2024-03-06
Recently, new LEDs with interesting configurations have been appearing again and again. These are usually LEDs with a familiar design, sometimes called ‘the egg-yolk’ due to its yellow/orange LES in the middle of white silicone. The W5050SQ3 is one such candidate. There have been reports that a manufacturer called lamens “Lumenpioneer” (often abbreviated to LMP) is behind many of these LEDs with a round illuminated surface.
The warm white version tested here is advertised with a color rendering value of 70, but could therefore be quite efficient and thus offer a high luminance and a lot of throw. Until now, warm white LEDs have offered very little in this respect due to their high color rendering or low basic efficiency.
The LED tested here was purchased from Convoy on Aliexpress in November 2023.
It was provided to me by german flashlight forum user @Palladin, many thanks for that!
Tj --- °C, If --- mA
- Type: single die, lateral
- Bin: —
- Color group: 3000 K
- CRI: 70
- Rated voltage: 3 V
- Max. Forward current: 5,000 mA
- Max. Peak current: — mA
- Viewing angle: — °
- Thermal resistance: — K/W
- Max. Temperature Tj: max. —°C
Attention: An official data sheet and further information are not available for this emitter. Only rudimentary information can be found in the Convoy store on Aliexpress. Official information can therefore not be provided during the test.
The design of the W5050SQ3 corresponds to other LEDs of a similar type (FFL505A, “Yinding 5050 egg-yolk”). The round illuminated surface is surrounded by a white silicone layer. As with the FFL505A, the white silicone is quite brittle, which requires careful handling. In particular, the W5050SQ3 should never be gripped by the white silicone, but only by the dark gray substrate.
In contrast to the FFL505A, the four bonding wires are more visible underneath the silicone. The use of four wires should reduce the forward voltage (Vf).
The W5050SQ3 is 4.95 x 4.95 mm in size.
The footprint offers no surprises. Thanks to the XM or 5050 footprint used, it is compatible with accessories for this format and can therefore be retrofitted in many lamps. Thanks to the symmetrical housing, centering aids manufactured on a lathe can also be used, and the central thermal pad is electrically insulated so that the use of DTP boards is not a problem.
The segmentation of the LED chip is easier to see here. This is not visible on the FFL505A due to the thicker phosphor layer. The white silicone is sharply defined towards the illuminated area, which should prevent unsightly artifacts in the light image.
The luminous area is 2.3 mm² in size. At low current, the structuring of the LED chip is visible in the form of small dots, which indicates a significantly thinner layer of phosphor. This makes sense as the W5050SQ3 tested here is an LED with a low color rendering index of 70 despite the warm CCT of around 3000 K.
Within official parameters, as far as known:
- at 5,000 mA (official maximum current): 1239 lm @ 3.40 V
- Power at official maximum: 17.0 W
- Efficiency at 5,000 mA: 72.8 lm/W
- Maximum reached at 8.6 A, at this point 1566 lm @ 3.73 V
- Power at maximum 32.1 W
- Efficiency at maximum 48.9 lm/W
Due to a lack of official power information, the maximum values considered here were based on the data from the Convoy store on Aliexpress (peak current 5.0 A). It is therefore not possible to guarantee the accuracy of this information, particularly because the power deviates upwards by 2 W at the specified maximum current in my measurement.
Due to the low Vf and the relatively high luminous flux (over 50 % higher than the FFL505A, which otherwise has very similar performance parameters), a high luminance is to be expected. The efficiency is quite high, particularly due to the low color rendering of 70. Operation in direct drive (connection directly to a battery) is not recommended due to the Vf, but a fairly high output is possible with FET-based drivers.
The efficiency of the 519A in 5000 K and R9080 corresponds to that of the W5050SQ3. The smaller footprint of the 519A comes into play here, the heat dissipation area is smaller and limits the maximum output. As usual, the 519A offers a very low Vf, which is even lower as the current increases. There is hardly any difference between the FFL505A and the W5050SQ3 apart from the luminous flux. It is likely that the W5050SQ3 and FFL505A come from the same manufacturer (Lumenpioneer?), as the similarity in design and characteristics suggests.
The SFT-40 is only listed as a reference. Due to the XM footprint and the rather large chip, the efficiency is higher. Despite a nominal CRI of 95 and 3000 K, the luminous flux is higher than that of the W5050SQ3. However, this is not surprising as LEDs with smaller luminous surfaces generally have a lower efficiency at high currents. The main advantage of these LEDs is their high luminance even at low currents.
Data for 25 °C Tsp (at 85 °C the luminance values are around 13 % lower).
The luminance is quite high. It far exceeds that of the old XP-L HI and the FFL505A, even surpassing the very cool white “Yinding 95 CRI”. The SFT-40 has a lower luminance due to its large chip, but its higher luminous flux makes it a good choice, especially for lamps with a very high current.
The beam is perfect (shown in ímage: JAX Mini C8 / JAXMAN M8 with OP reflector). There are no artifacts due to the round LES and the lack of sideways emitting light. Rings can occur depending on the reflector used and the quality of the surface and calculation. These no longer occur in OP reflectors anyway and the transition from spot to spill (corona) is free from tintshift that can occur with some LEDs such as XHP70.2 or XP-G4.
When aspherical lenses are used (as often installed in zoom lamps), a circular spot is emitted, which also looks very good on the whitewall and is more reminiscent of LEP than LEDs.
Spectrum measured at 350 mA on a constant current source.
The W5050SQ3 tested here is warm white. There is no annoying tint shift. The duv is slightly above 0, but this is not a problem in everyday use or even on the whitewall. However, the low color rendering index of 70 is clearly visible. Brown color tones appear rather greenish, fine nuances are no longer perceptible. Nevertheless, this does not play a major role outdoors, particularly in this color temperature range, especially when this LED is installed in projectors, where colors and details can only be perceived to a limited extent in the distance anyway. The color saturation is not too pronounced with an Rg of 98 - this can certainly occur with warm white LEDs, especially with high color rendering values.
As the current increases, the color temperature rises and the tint shifts slightly into the reddish range (‘going rosy’). From 5 to 6 amps in particular, the light has a very pleasant effect and is suitable for general lighting tasks in flashlights without any problems.
- Ra: 71
- R9: -20
- CCT: 3208 K
- duv: 0.0015
The W5050SQ3 is similar in design and characteristics to the previously tested FFL505A. The only differences are in the efficiency (luminous flux) and the Vf, although these deviations may simply represent series variation.
The color rendering is low, but the tint is pleasant and the efficiency is very high for a warm white LED, which results in a high luminance and makes this LED particularly suitable for use in projectors. The excellent light image in reflectors and zoom lenses also contributes to this.
Less good is the lack of a data sheet and general information such as the manufacturer. It is also only available in China or from Chinese dealers. If this is not a problem and warm white is the main criterion, it is a good LED for throwers.
Pro
- high efficiency
- high luminance
- perfect beam
- standard footprint, full compatibility
Neutral
- low CRI
Contra
- no reliable information on the LED publicly available (as of March 2024)
- only available in China or from Chinese sellers
Thank you for reading the test. 
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