XM-L handwarmers

LMAO! Two olives and half a martini just hit the screen.... :D :p :bigsmile:

Lovely discussion here! ahha

My thoughts put relatively simply are.

1) Reflector setup is important - In a throw orientated reflector (Most reflectors are of this type, simple true parabolics) you need the emitter to be sitting as close to the focal point of the reflector as best as possible to optimise throw. This applies in all dimensions. Any light source outside of the focal Point is going to be putting light outside the centerline and therefore will not be concentrating the light onto the same spot, therefore making the hotspot wider, instead of brighter.

1a) SO if you place the emitter too high or too low in the reflector, you are reducing throw. (this is how focusing heads work, shifting the led in and out of the focal point along the axis of the reflector. This is the main flaw with most budget reflectors, not getting the emitter height right with emitter swaps. This can be fixed by the manufcturer, or the DIYer.

1b) The same theory applies laterally. . The ideal focal point is just a point size. If you place an emitter to the side, the light will project off the axis of the reflector. So lets now imagine the situation with a larger emitter. The center of the emitter is in the middle of the focal point, and projects light down the centerline axis. The edge of the emitter is not in centerline so it will have its light projected off centerline. How far you go off centerline increases the amount of light that is emitted off centerline. So a small emitter will have less light projected to the sides, while a wide big LED will be projecting light light both left and right farther from centerline. This is visually seen as a larger "hotspot"

2) The brightness of a point in the projected light is dependent on the corresponding point intensity of the light source. What I mean is, the brightness of the center of the hotspot, is dependent on the brightness of the emitter in the middle of the emitter. The XR-E has more light output per unit area of emitting surface (surface intensity) is higher. This means that the light reflected from the led will be brighter. The XM-L has a lower brightness emission per unit area of emitting surface, so the brightness of the hotspot will be lower (less "throw") but as discussed in 1B, the hotspot will be much wider.

3) The main problem for throw is therefore focusing the light onto centerline. As described in 1A and 1B, the goal is to place the light source as close to the focal point as possible. How to achieve this?

3a) Brighter light source - were talking Surface Intensity here, not overall light output. The XR-E is the winner over the XM-L for this.

3b) Use a smaller light source - this will reduce the amount of light projecting off axis. (this is why HIDs throw so well, its just a tiny 1mm line arc of light, not a 3x3mm area of light source.

3c) Use a bigger reflector - so that proportionately the same XM-L will be smaller relative to the reflector, and therefore proportionately not as far from the focal point of the reflector.

The XP and XM packaging had a wider emission profile because it doesn't have that ring. Reflectors make use of light emitted out the side so technically its better suited for reflectors for this reason. The ring blocks the low angle side light and you miss out on using that for throw. My comment is that the packaging of the XR-E isnt well suited for throw, especially the metal ring used to support the lens, it causes absorption of light that is otherwise laterally emitted, and creates reflections off axis, which is why you get cree rings.

There may also be some relevance in the vertical positioning of the emitter which is usually incorrect. but more importantly, Its Fundamentlly the difference in the size of the die and the surface intensity.

Spill light occurs with light emitted out the top of the package, so is light that never reaches the reflector, and you get more of that with XR-E

I would be inclined to have a friend with a lathe do a custom reflector for a popular flashlight tweaked for XM-L emitter. The reflector size of the C8 incidentally is the same as of the MRV apparently. So it would be a wise choice since those two hosts are very popular. Is there someone able to design a perfect reflector so i can give it a try on a lathe? Also how to do the mirror finish? Chrome plating?

If ends up well and costs permits i would try to make a batch for interesents for as cheap as possible. The lathe man will charge me a beer or two and a sixpack for milling a dozen of those i guess. If not he likes knives and i will give him a good one. :)

No moneymaking enterprise here but i tought i would like a few and probably some others too.

Looking for:

- reflector designer with knowledge

- How to mirror finish it (technically)

- Who would want one or a couple for not much of a price which i cannot estabilish yet (mirror finish puzzles me) if i can manage it for a budget friendly amount.

I'm unaware of issues to build one but i'm willing to invest some time at that.

Without someone to design it perfectly this is not going to happen. Trial and error is not an option for such a thing i believe. I'm not qualified or capable enough to design it myself.

vacuum deposited coating is the key here.

I remember a company doing small batches, the oldtimer guys over here all have their ancient headlight reflectors reworked there.

I'll ask around see what I can dig up.

Thanks! I'm prepared for the worse.

Good coatings are also very expensive and hard for a DIY to do properly-even more so for orange peel.

I suspect milling one up to someone specs would be the greatest issue of all.

You should be able to design it yourself using raytracing software - povray is free.

http://www.povray.org/

You can get the optical characteristics from the Cree datasheets.

http://www.cree.com/products/xlamp_xml_ezw.asp

At the bottom of that page you'll get the optical models. Hopefully POVRay will be able to read these files. Then just plug in your reflector ideas and see what happens. You have a rough idea of what you want from reflectors that you can measure to plug in their details.

It might be a bit tedious but will cost infinitely less than getting someone who knows about optics to design one for you.

Count me in, assuming the "budget friendly" thing is possible.

likestobepartofcoolstuffFoy

I arranged a beer meeting with the lathe guy the next weekend. POVray i know but i'm way too rusty on it to put something good out of it. Used to do 3D modeling but that's more than 15 years ago with truespace and when 3dstudio was still going strong under DOS...

The machining and aluminium costs would be cheap enough about 3-5usd tops if i make a dozen or so. Surely not more than 20 as this will be way too annoying for the lathe guy. The mirror coating can be hard... Trying for 2usd a piece which if all goes well i should be around 6usd a piece. That would be my target. If above 8usd i'm already not interested anymore, porbably. However these parts will be precisely made and not fingertip coated or chipped or with poor QC.

How about making a SS one and finding a way to buff it to mirror finish? Would that be optically viable? I suspect not but...

The aim is to make the beam more concentrated than the usual C8 comes with and to capture more light. Our lovely manufacturers seems that just stick new leds to what they have available with little to no regards on emitter characteristics...

Can someone post a good throwy reflector from a decent high dollar XM-L flashlight?

I've got my TD15X, but its not an uber thrower (TK41, Thrunite Catapult, M3C4, M1X). After I took the reflector out, it was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. It has a light ripple to it.

The catapult sounds good to me.

Do you carry the C8 XM-L to make a comparison side by side, at 30+m?

The target is to have a custom relector that can do a better job compared to the stock one. addin a bit mor throw and capturing more light than these generic parts can do. I believe there is more potential to be had from out XM-L's than we budget minded have. Everybody liked the Tk35 beamshots, me included.

http://www.topoftheline.com/alexpol.html

Is it viable to polish the aluminium to such degree? Then apply a coat of clear paint which woudl probably not likely stick to aluminium well?

Gotcha! I think I get the idea here! We want to get the current reflectors to work better for us!

Lol... anyway that was good fun! beats writing essays on how to improve dental health services for rural communities in australia.....due next week :/

That would be easy here - just train enough of them so that you have as many coming in as you have retiring.

I think im gonna ask the lathe guy to make copper pills for the MRV and C8's instead. Perhaps even for P60's.

I still like XR-E's

But if you guys design a cheapo reflector for my cheapo XM-L's, I'm in.

However, think of this like you think of Foyzels. Yeah, you can buy one for $5 at Solarforce-sales, but that adds 25% to the price of the body, os you make grind one down instead.

If you are going to add $100 in parts and labor to the price of a cheapo XML in terms of a "good" reflector, why don't you just start with an expensive light like a TK35 or RA Clicky, and still have a good light to show for your money and trouble, instead of a cheap light with an upgraded reflector?

<but that;s just me>

It'd be good getting them to only just fit in the throat of some popular light (Some sort of Solarforce or the old-style WF-504B) and make them as large as possible. Ideally we want an interference fit into the body - I'm fine with having to heat the light body to get a dropin in if I get better thermal performance. Something like the Malkoff dropins.

http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop/m61-mod-to-fit-surefire-and-malkoff-p-7.html

Solarforce-its the best. But what were people expecting from a better designed XML reflector?