Osram Golden Dragon lights?

OK, Vectrex, the yellow color is produced both with Ni-MH and 14500?

The solution to solve this "enigma" is to dismantle the flashlight, and look the "numbers" written in one side. Then google them to guess what bin/quality/batch of OGD is

(is easy to do, you dont have to remove the emitter, only unscrew the pill and lift up the plastic protector that is over the LED

fran82, I think I don't understand what you mean. Incandescents don't emit yellow light, but warm white. Were you referring to the Black Cat beamshots I posted at all?

Also, are you referring to that tiny alphanumeric code that is printed on Golden Dragon emitters? Do you have any information about this?

OK, about the alphanumerics codes, in the DX product description page (in the page of AA-S1) you have explanation about them. Also can be found in google.

About the other thing. OK incandescent lights produce warm white not yellow. I cant not express correctly because I am Spanish, my English is not good.


I am trying to say, that in that picture, the left beam (FOR ME) is not warm white, is YELLOW!..... so if that beam was produced by an AA-S1, it can be that is the LED/driver defective, OR the new batch (from latter July or August) are shipping with an extrange tint of Osram Golden Dragon (probably the 5000K one)

ALSO, I know that the Black Cat can be found with several colors, including 2 tones of white: 5000K and 8000-9000K

That beamshot on the left is similar to real warm tint led's (~3000K). It's not the 5000K that KD claims.

Often when people say "warm", they mean warmer than WC. So anything from WH to neutrals is "warm", and depends on context.

8000K is a extremely "white" (practically purple/blue light). CREE WC whites are 6000K-7000K.

Ok, we need to clear some confusion. The picture I posted was from phlowcus's Black Cat, not from the AA-S1. I was using that picture to ask if the AA-S1 produced that yellow color. Agenthex and Vectrex (wow, your names rhyme!) both said that the AA-S1 does not produce that warm yellow color, but produces a cool yellow, off-white color.

Hm I tried to find out about these codes some time ago with no luck and I can't find any information on the DX page neither.

OOOOK OOOOK OOOK

I was wrong, I read this thread from the begining, was my mistake. The photo is showing 2 black cats, the left with warm white LED and the right with the almost-cool white.

I have 2 flashlights with OGD. The zooming 3W wich produces veeery cool white and the black cat that produces cool white but with a slight! warm tint.

About the codes:this is taken from the forums of the product:

"BTW, I found a datasheet of Osram's Golden DRAGON Plus LW W5AM
LED that is used in some flashlights, but I don't know is it
the one inside the AA-S1.
http://catalog.osram-os.com/catalogue/catalogue.do?act=showBookmark&favOid=0000000500006f180001003a
Short summary:
- Optical efficiency efficiency 63 lm/W (typ.) @ 350 mA
Maximum Ratings
- Forward current(max.) If = 1 A
- Vf @ 1A = ~3.93 V (according the datasheet curve)
- Power consumption Ptot = 4 W

My comments:
- Driving LW W5AM at 1 A (~ 4 W) is still in the specs.
5 W or more (when 3.6 V cells is used) is not .
- The efficiency is apparently worse than CREE emitters.
(edit: newer bins are available with better efficiency)

You were right about OSRAM's bins. There are more on a newer LUW W5AM datasheet:

--

bin / lm (@ 350 mA)
KX 71-82
KY 82-97
KZ 97-112
LX 112-130
LY 130-150
(Brightness groups are tested at a current pulse duration of 25 ms and a tolerance of ± 11%.)

--

LX has minimum efficiency of 100 lm/W then? Not bad.

KX, KY, KZ & LX bin LEDs are sold in Digi-Key so they all should be available.
KX seem to be priced 3.60 USD when bought in quantity of 200 pcs, LX is 4.65 USD there.
BTW, Digi-Key promises "Luminous Flux 131 lm" from LX.

Best KX or worst KY would in theory give 160 lm @ 700 mA (1.95 * [lumens @ 350 mA]), what DX promises from AA-S1.

--

I found a picture http://chows.smugmug.com/photos/355804212_wJLhL-L.jpg from another forum http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=182549 which, I guess, shows what you wrote earlier about internal build-up. They also discuss about the same emitters we have done here. "

SO, If you have access to the LED in your AA-S1, take the bin code, and google it. You will find the datasheet of your bin.

Well, i knew about the binning, unfortunately the codes on the emitters don't seem to have to do anything with that.

I had already come to the conclusion that these codes are just a serial number that only Osram can 'decode'.

And ..... Anybody knows to difference the OGD by the divissions they have in the die?

I know that exists 3 types of Osram Golden Dragon:

1) Golden Dragon

2) Golden Dragon Plus

3) Golden Dragon Plus Ultra

Probably the divissions of the die declares which is.

If only has 1 line (2 divisions) probably is Golden Dragon.

If has 4 lines (5 divisions) probably is Golden Dragon Plus

But I have not seen a GDPUltra so I dont know if it has more lines (divisions in it) . I am talking about this:

http://www.forolinternas.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=207&start=20#p1326

Do you see the draw showing a pseudo-die of a OGD P LED?

There is only GD's and GD+'s. The Ultra version is just a special white tint which yields the highest efficacy. So it is _Golden Dragon Plus_ ultra white and not _Golden Dragon Plus Ultra_ white. :)

The next bigger thing of Osram is the Diamond Dragon.

Diamond Dragon? It really exist or is a joke?

You can see for yourself:

http://catalog.osram-os.com/catalogue/catalogue.do?act=showBookmark&favOid=000000000000028b00010023

2A max

No joke, it takes up to 2A current and can emit up to 500(?) lm, but the efficacy isn't the best.

I dont knew about Diamond Dragon, But I knew about the Osram Ostar.......

For anyone interested here is a guy who have a lot of GD´s for sale:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180548824963&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_890wt_1137

Thanks nautic, but is better to know the correct bin and model before purchasing, and if I am not wrong this guy not says the exact bin and exact data....

However thanks

Just got my AA-S1 today. Ordered 8/20, shipped 8/24, arrived 8/30. I also got my 14500s. The tint isn't really bad. According to my eyes, it looks sort of greenish white. The hotspot is small, and expands out nicely to the edge of the beam. It's pretty dim on NIMH, it's ok on 14500. I thought it would be brighter. My Hugsby P31 has better throw on NIMH vs. the AA-S1 14500, but the AA-S1 has a lot of more useful spill light. I must say the head of the AA-S1 gets hot rather quickly on 14500s. For about $10, it's not a bad light!

Edit: If you want something of better construction and brightness for about $4-5 more, go for the Hugsby P31/P32.

Thanks medieval! and how about construction quality? dirty threads? lubed threads? etc

The lens was really dirty. I thought it was just the outside but I cleaned it off and it was still dirty. I had to take it apart and clean it from the inside. There is a little bit of dry gray grease but it doesn't look like they used much and it wasn't spread out evenly. There are chunks of it in one place and nothing in another spot. The construction quality isn't that great.

It's good to have as part of a collection but I don't think I would get another one. I'd rather get a Hugsby.

OK, quality of construction is decreased. Now it is not that perfect light described in the review.

So, if I understood well, EVEN with 14500 in the AA-S1, the hugsby P31 with ni-mh has better throw, however less spill