It’s lost that Loving feeling……… :cry:
That sounds like a really nice SP36.
It’s pretty decent in stock form, but the cool white emitters are still a bit of a downside. Something neutral with a consistent tint across the beam would be nicer.
Are there bare MCPCB’s available for the SP36? I’d love to keep the L2’s and be able to put some 3000K or 4000K XP-L HI in it if I wanted.
Thats only possible for the Q8 and C8F.
For the Q8 there are other footprints available.
https://de.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20190213110332&SearchText=sofirn+mcpcb
https://led4power.com/product/l4p-blf-q8-40405050-38mm-dtp-direct-thermal-path-copper-mcpcb/
Yep, I actually have 2 of those. Just hoping they will be available at some point. Guess I will just modify the one I have. more of a 3500K fella.
It was asked on page 3 about PWM. Any update on that? Is it a mechanical switch? Any parasitic drain?
Did you mean to post this in a different thread?
The SP36 has 16 kHz PWM, an e-switch, and virtually zero parasitic drain when the button light is off.
I started a topic on SP36 Anduril version with new samsungs leds. Sofirn need your opinion.
Anyone know how to get the driver out ?
In post#62 in this thread is how I did it.
Thank you.
Got my little monster the other day. The first impressions are very good.
Love the smaller size. The brighter button LEDs are fun, can use them for illumination as long as it’s sufficiently dark. Q8’s LED draws 4 mA, SP36’s 5 mA, but the latter is much brighter despite the black button cap (silly choice of material if you ask me).
The build quality, on the outside, seems as good as the Q8. The threads were lubricated much better than on the Q8 I bought a year ago.
The built-in charger is something I would rather save $5 on, but I won’t deny it’s convenient. Charged my 30Qs to 4.204 volts, darn good voltage calibration.
What I like better about Q8 compared to SP36:
- The steel bezel. Makes it feel sturdy, and you’re not afraid to smash the Q8 into other sturdy things.
- The chamfers on the body that make it unlikely to roll off a surface. SP36 is very round.
- The colder light. This is about as cold as I can still call neutral.
Sp36 gets hot way faster than Q8. At first I thought it’s because of the larger surface area and overall bulk of the larger light, but then I begun to think the difference is too large to be attributed to surface area. I think SP36 might have better thermal contact between the LEDs and the head tube. Perhaps, my Q8 is not well assembled, lacks thermal paste or something?
Given the same amount of heat from the LED’s, the smaller mass of the SP36 will heat up faster.
XP-L2's in the SP36 draw more amps than XP-L's in the Q8, have a lower Vf, so should get hotter. Your Q8 is probably fine. Yes, Q8 has a super thick shelf, bigger, more metal host - should handle the heat better, little longer.
Sure, but the difference seems to be too large to be attributed to that alone. Also, not only does it reach higher temps, it starts getting warmer much sooner after I turn it on than Q8. That tells me that thermal conductivity is better in SP36.
Still I’m sure it is not a worse heat path in the Q8, it is thermally one of the best lights around and the way it is built, even in assembly there is hardly a way to screw it up.
I think that you underestimate how much more metal is in the Q8, it has a higher heat capacity so it warms up (and cools down) more slowly.
You must be right then, my experience with flashlights is zero compared to yours. Still, it’s nice to see that SP36 has a good thermal path.
Again as evidence, my stock SP36 did 6800-6420 lumens - about 1000 lumens higher than any stock Q8 I've tested -- main reason: XP-L2's. The Q8 XP-L's are V6 and I assume the SP36 XP-L2's are also V6, if so, the SP36 must be pulling more amps.
Anyone found a nice diffuser for the sp36?
I can’t find one that fits and I think it would make a handy little lantern at times.
Thanks,