Hi Simon,
I love my Z1 but I don’t like the metal button. Are there any other Convoy hosts with a rubber button and a tailcap that fits on Z1? I have tried M21C and S12’s tailcaps but neither fit.
I am also interested in a C8+ with Nichia 519A LED. Do you have plans to list that as an option soon?
I have already given up on this, but I am genuinely curious why what I was suggesting was so difficult.
If you run the new driver on a full lithium battery, do you rely on the battery running out to avoid the possibility of the 12V LED or the driver overheating?
Probably not, as far as I know recent drivers by Convoy incorporate automatic step-down based on temperature sensing.
If the driver does incorporate automatic step-down based on temperature, does that not already take care of the “heat and duty cycle” considerations? I never asked for 100% duty cycle at the maximum voltage the LED is rated for.
Now the USB C port is able of up to 2A charging. There are many USB chargers and USB C cables capable of delivering 3A or more over 5V. What will happen if we use such a charger and cable with the new driver. Will it attempt to draw 3A to charge the battery with?
Hopefully not. If the driver is specified as charging at up to 2A, it had better be able to limit how much current it draws, limit it to it’s supposed 2A limit.
Now if we used a crappy wall wart only capable of 1A, the wall wart might indeed die aplomb, but hey, this is simply charging the battery, not running the flashlight without a battery inside. So we better use a 2A rated wall wart (and cable) in any case, to avoid the possible trouble that could arise from simply charging the battery.
We already know the new driver can operate without a battery, just drawing 0.26A at 5V. If, God forbid, the driver did draw 2A instead of 0.26A that would be like 10W of input power. With some power conversion losses within the driver, would less than 10W of power fry the GT-FC40?
Probably not, I remember reading somewhere on this forum a figure of 30W for the GT-FC40.
So then what is so difficult about running the flashlight without a battery inside, just using a 2A rated wall wart and cable, with the flashlight operating to (at most) the maximum power level allowed by a 2A (maximum) 5V power supply (subject to power conversion losses) and subject to the automatic temperature-based step-down the driver most likely already incorporates?
It is not like I asked for a self levitating flashlight driver.
If what I suggested is so genuinely difficult, we surely won the lottery with the M4U flashlight. Serendipitously the M4U is able to run without a battery inside, drawing around 0.76A at 5V (the USB charging on the M4U is rated at 1A maximum).
I know this because I have two M4U flashlights that I exclusively run with no battery inside. So what I asked is possible, and has in fact unintentionally been achieved within the constraints of a (hopefully) economically viable flashlight.
I understand what I asked for would involve a driver redesign which will most likely never happen. I just fail to see how what I asked would bring up all sorts of unaddressed-for considerations and impossible-to-achieve tradeoffs…
Let the man keep developing and producing us awesome flashlights and not desk lamps. Try and imagine all this guys does and has to keep up with.
This plug in lamp driver thing would be towards the very bottom of his list of priorities I’d imagine.
USB is powering a charging circuit, its not just connected in parallel to the battery/driver input, that is where some limitation comes from.
Often USB charging chips do NOT follow the same model as a car alternator, as well. It’s a more complex charge charge profile which attempts to compensate for sag that doesn’t lend itself to simply tapping for power.
It’s just one opinion, but I look to Convoy first because their lights are simple, robust, and serviceable, and I’d be fine if no Convoy lights had onboard charging at all. USB charge circuits are a point of failure and wear, and are difficult to repair.
Does 26800 extension tube fit L8?
No, but L8 is already compatible with and includes a 26800 in the box.
I was thinking if it could be made 2x26500 light with extension tubes and use L6 driver for driving GT-FC40.
Simon can you source Nichia NVSW219F in 1800k
It’s 3V 3535 high pressure sodium alternative
Considering the S21B B35AM and the S21D 4x519A, which one is better in terms of brightness, efficiency, heat and regulation?
The S21D 519A will have much better performance than the S21B B35AM, possibly 35-50% more max and sustained output.
@azirine, I’d say the regulation win goes straight to the B35AM light since it has a fully regulated boost driver and no TIR to deal with. The quad LED setup might be more efficient lumen wise, but that doesn’t really matter if you can’t use your whole battery capacity in my opinion.
As for brightness, the 219D quad will win because more power is being pushed through it and the LEDs themselves are more efficient. It also has a DTP MCPCB, so better heat handling for the LEDs unless you are to use Clemence’s MCPCB.
And for heat, the 219D setup will be physically hotter at the same power level, but that is because of the higher TIM efficiency of the DTP MCPCB. At peak power, it will get hotter because it can push more power through ;p
Sustained brightness is basically a wash.
Thanks, didn’t know the B35AM doesn’t have DTP, seems like the S21D will be a better choice. Hope Simon comes out with thrower optic for the S21D soon!
Also note that the S21a with B35am will probably be a bit thrower than the optic of the S21D. So for some applications you will probably be able to get away with lower output.
How does one open the remote switch? Is it press-fit / tab interlock or is it glued?
I will say that I was worried it would be made from low-quality plastic and it does not appear to be. Props for designing a weapon switch that can actually handle flashlight amperages rather than just looking high-speed.
I take it all back. The electrical path is great. The switch body is not really worth the effort. Some people have probably had success with adhesive attachment of this thing, but I wanted to drill and place screws for a hard mount. Unfortunately, the material in the bottom is thin, the halves are glued, and the plastic tabs are not strong enough to handle cracking the glue without breaking in multiple places. What’s more, I would have wanted to pop it open even if I took the adhesive mount route, because the soldering job didn’t cut close enough to the outer insulation to properly implement strain relief on the switch end of the cable. I would have re-soldered it anyway. It probably shouldn’t be glued. If this was made from a slightly higher-quality glass-reinforced polymer with tabs that didn’t break, it’d be worth double the current asking price.
If your plan is to slap some adhesive velcro to this and attach it to a non-firearm, it’ll be fine for that purpose.
Hi Guys, I see it this way for the S21D compare to the S12 both with 219B sw45k.
Due to the 60deg TIR on the S21D, it is very floody. The S21D looks much dimmer than the S12 probably due to the flood that covers more area for short distance.
Hence for me, I will use the S21D for indoor and the S12 for outdoor.
Also, the S21D generate heat much faster than the S12.
And I have 219B sw45k, (sst20, 219C, LH351D, all 4000K), with the S12. I would say the LH351D on the S12 beam profile best for me as it is evenly distributed.
My understanding is physical 519A is very close to LH351D, probably the beam profile of 519A will be the same or near to LH351D. Looking forward to Simon putting the 519A in the S12.
Having both I can tell you the S21A is significantly throwier than the S21D. The S21D is just pure flood, no hotspot whatsoever and thus relatively short distance. The S21A actually lights up the area you point it at.
I understand, I’m actually very happy the 519A emitters are now available! I already have an S12 219B SW45 and think another 219B in a very similar host to be redundant, but I’m very satisfied now that the 519As are an option for the S21D! Thanks Simon!
How about a multi-emitter light with a side switch? Any plans on doing one of those?
We are entering the category of bicycle lights and electric vehicle lights. :nerd_face: