It is most likely a XM-L2 U2 - 1A,
rather than a XML U2 - 1B, as this is what Convoy is currently making.
The XM-L2 is purported to give 20% more lumens than the XML.
The 1B - 1A thing, is the “tint” binning.
The 940 lumens listed for your light is not correct, in fact, that would be ‘somewhat’ optimistic for the 2800mAh model - Id expect more like 600 lumens, and even that may be pushing if we are talking OTF (out the front).
Any way you look at it though - That thing is Bright:-)
Hi Conan,since you mentioned that the 2.1 amp driver is perhaps too much,and that you have done vaping mods, so know how to solder,a little knowledge of what is going on inside would be good. this is a driver similar to your’s,but with only 3 7135 constant current chips instead of your 6.Each 7135 gives 350mA(some are 380mA),they are wired in parallel and addition the current.The middle of the 3 legs is negative as is the single pad opposite.To reduce the power on max to 1.4A,you unsolder 2 of the 7135’s(you probably have 4 on one side and 2 on the other.)
The 8 legged chip is the Atiny micro processor to control modes.It does it by pulse width modulation(PWM),switching the 7135’s on and off very fast(kHz) , so high is 100% on , med is 30% on 70% off,lo is 5%….The percentage,hence mode spacing ,stays the same regardless of the number of 7135 chips added or removed.
A year ago,I would have told you that the Atiny chip has its modes and that’s it.Today,people here are reprogramming that chip to set their own modes!
This is all just background information,enjoy the standard S2+ as it is(for the moment )
I did gather with it being a chinese torch they might be optimistic, that clarifies it. Main thing is it is one of the brightest torches I have seen/owned, and that pleases me wether it is 600 or the claimed 940LM. Do you know what it throws out on medium?
As that is just about right in the pitch black for seeing into the distance and lighting things up, and yesterday I got 3 and a half hours runtime on half ( Which I REALLY don’t understand, as this should not be possible with the batteries I use.
They are only 2500MAH, but original Smasung 25R’s and can handle much more wattage pull than a flashlight, I am thinking maybe where it was hardly stressing the battery could be the answer? I am going to run it again tonight with a Different 25’R, as that may well be a good one and actually have a higher MAH than advertised, I number my batteries so I know where they are from and if they go wrong who to contact, (a small sticker with a number on the side of the battery, and then write down in a pad the numbers which shop it came from, might be an idea for some of you to use? I find it handy to know where I got them from, and which batch/date I got it)
Hi billy, thanks for your tips/info. Ahh thats quite cool, my regulated mod uses PWM to vape with to control the voltage and wattage to what I want it to be.
Yes, after getting angry I had been mugged off thinking I had a 700MAH torch and ordering the 2100MAH torch in black this time but from fast tech instead of gear best, I unsoldered it and realised that part came out. On the other side were 4 more chips, so I feel like a bit of a mug now lol. But I am going to use one for modding, so thats a bonus :).
I am not sure exactly what mods I could do, but anything technical interests me, thats one of the reasons I vape( I don’t use nicotine, I make my own E-juice and add my own flavour concentrates, and even make my own coils to different Ohm ratings depending on what I fancy, and only use the finest unbleached cotton as my wicks, so no carcinogens as I don’t use nicotine, and its a bit technical so I like it, and the flavour and building a RDA is fun( The RDA I currently use might as well be a fog machine, it has so much airflow and if I run enough watts through it and heat, its insane)
So, anyone with some simple mods I can start with, would be great :).
EDIT: Hang on, people reprogramme these chips? Ahhh I am great with hardware, but software is not my forte as I have been using a mac for 5 years, so the last windows I used myself was XP.
If you are interested in the modding your flashlight, I think the next thing you should look into is replacing the driver with a LD2. If you are concerned with efficiency, this driver is for you. It is MUCH more efficient in the lower modes…while having near DD performance on high. It’s a pretty easy mod to do…just need a soldering iron and solder.
You may also want to replace the aluminum star with a Noctigon copper star. Reflowing a LED on to Noctigon is a bit more tricky, but you also just buy them pre-mounted .
Driver replacement sounds interesting, does that mean a longer battery life in the mid modes?
And complete newbie question here, but what benefit do I get by placing the LED onto a Noctigon copper star VS aluminium? Is that a more efficient material to deliver the power from drivers to the LED?
As a point of interest on run times for your 7135*6 Convoy (from Simon’s page):
As was pointed out to me here on BLF, this is a guideline and actual performance may be around 90% of the above due to loss in efficiency that all electronic devices suffer. Thought it may be of interest. I have a *3, 4, 6 and 8 Convoy S2+. I really like them all but EDC the *3 as I want maximum runtime on an EDC light. The *3 is approximately twice that of the *6.
I have to point out there is no "loss in efficiency" that affects runtime when we are calculating runtime based on battery current(as in amperes, A) and capacity (as in ampere-hours, Ah). Any losses exist outside of this equation. Inconsistencies in the outcome of these calculations are mostly caused by inaccurate initial values and simplifications.
variation between individual cells
actual driver current draw not exactly matching the driver specification or any other assumption
measured tail cap current not matching the current through tail cap and switch
variation in final cell charge voltage
using a nominal capacity rating or a measured capacity not matching the discharge rate
cut-off voltage or the point of lowest discharge
Examples of variables that are not at play here:
driver efficiency
emitter wire losses
any properties of the LED itself
What I'm stating only applies to true linear regulated drive(even if many parts of this apply to any buck driven light etc, it's just more complicated). This is also before we account for the fact that such a circuit will function in a non-current-regulating mode for a good while towards the end of our total runtime. The regulated runtime will typically be shorter than capacity-calculated runtime, and total runtime will longer.
None of this has to do with electrical losses or efficiency per se. These calculations will be inaccurate even when using a hypothetical cell that has identical capacity at any discharge rate. There are electrical losses in every component, but they have no effect on the runtime-capacity-current calculation in a linear regulated (and hard switched to be accurate) flashlight.
It's a good design practice to assume 90% or even 70% factors when making a design calculation and considering whether the final device will be adequate, but it's unrelated to this issue.
This is all about the Kirchhoff laws. Voltage losses are not current losses and do not cause current losses. Current losses do not exist.
I was having difficulty deciding how many chips I wanted in a few Convoy M2 I bought last year. My concern was heat, so I went for 7135*6. After some reading here and suggestions by some members I decided to go for a maximum current (7135*8) for S2+. I use light on medium or low most of the time which suits my needs perfectly and I still have high for a short time if I need it.
I think it all comes to your actual usage and preferences.
Good thing there’s many configurations to choose from
It finally turned up. My replacement S2+ In black 2100MAH. The mid mode seems brighter than the old one, I know the old one may of only put out 30% as a 2500MAH lasted 3 and a half hours before low battery blinking.
I think this one may run at 40% or even 50, it is much more useable one mid (not that the old one wasn;t bright, just this one is. Same config as the old one I guess, 2 chips I can see and 4 underneath, but I am not checking to make sure this time lol)
Its bright, does what I want, and I even got an attachment for my bicycle. I will have to remember to dip it and point slightly left, don’t want to dazzle any other drivers, give them another reason to hate cyclists lol.
I forgot to add, even if I don’t do anything with the other body, once the black one is battered, I can just swap the pill and have a new looking torch :).
You might try completely disassembling the broken one (remove all O-rings as well), cleaning with soap, good rinse, and dry. Place all the black anodized parts in the oven and baking it for a while.
would that work even though the two thin wires that power the LED are missing? As I don’t want the family to finally think I lost it cooking parts of a torch instead of dinner for it not to work lol.
When baking anodizing you remove everything except the bare aluminum shell. All parts. O-rings, lens, reflector, led, driver, pill, switch, switch retaining ring. Also clean up any thermal paste left under the led (if the light has a integrated pill) and any grease / lubricant on the threads or o-ring groves.
I have the grey violet smoke tinted version… With 2800ma driver… And I have a tn12 2014nw… Although they differ in beam pattern (the Convoy it’s all flood) I must say the Convoy does have just slightly lumen less… I think a hundred or even less.
Regarding the tank 007e09 with Ladda ikea and eneloop AA it’s brighter on max than my 2800ma Convoy on low, and has even a better throw (s2+ being on low)… Also the tint of the tank it’s marvelous… I love that light…
My S2+ has xml2 t6 4C tint which is good if you look at the beam alone… And maybe too warm if you compare to the tank e09… Also being a t6 should put even less output than a u2…but again… It holds decently against the tn12 2014….which is absolutely better in any way but costs 4 times as much…. So…
Or like others have said.....you could just order a driver of your choice with your own custom modes and a new LED and put that host to good use. One is never enough :)
)
TDF next week!