P60 XML - which one to buy?

What P60 XML offering is the recommended one?

I want something with at least two modes that can drive the LED to a good use but without heating too much.

I'll use it in an UltraFire WF-502B host. (will I need to use aluminum foil for better heat management?)

i think the 3 mode(hi-med-low) with smooth reflector from manafont is currently the best and brightest.

although there seems to be somewhat of a 'donut hole' in the hotspot.

[quote=Reflection]

i think the 3 mode(hi-med-low) with smooth reflector from manafont is currently the best and brightest.

although there seems to be somewhat of a 'donut hole' in the hotspot.

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This. Although I never notice the donut hole in actual use.

If you wan an XM-L drop-in that can be left on it's highest setting with out getting too hot, then you would have to opt for one being driven at a lot less than 3A.

There are some at DX that are rated at around 450lm - http://www.dealextreme.com/p/cree-xml-t6-5-mode-6700k-450-lumen-smooth-aluminum-drop-in-module-with-textured-reflector-55026

It really depends on the light/heat ratio you're happy with.

I like both the KD and Manafont ones.

Heat is going to be an issue with both. The Manafont one is brighter, but will likely run hotter. Battery life will certainly be shorter.

If you are going to run down a cell on high with either, you'd better pay a lot of attention to getting rid of heat.

I think you will find medium puts out a lot of light ...

Most of mine are 300 to 400 @ medium .. About where a Xp-G R5 would be on high ..

And low is anywhere from 30 to 100 on the 5 P60 XM-Ls I currently have [ have the parts to build another drop in shortly ]

I have ordered one of these, but DX is not very fast...

It can be. It just isn't.

I have had things from DX in less than 10 days.

Once.

Out of hundreds of orders.

It can be. It just isn't.

I have had things from DX in less than 10 days.

Once.

Out of hundreds of orders.

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I had to wait almost 6 months for my bike light, it has been here at my door, but i was not at home at that moment. Then the Belgian Post has made a misstake, and they sent it back to DX. After that it was a serious problem to get it back here, because DX first kept replying that they did not recieved it back from Belgium. I am not really happy about there costumer-service...

Once i have also recieved an order in less than 14 days, on avarage it takes about 1-2 months to get an order to Belgium.

How do I take care of heat?

If I wrap aluminum foil around the dropin, in such a way that it better touches the flashlight head - will this be enough?

I have a non-contact thermometer - can I use it to monitor the temperature (at least during the testing phase, not actual use), or when I see that it is too high it will be too late for the LED?

Also - if I see that I can't manage the heat well, is it possible to mod the dropin (suppose I get the Manafont) to lower the amperage the LED gets?

The only really practical thing is to make the dropin a tight fit with aluminium. It would be possible to put a resistor in the tailcap to limit current, but it'd need to be fairly large to handle the power. I've not yet managed to cook the LED or driver in any dropin, but then I'd rarely have a light on full power for a very long time.

It would be interesting to see how hot the dropin got out of a light body - I'd love to have a thermal imaging camera but those things are not even slightly cheap.

I'd just get plenty of aluminium (or copper foil if you can find it for a sensible price) wrapped round the dropin until it is a tight fit in the light.

I’ve read that some people have used copper tape around the drop in instead of the aluminium. Is there anywhere that inexpensive tape can be bought that works ok? I know that copper tape with adhesive can be bought of ebay quite cheaply but I’m not sure if the adhesive acts more like an insulator.

I've read a little about the Manafont dropin - the main problem with it seems to be low PWM frequency? (~120Hz)

Also - how should I wrap it with aluminum foil? Any guide available or should I just try to make the most contact between the dropin and the host head? How will I know I made good job? Will I be able to run on "high" longer? How long?

So many questions... :)

It depends on whether PWM flicker bothers you or not - it doesn't worry me in the slightest. Others here are very bothered by it. It is best to try for yourself and see if it bothers you. If normal fluorescent lighting bothers you, then PWM flicker will probably annoy you intensely.

Foil wrapping. By the way, the dropin used is the Manafont one.

Take a piece of foil - the thicker the better - what we are trying to do here is fill the air gap between the body of the dropin and the body of the light with metal as it will conduct away heat rather better than an air gap. The heavy foil containers that takeaway meals are served in here are ideal. I didn't have any really heavy foil so used what i had.

Fold it over and over till you have a straight strip about 30cm long and 12-15mm wide. This is more than we will need but it isn't as if kitchen foil is expensive.

The brass part of the dropin is where the heat is generated - the LED and driver both live in there, so we particularly want to fill the gap between the brass bit and the throat of the ligh.

So we wind the strip of foil round it, starting at the base. Don't let any of it overlap the bottom of the brass bit - it might short out the cell when you switch it on. Your reward for that will be no light and a damaged battery unless the protection circuit cuts in.

The idea is that it should be a tight enough fit in the body that the dropin will stay in place against the pressure of the spring trying to force it out. There is too much material in this picture - it won't even go in to the throat of the light.

So I chop off some of the excess.

It should still require some force to shove the dropin into the body. Once it is there it shouldn't spring back out. At this point take off the tailcap and look down the battery tube to make sure no foil has got anywhere near the + contact. If it has, the dropin has to come out to have this sorted out.

Screw it all back together and enjoy!

If you are using thin material like this, every time you remove the dropin you will have to re-wrap it. This takes a lot less time than it took to write this.

Nice pictorial :

I would wrap it tighter though ..

When finishing , make it neat , and I make sure the top layer is overhanging the reflector - towards the pill - just a little so when pushing it in it does not flow forward , and then be in need of trimming . A nice tight and neat wrap . Sometimes I even glue the al-foil so it becomes a tight and near permanent feature of the pill ...

So would I normally - but not enough hands and the assistant wouldn't lend a paw. I just relied on force - use too much and cut it back till enough force shoves it all into place. Using this technique it is vital to check there is no overlap at the bottom.

I must go out and buy some heavy foil containers for the purpose, after all, what we are trying to do is fill it with metal.

Do you find any difference in throat diameters in different lights?

Wow Don - a million thanks!

You've just made me a lot more comfortable with purchasing the dropin. :)

Just one more question - how long do you think I could run the Manafont XML on high with the aluminium foil wrapping before it gets too hot? If it gets too hot to the touch it may be too late for the LED and driver or is there a "grace period" before they become damaged?

A big thanks from me too Don. I've always wondered but never wanted to ask so thanks for asking Haggai. Smile

Don thanks for the guide with photos on how to correctly foil wrap a drop in. Greatly appreciated.

I am interested into knowing that too. Will resist 1 hour torture test on HIGH while it draws more than 2,8Amps?