Update: Sofirn plans to bring out a new Q8-type light instead of supporting the original light.
This is an interest list of all BLFers wanting Sofirn producing a MCPCB for the Thorfire/Sofirn Q8. The MCPCB shall be populated with 4 x XHP50.2 LEDs at 5000K. Your entry is binding. No variation for now as it might be difficult enough to raise enough interest.
Additional info (please correct me via PM if necessary to keep this list as clean as possible):
For optimal performance, the driver can be modified, if I’m not mistaken, this is not a must. Springs should be bypassed. It is reported FET gets very hot and should be replaced. However, modded lights ran without this mod and thus far no defective drivers were posted. A new FET can increase current.
The light will develop a lot of heat with that LEDs, it is not a muggle light. OTOH, it has quite some thermal mass and some means for thermal regulation (needs to be configured).
When Sofirn sold this board (populated), it was about $22.
You need some tools and a soldering iron.
If not provided by Sofirn, you’ll need 5mm gaskets for the larger LEDs. They’re widely available, but I hope Sofirn will provide them.
LED openings in the reflector need to be enlarged.
New MCPCB needs a center hole (hope Sofirn does it).
Sofirn said 5000K will be available again. That’s all I know for now.
Narsil contains some thermal management code. It ramps up to max and lets the user decide when to step down. I don’t know how well it will work, however.
I have never opened a Q8. To the best of my knowledge, driver and reflector have screws, nothing glued. But that’s hearsay.
Need to ream the reflector to 7 mm dia. and add new gaskets (XPL XM-L footprint; 5050). Also, a new center hole on the MCPCB for the retaining screw. No glue, all screwed.
NarsilM can have the thermal setting quite high - I believe you can disconnect it too (never tried).
Edit; corrected the XPL to XM-L - Thanks Scallywag!
I’m potentially interested, but would be much more so if the MCPCB’s were sold alongside reflectors with enlarged holes. Don’t really want to muck around with that, and the option to return back to a stock config whenever would be nice.
Here’s the official (Q8 modding thread ) It needs a of tweaks to get the best performance. Adding to whats already been said. The driver led wires need to replaced with thicker ones. The tailcap screws need to be replaced with brass screws and the FET needs to be replace. Hopefully someone with more experience can fill in the details.
Didn’t KawiBoy mod one? Anyways, from some Djozz tests, if the 4 emitters were to give 12,000 lumens, that would be “only” 32 amps. But if the conditions are ideal and pushing some 20,000 lumens, some 84 amps are going thru. The tests results for a 6 volt emitter, at 3 volts I doubled the current values (ballpark figures). If the FET can take it, then some other component will be frying. Any little resistance and much heat.
So basically, there would be some mods to push the LEDs to that level. I don’t know about the FET, but the tail spring bypass with some brass screws has usually been done on this light (anyone pushing the envelope). And as for the wires, that shouldn’t be a problem - lots of room in that cavity.
If the FET is the bottleneck, someone would have to chime in and give some before / after outputs.
And coming down to earth, pushing 12,000 lumens isn’t a bad deal for this light. IFAIK KawiBoy got some 16k lumes. I might never find it though (lengthy post).
I’ve done this mod (I was the person who asked Sofirn to make me an MCPCB with 3V XHP50.2s so I think I started the craze ). A few notes:
It turns the light into an absolute weapon. I measured 16,800 lumens with my Maukka-calibrated sphere. This is up from 6440 lumens with the old XP-Ls. Other “performance” mods on my light include bypassed springs, brass driver and tailcap screws, Anduril firmware, AR glass.
Work involved with this mod is as follows:
- Enlarge the holes in the reflector - this is easy with an electric drill and a countersink bit. It’s a metal reflector so unless you’re being really ham-fisted, you won’t break it. And if worse comes to worst you can buy spares anyway.
- Enlarge the central hole in the MCPCB so you can get the bolt through that holds everything together
You will need spacers for the XHP50.2s - I asked Sofirn to include them
Heat-wise, its thermal mass really helps. It takes a while to get painful to hold. Some rough measurements with an IR thermometer on the body:
23c room temp
30c at 30s
32c at 60s
43c at 2.5mins, around 64c internal temp
). A few notes: