I saw that new version of the L6.
I have access to a CNC mill but I don’t have a lathe. Does anyone have CAD models for the L6?
What about stuffing a single Cree CXB3590 in there? I suspect it would over heat it really fast at full output but it sure would make for one hell of a “mule”. 
FWIW, the last flashlight I modded was an emitter swap in a Surefire U2 Ultra. So, it’s been a while.
It’s 36v, so hard to power in a 2 x 26650 host. Matt over at Adventure Sport Flashlights put one in a BLF GT.
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I forgot it was such a high voltage. Looks like it’s too much boost for 2s. If I could do 3s, it would probably work. I couldn’t hit full output on the LED but even at just 50W, that COB would still be putting out nearly 10k lumens.
I happen to have some 10 extension tubes Mitko sent me… so going 3 or even 4 series is doable if you want to try…
How long would 3s make the L2/L6? I got my CXB3590 in the mail the other day and started playing with it. It is a just ridiculously bright LED even at just ~60. It also generates a lot more heat than I expected but I also foolishly thought LEDs were more efficient than 20-25.
Leds aren’t very efficient, but they are still way better than incandescent bulbs which are only about 2-5% efficient.
Yeah, a 10x increase in efficiency over incandescent is a nice improvement.
Best part about knowing the 20-25% figure is that I can do some thermal modeling of flashlight assemblies to see what does and doesn’t work.
Keeping in mind that the LED is designed for FAR lower current than we give them, they ARE efficient within that design parameter. And then we push them to levels 2x higher than their rated max and sometimes more…
Does anyone have a dimensioned drawing or similar for the L2? I picked one up since they’re on sale and I’m thinking about stuffing quad 18v CXB1512 inside. Since they’re 150lm/w when over driven and 200lm/w at lower drive currents my hope is that it can do some stupid level brightness without overheating… assuming I can find a driver.
One of the many projects I didn’t get to. I think I even have a Mountain Electronics (4s) 2.5amp buck driver around here somewhere. Might sell it if you are interested. The cold and dark nights have got me picking up some of these things again. And the unquenchable need for more lumens. There is no spring/brass button on the driver side and there is a 19.3 mm deep cavity. These cells are smaller than many out there. Protected cells might be a good thing and these protected Orbtronic cells might be the right size at 68.8mm to fill the space. Also, need to think about spring sizes. No experience with these cells. The 3s is 12 1/4” long with a 14.9mm deep cavity.
I was really more interested in the head end since I will probably need to add a spacer inside the head.
Essentially, my plan is to make a 26650 powered “E07” and use the big head to use more LEDs or COB (s) to hit the same ~7000-8000 lumens output but at higher efficiency and with more thermal mass. The massive drawback I’m seeing with COBs is their high drive voltage requirement though 3s or possibly running 26350s or another more “C” cell shaped cell could possibly solve that problem.
Late last night I actually found the Cree JR5050 series of leds and they look better than just about any other option for efficiency and lumen density. The Samsung LH351s are also really good if you don’t overdrive them. The Cree JR5050 seem to be a bit hard to actually get your hands on though and I think they would require a custom MCPCB. To maximize the packing of the LH351s would also require a custom MCPCB or a ton of Sinkpad 1926. I’ll likely go the LH351 route simply because of parts availability and optics availability.
Can the L6 2 cell tube be combined with one of the L2 1 cell tubes? Can you “Lego” with these? Somehow I had missed that the L6 has a bigger head than the L2. I may have to get my hands on an L6 as well and then build two lights. One that’s 3s and uses a COB and the other on 1s with a pile of LH351s.
Yes, you can combine the 2-cell L6 tube and the short L2 tube.
The JR5050 has 2 solder pads, one cathode and one anode. I do recall seeing an MCPCB like that but don’t remember whose LED it’s for…
The L6 tailcap has more room for a bigger switch. As you can see in the picture there are two different styles that may or may not still be available.
Allegedly, the L6 head is 67mm inside.
I wonder if a LEDiL Sandra would fit.
https://www.ledil.com/product-card/?product=C13405_SANDRA-12-M
12x SPHWHTL3DA0CF4RTW6 seems like a good idea to me.
And you get the copper Direct Thermal Path 12 emitter MCPCB to match this optic… where?
Need quite a spacer to adapt the height difference as well… the L6 has a deep reflector so there is a LOT of space in that head!
MCPCB? Kerui? I’m sure SOMEONE does short runs of these things.
A spacer is just a machining problem which… shouldn’t be a problem.
Well, sorta. Even in aluminum the light would get quite heavy filling the gap under this short Optic…. so there’s a little more to it than the simple machining problem. And then there’s the driver. And the wires. And…
I’m actually trying to find a source for a vapor chamber but on the other hand, I don’t plan to overdrive my LEDs. I thought I had found a source but I think it may actually just be a slug of copper and not a vapor chamber.
I’ll do some thermal modeling to see how much heat that head can actually reject and then go from there. Either way, this project will take time since it seems no one can provide me a drawing of the head and I still don’t have one in hand.
http://www.sinkpad.com/inner-product.php?id=37
They have them… whether you can buy one - without having to order a couple thousand - is another story.