Gotcha. It’s definitely a little brighter in the center, and I used the max lux value for the calculation, which means that actual lumens must be even lower. That seems to suggest that it is indeed a fake LED. I’ll see if I can get a better quality pic anyway.
Good to know I can at least use the flashlight with a new emitter. Thanks once again for all the help and all the suggestions guys
Well, well, well. I’ve been searching for info on that Convoy S2+ and it definitely looks like I wasted my money, LOL. It seems to be plenty floody for my needs and is supposed to go for some $15
I live in Spain tho, and I’m struggling to find it at that price here. It sells for $50 at Amazon! What gives?
The driver has no constant current control and has 5 modes:
High: 1.5A at 4.2V, about 1A at 3.7V
Medium: 750mA at 4.2V, about 500mA at 3.7V (bad PWM, I believe 200Hz)
Low: 375mA at 4.2V, about 250mA at 3.7V (baaaad PWM, I believe 100Hz)
Strobe
S.O.S
That looks like it could be a legitimate Cree emitter vs. one of the LB counterfeits. And yes, LB is already in the business of copying XM-L2 emitters:
In the meantime, I would concur that the host you have isn’t optimum. The S2/S2+ (Convoy series!) would be a nice option. I’m not sure where you are located, Mtn is always a good option, but if shipping isn’t convenient, this is a good option @ $6.87: https://www.fasttech.com/products/1618/10002463/1198400-18650-diy-edc-led-flashlight-host-with-switch-refl
Assuming the quality hasn’t changed since I purchased mine, this is a decent quality build-it-yourself host, with a lot of flexibility.
Add a known-good XM-L2 emitter on a 16mm PCB, and a 17mm driver. The kit includes everything else you need except for the thermal paste.
Mine has this driver installed: https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10001751/1127403-8-amc7135-4-group-25-modes-led-flashlight-driver-c
It’s a generic clone of the Nanjg 105c/Qlite driver, but is cheaper, and inferior in some ways, but lacks memory. I’m using it because it’s a simple no-memory, always-start-on-high driver. Medium and low are far too high (low is a decent medium) and both have visible PWM (not the worst I’ve seen). This is my winter nighttime EDC - with the earlier nights, I want to have the easy access to the full brightness without fumbling through modes and this works.
Well, I don’t have tools for DIY kits I’m afraid. I live in Spain
If only I could find something like the convoy S2 but with 26650 batteries that would be awesome. I’ve been perusing the 26650 forums to no avail.
I guess getting one of this off aliexpress is too risky, right?
Is there no U2-3C variant? Looks like a nice warmish tint with the efficiency of the U2 bin
Or is tint more of a personal preference thing? I read that blueish lights are worse for color contrast
EDIT: I googled it and apparently it’s preferable to pick a slightly dimmer T6-3C
Thanks for the suggestion. I’m googling reviews of this flashlight and the Trustfire A8. Apparently the A8 runs at 1.2A and for a 26650 I could do with a beefier driver.
But at this point I’m considering getting a good flashlight for modding anyway, although that’s going to require a lot more googling, LOL
