I recently picked up a Nitecore SENS CR, mainly because I have an AW ICR 123 without a host (any excuse right?). Cool little light but the beam was terrible. A little to cool for my taste now that I’m becoming a tint snob but I could live with that. The real problem was the spot was way off center, strange for a TIR but you could see the XP-G was not centered.
I got the head apart (not very hard even though it was glued) and tried to get it straightened out but no use. The TIR sits in a clear optic holder which has two locating pins that fit through the mcpcb and into the pill. That was all fine, the problem was the XP-G was off center on the mcpcb.
I thought about just heating up the mcpcb and centering the LED but why not kill two birds with one stone?
I ordered an XP-G2 3D from I/S thinking I’d get it centered and warm the light up a bit.
Well I reflowed two LEDs tonight, one successful and the other not so good. I de-domed the XP-G2, damn those things are small! Put it all together anyway and while it still works for about 15 seconds at a time the color is terrible. I will say it’s well centered.
So, I’m about to re-order for this light and started thinking maybe a nice Nichia would be a better choice.
My question is do you think a Nichia 219 would survive in this light with a LiIon? I believe I measured 2.2a at the tailcap (well not tailcap but I measured off the - end of the battery).
The CR is small with little to no heatsink, I won’t be using it on high very often but don’t want the thing to die the first time I do.
Any thoughts?
Fast forward…Round two tonight.
I received 6 219s and 1 more XP-G2 today and went back to work. Though I kept thinking I would really like the 219 in this light I couldn’t stay away from trying another XP-G2 cause it should be brighter, besides was (operative word there) a 3C.
Took the light apart again and removed the de-domed, ugly blue-green XP-G2 and reflowed the new Cree. After it cooled the OCD corner of my mind took over, it didn’t look quite centered…so I heated and moved it again, perfect! Reinstalled it on the pill and put the light back together.
What! it’s blue on high (2.4a), What again! it’s perfect on medium and low? Well centered and a 3C tint by my eye. Checked it over and over and it’s the same. Whether I start the light in one of the 3 modes or let it ramp when the amperage reaches much over 1.0 (still using the AW LiIon) it goes blue.
I’d like confirmation from those in the know but I think I overheated the LED, sometimes I hate that corner of my mind.
So I was out of Crees, maybe someone was trying to tell me something. I started over with a Nichia. Things went well this time though the guy in the corner with the pointy hat thought it could be better centered.
The SENS CR now has that 219 tint, it’s floody little pocket rocket.
What surprised me is how well the CR now works with the LiIon battery, (“banned” according to Nitecore). Where the light wouldn’t ramp properly with the original XP-G and AW, it works perfectly now. Original XP-G and AW showed around 2.4a measured at the - end of the battery. Now with the Nichia, it’s about 1.27a on high and 0.3a on low. Acceptable currents for the 219 if I’m not mistaken. I think I’m starting to understand Vf.
I am still concerned about how the driver will deal with the input voltage of LiIon, I guess I’ll find out if it’s an issue.
It still has the inherant heat issues of such a small light but I won’t use it on high for any length of time.
I think I’m really gonna like this light now!