Valid question. Ramping was never part of the smaller AA/AAA Sofirn lights and it would mean a considerable break in consistency. However, there is a project ongoing to developing an SP10S Andúril version, providing the full potential of flexibility. I don't think Sofirn wants to put too much development work into SP10R since they have some more cool things about AA and AAA lights in mind, coming in the future. So, looking at things from a cost-wise side, keeping the UI more or less as is and simple, should result in both fast market launch and reasonable pricing.
By the way, talking about keeping things simple and (not) consistent :-P .... Barry and I have talked a lot back and forth about using strobe modes in SP10R. We discussed the (obsolete) SOS mode, the beacon mode and of course the bike strobe mode. However, in the end we came to the conclusion that it's best for a deep red EDC like SP10R to not use any strobe modes at all. Bottom line so far: SP10R will come without any strobe modes.
Very interested. I love the xp-e2 photo red version and can only think the SST-20DR will be better. Even if it’s similar, I used mine today and they’re great lights. Thanks for making this happen.
Is there any point in the photo red xp-g3 and a reflector for a tiny flooder?
Actually, Barry and I were thinking already what other Sofirn flashlight could maybe benefit from SST20-DR. I suppose IF25A could be a nice host for a quad array with around 1.000lm deep red light but it takes a different (constant current) driver, ideally aiming 8A of regulated maximum current.
Driving leds in parallel is 0K but not the best approach; over time the sharing of current among leds could unbalance. There are nice boost drivers available who could handle a quad in series at 2A with ease.
Gracias Barkuti. Do you have a link to one of these drivers? I'm not sure if Sofirn has ever used 3rd party drivers in their lights, though. Anyway, I will be glad to talk about this with them.
Please note that since deep red emitters have quite a bit lower Vf, driving them the actual current ouput of these boost drivers could be increased to at least 3+A without difficulty. And much beyond if they were to change stuff like Agnelucio. :-)
Edit.- Remember: boost driver, all emitters in series receive the full current. You must think in terms of power. At 3+A driving current total Vf could be close to 10V and the drain from the battery will be noteworthy. No less than 10 or 15 A rated batteries, just in case.
Whether in this case they decide to use a driver like this or not is up to them, but it's time for they to get better buck and boost drivers. They also need some good buck ones, really.
As much as I would like Sofirn to build more lights using buck, boost or high constant current drivers, I see some (market) constraints that counteract this plan. So far, their largest target group is what I call "standard customers" (not those flash'o'maniacs like us), people who want to get a decent, powerful light for a very competitive and reasonable price, regardless of tint and CRI. I'm not saying low-budget because that would be insulting, looking at those myriads of crapfire lights for less than $ 10.00 that you can find on Amazon, eBay, AliExpress etc.. So, let's just state they aim for customers who are willing to spend $ 30 - $ 80 for a flashlight. Sofirn is really good in this market segment, getting better and better. If we now ask them to build more lights with more efficient, more complex and - most important - more expensive components, they will need to enter a new pricing level that is already taken by brands like Fenix, Acebeam, Olight etc. pp.. They will also need to put more resources in driver development (assuming they want to keep on using their own drivers). All of this needs to fit into their long-term business strategy. My hope is, if we keep asking, begging and longing for better drivers long enough, they will eventually decide to step up with a "premium" product line including BLF's most wanted features.
That's yet to find out but I expect a truly visible difference between SP10R and C01R on full power. While Sofirn applied a bit more than 1A on C01R's XP-E2 photo red (on high mode), SST20-DR can possibly driven with 2A (or even more) on full power. In the end, the thermal design of the SP10S host will have a significant impact how far Sofirn can push the limits. As much as I love hotrod lights that can burn your skin (at own risk), there will need to be a reasonable balance between shorting the lifespan of the LED, having a safe maximum temperature and draining the battery.
