I ordered some parts to build a starter Convoy S2 high CRI flashlight using the qlite driver. I got it with all 8 chips since I have ready access to microscope and soldering equipment.
But rather than be prudent and safe, can I just leave the juice cranked up to 3A on this thing? I saw tests showing the 5k 219c pushing past 6A before output dropped.
I wonât do it often. Just for fun.
And what kind of output could I expect? I didnât find a 219c 4k test that gave brightness bin info.
I donât think itâs that bad at 3 or 2.8 amperes, at least with the S2+. Of course these small tube lights get hot, but it takes a while. The fet driven variety like A6/S1 heats up really fast on turbo, let alone hotter triple mods driven at even higher currents.
But leave it on for ~10mins sitting on a shelf or tailstanding, & youâll probably say âgee thatâs hotâ or words to that effect when you pick it up
Tested it on my bench power supply and it all works. It does get warm at max pretty fast. I couldnât really test much because it was only half assembled. (batteries come Monday)
I didnât pay attention to current but when I glanced, it was under 1A in whatever mode I was in. no momentary switch makes it hard to set modes.
Should be able to run 3 amps fine. I have a s2+ that runs over 6 amps on a xpl v6 3d and it takes 3-4 mins before it gets burning hot. The mode below turbo is a little lower then 4 amps or something and it takes a while to really heat up but never gets to the point where it will burn not like the at 6 amps for around 1300 out the front lumens. Without a ar glass. But I do also have thick callused hands from manual labor. If you need the output and its hot you can always hold it by the tailcap.
Not sure what about the nichia will do at 3 amps. Probably 500-600 out the front lumens if I had to guess. Others can chime in who know more.
You could bypass the springs on each end to help things be more efficient.
I do have a 5k 219c 90+ cri led in a convoy c8. Running a fet driver bypassed driver spring. Tail cap spring not bypassed to help lower current some. People say it will kill the led it doesnât. It gets hot fairly quickly. Probably drawing 8+ amps at first. But using a 10 amp or lower battery things have been fine. Makes a nice high cri thrower/general use light. The thing Iâve found with modding the soldering is the easy part. Its focusing the emitter and reflector that are the hard time consuming parts. With this build you have donât have to worry to much about that.
Edit wanted to add if you wanted to use it before Monday. Most walmarts have 18650s in the garden section next to the outdoor lighting. Some outdoor solar lights use 18650s. They are Westinghouse 2000mah cells $11 for 4 usually may vary in your area. And they are fine for 3 amps. At 2 amps they still had their capacity. Good as any decent laptop pull would be. Sometimes lpwes or home depot have them. But always see them at Walmart compared to other stores
While I'm waiting for my battery (didn't want to buy extras that were sub par and overpriced) I decided to whip up a reflector spacer for the Nichia 219 noctigon. The stock one worked but left a lot of slop around the LED.
I have CAD
I have 3D printer
Why not?
I took dimensions off the original part, the LED, and the reflector itself.
Here's the result:
Side by side plastic parts:
Stock spacer... hanging loose:
My custom spacer. Large and in charge:
Pretty decent centering for holding it all loose in my hand:
One thing I was going to ask... Does anyone have issues with the flatness of the LED side of the Convoy pills? There was a substantial gap--like it's dish-shaped. Rather than machine it flat, I just blobbed on some thermal paste.