Mod / upgrade HOG Morph 1000 core light? - Help, comments and feedback appreciated :)

[UK79]

Hi all,

I am looking to find a good dive light for me and while I (of course ) am aware that you at most times get what you pay for with dive lights, I am not willing to spend 1000+ bucks on a torch.. So I will have to find a compromise here.

What I'd like is a LED canister lamp with different light modes, burntime of minimum 90 Minutes at full throttle which is small and light and (yeah, I know, vain me ) looks good.

I am currently looking at the HOG Morph 1000 core light system http://www.edge-gear.com/MORPH-1000-CORE-LIGHT-SYSTEM-P116.aspx which does actually seems to be what I want with one exception. It has only 1000 Lumens.

The question at hand (and this is where I'd appreciate your oppinion and feedback) is: Would it be possible to upgrade the LED in this lamp to a more powerful one? Given that the battery pack is said to run for 6 hours at 1000 lumens I think this should powerwise be possible, but be advised that I am not too familiar with electronics (I know how to use a soldering iron though )

Has anyone by chance already done what I am thinking about, ie. upgraded the HOG Morph 1000 to be more powerful?

What would in your oppinion be a solution here? What would be needed?

Thanks in advance for your help and input!

Cheers,
Uli

 

[jspeybro]

Hi,

given that it produces about 1000lm, it probably uses a Cree XML LED. Since there is no picture of the front side of the head, it is a bit difficult to estimate what would be possible.
Anyway, the easiest upgrade would be to replace the LED by an XML2 LED, but then again, the increase in output will not be very noticable I think.

Upgrading to any of the higher output LEDs (SST-50, SST-90, MTG2,...) would give you a bigger LED that is more difficult to focus so you may end up with a bigger spot of the same intensity as the XML.
Using the original reflector may not work (you can make the opening bigger, but the beam may not be to your liking.

The head does look like a reasonable size, so there may be possibilities for using an aspheric of fresnel lens.

Regarding electronics, this uses the same modes as most chinese based drivers.
Personally I detest the strobe/sos modes and prefer a single mode driver or a high/medium driver. Some can be modified to get rid of the modes but depends a bit on the driver.

Johan

 

[DIWdiver]

What kind of beam do you want? What kind of environment do you dive in? What do you use the light for?

1000 lm is plenty if you want a narrow beam for exploring in poor vis. Long-shot video in crystal clear water may want 10 times that, or even more.

MORE POWER is only better if it is used effectively. In some cases, MORE POWER is worse.

 

[UK79]

Hi jspeybro and DIWdiver and thank you for your replies!

@jspeybro: so, if I understand correctly, electronically speaking it would be likely be possible to replace only the LED itself, the restrictions being space to fit a more powerful one? A pretty good view of the head from the front is found here (at 1:16) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJwByRG5XxY

This video gives even more insight on the exact dimensions of the torch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NC6zzpu_ro

I would personally prefer a high/mid/low driver as well, but I have absolutely no clue electronically-wise which driver would be suitable :thinking: Could you suggest one "from the distance"?

@DIWdiver: Your reply is somewhat calming I want a narrow beam and I'm almost always diving in lakes, which means low vis, many particles, low light but not complete darkness.
I don't do video, the torch is only for personal exploration and signalling to my buddies.

 

[CosmoKramer]

Hello

Better buy a light that fits your needs without damaging the warranty.
Upgrade from XM-L to XM-L2 is barely noticeable.

For low vis buy a light with tight focus (<8° half angle!) because then 500-600 real lumens are totally enough and you don't pump your battery life in backscatter blinding yourself.

Although I'm a big fan of LED-Lights it is noticeable that ebay is intermittent full of 18W and 21W HID Lights for a few bucks. Even if the bulb fails at the first dive you didn't go wrong with such a light for say... 150-200 dollars.

 

[DIWdiver]

I agree that for low vis you don't need more than 1000 lm, and less is maybe enough, or even better.

I just got back from a week of diving at Cape Cod. We had vis up to 35 feet at 100 feet depth, and typically 10-15 feet in shallower (and warmer!) water, 30-60 feet deep.

I had three lights - a modified 1000 lm XM-L with jspeybro aspheric fresnel lens, a 1000 lm full custom with 6 Philips Rebel LEDs and Polymer Optics 6 degree lenses, and a 400 lm MagicShine MJ-852B.

At a distance of 30+ feet, the lights cannot add substantially to natural daylight, even with tight focus and dim natural lighting due to depth. The 1000 lm lights produce a visible spot, but it's hardly useful. I didn't run the 400 lm one in this condition.

In 10 foot vis, I found 400 lm is lacking at the extreme end of visibility, while the XM-L/fresnel was best. But up close, looking for dinner in holes and under bits of wreckage, say 5 feet and less, I found the 400 lm light to be just fine. At all but the very closest distances (2 feet and less) I prefer the tight focus and very low spill of the aspheric lens. At very close distance the bright spill of the MJ-852B was helpful by illuminating a larger area.

 

[DIWdiver]

Although I'm a big fan of LED-Lights it is noticeable that ebay is intermittent full of 18W and 21W HID Lights for a few bucks. Even if the bulb fails at the first dive you didn't go wrong with such a light for say... 150-200 dollars.

Sorry, but if I paid $150+ for a light, and it died on the first dive, I would say I went wrong with that purchase.

If it came with a spare bulb that lasted my next 100 dives, I might be appeased, but I'd still have been pretty pissed after that first dive.

 

[DIWdiver]

It's quite possible to get 90 minutes of 1000 lm without having to go to a canister light. Any handheld light with 2 18650 cells and an XM-L or XM-L2 should be able to achieve that. Note, however that cheap lights commonly have poor heatsinking, underdrive the LED substantially, and claim 1.5, 2, or even 4 times the actual output.

 

[scubaGimp]

OP,

Not sure if you're still looking at this light or moved on to another option.

I got the UML1000W and UML1000NS. I bought a bunch because my dive buddies also wanted some. Message me if you want more information on pricing.

The only difference between these and the HOG Morph 1000 Backup are a few degrees in the beam angle.

They've been on about 4 dives each and are on and off for about an hour each dive at full power. I just put the 18650 battery on the charger because the indicator turned blue. Meaning I probably could have gotten at least another couple dives on it before it was really necessary to charge.

If you're doing multiple night dives and need the extended life of the canister, by all means stick with your original plan.

But if you're only doing a couple dives and you're not using it for the entire time your in the water, you should be fine with the handheld versions.

The light output is more than enough for the type of diving I do. Great for inside wrecks, night diving, and photography.

The strobes are good if you dive with scooters. Mount it to your scooter and depending on if you're leading or following, face it appropriately. Absolutely great for limited visibility without draining you battery down by running continuously. My dive buddies do this and it's a great way to not lose your sight of people.

I can't really saying bad about this light. It's great as a primary. The wide beam is great for photography. My buddies and I bungee them to our mask straps (it's small enough you don't notice it's even there) and frees up your hand for video/photography.

The batteries, so far, are great. Just a little bit of a pain for me to get shipped out to where I am, but I haven't had a need to replace one yet so it's not an issue.

Hope this helps.

 

[Minos2014]

Hi all,

I am looking to find a good dive light for me and while I (of course ) am aware that you at most times get what you pay for with dive lights, I am not willing to spend 1000+ bucks on a torch.. So I will have to find a compromise here.

What I'd like is a LED canister lamp with different light modes, burntime of minimum 90 Minutes at full throttle which is small and light and (yeah, I know, vain me ) looks good.

I am currently looking at the HOG Morph 1000 core light system http://www.edge-gear.com/MORPH-1000-CORE-LIGHT-SYSTEM-P116.aspx which does actually seems to be what I want with one exception. It has only 1000 Lumens.

The question at hand (and this is where I'd appreciate your oppinion and feedback) is: Would it be possible to upgrade the LED in this lamp to a more powerful one? Given that the battery pack is said to run for 6 hours at 1000 lumens I think this should powerwise be possible, but be advised that I am not too familiar with electronics (I know how to use a soldering iron though )

Has anyone by chance already done what I am thinking about, ie. upgraded the HOG Morph 1000 to be more powerful?

What would in your oppinion be a solution here? What would be needed?

Thanks in advance for your help and input!

Cheers,
Uli

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I am not sure if this is the same one .

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