I’m not sure I understand you. Four 6v in series needs 24v. You have a flashlight that runs on 24v?
SST-40 is just a bigger led so it has the potential for higher output. I know the FT03 is a great budget thrower using the SST-40. It will be brighter with more throw than both the lights you mention.
I dont know about that store. Why would you buy from them instead of from Convoy direct?
JasonWW, Thanks for the suggestions, will check out FT03
That store is called Convoy Direct, that’s what’s confusing. I guess that means they are not .
I’m not aware of Simon opening a second store on Aliexpress. I would guess that it’s a competitor using a similar name to steal customers from the real store. It’s a common tactic.
Sorry for the confusion, I wanted to say in parallel. You are right, 24V in a flashlight makes no sense. Thank you for pointing out my mistake.
Okay, I see you want to use a SC04 light, now it makes sense. I never bothered experimenting with the 6v 50.2 with a FET driver because they always burned up as soon as they get power. Even from 18350 cells. If no one answers you here, try asking on this 50.2 thread. There’s a lot more folks who know about it’s limits. For sense resistors to handle so much power you’d probably need a bank of them. And they’d need to be big. I’ve never experimented in this area, sorry.
I wouldn't go that crazy with modding the driver or MCPCB. Keep the dual springs, don't use bypasses, use long thin LED wires. 24 or 26 AWG should do with some extra length. I'm not sure what amp level the LED's burn up at though - haven't had that problem, I assume there's been some LED testing to prove the burn out point?
I haven't heard of Vf varying with tint before. Sure, a 2700K will be a lower bin but the Vf? Never heard of that.
Of course I assume you are using a TA driver specifically designed for 6V LED's? That's a must. Plus you have to mod the carrier for 2Sx2P.
Thank you for the advice, JasonWW. I asked my question in the XHP50.2 thread.
I have sense resistors in the 2512 and 1206 sizes with 1 or 2W. Maybe the leds would survive if I add a R082 sense resistor to each of them. When I measured the tailcap current with two Liitokala 26650 and four Luxeon V2 it was around 9A on Turbo.
SST20 is a small, throwy LED available at 5000K and below, and in high CRI below 5000K. To my knowledge, the 70CRI versions out-throw XPL-HI despite being domed.
SST40 is a large LED capable of very high output (over 2000 lumens at like 6+ amps). It’s not available below 5000K nor in high CRI. It’s a floody LED due to its size, but gets used in throwers due to sheer output and compromise of lumens vs. throw.
Thank you, Tom E, good idea to use 24AWG wire.
Djozz tested the XHP50.2 up to 12A and it didn’t burn out. But once I read about a build with 7 XHP50.2 and two 26650 cells in direct drive where the XHP50.2 burned out one after another. So I’m concerned because it is said that the 6V XHP50.2 has weak internal connections and individual dies become dark easily.
I think with Cree leds the Vf is lower if they are 90CRI. I just assumed it would vary with the bin as well.
Currently, I want to mod the Haikelite SC04 whose reflector happens to fit a Q8 MCPCB perfectly. I have a TA driver with LDO and four Luxeon V2 wired 2S2P which work nicely. However, I want more power and a bigger hotspot. If it goes well, I might try it also for the Q8 with a 2S2P mod.
Ohhh, interesting bout the SC04, 2 cells config I'm sure. I've done the thin long wires in other lights to reduce amps - works well, and actually some stock FET based drivers simply use long twisty traces on the driver to result in the same thing.
This was an example from a 12X SRK. I bypassed the squiggles and got more amps:
I did not hear of a single successful use of 50.2 with FET driver. They all burned out. Some lights used really weak cells and lasted a couple months, but it eventually burned out as well.
This is why no one builds that combo.
Some leds work well with FETs and some don’t. I would ask around a lot more before committing very much money into the build.
The 3v versions are a different beast. They can handle FET drivers no problem. Of course using a single 26650 will reduce run times, but it might be better to just swap a new cell in than to have the 6v leds burn out.
Hey Jason, in expanding my search for a mid-sized thrower, I was gearing myself up for the Sofirn SP70, but then reconsidered the FT03 with SST-40. Seems that dedoming it produces a reasonable bump up in throw. Not as much spill as the SP70, and not same output level (XHP70.2), but coming in at half the price it looks pretty attractive. Have you dedomed many LED’s? I’m trying to figure out the best way to do it without having to remove the star.
Trying to dedome without removing the MCPCB from the light is asking for trouble. If your cutting angle is slightly off you’ll scrape phosphor from the emitter and end up with a blue LED instead of a throwier version of what you had.
Now is a great time to learn to solder, desoldering and resoldering wires to the star is incredibly easy. Matt Smith has great videos giving soldering/reflow tutorials:
The FT03 and SP70 are very different lights even though their throw distanceis about the same. The SP70 is like 6,000 lumen with a big hot spot and can light up a football field. The FT03 SST-40 is about 1,800 lm and has a much narrower beam. One is light and pocket sized (like jacket pocket) and the other is heavier and way too big for a pocket (I actually slip it in may back pocket with slacks). So it depends on your needs. Light up a football field or spotting smaller stuff at a distance. A bit like a shotgun compared to a rifle. Big wide beam of light or narrow and precise beam of light. Each beam size has their pros and cons.
I’ve only cut a couple domes. One was an old xhp70 just to see the change in hot spot size and throw, but I didn’t like the loss of lumens. One was a xhp50.2, but I didn’t like the tint shift. I dont really bother with slicing anymore.
You do have to remove the star. It’s a delicate process with a razor blade. I think the SST-40 needs to be sliced (some led models are chemically softened and lifted off).
The star must absolutely be removed.
To do it properly, you should really reflow it onto a fresh star that has never had solder on its +/- wire connections. This will allow you to use washers of varying thickness as a guide.
If you search BLF, there are LED slice or slice and dice guides.
Post #1000!
(at the moment)
I have done some limited soldering & desoldering. Actually replaced NiMH batteries in a rechargeable shaver, and reconnected a loose wire on a speaker circuit board. But I’m not adept at doing this (need more practice). I do realize the need for a totally parallel cutting angle. My expectation is that if the cavity is shallow enough, it would be possible to do with the star still in place. I’m lazy! But if it’s challenging to get a proper cutting angle, removal definitely makes sense.
Yes, I do recognize the different form factors (FT03 closer to EDC, while SP70 is not) and the SP70 having tons more spill. I was thinking more about the effectiveness of the hotspots. Anyway, considering that I have an EA4 and a EC4GT for throwers, the FT03 is probably a bit of a duplicate (just 800 lumens more powerful). For a bit I was hung up on wanting Anduril (or NarsilM), but for a dedicated thrower, not as important. The SP70 UI actually seems decent.
Just taking the MCPCB wires on/off doesnt take much finesse at all and is some of the easiest soldering I’ve ever done honestly.
i have an LD01 that works Intermittently. the outer ring on the driver where the body makes contact when twisted seems to look scratched up. is it possible that this can wear down and prevent it working? how would one restore it? thanks.