@EasyB and anyone else who has a second thought about posting something you’ve already posted about an L2 or L6 build/mod by all means please link it here or re-post away.
I wan’t this to be a collection of knowledge based on L2 and L6 builds. Successes of course, but also failures, crash and burn attempts, problems, fixes, etc…
We all have plenty to learn from each other.
I can barely use a soldering iron…yet I have learned so much from the BLF community that to my amazement I can answer some questions and at times even offer sound advice. :laughing:
That is all thanks to the BLF community and the many helpful, experienced and skilled members here that embraced my thirst for knowledge and taught me.
This experience has led me on a journey I never thought I’d have.
I still don’t know exactly where it will lead but I REALLY am enjoying the ride and not continuing seems as crazy as if two years ago you told me I’d be doing this!
Since i have 2 SMO reflectors currently and several L6s one i modded with a sliced XHP70 driven at 6.5 amps( using the default driver), when fixed properly it would give 140k cds and about 4k lumens, its quite usable outdoors too using 2 good 5k mah batteries
The second one( for me its the L6 as it should be) is a single cell one , equipped with a DDed W2 emitter and driven by a FED DD driver with a modified momentary JonnyC firmware- 1900 lumens and 325mcds
Currently working on a dual 26350 setup plus a suitable driver, same emitter
This mod of L6 is maybe the best 2016 mod for me, the BLFest thrower ever prolly, quite easy to carry too
Olight m3x driver works like a champ in that host btw :), Also M22 one too( with some modding)- yet it aint a cheap modding, i have those as spares and leftovers
XHP35 needs lots of amps to reach W2 performance, prolly above 3, at 1.5 amps its throw is like 50% of the W2 one( about 180k cds)
When you do build your XHP35 compare the beam size and out put to the W2 not just the throw, (measured by a meter) would like to hear your professional opinion on it in a real outside side by side test, would be really curious about your findings…specially at 3+ amps :+1:
Sure but i have to build the driver first… casue i am using a 1.5amp non el switch driver for the tests and the difference is huge , not in XHP35 favour ofc
Another problem is that XHP35 runs hella hot at 3 amps, even at the test bench( cooled with a huge Cu heatsink, plus i aint sure how it will work on a long term base and real conditions…those are 4 xpe2 cores, 3 amps are kinda high for them
Yet, as XPL HI i have found that a dedomed E2 1A performs 20%( at least) better than HI versions but its a fresh dedome and i still have too low exp and did only few tests so far
I have some 30mm Texas Avenger drivers on order, Gonna see what it does to an otherwise stock L6 with 3A tint with Narsil running everything once they come in.
Can’t wait to finally be able to try Narsil out for myself.
I will have some extras as well to see once they are built if all goes well.
I'm still wait'n on proper LDO's to arrive. Now that I know the e-switch PCB can accommodate LED's, and I have a transparent e-switch cover (came with the clear ano L6), no-brainer to enable the indicator LED support in Narsil, but the problem in the L6 (any 2S+ light), i need to use the external voltage dividers and with triple channel, I'm out of I/O ports once again . So, something has to go - either drop the indicator LED or drop the 7135 bank... I believe the R1 or R2 value needs to be about 36K, or 360K, so I got the 360K and 47K installed already.
Also wondering if a UCLp will be an improvement to the stock L6 AR lens - maybe Dale tried, might order 1 to try.
I have gotten a couple of the UCLp for the L6/L2, but don’t remember the effect. Will have to revisit…
Edit: Big Surprise! Simon’s AR coated glass actually bests the UCLp lens! Not by a whole lot, and both have substantial losses as compared to testing with no lens at all, but still!
L6, clear, stock. Red Efest 3000mAh ells rested at 4.12V after testing.
I’m sure. I didn’t want to see the UCLp upset so I checked, jaw dropped, I checked again and then did the modified L6, same thing. I have all the cells on the charger and will test again at maximum output.
You know what this means, right? My modified L6 showed 7245 lumens before, with the UCLp on board… that means with the stock glass it’ll be higher, and I can’t wait to see what it shows with nothing in front of it other than the glass shelf in my light box.
In all fairness, Chris’s UCL glass lenses have higher transmittance than the acrylic lens, if only by that last 1% or so. Seems Simon found an AR coating that rivals the UCL legend.
Interesting results. Thanks Dale! Yea, would be interesting to see the beast L6 you got there tweaked for a little more. I've seen more bad AR's then good, I think I've only seen the UCLp's beat them, but probbaly just in more budget lights.
I have one XHP70 P2 1C on a 20mm sitting around here, from back when Richard had them in stock - should have bought 1-2 more. Wonder if/when he's getting more - been meaning to ask him.
I dug out a stock L6 lens from my box where I put them when I get UCLp lenses in as replacements. It’s been my practice to place the blue protective film on the stock lens and write the lights brand and model number and the date on this film, for reference. When I removed the film from my L6 stock glass, (replaced July 1, 2016) it pulled a lot of the AR coating off the glass, ruining it.
So, while the coating might have nice translucence it is more easily damaged.
That said, I pulled fresh charged Efest Red 3000mAh 26650’s off the charger at 4.21V and did a replay on the tests, using the UCLp from my black L6 and the stock glass lens from my Clear L6. The results have me thinking I made a mistake on the first go round, much as I tried to get it right and double/triple checked. Oh well, I can only report what I just saw.
Clear L6, in stock trim.
No lens 4226.25
Stock lens 3815.7
UCLp lens 4081.35
Lest y’all think I’m nuts (can’t blame you, I do) the glass lens has sanded and radiused edges, and of course it’s glass, making it easy to see the difference from the Acrylic lens with laser cut edges that show microscopic ridges. Very easy to tell them apart.
Cells from the modified L6 are still charging.
Edit: The only way I can see that there could be such variation is in the order of testing, cells dropping after getting hit with the 4000 lumen first and ensuing test. I tested this time with the UCLp first, no lens second, and stock glass lens third. First time it was stock glass, UCLp, then no lens.
Dale man why you gotta make me so happy the let the wind out of my sails like that! I know Simon’s lenses are good but UCL and UCLp have a very strong reputation for being the best. Almost sprayed my monitor with coffee with your first couple posts saying Simon’s AR glass was beating the UCLp. That really would be the upset of the year. Still, your last round of numbers show a bigger variance that the other tests…
I think you need to do more tests.
Ok, on the modified L6. Pretty sure the only real way to get accurate results is to run the light in the test then run it some more to knock the cells down enough for the charger to get a sense of balance on em, charge em up fresh after each run. Because the cells are obviously taking a hit and skewing the numbers.
Fresh charged Basen cells in the modified Black L6 showed, without any lens at all, 7693.5 lumens
I put the UCLp on it and it did 7417.5
Then I put the glass stock lens on and got 6589.5
Gotta be the cells taking the hit on the sheer power.
I’ll charge em back up and take a reading on the stock glass with fresh cells…
Too bad you don’t have a bench power supply, it is great for things like this. You can set it to a fixed output and ensure that the cells are not an issue.
. So, something has to go - either drop the indicator LED or drop the 7135 bank... I believe the R1 or R2 value needs to be about 36K, or 360K, so I got the 360K and 47K installed already.
