Having read this great PC Amber XPE test, I finally put two and two together and realised “PC” was “phospher converted”.
I’m interested in trying some of these colours, especially the red; mostly to know whether the wider bandwidth prevents the ‘creepy’ feeling I get from monochromatic red.
I know I’m late to the party, but I’d like to pick a few colours up to put in smaller lights etc.
The CREE XP-E range only includes PC Amber.
The current ‘easy’ option seems to be Nichia E17a’s, however, the downsode is they’re only rated for 350ma
These awkward shaped LEDs remind me of the Luxeon rebels of yesteryear. CREE claims 9x lumen density of XP-E2, they’ve a thermal pad, and you can drive 3A through them.
My Google skills found the thread on this forum about these LEDs, but nobody seems to have got hold of them yet.
Are there any other sources of PC colour LEDs I should be looking at?
Very intriguing--where did you see this claim? If they mean intensity by "lumen density", I don't believe it at all. 9x the intensity of XP-E2 would handily outperform the Osram white flat, and this emitter would have gone all over flashlight news.
I’ve always assumed lumen density to be how many lumens you get if you cram a bunch of them onto a MPCB together. In my mind, it is a combination of output and % of the chip that emits light.
Shameless bump to ask the collective BLF wisdom if they’ve seen any of these LEDs in the wild yet?
I’m surprised someone like Sofirn doesn’t make a set of something like the C01S, with these emitters, in 8 different colours, anodised to match the LED.
I want to play with mixing these, especially as they have a violet option, but like you i haven’t figured out an MCPCB solution yet.
Back on topic, i don’t know what wavelength of red you use but i find a 620Nm peak seems less eerie than 660Nm.
For night use though i currently use a non-PC Amber XP-E2 through a fairly floody TIR on a very low moonlight mode, i can see far more clearly than with red and it doesnt seem to disrupt my low light vision. (I live rurally with the moon being the only light coming through the windows.)
I assume it gives more contrast than red which is why it’s easier on my eyes, and i assume this is why it is the light i find easiest to read black-on-white paper based text by, but that’s OT.
There may be another option though, i have two C50 LEDs that Kaidomain sell, the Amber and the Lake Blue, and given that i can see from red to cyan with the Amber, and from blue to somewhere in the red spectrum with the Lake Blue (reds appear anywhere from pink to red to brown :D), i think these are phosphor converted, which may mean that the red C50 may also be phosphor converted.
The 5050 footprint might be tricky for smaller lights though.
I also have a Golden Yellow G35 LED from Kaidomain which also seems to be a phosphor converted amber but with a 3535 footprint.
Got a quote from AliExpress seller Shenzen Silver Ingot technology for some copper MCPCB, $103/10 boards which I don’t think is awful but still more than I was hoping to spend.
Great info on the KD LEDs, I’ll check them out.
On AliExpress there are “2016” sized LEDs on boards, the footprint might be similar enough that the XE-G fit - I’m in the middle of a house move so won’t get a chance to test for a number of months.
That’s great info, I wasn’t aware, thanks! Will put some on the list for next purchase
I’ve never ordered custom MCPCBs so don’t have any benchmark, it’s more than I was hoping for. Messing around on PCB websites, they always advertise really low prices, then when you actually look, the costs add up quickly.
I’m aware of the cutter electronics source, it’s Australia based so I’d be liable for import taxes ( $$ ). I wasnt aware of the other so I’ll take a look- thanks!
I feel like you shouldnt have to order a custom mcpcb for these. Like, it’s a high power Cree. Surely somebody is making these stars already, or will be soon, right? Maybe not wildly available yet but surely somebody is making them somewhere I would think. I don’t actually know, I’m just guessing, but it makes sense to me