(L-R) sw-45 - swX - sw/smX - sm403 - sw40 IS - sm353
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The CREE XPL-HI 3A is said to produce a balanced ‘white’ combination of all colors, good enough to be considered tintless (without color) by many.
When needing Chromotherapy, you can have wall paint custom mixed if the factory doesn’t make what you want.
Upper row L-R
XPL Hi 5D - XPL Hi 3000k. 80+Cri - XPL 3D - sw40 - sm273 - sm303 - sw40 - sm50X - XPL Hi 3A
Lower row L-R
sm40X - sw45 - swX - sw/smX - sm403 - sw40 IS - sm353
Six on table - swX - sw/smX - sm403 - sw40 IS - sm353
How do to get the right tint when you can’t find your perfect emitter ?
The simplest way is to use filters and accept any disadvantages.
If you are dealing with more than one emitter, you can try gaming them.
It helps if they are endogamic, especially when the bins have integrity, and you are dealing with reliable Hi Cri Nichias (e.g. from Clemence).
Not being personally very fond of 219b sw45 9080 Nichias, he sees them as retro/disco.
Magenta and violet overdoses are a common complaint in some batches of the discontinued sw45 9080 emitter. The sw40 9080s at times are seen by some as slightly yellowish, especially when modestly driven.
If it became necessary to have only one single emitter, the sm4070e would be my choice, though many would find them too pink.
With the above mentioned Nichia emitters not in production, and without any 219c Nichias available for EDC use which appeal much to ‘below the ANSI BBL’ Rose Champaign tint snobs, creativity is called for.
If the 219b 9080 series have become grail emitters, the 219c sm4070e might be considered as ‘Lost Grail’.
AFAIK the 100 samples from Nichia sent to Clemence were a one time occurrence.
(A triple featuring the Nichia 219b 9080 sw45, sw40, and sw35 emitters would be interesting.)
As previously reported, the swX combination of 219b sw45 and sw40 9080 Nichias produces beautiful Rose/Champagne Rose hues, toning down the violet, magenta, and yellowish excesses of the single emitters.
Djozz, Texas Ace, TK, and Dale among others have experimented with combinations, mainly involving CCT (more often with CREEs) to arrive at their goals.
Ronald Clemence, our Nichia Shaman in Bali has been playing with mixtures of newer E21a and Optisolis Nichia emitters.
A few here have experimented with219b/c combinations.
This thread builds on where they have gone.
Emitter ‘marriage’ is refered to here since it indicates intentional selection for enhancement.
(Use of the words mix, match, blend and combine can have varying connotations.)
Others are welcome to post groupings of emitters from any manufacturer, with the understanding that including a Nichia as reference will enhance comparisons.
_
The following short hand key using Nichia bin nomenclature is used here for these photos.
sw40 I.S. - refers to a 219b 4000k. 92+ Cri Nichia formerly sold by Illumination Supply.
No longer available, its popularity and distribution for an extended period of time made it a reference many can relate too, even without photographic assistance.
sm50X - refers to 219c 5000k. 80+ Cri emitters (sm503, 505, 507), in this case from the first Emisar D4 (version 1) prototypes made available to RMM before general release.
sm40X refers to the 219c 9050 emitter (~sm405) in an Eagtac TX30 thrower appearing only once, as reference in the 16 beam photo.
Unless otherwise mentioned, the rest of the Nichias are from Clemence…
sw45 refers to 219b 4500k. 9080
sw40 refers to 219b 4000k. 9080
sm403 refers to 219c 4000k. 9050
sm353 refers to 219c 3500k. 9050
sm303 refers to 219c 3000k. 9050
sm273 refers to 219c 2700k. 9050
sm4070e refers to 219c 4000k 9050 sextant binned 7 step ‘deviants’
…………selected for being mostly below the ANSI BBL.
swX refers to 2 x sw45 9080, plus 1 x sw40 9080
sw/smX refers to 1 x sw45 9080, 1 x sw40 9080, and 1 sm4070e 9050 all L2 voltage.
smX4 refers to 2 x sm50X and 2 x sm303, all L1 voltage.
smX3.5 refers to 2 x sm403 and 2 x sm303, all L1 voltage.
Rose refers to a mixture of pink and magenta.
Champagne Rose adds a slight yellowish hue to magenta-rose for balance.
Pink lacks the magenta factor (sm4070e).
*Significant changes in tint can result from alterations in the level an emitter is driven.
Gaming here refers to strait line extrapolation while mining the region below the curved BBL.
Endogamy refers to marriages within Family groups, in this specific case to maintain and enhance features such as tint.
(Use of the words mix, match, blend and combine can have other connotations.)
Images were not adjusted, manipulated, or enhanced by me.
Daylight balance was used with a Lumia 950 cell phone camera.
Wall and table top were ‘high noon’ cold daylight white, similar to calcium carbonate whitewash or titanium dioxide pigment.
Batteries were fully charged, beam distance no longer than arm length.
Emitters were selected and combined in parallel, respecting forward voltage rank (L1 & L2).
TIR optics in the MecArmy PT triples and Emisar D4 Quads eliminate the ‘reflector factor’.
Varying outputs associated with specific MecArmy levels were used, showing from Low (5 - 10 lumens) to Turbo (800 - 1000 lumens).
The PT triple displayed current ripple at times, but never visible to my eyes. It identifies the sm403 or the sm4070e substituting it after an emitter swap.
Summary.
The smX3.5 appears similar to the sm353, arguably exhibiting more rose/pink.
The benefits of gaming are more pronounced with the smX4.
(The higher lumen flux of the 5000k. emitter might boost the CCT average higher than 4000k.)
In preliminary comparisons, as in the upper right corner of the 16 beam group photo, the D4 with XPL-Hi 3A looked more neutral than the D4 with sm50X 80+ CRI emitters.
Pushed hard, the Nichia blossoms more rose.
Adding sm303 emitters, the change is radical.
Especially the Nichia 219c sm503 and sm403 are commonly found above the locus.
The sm303 added significant red to the sm50X 80+ Cri emitters.
(As with the sm403, the ‘hard to find’ sm453 likes its three step ellipse above the BBL.)
The sm303 being the lowest common CCT available 219c with L1 voltage, it could be a good candidate for IOS (Noctigon & Emisar) to include as an endogamic marriage option with its higher CCT (L1 voltage) emitters.
I could not discern any additional aberrations, rainbows, or negative effects in the beam beyond those found in the original symmetrical ‘petal effect’ MCPCB used before Hank and Richard began offering more modern asymmetrical designs.
I used Richard’s new board for the smX3.5 light, the beam profile was better, but still inferior to the beam pattern from the ‘larger than Carclo’ PT triple series TIR optic. The MecArmy board is disappointingly thin aluminum with symmetrical arrangement, but produces a good beam with its wider optic.
Either Hank or Richard might be able to confirm long term compatibility of the gamed emitters.
A Meteor with smX4 emitters could pump sales of the Noctigon icon, but before loading a Meteor with sw or sm ‘X’ configurations, my plans are to long-term test durability, compatibilities and color contrast.
IOS is certainly positioned to ‘lead the charge’ gaming 219c emitters, along with the new Nichia E21A 9080 offerings.
Clemence is currently cutting leading edges, and exploring unknown territories gaming new Nichias. Hopefully with continued help from Maukka this thread will grow long legs.
Somebody might try a sm573/sm273 combination, since both are L2 voltage bins.
Rainbow patterns could be an issue with the greater CCT spread. The sm573 appears to have less red, and the resultant CCT average would perhaps be similar to the smX4.
A final suggestion would be for those interested in my photos to archive them for safekeeping in case the image host alters its business model. Feel free to repost anywhere you like, no credit or recognition is required on my part, though BLF might be considered as source and/or reference.
