Yes mine also have PWM but I only noticed this when read it in BLF, plus the fact I only have it for a few days. I can only hear it when I put the head near my ear so I have no problem with the pwm. still happy getting the x9.
Sound isn't an issue; It's the visible flashing at lower frequencies... Point it at a ceiling fan or shine it around outside at night when there are bugs flying around to see the strobe effect.
Be careful it isn't just the same company with several ID's. That's quite common on ebay. For example, Eforcity, Inc controls the top four ID's: accstation, everydaysource, itrimming and eforcity. I assumed most or all of those sellers are controlled by the same company, but I could be wrong (I meant to remove that).
Eforcity started out with two guys selling stuff from home (but they started buying wholesale) and now operates with over $100 million in revenue annually.
I think Langcjl got the last good deal on x9 package. Less than $34 with batteries and charger. That was the last I saw it. Hope Langcjl get it soon and update us. I almost bid on it.
I have several other XML's and have been impressed with all of them but this thing just rocks
Are there any other single 18650 cell XML's that look as good as this thing? I don't think so!
The large diameter reflector and those chunky heatsink ribs should really lend itself to being pushed to the limit. If the stock driver is pushing anything less than 2.8A on high, I will be fitting a 3 mode, 2.8A (or more) driver.
Really looking forward to this beast arriving.
By the way, it is a little dissapointing that the bare X9 can only be purchased on ebay (@ ~$35). While KD & DX only offer the X9 package deal with the crappy charger and battery. I'm not saying that $45 for the package deal is bad value for money, but many of us already have enough 18650's and chargers and we really only want to purchase the flashlight.
Having said all that, if one of the vendors was to offer a 3 mode (H,M&L) version with a 3Amp driver, I would happily pay $45 just for the flashlight. Hint hint ....
That really indicates just how poor the driver must be in the X9.
The XML forward voltage specs indicate that it should draw 3 amps from a 3.35v supply!
The fact that your X9 is only drawing 0.91 Amps @ 3.57v shows how ineficient the X9 driver really is on a single 18650 cell. For an XML to only draw 0.91A, the votage getting to te emitter must be only 2.95V, so the driver in this case must be dropping 0.6v across it..
If you replace that driver with an 8x AMC7135, the XML should draw 2.8 Amps right down to 3.6v or close to the battery low voltage protection point.
I have never been a fan of dual voltage (3.7 & 7.2V) drivers. Seems very few manufacturers are able to produce a buck driver that works adequately on 7.2v and still provides good performance at 3.7v and this is just another case in point. Ditch the crap driver and X9 will really shine
That's the driver I've had bookmarked for an X9 mod, but now I'm confident that I'll do this. I'll get it ordered this weekend. Thanks!
Btw, have you already removed the pill and if so, how did you go about doing it? I've only unscrewed the emitter to take a peek at the top side of the driver.
I've only got some LG laptop cells, some UF 17670's and the blue UF's that came with the light.
However, I shudder at the thought of paying $20+ for one cell. lol Anything decent in the $10 range? I know that this will rule out AW, Callies, Redilast, bare Sanyos and Panic's.
I was really hoping the LG cells would work nicely as they didn't cost anything per se.
Check out the Hi-max 18650. They test out very well and are reasonable at about $7 each shipped or less. (The seller accepts offers of $5/each without issue and then you pay the shipping costs)
My X9 is pulling 0.8A on a freshly charged cell at 4.2V. I'm not sure if there is an issue with the leads because all I can verify that works correctly is testing voltage. It also only reads 1.3A for my L2i with a MF 3-mode drop-in. I'm getting a good connection with the body on both. Is there a problem with the DMM or could they both possibly be duds? I doubt the L2i's results because that thing is dang bright and will certainly get hot on high after a bit.
0.80A on HIGH
0.50A on MED
0.11A on LOW
These numbers are all reliable every time I test it and not on the same spot (threads) either.
EDIT: Now tested with the Equus 3320
1.85A on HIGH
1.00A on MED
0.20A on LOW
The DMM (or leads) do make a big difference and the Equus 3320 has proved to be far more consistent. In fact, I'll go as far as to say it's primarily the leads because I used the HF leads in the Equus and got similar results as I got with them plugged into the HF DMM.
I can't tell what gauge since I'm not sure of the casing thickness but they're about 3' in length. It's a cheapo Harbor Freight DMM. I suppose they work good for voltage but maybe aren't quite up to the task for amperage testing?