It’s possible to make a zoomie with a Wavien collar. Mount the LED on a pillar (like in an LED Lenser), and attach the collar to the sliding bezel. When the bezel is retracted in flood mode, the collar would slide below the LED out of the way. If done right you’d get a nice wide flood together with the maximum possible amount of throw, though the overall light might be a bit longer or wider than a typical zoomie.
To my knowledge, nobody’s ever built a light that does this though.
I see what you are talking about know. A TIR or reflector outer ring, like a Coast HP1 or a Fresnel lighthouse has. That allows better optics in a small space or a very short focal length. It also allows two elements that focus differently, as in the HP1.
It does not give more throw than is possible with single element optics. That is limited by the luminance and the aperture, and refractive lens zoomies approach that limit.
What no one has done yet is to carry it another step and use more than two zones. There are “Fresnel lens” flashlights that use multi-zoned lenses but none with multiple refractive and multiple reflective zones or elements, like the optics that Fresnel actually made.
I just recently got a JAX Z1, up till now I’ve hated zoomies, I built a UF-1405 for a friend and liked it but it was way to large to be practical so when a chance to pick up a Z1 cheap came along I jumped on it and I couldnt be happier. It’s replaced so many light’s it’s pretty unbelievable how useful of a light it is. I’ve only owne SK68’s (and some other 1AA’s) and an SK98 and a TF 26650 zoomie, never a T20 so I cant comment there but the Z1 is really a nice light. Mine does 238kcd for nearly an hour on a KK at 4.8A (maxes out at about 5.2A from a 25R and heat’s up instantly so you know its sinking well.
All in all no I dont regret not getting a zoomie sooner but had I waited longer to get this Z1 I would have regretted that. It’s such a useful light. Especially for city use where you don’t want light to go where you don’t want.
“best zoomie” = oxymoron
Yes, it is like wine. You pay for the improbability. That correlates little with what you want, unless you practice wanting what other people want.
Spec says 2000 Lumen. Anybody measure the real, non-Chinese Lumen?
The tail threads on my Zeusray are on the loose side. This sort of thing might be caused by thermal expansion during rapid NC machining. I junked one $3 SK-68 for loose and short tail threads.
No idea on actual output. But it pulls 3.75 amps on a good battery and is very bright.
Updating Opening post with info from this thread:
Zeusray $9.99 $7.99
XM-L2
solid pill for better heat management
580 kcd Lux
1 x 18650 Battery
Available: http://www.dealmetic.com/product.asp?ID=FL05518
Review: Review: Zeusray CREE XM-L2 zoomable flashlight
UniqueFire UF-1405 $37.36 $27.35
Runs 2 x 18650 or can run 2 x 26650 for longer runtime
58kcd at 4.5m
Available: http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_71429.html
Review: Uniquefire UF-1405 - A worthy zoomy?
JAX Z1
$ 59.79
1 x 18650 Battery / 1 x 26650 Battery
AR coated Lens
43 KLux @1m/Kcd
946 metres range
Available: JAX Z1 Cree XM-L2 U2 Zoomable 1100lm 5-Mode LED Taschenlampe Sale - Banggood Deutschland sold out-arrival notice-arrival notice
Review: JAX Z1 XM-L2 zoom
JAX Z1 Extension tube for $6
WOLF-EYES Seal Hunter
$226.76 $149.99
131kcd
Available: http://www.banggood.com/WOLF-EYES-Seal-Hunter-CREE-XM-L-U2-1000lm-Zoomable-LED-Flashlight-p-919779.html
Review: Wolf-Eyes SEAL-picture heavy
Close but not quite.
A wavien collar is a half-sphere shaped reflector with the LED on the focal point. All light emitted into the sphere is reflected directly back to the LED. This makes the LED brighter, by allowing more excitation of the phosphor layer and more reflections off the LED. The collar has a hole in the top to allow the LED to see the aspheric lens. The idea is that all the light coming off the sides of the LED that would ordinarily hit the sides of the bezel and be wasted is instead redirected directly back to the LED making it brighter. This results in increased intensity of light to the lens and therefore more throw.
Unlike an LED lenser TIR or a fresnel lens, the collar is usually physically mounted directly below the main aspheric lens. The collar is also not a TIR type optic. Instead it has a metalicized finish like a conventional reflector.
Since the light is hitting perpendicular to the sides of the reflector a conventional TIR wouldn’t work. Though come to think of it, if the outer edge of the TIR was made with a series of diamond shaped ridges a TIR probably would work. This is how a bicycle reflector works… there are a series of triangular ridges which allow the light to bounce inside them before being reflected back to the source. A wavien collar made in this manner would have an additional benefit: it would be self-focusing. As long as the LED was in roughly the right location the light would always go back to close to the source. Could eliminate the problem of tricky to focus conventional wavien collars.
My thought is you could mount a wavien collar on the sides of the sliding bezel below the aspheric. When you retract the bezel into flood mode the collar would also retract. To make room for the retracted collar the LED would have to be mounted on a post so it could rise up through the collar’s lens-hole.
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NOTE regarding lighthouse fresnel lens: A fresnel lens has the same effect as an aspheric lens. The advantage is it’s flatter and thinner. The disadvantage is there is some light lost at each ridge, so it isn’t as bright or focused as a standard aspheric. An aspheric lens will always throw further than the same-size fresnel.
This is a completely different concept from a Wavien collar which actually increases the LED’s luminous intensity to the lens and can result in more throw than a standard aspheric by itself.
It had occurred to me that that would be a way of getting more out of an aspheric, but I didn’t catch that that was what was being discussed. So the Coast lights don’t have Wavien collars, as they are like Fresnel lighthouses.
The Wavien collar will increase the spot size if it is a bit out of focus so some light does get past the LED. In focus, as you describe, it increases the throw, because, like the dome, it is not a passive optical device, but interacts with the emitter.
There is no such thing as perpendicular TIR.
I think bicycle and car reflectors are corner reflectors, like radar reflectors.
Did you catch, though that the Coast lights have Fresnel optics, though not what is usually called a Fresnel lens? This may be an important point, as I have read a lot about the the Coast and Lenser lights being patented. The concept patent, if any, was Fresnel’s and has expired.
I got a few measured #'s. My modded ZeusRay measured just over 1,300 OTF (@30 secs) in flood mode of course, LED almost/maybe barely touching the lens --> Nanjg at 3.85A, measured 3.92A tail, XM-L2 U3 1A on Noctigon, swapped switch with an Omten, bypassed springs of course, probably screwed down MCPCB, etc... All right, 1,300 is truly amazing for a little cheapo zoomie - never seen anything like this, but this was my first U3 1A mod, so think I got a good one... Also, the LED is extremely close to the lens on this modded ZeusRay, so closer, more lumens - all zoomies seem to work this way.
Stock I measured the same ZeusRay at 3.60A tail, 782 OTF (@ 30 secs). Not sure of cell, but probably fully charged LG HE2.
Coast and LED Lensers don’t have fresnel lenses.
What they have is something different. think of the LED Lenser / Coast optic as being a combination of a traditional TIR reflector and a small aspheric lens. The TIR reflector catches the light that goes sideways, while the small aspheric catches most of the light emitted straight ahead. It’s all a single molded piece of a optical acrylic.
What makes them unique is that the LED doesn’t sit on a traditional flat star. It’s instead mounted on a pillar that sits in a pocket inside the optic. This allows the optic to surround the LED when the zoom is cycled in both flood and spot modes, avoiding the loss of lumens in spot mode typical of a conventional aspheric.
This is a completely different optical mechanism to a fresnel lens. A fresnel lens is basically just a traditional aspheric, chopped into rings and then flattened.
But the concept was used by Fresnel, just without the zoom. He did a lot of things besides the multifaceted refractive lens he is known for. I have heard a wave plate, which works on a totally opposing principle called a Fresnel lens. Here is a picture.
Just Google Image Search for Fresnel lighthouse lens.
Here is a diagram:
Chicken Drumstick has been saying Bright, Bright, and I was kind of skeptical. Your numbers show truly amazing 1300 (mod) and 782 (stock) lumens for a little cheapo zoomie! Thanks for the numbers.
You’ve been saying that, but I couldn’t quite understand it based on my experience with zoomies. Just received one and got a surprise. Zoom out flood is the widest and the brightest zoomy. Brighter and wider than UniqueFire UF-T20. Only drawback may be short run time. Glad I listened to your blurb. Thanks.
What’s the “brownish” reflector made of?
I find my Zeusray only a little brighter than my Sipik SK-73. Overall, I prefer the SK-73. Probably not all SK-73s are that good, or maybe my Zeusray is a lemon. Neither one has the good feel in the hand of a Smiling Shark SS-5039 or of an SK-58, or the neat fit of my “Deal Alert” 18650 non-zooming lights.
I don’t have an SK-73 to compare too. But if you use a high amp draw cell like a Samsung 25R or a good Efest IMR, then the Zeusray is quite a bit brighter than it is on a regular 2900-3400mah Panasonic ICR.
I got 3 ZeusRay's and had two classic Sipik SK-73's, still got one. Both come DD, so more crazy amps from the Sipik because of it's older XML, lower Vf, but not as bright. The T-20 definitely has a limited flood area. I got several zoomies, mostly cheap ones, that are a wider flood. I'd rate overall external quality bout the same. The SK-73 at least has a screw in retainer in the tail (in mine), but doesn't help much - still plastic behind it. Internally, no comparison - I'd take a ZeusRay any day, best under $10 deal as stock.
I compared the currents in the Zeusray and the Sipik SK-73. With a half charged cell I get 1.4 A for the Sipik and 1.6 A for the Zeus. With an Efest IMR charged to 4.19 V and maybe 1/4 Ohm in the leads, I get a steady 2.7 A for the Sipik and 2.7 quickly dropping to 2.4 A in the Zeusray.