repeatedly. Anyone with modicum mechanical skills can pull it off. And that’s the real reason for this thread.
Maybe because I understand what the numbers mean? If you say 100kcd and 1000 lumens I will know what that looks like, because I have lights which can replicate that.
A lot of people here understand those numbers.
need to be done very precisely to give truly accurate numbers. I don’t trust my instrumentation nor technique enough to come on here and give out numbers. Numbers must be accurate. I don’t trust my accuracy with my equipment is the point. I suppose I could state the numbers but I wouldn’t feel right about it. This is just being honest.
Lemme say this again and I understand you don’t have a stock DST to compare this to, this version so outperforms a stock version that you’ll just have to see it to believe it. Remember this is a primarily a thrower. And btw, outside of high end 18650’s with plenty of current potential the TF genuine 26650 does plenty well enough in lieu of those folks that don’t get into that 18650 class.
I like this version, a lot. I have run them with single TF ‘junky’ protected 18650’s and they don’t perform nearly as well as with a ‘junky’ protected TF 26650. So there you have it. Again, real world beaming out there in the dark at distant objects experience.
Very simply. Soak the sucker in Greased Lightning for about an hour or so or whatever works.
Then polish it up with your run of the mill metal paste, liquid, whatever. A buffing wheel helps but it isn’t absolutely necessary.
Enjoy.
You see I’m really simple minded. Just ask any of the experts here that find my last thread a complete waste of time. Posts #106 and #107 of this thread in particular.
with my low budget Nikon Coolpix will be at 300 yards?
Throwers of this caliber don’t ‘open up’ until they show their stuff way out there. If I showed you what the beamshot is from 50 yards away due to saturation it would tell you basically nothing anyway other than wow that’s one bright hotspot! lol
It would insult plenty here with the right photo equipment and precise settings technique if I did provide one at 300 yards and then said,
I have to back up Notta on his description of the beam. I’ve heard the DST referred to as a pencil beam. Mine was stock for maybe a few minutes. If I recall correctly, it did seem to have a small hot spot. I haven’t tried dedomed in the DST, buy when you get over 4amps, the beam opens up quite a bit. It’s at the far end of the spectrum of what I would like to use for walking about in my neck of the woods, but the spill and beam is usable for that. My experience with dedoming is that the hot spot intensifies, but also the spill intensifies. I’m guessing Notta’s light is running at a higher current than mine was. So Notta’s description of the beam seems reasonable to me.
It’s a simple build. The ‘only’ fairly touchy parts of it is boring out the tube smoothly enough that it doesn’t tear up batt wrappers, and machining out an adapter ring for the 16mm East-092 driver to set into the 20mm pill.
Other than that if you can drill and tap 2 set screws for the tail cap, can de-dome an XML class emitter, can solder wires and braid a tail cap plus dunk some parts in Greased Lightning, you’re pretty much good to go!
No need to touch the stock switch. Again, it’s already outstanding.
Btw, I’d sure like to see one of these with that Leica AR lens too!
