I am looking for a pair of lights, one to keep (run off 18650) and one to give away (with a pack of cr123a’s). Here is what I need in the I would like about 400 lumens, a nice hot spot, and max battery life. I really don’t understand the drivers and the effects of lumens/batterys but I am still reading the wiki.
-Robert
The more the the 7135, the more it’s bright on high. Each 7135 use 350mA so 8*7135 make 2 800mA, around 700 lumens on high with a lot a heat.
So what you seek is 4 or 5 7135 (but I would recommend to take a 2.8A drivers and use it on medium or low).
But that linear driver (Nangj 105c) range from 3V to 4.5V so it’s not suitable for 2 CR123a (that will give 6V).
You can try to put a driver that accept 6V input like LD-29 driver but they don’t come in convoy lights, you have to swap it yourself.
As you are in the US there is http://www.mtnelectronics.com/ that can do flashlight that suit your needs but the only LDCH driver they have is LD-2C that is 20mm diameter and don’t fit in a convoy.
And the difference between smooth (SMO) and orange peel (OP) reflector. The OP will give a nicer corona (the transition between the hotspot and the spill) but SMO is what to get for a thrower. So get OP for any S (2-8) and SMO for the C8.
That really helps, it quite nicely explained what the 7135 is. So what I should look for is a light with draw between 1400mah and 1750mah.
Have you checked out p60 lights? They have a variety of dropins available that suit your needs. If you’re looking for a convoy c8 you may have some trouble finding any that run 6volts.
What will the lights be used for? How long do you need them to run? What’s your budget?
Remember batteries and a charger is probably going to run you 30$ or so, for the 18650 setup. You want to have safe and quality power.
Edit: bikenbers suggestion would work
I already own a Thrunite tn12, but the runtime kinda sucks and it won’t take cr123a in an emergency . My budget is about $15-$30 for each light. As to what they will be used for mainly guiding traffic at my night job. Tonight he wanted to use my nice new Olight S10 L2 but its on my keys so that was not going to work. I just thought it would be a good excuse for a new light. Maybe this was a bad idea…
http://www.solarforceflashlight-sales.com/index.php
Take a look on there. You can get an l2m host and solarforce dropins which aren’t driven high but will give you lumens and runtime required. There is even wands in the accessories/lens replacement category. L2m can be made to accept 1 cr123 or an 18650 and you can choose from various dropins rated from .8v to 9v. An l2m is 10~$ and dropins are 10-15. It’s like addictive Lego for flashaholics.
Hey that looks really good, is it hard to add a drop in? I will have to look at this more when I wake up. I have never modded anything before, looks like it is time to join the club.
It’s very easy to switch dropins. Or you can make your own. Take a long look over the site and ask in here before you buy anything. That site will sometimes have lower prices if you buy things separately or sale prices etc.
This drop-in will handle the voltage. Mark is an awesome US based seller!
- Working voltage: 2.7V--8.5V DC
- Battery Types Supported: 1 x 18650 or 2 X CR123A
- Runtime: High output at 1.5A: 460 lumens max for 230 minutes.
http://www.md-lightsource.com/Crelant-6P-L2-XM-L2-460-Lumens-drop-in-for-P60-style-host-6P-L2.htm
Just remember on a dropin to help the dropin wick the heat away from the pill it's best to wrap it with aluminum foil
Thermal Test Wrap Materials and Resulting Junction Temperature <- test here
Best performance and ease for the "budget flashlight" is aluminum foil (you can get copper foil but it's more expensive)
I noticed my simple "beginners" test of a UltraFire 502B host and a 10W XM-L dropin the head was VERY hot before I wrapped in foil, after the entire body got mildly warm, it helps alot if the heat can transfer from the pill to the body
Go for one of these. I do like the Convoy lights but this ultrafire is actually built a lot better than most of the other ultrafire labeled lights. It has ramping brightness so you can control the exact level you want. It takes 18650 or 2xcr123. I have a few and have had zero issues. It is the exact same light as the crelant 7g3cs. Just different laser etched logo. The oem manufacture is Maxtoch.
http://www.fasttech.com/product/1288200-ultrafire-c20-cree-xm-l-t6-4-mode-600-lumen-waterp
Ultrafire C20