Jaxman Z1 Discussion

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This strictly a thread for people to discuss the Jaxman Z1.
It will not be a place for discussing group buys; neither past, present or future.
This thread has been “OK’ed” by Admin SB

Here are the links to the current lineup of Jaxman Z1s:
Jaxman Z1 XHP50 26650
Jaxman Z1 XML2 26650
Jaxman Z1 Host Parts
Jaxman Z1 Host (NOW AVAILABLE)
Host discussion Here: Jaxman Z1 Host

XML2 Version Overview:

  • Brand: JAXMAN product of fine-manufaturing
  • Model: Z1 series
  • Mode: Grope 1: 5-Mode (high—mid—low—-fast strobe—SOS strobe)
  • High Mode 100%: max.1000 Lumens
  • Mid Mode 30% : about 400 Lumens
  • Low Mode 5% : about 60 Lumens
  • Fast Strobe :100 Hz / STANDARD SOS
  • Grope 2: 3-Mode (high—mid—low)
  • High Mode 100%: max.1000 Lumens
  • Mid Mode 30% : about 400 Lumens
  • Low Mode 5% : about 60 Lumens
  • You can change from Group1 to Group2 in Low Mode after flash. vice versa.
  • Body Color: black, hard anodic oxidation coating>45um
  • Emitter Type: CREE XML 10W LED 1080 lumens @3A
    * cool white U3 1A/0D, 6000-6500k
    * warm white U2 3C , 5000-5500k
    * warm yellow T6 5B , 4000-4500k
  • Body Material: Aluminum Alloy
  • Size: Max OD.53mm,Min OD.32.5mm
  • Max Length 225mm(zoom in), Max Length 198mm(zoom out)
  • Weight: 307 gram(without battery)
  • Battery Configuration: 1x26650 battery or 2x26650 (NOT INCLUDED),Max. 4.2*2 V
  • 1x18650 battery or 2x18650 is also fit.
  • Pls confirm the battery’s positive cap is cuspidal,otherwise they cant make a series battery
  • Switch: Tail Cap Clicky
  • Suitable for Camping, hiking, Hunting,Cycling, Fishing, Auto Emergencies, and Home Repair
  • Package Content: Z1 flashlight*1,Extension Tube*1, hand strap*1, O rings*2











Known Issues:

  • Centering ring only fits XML2/XHP50 emitters
  • Some reports of the pill having a “bump” in the middle, causing the MCPCB to “tetter-totter”
  • Inside diameter of the pill is slightly larger than the 20mm specs. Reiterates why you’ll need a centering ring for any emitter other than a XML or XHP50

Resolved issues:

Users’ beamshots:
I’d like to get a nice collection of beamshots from members using different emitters so we can compare the different beam profiles. Domed and dedomed are welcome. Let me know if you’d like to add your picture to the thread.

Emitter throwdown
I’d like to get a breakdown from different users on their setup’s output; lux, kcd, amps etc. This way we can directly compare them in an easy to read manner. Let me know if you have measurements from your setup, and would like me to use them

I guess I’ll start by showing the latest development from my build today. After hearing about emarkd’s rough pill face, I did some investigating of my own and it looks a lot cleaner than emarkd’s pill. I did notice a bit of a wobble when I sat the noctigon on top of the pill. I tested it with two different noctigon’s, and the results are the same. I did my best to take a picture of the “tetter-tottering.”. Notice the shadow on the very front of the pill against the notigon in the before and after. The second picture is of me using an exact-o knife to apply a very small amount of pressure to one side.


You can see the front edge goes from sitting bellow the top of the pill’s face, to above it. Difficult to measure the exact difference the leading edge traveled, but its obvious that you can see the side of the noctigon on the second photo. I’m going to look for a round, 20mm sanding bit that I can use in my Dremel tool to get it even.

Also, take a look at the excess distance the noctigon has on either side of the pill. There is a very large difference in size between the 20mm nocigon, and the “20mm” pill head. I measured the ID of the pill, and its showing 21.20mm. Just by placing the noctigon on the pill head, and then giving it a little shake, the emitter bounces back and forth in the pill. This is where my earlier discussion on centering rings for different emitters comes into play. If someone chooses an emitter other than the 5mm XML one provided, they could potentially mount the emitter very off centered and it will affect the beam in a negative way.

Ooh nice can’t wait to see this fill up with all those neat LEDs people use (I assume you are going to add those pics in 3 AMD beshots from elsewhere in post 2?)

I ordered a Jaxman Z1 XML2 from another store then AliExpress but it said out of stock so no idea when (or even if) it arrives.

Looking Good!!

I’d like to use some of the old pictures on here… so we can have a direct comparision of everyone’s different builds. That way the Z1 can become more of a household name like “C8” is already. The Z1 is an incredible light, which is why I wanted to see more discussion about it.

I’m going to look through the old thread and use some of the pictures from that over the upcoming week so I can build this thread up as the “go-to” for Z1 info.

Thanks for everyone’s support and understanding! :beer:

I sure don’t remember having any issue with mine going together, I used a 20mm Noctigon for MT-G2 with the Luminus SBT-70 on it.

Beamshot at the red 55 gallon oil drum 97 yds distant…

Close-up of the now windowless SBT-70 inside the light…

And on in moon mode from the FET+1 A6 style driver…

After trying to rebuild it with led4power’s LD-2 regulated driver and having issues, I put the FET+1 back in it last night and would up with a bit better ground, it now pulls 18.75A from the dark purple Efest 4200mAh 26650. The wide angle measures some 1462.8 lumens, zoomed in shows a miserly 489.9 with around 92Kcd throw. Not efficient at all, but I still really do like it for the color and beam profile with the round circle hot spot. :slight_smile:

Edit: Thought I might mention, in the shot of the emitter the black circle is actually the black anodized aluminum cover piece. I cut a circle from a Kapton solder paste mask so that the contact points are much less likely to short out, so that’s all there is between the cover and the emitter. I like how it looks and performs better without the metal frame and AR coated “window” that Luminus puts over the die. It’s not a dome, just a thin flat glass sitting on a metal frame. I even later scraped off the light colored adhesive you see around the die, this is what held the frame on and more of the same held the glass to the frame.

Edit II: Does anybody know what I did with the spare AR coated aspheric I bought from Banggood? Can’t find it to save my life….

I’ve tried sanding pill surfaces with the method you mention. I has not worked out well for me at all. The the bit does not sand near the center while sanding heavily out toward the edge. Thus, I ended up worse off than I started. Let me know if it works for you or how you end up getting it lapped flat. There must be an effective method out there some where?

Re-flow solder the copper mcpcb to the brass pill. Then any differences are taken up by metal, not thermal compound. I use a stainless plate on top of a conduction stove-top element. Picked up the 6” diameter 1/8” thick piece of 314SS from the welding shop, they’d cut it out of something they were working on, it was a scrap, free as I recall.

I usually re-flow the emitter to the mcpcb simultaneously to re-flowing the mcpcb to the pill. :wink:

I would like to put a mt-g2 in mine what size driver do I need and which one would you recommend?

There are some nice options, some easier/more available than others. A Zener modified FET driver will give the most output, running 2 cells and supplying in the 12A neighborhood. Led4Power’s LD-2 can also be configured to run the 6V emitter with 2 cells and the output would be regulated, your choice from 6A to 12A. Richard probably has several options at his disposal if you’re able to order from him and he could help you figure out the best level to run it at. (the sweet spot is in the 7A range, up to about 9A as a sensible max, over 9A is generating heat faster than output)

Dale. The beamshot of that SBT-70 just blows me away.
A real stage spotlight.
I keep expecting the singing frog with the top hat and cane from the Warner brother cartoon to jump into frame.
….hello my baby, hello my darling, hello my ragtime gal……….

Ask Hoop how he gets his copper pill inside surfaces flat. You can see slight variation in the mirror surface but can’t feel any irregularity nor detect any unevenness with a small straightedge.

Thanks for the help, I would prefer to deal with Richard. I was looking at his site and would this work? 22mm fet driver, (no turbo timer), fet firmware (standard no memory), 2s+ cell (zener mod clicky –6lvp)

This is exactly what I do, and what I did in my Z1 after I got my pill smoothed out, but I don’t even bother with the stainless steel plate. I just put my “stack” directly on the glass top of our kitchen stove and turn it on high. When the solder flows I made any final adjustment that’s needed and give my emitter a quick tap to remove excess solder, then just carefully slide it off the eye and onto a cool area of the stovetop, and walk away for 10 minutes or so.

The user interface of the Jaxman Z1 looks very similar to the Convoy UI with the 2 mode groups and the blink on low to switch, except Jaxman starts on high and decreases to low. Does it also have Convoy’s “on time memory” where you need to stay on a mode for at least 2 seconds for the mode to be memorized? Also, if the light is on for a while, and you half press, does the mode NOT change until you make a second half press, just like Convoy’s UI?

Does anyone know how this particular flashlight would respond to being mounted on a .308 with a high velocity round? One of those rounds that disrupts the dust in about a 40sq.ft. area. Is there a mount for it? I would want to put a 4 inch hood out the front of the flashlight so it would be very difficult detect.
Also, DBCustom, can you give us another beam shot of maybe 200 yards, high resolution to simulate a scope to see how well it illuminated the area?

I’m very impressed by this unit. Especially DBCustoms version.

PPDB, huge thank you for the heads up man. You just saved me from possibly ruining my pills! Maybe a sander like bellow would be better and concentrate on the center of the pill and go very slow.