Help understanding and upgrading a light

What battery are you using?

The driver/emitter isn’t the only equation in low current output…if you have a sub par battery or one with high internal resistance…that may be ALL the battery can push

In my first C8 with Nanjg 8x7135 I added one more 7135 after an other to get the amp readings up, nothing happen. I got 14 total at the most and just got 2,8A at the tail end. I thought I burn them out when I solder them. Then I tried a different led, an old XM-L T6 and then it jumped up to I think it was 3,7A. I don´t know about the lumen readings, maybe there is not much gain. Now I try them direct to the batteri on a good heatsink with a fan and read the DMMs before I install them in a light.

That 3.7A jump when the prior reading was 2.8A (the true 8*7135) could have been the result of a short, you were direct driving the LED, might have had a short and when you turned on the light, it was running wide open thru the emitter.

I think you have been unlucky with your Convoy’s as lots and lots and lots are owned by members here and as a rule they are very well respected with few major or even minor issues.

Where did you buy them from?

With regards to output. Are you sure you have a 7135*8 driver in there? The Convoys can be bought with 3x7135, 4, 6 and 8 x 7135 chips. This will obviously have a large affect on performance if you actually have a lower performance driver.

As has also been said, what batteries exactly are you using? To see high amps you need quality batteries anything **fire branded is probably rubbish.

Normal Sanyo/Panasonic ICR’s should with an XM-L2 and 7135*8 driver easily see 2.1-2.3amps at the tailcap. If you move to some higher performance IMR/INR 18650’s such as Efest purples or Samsung 25R’s then you should see 2.8+amps at the tailcap with this driver and emitter and no other changes.

I have the same Convoy driver and XM-L2 in a Convoy M2 supplied by Simon (Convoy-flashlights username on here). With the high performance 18650’s I see 3.14amps at the tailcap and lots of lumens.

With regards to the P12, reflector design and focus might affect throw, if it focuses the hot spot tighter. But I think something else might be going on.

As for drivers, 2 easy options are a Qlite:

But the Qlite is really really similar to the stock Convoy 7135*8 driver. So if you do already have this, then I’m not sure swapping it will solve your problem.

Or the:
http://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=67&product_id=227

BLF17 Fet driver. This should offer higher output than the Qlite. But may not be the best solution overall depending on your intended use.

As mentioned already it’s simply a matter of resistance if your unable to reach the maximum rating of your 7135 based driver at this point, resistance in your battery, springs, wires, switch, etc.

The high vf of these new emitters may be playing a role here also.

The most effective solution would be to look into low resistance high drain batteries such as LGHE2, Samsung25R or the high drain Efest offerings.

Other solutions are to braid the springs, check for high resistance in the switches, if found replace them with quality Omten switches and replace the emitter wire with larger good quality silicone wire if not already present.

Omten 17mm

It´s my test light and I have swithed the leds a lot of times back and forth with the same result. Maybe it´s the drivers that do the voltage drop. I have ordered a few high drains now to get the voltage up a bit. My Zebralight SC62w get 4,02A with the same battery (Panasonic 3400 Protected) and XM-L2. It step down rather quickly to 3,9A but impressing.
The testing goes on :slight_smile:

In an earlier thread I seem to remember you saying that you had laptop pulls you were using for batteries. Have you done any testing of the pulls to see what shape they were in?

I used the same battery in all 3 lights and checked them back to back. I have also been sitting here playing with the lights, swapping reflectors and holding them in place to check out that aspect, and the reflectors have nothing to do with the brightness at all. My monster p60 drop in is brighter than all with any of the 3 reflectors on it, no question. The 'hotspots' aren't even much different!

If I get you pictures of the p60 driver can you guys help me identify it and find someplace that sells the same or better drivers? They both (all 3 lights actually) look like they're the same size.

Where did you buy the P60?

A normal 8*7135 driver will do 2.8amps under perfect conditions. If the driver in the Convoy is ACTUALLY an 8*7135 driver, then the problem is not the driver. Like others have said, the issue is most likely the battery, springs, and wires. High Vf at the emitter could be contributing as well.

I guess the only thing I can do then is start eliminating the potential issues you guys have pointed out. i'll dig up some decent wires, 18ga speaker wire to solder to the top and bottom of the springs, maybe to the led too if it will fit, I'm guess it might be too heavy? Does it have to be high heat insulation? I can dig up some wires from an old 220v heater If I have to.

I just don't understand how (with the same battery) the convoys aren't putting out like the others, Hopefully this will cure it. Lux meter readings on my phone were 11,500 with my monster brand p60 light, and 9,000 with the convoy. Didn't check the p12 yet. Will update with pics, thanks!

I fail to understand why you won’t accept that your batteries might be the reason.

You have also not replied to what batteries you are using.

The Nitecore is a much more expensive product, using different electronics, so it maybe just copes better with crappy cells.

But without seeing anything it’s hard to tell. Are you able to post any pics or beamshots? (using a static exposure and aperture).

Also have you checked that your Convoy’s really are 7135*8 driver ones? If not, then no matter what you do, they will never offer up the lumens.

There really should be no need to mess about with wires and braided springs —- find the issue and solve that first. Then try modding. :slight_smile:

As the others sayes, try another battery. Way to low amp readings.

I am sorry I forgot to mention the batteries are Sanyo 2400mAH laptop pulls. About 4 years old.

now my problem might be the batteries are a bottleneck. I replaced the lead wires with a thicker gauge wire, can't say what it is exactly I took a 20awg wire and pulled half the strands out, but it's still thicker than what was in there.

confirmed 100% it is a 7135*8 driver.

im the worst at taking pics when I really get into something. i have good news and bad news. Replacing those wires does bump up the amps to 1.7-1.9. But I lost all my modes. The light works on high mode only.

I am having trouble getting the copper hot enough to seal the board back in it.

Lux reading is jumping over 11,500, almost up to 12,000! And the light gets hotyet faster, which would be fine since I only need high mode in short bursts, if I just had low and medium modes I'd be in good shape and ready to buy a better battery.

You now have a short to ground since you lost all modes, you are running direct drive bypassing the driver which further proves that the batteries are your bottleneck.

Bottleneck from 1.9amps to 2.8, but if the light wouldn't go past 1.4amps with a crappy battery it also wouldn't go past 1.4 amps with a good battery Would it?

is this my bridge to ground?

Its all all I can think of that would cause a problem.

What are you using for a soldering iron? Are you using any flux or are you just trying to reflow the solder thats already there without adding new flux?

Have you tried your fiends P12 battery in yours or the other way and get a reading?

Yes it would.

You have 2 legs on the MCU shorted. The MCU is the large chip with 8 pins/legs. Remove the bridge with your soldering iron.

Something to consider, the s7 is stainless and not a good conducter of heat, mine with 8* gets pretty hot after several minutes, this might not be the best host for a hot rod

he didn't get batteries he's using ones I gave him.

I took the bridge out of those legs. It had a low/strobe/sos mode for a minute, I took it apart again and looked, put it back together and now it won't turn on :/

i I can bypass it and get 2.5A from the bottom of the battery to the + on the led