Help, building a pocket convoy M1 xp-g2 thrower

Hi, so i decided to make my own convoy, since i want either xp-g2, or xm-l2, and both of these are not available preassembled, i have a couple questions thought.

i want to build two lights, a convoy s2, and a m1.

Is everything in these compatible? is it possible to use a xp-g2 in a xml reflector? will it yield better throw?

M1 - the thrower
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1618/10002463/1277400-convoy-m1-diy-edc-led-flashlight-host
http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10001905/1311504-cree-xpgbwt-xp-g2-r5-1a-472-lumen-6500-7000k-led-e
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1612/10001683/1122302-8-amc7135-4-group-25-modes-led-flashlight-driver-c

S2 - pocket rocket
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1618/10002463/1277401-convoy-s2-diy-edc-led-flashlight-host
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1609/10003889/1425004-cree-xm-l2-t6-3b-10w-1100lm-5000-5200k-neutral
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1612/10001683/1186301-8-amc7135-2-group-25-modes-led-flashlight-driver-n

Would one of these fit?
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1612/10003372/1278501-v10-2745v-xml-t6-4-group-134-mode-1100-ramping-le
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1612/10003372/1303000-v10-2745v-4-group-134-mode-1100-ramping-led-drive

do i need anything else? I have a solder iron, screw driver, and thermal paste for a pc

thanks in advance, will post reviews of the finished lights if you want!

I believe those last two drivers in your last don't put out their rated current. You may be better sticking to the 105C Nanjg.

I too was thinking of building an XP-G2 in a Convoy M1. I think you should go for an XP-G2 on copper though from Int'l Outdoor Store. They also have XM-L2's on copper.

-Garry

and will the xp-g2 work fine with a xml reflector?

fasttech says the driver puts out 4.5amps, and is 0-100 rampable

BTW - edited my post above.

-Garry

Ah, see this thread on the V10+ drivers not giving full current.

-Garry

If you go over 3A with the XP-G2 it's more a waste of energy.

I wouldn’t bother going much over 2A with the S2 as it’s a pretty tiny host and warms up fast even at 2A. It does make for a lovely little light though and I’m very happy with mine, although mine has an XM-L2 and a 10deg TIR. An XP-G2 should throw a little better than an XM-L2 in the supplied reflector although it’s still not going to be a huge thrower.

Unless it's on copper (match's graph):

-Garry

Ah yes, I forgot to mention that part - don't expect the M1 to be a "great" thrower. You'll want a larger diameter reflector for a thrower.

As far as XP-G in an XM-L reflector - I think it'll work fine, though I think I remember someone saying it works better in an XR-E reflector (?). Someone else would have to chime in.

-Garry

not quite true, get a copper mounted xp-g2 and you can push much more than 3a through it, I would personally get both a copper mounted xp-g2 and qlite driver from intloutdoor, you’ll then have both a very good high and a wicked low to play with making the light extremely versatile, I use a similar set up myself.

I’m also pushing 5a through a couple of xp-g2’s and I certainly don’t consider that a waste, they are in convoy l2’s though so much more mass to dissipate the heat.

XP-G2, de-domed and mounted on Noctigion + Qlite drover. Done!

Only if you are lucky will you see close to 3A with a single cell and a de-domed XP-G2.

where did you get the TIR? what kind of driver are you using? what is the throw like on that?

feed it on Panasonic pd’s and it’ll get close, I think this will make a real nice build myself.

here you go

TIR is a 10deg from LED-DNA, although I’m pretty sure that the 10deg XM-L optics offered all over the place are the same ones.

Driver is a 2.1A lupodrv programmed Nanjg from DrJones on here. His new version (lucidrv?) is even better by all accounts.

Throw is ok and good enough for my needs. You certainly won’t get as good throw with that size TIR compared to a smooth reflector, but I far prefer the beam pattern for closer in use. I use the same optics in a couple of my bike lights too and they’re perfect for the type of riding I do.

  • agree with what others said an M1 is in no way shape or form a thrower - better off with the Convoy C8 host, upgrade the reflector to SMO, still small light and not a true big reflector thrower, but can throw decently
  • For the S2, better off with an XM-L2 U2 1A or 1C pre-mounted on a 16mm Noctigon from IOS - cheap, brighter

RaceR86 - have you seen those XP-G2 de-domed high amp issues in single cell builds too? Drove me crazy in a T20... Seemed to drop amps after de-doming... weird.

Yupp, I think you were onto something in the thread you mentioned it.. I do wonder if Vf gets slightly higher..

I don't think this is random:

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/20591?page=1#comment-449349

I had an average of close to 3 amps in the modded Supfire M6 with domed XP-G2s. After de-doming 2 of them, less than 2,6 average. Not the same emitters, but they were XP-G2s.. The driver was resistor modded to do 3,5A+ to XM-Ls....

i decided to just get this, and test out xm-l2 and xp-g2 in the future (should be quite simple)

http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10002364/1272100-convoy-c8-cree-xm-l-t6-3c-2-group-35-mode-led-flas

Those ramping drivers from FT aren’t very good, and the ramping sucks.

Convoy M1 with XP-G2 isn’t very throwy. I have one with XP-G2 S2 at 1,9A, warms up pretty quickly but Nitecore SRT7 outthrows it easily. Hotspot is quite intense but also quite big (Nitecore EC2 XP-G2 has smaller one), there’s small corona around it which is almost as bright as hotspot itself. I’m also pretty disappointed with 2B tint, it’s slightly pinkish and because of that it appears to be pretty cool, cooler than CW in EC2 and almost as cool as Solarstorm SC01 XM-L2 CW from Fasttech.

Phantom, it sounds like your emitter may be a bit high up in the reflector. Is the top of the emitter just a tad under or in line with the imaginary surface of the reflector parabola?