I got my care package from the UK today :) I also have a nice new host and a high powered drop-in to test it with. I'll post my impressions after my inevitable hangover is gone. Only 5:46mins to midnight here!
- Matt
EDIT: Really quickly, as we say here, this thing is built like a brick sh*t-house. It's really cleanly designed (which I'm a stickler for) and the 3D printed plastic is way more solid in person than I imagined it would be. A+ on design alone. My only reservation thus far is the force required to activate it, but then again I've become very used to using my smart switch which is at the absolute polar opposite end of activation pressure. Hell even McClicky switches feel to hard for me now. I'm not saying it's bad. It feels reliable which is a real bonus.
Can someone set me straight on the actual amperage as compared to tail amperage when measure a 2 cell series light? I’ve modified my MAXToch SN6X-2X with a tail cap reading of 4.21A and am told that’s over 8A to the emitter. Is this right? It has a buck driver as far as I know. I’m getting almost 1500 OTF lumens and 338Kcd out of it. XM-L2 U2 1A de-domed.
Is that 3.7 assuming that much sag? And the 3.4 the forward votage (estimated) of the XM-L2 at that power level?
I’m using Panasonic PF’s, when I tested an MT-G2 in my M8 before using PD’s and 20R’s there was less sag than expected.
But yes, that answers my question…the series configuration is a doubler on the amperage, more or less.
If I detach the negative lead from the emitter and plug my DMM in between the emitter and that lead, that will show me how much actual amperage is going through it, correct? 9.16A sounds very high! Will the buck driver take the current down? Not familiar with buck drivers.
Thanks David, and welcome back…just in time for Happy New Years!
Scaru, you going to hook up your 7 xml with this? If you do, please go for broke and have multiple video cameras on you and down range with just enough fill light on you and the light.
Yes assuming that the voltage sags to that point, in reality you are right and it probably doesn't. I generally use 3.7 so as to account for pretty much all types of batteries, but again if you have a more exact number then use that. And yes, 3.4 was a off the top of my head guess without knowing the LED however after reviewing the data (here) it probably is closer to 4 volts. And yes, if you hook up your DMM to measure the current you will see the true current rather than the calculated current. And yes, the buck driver will most likely take the current down some, however it without data on that it is impossible to know the efficiency of said buck driver (in my experience they can range from 60% to 90% efficient).
I already did, and so far the 7 XM-L dropin and the switch seem to have held up fine. Currently I'm trying to figure out a automated way of pressing the switch thousands of times to test it.
Got home from work new years eve at 1135 to the party in full swing and there was a package waiting for me from Surrey England. Party or not, I put that switch in a Solarforce L2T with an XML-2 pushing 5.6 amps (5.6 amps in theory but only showing 3.8 amps with previous set up) I added a Samsung 20R and the improvement in current getting to the LED was obvious in the light output. I shouldn’t be able to readily see the difference of 400 lumens from 1200 lumens and I wasn’t going to set up anything to measure before celebrating the new year but the difference was repeatedly visible. Nice snug fit and great feel with the clicky. Have to re-hydrate before evening shift tonight and hope to have something intelligent to post with pictures and measurements soon. So far very impressed.
I will, of course, beg to differ here. Of all the cheap low amperage clickys that I have fried, it has always been because the spring could not take the heat of the amperage going thru it and it lost it’s spring, causing loss of pressure on the contacts and failure. I even cut one up, so I could watch it and that’s exactly what it did. The spring relaxed and the contacts lost pressure and then lost contact. I have never had one last long enough to get thousands of clicks in a high amp mod.
Well I will say it survived 24 hours of 10+ amps running through it with no problem whatsoever. I'm still trying to make something to repeatedly click it though.
Did you have to modify the switch at all to fit in the L2T tail cap? Did you have to sand or file some of the white away from the sides of the switch in order to fit the switch inside and get it by the threads?
So far I have test fit it into a Surefire L2N and P1D. I have an L2T that I should have test fit it in earlier but I put that back together before I remembered. The fit in the L2N is perfect. It does not fit in the P1D at all and will need to be modified to do so. I am not willing to sand the switch back just yet :)
I tried to fit the switch as is into a stock L2P. I could not get it past the threads. The switch was wedged in, and I had to pry it out and sacrifice my rubber boot. In order for me to fit the switch as is into the L2P tail cap, I would have to sand or file some material off of the overall outside diameter of the Tofty switch. I plan on trying the switch in a few other different Solarforce tail caps that I have.
I was going to try to take some pics and get them posted of the switch and tail cap that I am thinking is either an S1 or an old tail from an L2P from the shiny anodizing era. I was playing with the light and trying to remember what photo posting company I have an account with when I noticed a flicker. Disassembled and re-assembled then cleaned several times with inconsistent results. The culprit is the rubber button cover. When I remove this completely and put the switch together and on the light, the flicker is gone. It makes no sense as the bottom of the switch has no conducting contacts and should work with or without the silicone rubber boot.
Perhaps the little nub in the boot is too long, partially depressing the switch and causing intermittent contact? Did you use a spacer between the switch and bottom of tail-cap?
Ok, I finally got it set up to do some endurance testing. I ran it through 3 hours worth of testing 1 click per 10 seconds for a total of 1080 clicks. Pictures of the setup are here.
In the actual test I was holding some wires up to it (while watching TV of course), however as I only have 2 hands I cannot take pictures of it at the same time as holding the wires there.
Overall Review of the Switch:
I am truly blown away by this switch. It has survived over 1000 test clicks with current running through it and 24 hours of 10+ amps of current going through it. I have done everything I can to kill this switch, and failed miserably. The only damage I have managed to inflict on it is from the servo hitting it 1000 times (so the black part of the switch is slightly worn away as the servo always would hit it in the exact same place). I can honestly say this is the best flashlight switch I have ever used, even better than an experimental FET based switch I made a while back.
Once more of these are available, I'll need atleast one more for my collection. :D
Of all the cheap low amperage clickys that I have fried, it has always been because the spring could not take the heat of the amperage going thru it and it lost it’s spring, causing loss of pressure on the contacts and failure. I even cut one up, so I could watch it and that’s exactly what it did. The spring relaxed and the contacts lost pressure and then lost contact. I have never had one last long enough to get thousands of clicks in a high amp mod.