probably this 5a driver or this4a driver
I’ll let you know as I’ll be ordering hosts soon.
me sir? 0:)
I have a 5A ramping driver from FT in the mail. I was thinking about the EDC Plus TorchLite host, but I haven’t asked anyone if it will be suitable for that host with an XM-L, or XM-L2 yet.
I also forgot to mention that the Roche F8 manages heat extremely well.
Hi Ouchyfoot,
If you’re considering the Torchlite build, you can see how the IOS 5a driver performs with the MT-G2 and XM-L2 in that host. I have some beam shots here. NOW 70% OFF COUPON!! DIY TorchLite 2x26650 XM-L, SST-90, SST-50 etc Host!
This is the 5a driver I used from IOS http://www.intl-outdoor.com/boostbuck-318v-triple-xml-circuit-board-p-542.html
I was thinking of the 5A FT ramper because of the 10mm height, as compared to the IOS one that is 17mm. I haven’t got my host yet, so I haven’t measured anything. I figured the lower profile would save a bite of headache for installation. I also am thinking that a ramper might be easier to manage and control heat…but what do I know.
This technique has saved me much cursing.
Nice build of a very good-looking host !
Your thinking makes perfect sense and I’d say is a good route to take on a Torchlite build 
Nice build its so gratfying to complete your first build! Keep up the good work!
Can an XM-L2 handle that driver? This is where I’m getting over my head.
your main issue is that driver is 4.5v not 8.4v
A 4+ amp 8.4v ramping driver would be awesome.
That really is a great looking light you built there. That soldering work to the retaining ring looks very professional to me.
I built an SV-D7 with XM-L2. I’m getting 2.86amps at the tail with a 3T6 type driver. I’m told this works out to about 4.5 amps. The emitter seems happy with no sign of angry blue. I need to check the temp at the emitter to verify though. I’ve read that XM-L2 can handle 5amps if properly heatsinked. A good thing about the SV-D7 is that the pill is brass. So you can reflow a copper sinkpad directly to it for a very good thermal link up. I used a thin copper slug under my sinkpad to get the emitter up to the base of the reflector.
I would say the SV-D7 is the max throw I would want in a general usage type of light. For my situation it works great. If you are looking for more flood and a little less throw (but still a lot of throw), you may want a HD-2010.
@Ouchyfoot - Thanks for the review and the photos. Looking at the finned part of the head, do you think it possible to drill hiles through the fins and install tritium? From the photos it looks like it can be done. Could you measure the length of the finned part with a rule please?
I guess you could, but I’m not sure, haveing no experience with trits.
I’m not exactly sure how you want me to measure, or how the trits go in, but…
Length of fin - 10mm at the body
Height of fin - 2mm
Height of a row of stacked fins - 18mm
Space between fins - 1mm
I’m just using a metal tape measure, so take these measurements with a grain of salt.
This is an update on my F8. As you may remember, the driver I used was supposed to be 3.04A, but ended up being 2.8A. No problem, the light was well driven, but I ended up with blinkies.
Now I see my beloved first build F8 for sale at FastTech, with the same 2.8A driver and XM-L 4C emitter. That really bothered me, so I pulled out the driver, and replaced it with a 3.04 Qlite driver with an added 380 chip for 3.42Amps. I also replaced the drivers leads with heavier gauge wires.
Now I'm happy again. Take that, FastTech!!!
Thanks so much for taking the time to measure, that useful. I’m going to buy one and mod it with tritum through the fins, I’ll post details when done.
Well, congratulations on the build. I totally missed it until now. Guess I don't read much any more here, but it looks great!
Nice thick soldering of that PCB to the brass ring.
I’m thinking of adding blue tritium to my d5 after reading Essexmans post, would that look gaudy on my edc I wonder… :bigsmile:
Well, keep me informed. I don’t know anything about tritium, or how to install it.
Did you cut the trace to the 1st star when you bridged the 3rd? I read you’re supposed to cut the trace that makes star 1 the default.
Also, to install trits you drill the hole just a wee bit smaller than the trit and bang it in with a wooden mallet.
Oh, sorry, that’s not trits. You make the hole just a wee bit LARGER than the trits and bed them in with Norland 61, a clear epoxy type compound that is cured with UV light. Jewelers use it as well for mounting crystals in watches and such. It’s preferred as it stays clear and doesn’t yellow with age as well as the fact that it’s cured in minutes with a strong UV light. The Tritium is a radioactive isotope of Hydrogen that is sealed in small glass tube. So you do wanna be careful and not break it. It’s essentially harmless unless you inhale it up close and personal as it quickly breaks down in contact with the air into a harmless gass. (in a nutshell) I usually has a half-life of around 10 years in the form most commonly found in inserts. So it’ll be half as bright in 10 years as it is new.
Nice build, now you’re in for it! lol