So i have one of the ultrafire/ supernight 15t6 flashlights. it has 15 Cree t6 leds. i want to eliminate the factory driver and replace it with something that does not have strobe or sos mode. and may be a little bit brighter. this thing does not seem a whole lot brighter than my PflexPRO built Solarforce L2P that is 1217 OTF lumens. just high/medium/low or high/medium/low/ extra low. or even just low/ high. medium/high. you get the idea. what driver would you guys recommend?
anyone know anything about this driver? http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S022348
or how about this? Hyperboost Driver
or would i be better off soldering up my own?
Well the first one is probably the driver that’s in your light right now (5 modes), and the second one is a boost driver for up to 80v (too much)…… and its $45.
I’ll let someone else chime in with better suggestions, I have no experience dealing with the voltage from 4 cells in series.
the one in mine doesnt have a coil like that one but yeah they are like the same.
… no inductor at all?
no. ill get pics in a minute
Looks like they wised up and installed a crappy DD driver instead of the more expensive buck drivers that I think this sort of light used in the past. Can you provide better pics?
Also, just FYI: Your light has 15 Cree XM-L or XM-L2 LEDs of unknown bin. Just because the Chinese call everything a Cree T6 doesn’t mean we have to. The uninformed think T6 is a model number, it is not. It is a performance bin.
Now, as far as brightness… how big did you want to go? Replacing the driver with another, better performing, DD driver would be a start. The stock wires should help hold the light back: you don’t want to go full blast here or you’ll hurt the LEDs due to the bad thermal properties of the stock MCPCBs…
i can try to get better pics. it honestly looks like the exact same driver that is in my single xm-l t6 light. also, it is supposed to have 15 xm-l t6 leds. and i can make thermal improvements. i dont necessarily just want to drop in a different driver. id like to make this light perform much closer to the 18,000 lumens its rated at although i know that these 15 leds will max out at what 13k or so? id like it to be as bright as possible while having l/m/h or xl/l/m/h modes, or some way of adjusting brightness. i have the means to make my own driver if needed.
- I assume that you do not mean your pflexpro L2P when you say “single XM-L T6 light” - those P60’s are supposed to be potted… anyway please post a clear picture. Daylight or other strong, even, and diffuse lighting will help. Taking the driver out of the light will also help significantly.
- I didn’t say it outright, but I think I strongly implied that you should not assume the bin based on what a vendor like that says. It doesn’t matter for the purposes of dealing with the emitters you’ve got, but they could be any bin. Are they XM-L or XM-L2? “(see pic here in post #7)”:http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?354526&p=4382541&viewfull=1#post4382541
- I’m not going to bother with the math, but I think it’s reasonable to assume that you’ll max out with 10-15k in extremely short bursts… the performance specs of the individual LEDs won’t matter much - heat is the primary issue in these I’m told.
- Step one for the highest output is to put all the LEDs on copper DTP MCPCBs - look at Noctigons for that from MTN or IOS. That gets expensive, if you don’t want to do it then I think expectations should be throttled back.
- Maximum performance will require new wiring.
- For high performance DD I recommend that you determine driver diameter and then pick one of my AxxDD-SO8 drivers to assemble.
no not at all, i meant just one of the cheap Ultrafire zoomable ones.
it isnt the lighting, it is the camera i use. i tried taking the driver out but i can not get the lock ring loose.
i can not tell if the are xm-l or xm-l2. i will have to take light apart further.
wiring is no issue, nor is changing the thermal management. doesnt even have to stay in the original body to be honest. i can make a housing
- Unless it’s a webcam it looks like improving the lighting would help. (And even in that case I feel that improved lighting would help.)
- The ring has good holes in it. Use needle nosed pliers. If they aren’t small enough, file the tips.
- If you can’t tell based on the picture I linked to, something is very wrong. Why are you unable to tell?
- A new housing is a major endeavor for most members. You have access to a lathe I take it?
- What is your goal with this project?
it is a webcam but it is a 720p webcam on the highest quality
i tried pliers, i can not get it to move. ill try a bigger pair.
i could not tel because the reflector was on. they are xm-l leds
and yes, i have access to many tools. i am a welder by trade but i can do electrical, machining, etc
Under optimal conditions 720P can show more than what your pics do, but don’t worry about it too much.
Sometimes they use threadlock. Try applying some heat. Also (I know it’s obvious but…) take a close look and make certain that you are unthreading in the correct direction.
If the reflector hides that much of each LED then it’s probably losing a lot of light. We don’t like centering rings which extend above the base of the LED. Please skim through this thread and look at the pics from two different lights (both found on page 1): No-name '6XL2' dissection
it has those rings yes
hell i have enough batteries, i would make a custom housing like a big 6 volt light, and run 1 battery and 1 driver for each led if that will perform the best without getting overly hot…… 
that would work.
multiples of this could possibly be controlled with one momentary switch… QLITE Momentary Switch LED Driver though testing would be needed to see if it can.
with enough heatsink, anythings possible.
Brian
i just pulled 12 sanyo and lg 18650s out of laptop battery packs today. got em slowly charging now to weed out any bad cells.
Are you making a joke? If not I think your battle with heat will be short-lived.
nope. use all copper, and aluminum. thermal compound. heatsinks on drivers. fan cooling. etc