Driver swap Sipik sk68 clone (advice needed)

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

Hello everyone, I need some advice on this modd, first I need to ask the experts if this looks like a Q5 LED, it was advertised as Q5 single mode Ultrafire 7w, uses either AA or 14500, but it seems diferent from others i’ve seen
Bought here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290782223002?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&\_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Second, I would like to swap the original driver with a 3 mode better driven one, but i dont have a clue on what driver to use to get both AA and 14500 options (because of the voltage range), and the size i presume it is 15mm because the pill is almost 16mm diameter, a bit less.

Advice needed on this!
Cheers

2

3

Their adds says X-RE but I would say it’s more like an X-PE emitter.

Could be a Q5 but there’s no visual way of telling what BIN it is unfortunately.

4

Its a XP-E, could be Q5 but you cant tell the bins by looking at them.

http://flashlightwiki.com/Cree

That can help to identify LED’s.

5

Thanks guys, but is XP-E worse than XR-E?

6

It really depends, but in this case it is slightly worse but not enough that you could notice.

7

Ok, so not a problem then. Regarding finding a better driver, there is no good options yet right?

8

Cree data sheets seem to show the same Min. Luminous Flux for Q5 bins?

Of the 3 clones I’ve gotten, the XPE is the performer (with smaller intense die size on wall and smaller dome on LED).

9

I think it’s not worth a driver swap, go and buy another 3 mode version. Cost about 6$ for the whole light.

10

You do have a point!! :slight_smile:

11

One question…
I have some of this lights and some have a groove mark to unscrew the pill and some are like yours.
How did you unscrew your pill?

12

I think you can notice actually, the beam angle of the XRE is 90 degrees, XPE is 115 degrees, zoomed out the emitters may compare well, but zoomed in much more light of the XPE will be trapped inside the flashlight compared to the XRE. I have no numbers but my guess is at least a 30% difference. That is also one of the reasons why XML leds perform so poor in zoomies.

13

I actually used a small knife (or something sharp) and press it hard anti-clockwise and got it to unscrew (you may notice the marks on the aluminium), but i will make a couple of grooves on the pill to ease unscrewing next time!

14

So this is actually better on throw (zoom in) than XRE LED!! But less flood!

15

Unscrewing “sk68” pill with no holes: Clamp the pills edge and sliding outer zoom ring together (I use my fingers if they are loose enough) and rotate counterclockwise.

16

I am afraid not, if the efficiency bin is the same (e.g. Q5) flood and throw will both be worse than with a XRE, with throw more so than flood. Perhaps on the bright side: all my XPE's have better (less raw cool) tints than my XRE's.

17

The “3-mode” sk68’s don’t really have 3-mode.

More like
High
Med-High
useless Strobe

If these could be modded “cheaply” to a real 3-mode, I could sell a ton of them.

18

i placed a 4-mode driver in one of my SK68s. ( High-Medium-Low-Moolight ) only works with a 14500 though. (the 17mm 105C ) or you can use the 20-mode grouped driver ( 7880 ) which works on AA 1.5 volts only.)

19

Do you have a link or identifying name for the driver? I am very interested in the Moolight mode.

20

Maybe this one?
http://www.lightmalls.com/17mm-3-6v-5a-4-mode-memory-led-circuit-board-with-protection-for-cree-xm-l-cree-xm-l2-ssc-p7-moonlight-mode