I removed all the components from the driver and retested it while wired in direct drive and got 6.8A. I knew there had to be more current available, so I replaced the cheap thin wires going from the board to the LED’s with 20ga silver tinned aircraft wire. Now Im getting 9.2A. I could replace the same cheap long thin wires from the tail to the clicky switch, but then amperage would increase, run time would suffer and the switch would likely overheat and fail.
Pluses:
This is far brighter than my 6.5A SRK, and it is still being tested without reflectors (just bare emitters) at the moment.
Slightly over 1 hour of stable run time before the light dims noticeably… resting cell voltage was 3.76V at that point, so it was probably around 3.3V while being driven at the drop-off.
Mmmmmega high output flood light! :bigsmile:
Excellent heat dissipation and cooling. Thanks to all the surface area, the massive head does its job far better than I had expected. While it does get on the cooler side of hot while sitting static indoors (approx 130 degrees F), a brisk walk-around with it outdoors proved that it exchanges heat much more efficiently.
Nothing melted! The tail section, thin wires going to the switch along with the switch itself, all survived. The aluminum handle warmed slightly over an extended indoor run but nothing drastic. I might replace the long wires to the switch to lower resistance at some point, but then Id need a proper driver to control the additional current.
The handle makes carrying this light very easy and well balanced. The SRK now seems very cumbersome by comparison.
As with all my power lights, they run mostly in high mode because they live outdoors. For me, 1-mode is perfect in a light like this and I dont often miss the lesser modes.
Minuses:
Just the most awful tint Ive ever seen in XML. Its as cold as the cheapo CW XRE’s we used to find in the absolute worst budget lights a few years ago. I didnt realize XML was available in such a horrible tint till now. I reconfirmed that these are XML emitters… still hard to believe how crappy they are.
Extremely poorly designed reflectors. Pure garbage! I removed one and tested it at 3A using another XML light as a host. The output was far dimmer than a 1.6A XML small reflectored light that I was comparing it with. It was so bad that I reconfirmed tail cap readings to make sure.
Deep bezel - will block some light unless a tightly focused reflector is used.
So much effort in thought, machining and finishing went into producing this light. Its right up there with the finest Ive seen in any budget light anywhere. For a minimal amount of additional effort, this light could easily have been a smash hit for a mega-flood light with moderate throw. Instead, its an expensive mega-fail out of the box.
Onward:
At this point, Im fairly happy with the stable direct-drive high current draw and run time before the lumen drop-off.
I will be replacing the reflectors with TIR. To bad a set of Booms wont fit, but some generic snap-on 10 degree TIR’s have received a lot of praise by some friends over at MTBR:
Not bad:
Once the optics have been sorted, I’ll replace the horrible tint XML’s, rethink a driver mod and rewire the switch and tail.
Is it worth it? Hell no! Not when I just bought several SRK’s at $36 each, and they require nothing to make them operate at peak efficiency.
Since someone over at the SRK mod thread found a way to pull 12A from the SRK driver, I might mod and then swap one into the XY-600 and then perform a 7135 driver setup on an SRK… food for thought.
9.2A/6=1.53A per emitter (up from .76 per emitter). Soooo much better! :bigsmile:
2A per emitter with the SRK driver mod… hmm. Those poor 18650’s probably dont need to be pushed any harder… to bad the host isnt 8 x 18650.
Found your post very interesting, but having trouble understanding your mods to this light.
Can you explain the comment about “Direct drive” mode?
Is this a modification to circuit board? or a bypass of it?
(Direct drive to me means taking the circuit board out and wiring direct to batteries.)
In that case, FULL current would pass thru the switch.
Glad to see you found the wire modification, as many other multi-emitter lights come with very thin drive wires and I suspect heavy gauge wire would improve output on them as well.
I did a quick mod of my similar light; the YinHex 5T6 from Wallbuys. It had a lame 10x7135 driver.
I made it a 36x7135 NANJG driver. Now it’s bright! Almost 12A at the tailcap. Switch is fine, so far…
I measured 1800 lumen OTF. I’m not done. I want to get to 15A, probably need a better driver and wires (currently 20 ga) and beefed up traces.
I’m thinking DD through a FET might be better… Let the FET limit the current and still get modes.
I stripped all the components from the driver board and soldered the output connections to the contacts (direct drive). The LED’s get full current, probably limited somewhat by the thin wires running through the switch. Im happy with the +9A total at this time, which draws around 2.25A from each cell.
I might take a similar path at some point in the future. For now, the single mode runs efficiently for over an hour without overheating. Im hoping the optics I ordered make this light useful. The stock reflectors are the most inefficient ones ive ever seen, and with a crappy beam pattern… pure junk!
You think yours was underdriven? The stock Yinhex pushes a whopping 800 lm OTF.
The linear regulation has issues with so many chips. It works, but only with Sanyo cells due to the higher voltage during discharge. Also, I need to do a few more upgrades as I’m pretty sure it’s not regulating for long (much beefier wires for example). I might get this first stage mod posted this weekend, fingers crossed.
The reflectors in this light are smaller but very well polished. The big problem with this light is the bezel and the reflector cover. A lot of light is blocked by these. To give an idea. With the reflector cover, lens, and bezel in place, I got it up to 2250 lm. Take off the bezel and reflector cover (so, reflectors and lens only) and I get 2440 lm. About 200 lm eaten by the cover and thick bezel.
Oh, one more thing; I just happened to have an AR coated lens that fits this YinHex perfectly. I’m glad I ordered two of them That alone gave me about 200 lm.
Relic, did you happen to post a mod thread yet or did I miss that? I saw some details in your give-away thread and it looks like youve built quite a creation. Please tell me that you took a few photos of your multi-nanjg slave/master set-up. Im impressed that the higher discharge voltage of the ZT’s held regulation during your run. GREAT RESULTS!
I have the same observations as you: the bezel and mounting depth of the reflectors in the head capture several lumens. Your reflectors are definitely superior in every way to mine. Ive ordered 10 degree TIR optics that are shorter and slightly larger in diameter than the originals. They will protrude past the reflector captive plate. The idea is that I can lower the plate below the level of the TIR’s. To keep out dust and seal the gap I will use slotted orings and silicon around each TIR base, avoid a lens all together and the optics should throw all the light past the 3/4” of protruding aluminum. A set of boom reflectors wont fit so these seem to be the next best thing. The guys on MTBR say they work with incredible results w XML so my fingers are crossed. Retesting the stock reflectors almost made me take them outside and run them over with my pickup! May god strike down the creator!
BTW, can you please post a link to where you ordered your AR lens?
I just found out the AR lens would have been to small anyway. But Im glad you found one that works for you. I ordered the optics from LEDDNA, which takes forever in shipping. Now I see fasttech is carrying them as well. I ordered stuff from fasttech and leddna the same day and got the fasttech stuff a week ago. Im still waiting on leddna. SHEESH!
I have been reading all SKY RAY XY-600 threads with interest, the build quality and design of this light is very nice when you consider the price but the crappy LED’s, the reflector and performance is a joke.
I am by no means unfamiliar with electrics being an Avionics Aircraft Engineer but I have never modded a light before but if I am to keep this SKY RAY XY-600 I will be forced to. my old SkyRay King is far superior to this?
Any updates, pictures or “how-to-do’s” regarding this light? I am ready to mod it for some serious power output and not too bothered about run-time as long as it lights up like the sun
I would require however a few direct guidelines concerning what to buy and preferably where if possible.
What is the status of this light being modded? anybody got theirs done to a satisfactory state?
Still think it would be nice to keep the 6 LED setup - thicker gauge wire, new drivers and TIR lens’s ?? Any thoughts…?
Im currently waiting on an order from LCK-LED for TIR’s to arrive, but it isnt looking to good. I may have to reorder from fasttech; if the other place doesnt delivers soon. In comparing the head sizes of this light to other similar 5 x XML versions or the SRK, the XY-600 is a great deal larger and should provide a much larger surface area for heat exchange. Relic successfully heavily modified the 5 XML version and it came out really well, but is limited by the heat it produces if ran in high mode. IMO, the SkyRay XY-600 is an excellent quality mod host if you were lucky enough to acquire a good example. Some were reported as having some fairly shoddy work & finish, so I guess I got lucky (mine is nearly flawless).
At the moment, mine puts out a ton of light in direct drive (no driver), but the horrible reflectors ate up at least half of the available lumens. In fact, its brighter with bare emitters than it was with the reflectors mounted. After experimenting with TIR’s and possibly other reflectors, I might upgrade the switch and feed wires to 20 gauge for a few more amps. I have XML2’s on 16mm stars on hand for replacement if necessary, but first I’ll wait to see how the TIR’s impact the tint of the stock emitters. If Im happy with the results, I’ll probably attempt a driver solution similar to the relic masterpiece I linked above.
I’ll update when the 10 degree TIR’s arrive but Im anticipating extremely good results (given what the MTBR guys say about them). IMO, dont be afraid to tear yours apart and experiment. You’d probably be hard pressed to create something worse than how it came delivered.
Thanks a million FlashPilot for the update, My example of the SKY RAY XY-600 seems to be very close to perfect as well, the thread screws on much smother than my SRK and I love the design. Not too big and yet big enough to give an impression…
I have only turned my on for a few seconds and was SO disappointed that I put it back in the box and continued to use the SRK. I think I will wait until your update and then order all I need in one go if possible.
I am looking forward to a finalized project, all the options and different ways to go about is what is confusing me, I have read the thread carefully and understand it all but until the right combination is found I will leave it. (My way of saying that I will leave all the hard work to others and then exploit their knowledge - I am not lazy or rude - just do not have the knowledge to begin this task yet - Sorry )
Again thanks for your very fast reply, looking forward to see your result - I am sure it will be fantastic.
You’re welcome Robert. Sorry this thread has dragged out to be so long. leddna still hasnt replied to my emails about the missing TIR optics that I ordered so I just upgraded my paypal dispute. Now that Ive had more time to rethink my options, I just might make this into a 4 x XML2 thrower… or one that has more throw than flood.
Looking over Old-Lumens SRK mod thread with 15 degree fasttech TIR optics, the wall-of-light concept is very attractive but I already have several flood lights. Besides, if a set of reflectors are of a descent design, there should still be more than adequate spill beam with a multi-XML light.
Thanks to agator007’s post about finding a good 25mm long throwing reflector, I could fit 4 of them in the XY-600 with some room to spare.
Driven at 3A each with 4 x XM-L2 emitters might be a better option than 6 XM-L’s with TIR’s driven at 2A each… at least for my use. Id only need 3 drivers (ala-relic style) if I decide to give it modes later on. Im going to sleep on this for a day or two and do a little more research before I decide the direction of the mod.
On a really positive note, the head of this light appears to be machined from one solid chunk of aluminum, so it should be great for thermal transfer. Even the floor plate seems to be part of the head, and its a very descent 5mm thick, with the outer 5 emitters contacting much thicker aluminum than the floor plate around the circumference. But because the head has been machined to countersink the 16mm pcb’s into the floor plate, its going to be difficult to change the original configuration without a lot of work and still maintain a good thermal path; and while not decreasing the distance from the emitters to the lens by adding material over the existing floor plate. Im going to see if I can find 1.5x16mm copper slugs to fill the voids of the 6 emitter PCB’s and rethink this. I presume these are 1.5mm thick.
Theoretical 26mm reflector swap:
Stock reflector: 17.67mm long x 20.79mm wide OD
Reflector retaining ring contact edge: 1mm
Total depth to lens: 18.67mm
Replacement reflector:16.67mm long x 26mm wide OD
Thickness of replacement PCB: 1.5mm
Total depth to lens: 18.17mm
Robert, something you might try is removing the round non-conductive “donut” insulators from around all the emitter stars and press the lenses directly over the emitters. They fit perfectly. While its not a vast improvement, putting the emitters deeper into the stock reflectors does give a better beam profile and some more lux. If you decide to try this, make sure the power wires are soldered correctly on all of your emitters so they will not contact the reflectors. If they make contact anywhere, a dangerous dead short will be created and it could end in disaster.
Im going to avoid this mod and move forward with something more radical.
I didn’t realize the 6x one was bigger than the 5x version I have. I was thinking they just jammed in another emitter and reflector. Yours seems to have a better head design, not hollow.
Having seen the thread with the SRK with the TIR lenses I think I will order a few of those ( 6) then maybe 3 drivers bumped up to 4-4.5 amp each and drive two LED’a in series with one master and two slaves? do this sound like a good idea? Then each led will get 2-2.25 Amp. I DO need a flood light as it is a “walk-around” flashlight inspecting aircraft’s during “turn-arounds”
Anybody who can recommend good drivers in this range? or will I have to modify them to bring them up to +4 amp’s?
I have also read somewhere that there is a huge difference in light output in different TIR lenses, If I want 15 deg TIR’s for this what is the brightest to get? Where? I know FlashPilot is still waiting for his, so LEDDNA might not be my best bet?
If the switch can’t cope with the 12-13 amps I am quite happy to change it for one that can, also my torch normally runs in 15 min. periods so I doubt overheating will be an issue?
Lastly I need a driver with a minimum of 2 modes super-bright for normal use and dim mode for inside in avionics compartments and cockpits for reading part-numbers and the like and being too bright is not good in these situations. ( would prefer a 10-50-100 driver)
Looking forward to see if there is any who comes up with a finished XY-600 that blows everything else away
Youre looking at a fun, but complex build similar to relic’s. It all sounds possible and all the information on how to do it is available. For each pair of emitters wired in parallel, you’ll probably need to match each pair by vF or one emitter will probably hog up all the current. Im not sure how much current the stock switch can handle. My target will be 12A as well. If it doesnt survive, I’ll be shopping for a replacement. TIR optics deliver a very smooth flood type beam. In general, the wider the beam angle, the less efficient the optic. For closer ranges, they probably cant be beat in producing massive even flood lighting.
I found another source for the same 10 degree optics but you’ll need to buy 2 packs. http://www.cnqualitygoods.com/goods.php?id=1580 Whatever you do, dont purchase anything from LEDDNA unless you dont mind filing paypal disputes.
IMO, if you’re building this light for aircraft inspections, I think its going to be grossly overkill - even for the largest heavies. Have you tried a good C8 size light yet? (single XML driven @3A).
That alone gave me about 200 lm.
Im impressed that the higher discharge voltage of the ZT’s held regulation during your run. GREAT RESULTS!
