My Solarforce L2N + Nichia 219 project

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

Finally I have finished my EDC flashlight (Solarforce L2N) project!

Started already last year: Looking for driver... for new XP-G2 emitter and ordered one of the last available Cree XP-G2 R5 4C from intl-outdoor.com. But while waiting for my order, I found out about Nichia 219… Since last year I have become a “tint snob” I realized that Nichia is what I need!

So I ordered:
Nichia 219 and 16mm Cree XP-G MCPCB
CREE XP-G/XP-E LED Reflector positioning gaskets

P60 Drop-in for XP-G OP textured

Nanjg 105C 3.04A

This was ordered earlier - Solarforce L2N …Now it costs $ 4 cheaper :expressionless:

Solarforce B6 Premium Grade SS flat bezel

Orange Silicone Rubber Boot 16*8mm

and finally - Multi-Layer Coated HD Flashlight Lens (28mm*2.0mm).

So, let’s start with LED!


It was my first attempt at LED reflow

(In the right side of the picture - Tweezers from intl-outdoor.com - good stuff :wink: )

Succeeded at the first attempt (with a 30W soldering iron)

clean from soldering flux and with positioning-gasket

Drop-In

for better thermal transmission I melt (solder) the copper wire. nanjg 105 Driver with removed 4x380mA chips - now it is only 1520mA (for Nichia 219 quite sufficient)

In P60 drop-In’s I usualy use Thermal paste (Not thermal glue)


Wires soldered

Driver in place (bridge on 4-th star for 2-modes: Low 10% -> High 100%)

Drop-In ready for use! (side by side with XP-G2 SMO drop-in)

Foil from margarine package (to conducting heat from Drop-in to the Body)

At 4.2V it draws ~1400mA (Not so much, but for Nichia more not necessary)
At 3.8V it draws ~1030mA

Visual changes

Multi-Layer Coated HD Lens and default L2N lens side by side (I read somewhere that with a hard coated lens can get up to 7% better brightness)

so clear that it is difficult to see

Side by side with default lens

it produces a blue reflection

orange rubber boot - just like how it looks with the gray body

only cut out the inner part - to fit in L2N

EDC flashlight finished!


specific - even protected battery is a little too short for that body. It keeps good contacts, but unprotectad battery can lose the contact - there definitely need some spacer.

And of course, some beamshots :slight_smile:

All with manual white ballance: 5000k
Nichia 219


colors, colors, colors… (Nichia colours) :heart_eyes:

comparisons:
Nichia 219

Cree XP-G2 R5 4c

various tint LEDs

Hope you enjoyed :wink:

2

Well done, really nice job you did there.

3

Nice build!

One hint though.. change the spring on the driver for a P60 soldered upside-down. That will give you less rattle and no mode changes on bumps. ;)

Does the coated lens really make a difference? Your voltage measurements are without load I guess?

4

That 4C XP-G2 looks nice, I’m not sure if its just the picture or my screen or a combination of both but the Nichia looks like it gives the tiles a pink hue where the XP-G2 looks like I would imagine them to really be.

Thanks for the pics.

5

it is difficult to see the difference with naked eye. According to this topic: Coated Lens for a Solarforce L2P? it’s worth it.

Voltage measurements without load, current mesurements from tail cap.

6

I choose Nichia also because it could be good Video Light for Night activities (due to the high CRI). :slight_smile:

7

Nice build! I'm considering an L2N with an XP-G2 R5 4C now!

-Garry

8

Nice build!

9

Very nice build! I may have to break down and get a gray L2N host and possibly build an XP-G2 drop-in for it.

10

Very nicely documented. Well done! :bigsmile:

Thanks for your efforts and cheers to the cat!

11

Good Mod and thanks for the photos!

Again it shows why the Nichia is better than the Crees. It gives more true color instead of just coloring the air with red, yellow, green or blue, like that yellow XP-G2.

12

good work!!!

13

Nice! If the RI could be better, I'd like to see how! The color on that cat and the calendar shot just couldn't be better!

Good write up & Good Mod! Thanks for sharing. Dan.

14

Nice work on your builds and the writeup. Great pics too, especially the beamshots! Thanks Uldzha.

I can get over a little pink, but yellow seems not as natural to me; the N219 is also much less pink than the XP-G2 4C is yellowish. The Nichia is between 4D and 5A2, on the red side but closer to the black-body line. Pic.

I’d take a 4C XP-G2 over a very cool tint.

15

I don’t know if its only my screen but I can only see a small amount of yellow around the XP-G2’s hotspot, where as the entire spill of the Nichia is pink.

16

Thanks for your step-by-step pics, very useful! :slight_smile:

My L2N host from customlites fits the FastTech protected “Panasonic” 3400s (the huge ones) perfectly. I love those batteries! 8)

17

Uldzha. Nice little build you have put together. You have gotta love this format Off light.

18

Hm, I thought Nanjg driver had better regulation :expressionless:
Anyway, great job! :smiley: Thanks for those pics, that Nichia tint is really nice :heart_eyes:

19

Well, regulation is very dependent on the LED forward voltage (unless it is not Buck and Boost driver)

Yes, Nichia colors seems really great. Unfortunately, currently here is winter and snow and no where to really try Nichia colors… only on indoor. :wink:

I can only say that with naked eye Nichia does not look so pinky, rather, it is brownish. While XP-G2 R5 4C looks slightly cold yellowish with the bluish outer part of the beam. Nichia has more evenly colour tone on all beam pattern.

20

Great work, love the pics!