Supfire M6 - resistor mod (Update testing XP-G2s on copper in post 59-60)

_the_ that is sweet, and your calculations seemed good too.

Based on the resistor values, and amps, we seemed to get very similar results, so that is always nice to see. :)

Are you one of the people who have ordered AR coated lens from CNQ? Would be nice to see your lumen comparison on your modded light with AR lens vs stock.

(I know many others have those lenses coming, and some will probably share, but the more numbers we get, the better)

Edit: did you measure current with 3 x 0.1 ohm resistors?

Not yet.. But I think I need to order some.. ;)

Didn't have time for unsoldering the emitter leads again for measurements. Sorry. Might do this later (I know, I should buy a clamp meter)

I have a feeling you will order at least one pretty soon. Im still waiting, I want to see some numbers before I pull the trigger.

If you find the time, this day or another, please check emitter current with 3 x 0.1 resistors. Considering that you only saw a 94 lumen gain going from 2x 0.1 to 3x 0.1. Im wondering if you are not seeing much of that calculated output (3,8A) due to vf and such of the copper mounted XM-L2s.

Some may be familiar with my other SRKs (SRK/UV-S5), both modded. A little comparison here.

I tested both of those vs my current Supfire M6 (not supbeam as wrote on one picture). Mouse-overs below.

Camera settings:

1,6s, f5, iso400, 17mm (aps-c), WB was 5000K on first comparison, and 5200K on the second.

What other members have noted, or showed before. The M6 have less flood, and a more defined hotspot with slightly more throw. Otherwise, not a huge difference compared to my other modded king. In real life, there is no doubt M6 appears brighter due to the more harsh light. Output difference is not that much though. Due to tint,CRI and such, id take the SRK easily. Much nicer in real life. But its impressive to see the output of the M6 with stock emitters (and modded driver circuit).

When it comes to throw, I compared it to my SRK with de-domed emitters and a much lower current. The treeline in the distance are 120 meters away. The de-domed SRK wins fairly easily, not a surprise really. Due to not having that much bright spill, I would say its a better thrower in real life than in the picture. Lots of bright spill and flood kinda limits the ability to see things in a distance. The M6 outputs a lot more light though(!), and still have decent throw despite running close to 3,6A to XM-Ls on aluminium. And when XM-Ls are on aluminium, gain above 3A is not that much.

it seems there is some mistake on 2nd picture RaceR,it supbeam instead of supfire :bigsmile:

Yupp, you are correct. And if you read the 2nd line I also said so. You even quoted me on it.

Good guess. Ordered some. :)

I'm not totally sure about this (had some problems measuring), but I got readings of 3.5-3.7A. I think you are correct about the vf and such.

Ps. Nice beamshots!

There is a formula that one can use to calculate current if the voltage drop across the resistors is known. It can be obtained by putting the DMM leads on each side of one of the resisters. The formula is:

Vdo/[1/{(1/R1)(1/R3)…+(1/Rn)}]

Please excuse me if I’m using the wrong types of brackets above. Just trying to make the formula easier to follow. I don’t know if Vdo (voltage drop out) is the correct term either. I don’t have any formal electronics training.

amazing results _the_

so the m6 is actually brighter than both of your BTUs? how fast does it heat up?? thats crazy

Thanks!

Yes, more lumens than in either of my BTUs. Much less throw though. ;)

Heats up pretty fast, but I haven't tested longer than 1min bursts yet..

BTW / OT: These resistor mods are addictive.. I continued by adding 2 x 0.1 Ohm to my de-domed XP-G2 TN31 -> 440kcd

how much more output would you expect from a AR lens? just 6% more light, and it will be over 3500 lumens

The stock lens is actually quite clear, so my estimate is about 4%.

either way, still must be very impressive the amount of light in such a small package... really cant wait to get mine

RaceR86. I haven’t recieved my M6 yet, and am wondering how easy or difficult it is to remove the driver from this light? Does it need any special technique?

It’s trivial… unscrew retaining ring, remove driver.

[quote=texaspyro]

It’s trivial… unscrew retaining ring, remove driver.
[/quote]

+1 Does not get better.

No damage or wear and tear to the driver. I just use the same tweezers I use for all flashlights since they can be bent out quite far. Needle nose pliers or something similar can be used too of they are narrow on the tip.

Great. This light is looking like a modders dream…even beginners. I wanted to see if something similar could be done to my Warrior, but the driver looks like a struggle to get out without damage.

Let the battle of the kings continue..

I put on some XP-G2 R5 3Cs on copper. XM-L centering rings were connected with fujick. I put some kapton tape on the back of the reflector (short circuit saftey). Solder connections were low.

The MCPCBs were a bit loose so I only checked emitter current for 5 sec. Results:

3,55A... (!!??) What, that high, on XP-G2?? That looks promising. Did not expect that.. :)

2,61A.. what, that low, that was lower than anticipated..

2,71A.. Low on that on too..

That is 8,87amps total, or an average of 2,95. NCR18650B @ 4,05V+ were used. They were not freshly charged and slightly used. I double checked the 3,55A and got the same number twice. Dont ask me...

Supfire M6 XP-G2 R5 3C on copper @ 2,95 average vs SRK XM-L2 T4 5B1 @ 3,09 on copper

Sure it out-throw the XM-L, but not by much. The XM-L light "throws" a much more wider beam, and it puts out a lot more light. To me, the XP-G2s were more of a let down in real life than in the pictures.

Supfire M6 XP-G2 R5 3C on copper @ 2,95 average vs SRK XM-L CW-dedomed @ 2,3A on copper

The de-domed XM-L at lower current (2,3A) kills the XP-G2 light at 3A. No contest...

For this particular test, I had rings and one ugly ring in the XP-G2 beam. So question is, would there be a significant improvement if the reflector sat lower?

After I took the beamshots I removed the XM-L centering rings, did another attempt at getting the soldered wires even lower. That should make the reflector sit marginally lower. Result was pretty much the same. I know I could make the reflector sit lower by using some pieces of brass plate on the MCPCBs instead of wires, or just modify the underside of the reflector. Instead of messing around with the M6 reflector I changed to SRK reflector since that was easier.

Why?

M6 reflector on the left, SRK on the right. As you can see, the place where the wires on a 16mm mcpcb sits crashed with the flat surface on the M6 reflector . Changing the stock MCPCB with 16 mm stars is no issue when using XM-Ls. But XP-Gs need to sit further inside the reflector. That is easier to achieve with the SRK reflector..

BTW, kapton tape is not a good insulator as it can easily be broken, I just sometimes use it instead of a proper insulation pad/plastic thingy when height is an issue.

Supfire M6 with SRK reflector. The reflector sits directly on the XP-G2s mcpcb now. Focus is much better and no ugly ring..

Temporary I planned on putting the M6 reflector on the SRK, but due to the MCPCBs sitting further outwards in that reflector I would have to cut about 1 mm of the MCPCBs when used in a SRK in order to get them further out to the edge.

To be continued..

PS: Warning once you think you have cycled through all the modes, you point your eyes towards the reflector in order to check something.. "poff, and there goes you vision. D%¤# SOS!

:beer:

...continued..

Supfire M6 XP-G2 R5 3C on copper with SRK reflector @ 2,95 average vs SRK XM-L2 T4 5B1 @ 3,09 on copper

Same lights, longer distance:

I think the reflector change made a huge difference in real life. Much nicer beam, no rings or anything. I think the comparison is interesting too. We are basically looking at XP-G2 vs XM-L2 in similar reflector at quite similar current.

De-domed XM-L would still win when it comes to throw, but the beam is very useful with the XP-G2. Ill keep this light like this and see how I like it once I have used it more.

I have a feeling I will stick to my beloved XM-Ls, like I do in most lights. But I have not tried de-domed XP-G2s....

To be continued.. some day...


That is some great work there, RaceR86!