Yeah this light was sure fun and it is easily the longest running and best tested in my whole range..
And the best thing is, Agenthex is right, it is run in series. I am able to get the head to light again with 2 x 18650. So I'll just ask MF's Audrey for a replacement driver, well at least i did testing and advertising for them. LOL!
:bigsmile:
Id look for a SST 5A driver and see if that dont push the emitters to their maximum power output.
12.6V @ 1.9A DD, that's 24w. The crocodile clips and 22awg wires are my driver.
I'll try my 3S3P Li-Co batt pack from my HID and see what it can do in DD. And measure the lux at my 8.17m test distance. If it fries, it fries...
Brave man. I would run them off a bit first, though.
You should be fine. During testing, I pushed 8 amps through 3 xm-l's in series from 4 26650 LifeP04's DD. Granted, it was only for a second until my fingers could react to what my eyes just saw, but all the emitters lived.
Ok no issue then. Thinking of leaving this "as it is" to play and getting the Trustfire 3xT6. Lots of threads + lots of external fins, 7 of them vs 3 on Sky Ray/Hi-Max/Fandyfire.
Actually I am using SLA to play now, no issue. 4S1P is definitely too high. I guess in stock form, it is not a matter of LEDs surviving but rather the driver electronics surviving. From what we can see only the lower PCB is somewhat heatsinked.
Direct drive with a fully charged SLA measured 2.2A to the emitters in series, i am getting 324 lux @ 8.17m. 21626 lux @ 1m, or candlepower.
Using slightly larger diameter wires on one of the them i could do 2.8A, giving me 360 lux @ 8.17m. 24029 lux @ 1m. This thing comfortably outthrows stock C8/UF-980L/U80.
Update, i pushed 3.3A and got 380 lux, that's the max. Head gets hot really fast.
Stock SR3800 is 260 lux @ 8.17m.
Engrotelis measured 1580 OTF lumens in his lightbox (he said his is pretty accurate). If that's the case 380 lux / 260 lux = 2309 lumens OTF.
Sorry to hear yours is dead too, 2100. I took mine all apart and the LEDs appear to be fine. I guess I need to find a suitable driver but I'm not sure I want to bother.
Run it in DD with a SLA, quite fun. 
3S would drive it to approx 1.9-2.2A depending on charge level (12.4V-12.6V unloaded).
How about a taskLED.com H6flex or H6CC? Both are capable of 6.6 or 6.7A delivered and would provide a driver circuit designed for series wired Xmls. Granted at $30-40 you have almost as much in the driver as you do the light, but I'm betting you have a much harder time hurting one of those drivers.
Both of my skyray 1x14500 lights failed as a dead short too. TF Flames instantly shut off. I don't know why anyone insists it's OK to use unprotected cells, but people still do...
I'll give you $5 for your broken one. :)
--Bushytails
$5, no way.....I am getting comfortably above 2000 lumens OTF from the broken Sky Ray, form a good basis for comparison with say the TK70. Probably will order the Trustfire as replacement since it has so many threads. Sheesh why do I need 4 x 3xT6 for? (actually supposed to spend on HIDs but plans foiled again and again)
I’ve always wanted to try one of their drivers but that a big investment for this thing. But from the looks of it (and I’m an idiot when it comes to electronics), they need a higher Vin than Vout and with two cells that’s not going to work with the LEDs in series.
based on the tech info from the TaskLed site, I dont think that is a as big a problem as you might suspect.
From the site: H6CC is capable of running from 8V up to 22V as shipped (guaranteed operating range). H6CC may operate as low as 5V, but operation between 5V and 8V is not guaranteed at the full 6.7A output current over the full operating temperature range (0C to 70C).
But it still needs Vin higher than Vout, correct? Its a buck circuit and unless the 3 XM-Ls are run in parallel, its not going to fly.
With 6.7A, you'd want them in parallel - an xm-l doesn't do well at those currents. Someone recently posted some very nice graphs here showing how poorly they do when you go over the rated power.
--Bushytails
That'd would be match's excellent work.... For my "gut feel" last night on a real production light, there is some meat left from 2.8A range to say below 3.3A. But it got hot real fast, already starting to get uncomfortable to hold by the 1 min mark so that's fast. I suspect even a big thermal mass like the TK70 / Ebay HID aluminum torches it's just enough mass for a couple of mins run. Unless if you are in sub-zero temps so that host to air heat interface would be high.
Ok some updates :
Direct drive with a fully charged SLA measured 2.2A to the emitters in series, i am getting 324 lux @ 8.17m. 21626 lux @ 1m, or candlepower.
Using slightly larger diameter wires on one of the them i could do 2.8A, giving me 360 lux @ 8.17m. 24029 lux @ 1m. This thing comfortably outthrows stock C8/UF-980L/U80.
Update, i pushed 3.3A and got 380 lux, that's the max. Head gets hot really fast. 25364 lux @ 1m.
Again pushed it by cooling the head with ice-cubes, got 451 lux at don't know what current but killed it quite fast within 60 sec. The LEDs were just glowing faintly. Gave it a hard knock and it came back on (prob internal wires made contact again). I think the emitter internal wires melted or something. End of tests.... :)
The last one was a cool 30103 lux @ 1m. Using engertolis test measurements in his light box, lumens of 1580L OTF @ ~ 260 lux, that means i was pushing in the 2700L OTF range.
Awesome. Just awesome...