Noctigon Meteor M43

[Fireclaw18]

Strange that there's no option for XP-L dome on, only dedomed...

That's because it's using the 10507 20mm Carclo triple TIR optic. The inside of the optic cavity is designed for an XPG and is too narrow to fit an XPL with the dome on. Unfortunately, nobody makes a 20mm triple optic that fits an XPL.

To fit an fit XPL into a 20mm triple optic, one of the following has to be done:

1. Dedome the emitter - changes the tint, but without the dome in the way the optic easily fits in place. Gives a slightly narrower and throwier beam, but is still a very floody light. Dedoming reduces lumens maybe 15% while increasing throw by probably around 75%. This is probably the most common solution.

2. Modify the optic - Some people grind out the inside of the optic cavity. Just enough to make room for the wide XPL dome. This gives MUCH better tint than dedoming. Also gives a very wide floody beam. The downside is backscatter in the ground portion of the optic reduces total lumen output by approximately 20%. Mountain Electronics offers the grinding service on their Carclo optics if you wish to try this.

3. Squeeze the domed LED into unmodified optic - not recommended as any bump on the flashlight might cause the emitter to self-dedome.

 

[thedoc007]

Gives a slightly narrower and throwier beam, but is still a very floody light. Dedoming reduces lumens maybe 15% while increasing throw by probably around 75%.

Good information overall, but your numbers might be WAY off.

Fraz light - Stock XML2 (TIR optic)
Sony VTC 50A 26650 (same results as regular ICR)
1002 @ turn on
992 @ 30 sec
Throw - 15,000 Lux

Fraz light - De-domed XML2 (TIR optic)
Sony VTC 50A 26650 (same results as regular ICR)
780 @ turn on
776 @ 30 sec
Throw - 11,000 Lux (no increase in throw due to TIR optic)

This is the only test I had seen previously...I don't know if it is representative of the average result.

Still, with that caveat, the results were very poor with de-dome (ignoring tint, which is subjective). Not only did lumens drop by more than twenty percent - the candela rating also went down quite significantly.

 

[Fireclaw18]

Good information overall, but your numbers might be WAY off.

Fraz light - Stock XML2 (TIR optic)
Sony VTC 50A 26650 (same results as regular ICR)
1002 @ turn on
992 @ 30 sec
Throw - 15,000 Lux

Fraz light - De-domed XML2 (TIR optic)
Sony VTC 50A 26650 (same results as regular ICR)
780 @ turn on
776 @ 30 sec
Throw - 11,000 Lux (no increase in throw due to TIR optic)

This is the only test I had seen previously...I don't know if it is representative of the average result.

Still, with that caveat, the results were very poor with de-dome (ignoring tint, which is subjective). Not only did lumens drop by more than twenty percent - the candela rating also went down quite significantly.

And there's something wrong with your test. Perhaps the dedoming wasn't done properly.

A properly done dedome on a Cree emitter dramatically increases lux REGARDLESS of what focusing method is used. Whether you use a TIR, an aspheric, or a conventional reflector a properly dedomed emitter will always produce higher lux than a domed emitter assuming the rest of the setup is otherwise the same. I've seen many tests and graphs on this put forth by multiple different modders and reviwers. I've also read an article describing exactly what dedoming does and why it works.

In my own collection, I have one light with domed XPL and Carclo 10507 optic modified by Mountain Electronics to accomodate the dome. This light is powered by a single 1200 mAh 18500 IMR cell and uses a direct drive FET driver that will pull as much power as the cell can supply. On a fresh cell it produces around 2500 lumens and 11,000 lux.

I have a similar light with triple dedomed XPL and unmodified Carclo 10507 optic. It runs on a bigger 18650 cell and pulls more amps. I figure output at turn-on on a fresh cell is around 3000 lumens. I measured lux on my lux meter at 25,000 lux. Impressive for a small triple.

I've also done measurements in single emitter lights where I tried different emitters both domed and dedomed in the same light. Sometimes I tried a domed emitter, then dedomed it and tried the same emitter. In all cases, a properly done dedome resulted in a massive increase in throw. There's a reason why DEFT flashlights only use dedomed emitters. It's the best way to get more throw.

Biggest downside of the dedome is color temperature gets approximately 1500K warmer. And tint often shifts towards an ugly green. Domed emitters produce far prettier tints.

 

[thedoc007]

And there's something wrong with your test. Perhaps the dedoming wasn't done properly.

Not my test...I thought I had included attribution, but I see I did not. JMPaul320 did the test...he has tested scores of lights, and knows what he is doing (he always does multiple tests, and averages results). As for the de-dome, I think it was done by Vinh. He has probably done thousands of de-domes, and again, I think he can be said to know how to do it properly. I did acknowledge there could have been other factors...but I refuse to just automatically assume they screwed it up.

A properly done dedome on a Cree emitter dramatically increases lux REGARDLESS of what focusing method is used. Whether you use a TIR, an aspheric, or a conventional reflector a properly dedomed emitter will always produce higher lumens than a domed emitter assuming the rest of the setup is otherwise the same.

Apparently not...it didn't increase the lux in this case. Also, I assume you mean lux, not lumens. Total effective output is decreased with de-dome, not increased.

 

[ThirstyTurtle]

Vinh has stated many times that he does not suggest de-doming with optics as it doesn't seem to do much of anything in the way of increased throw. I don't understand it, but I believe him.

 

[Fireclaw18]

Yes, typo on my part. I meant lux.

Dedome doesn't help much with a triple TIR optic because the actual reflective surface area is tiny. Yes, the dedome dramatically increases throw... but because the optic is so small you're still left with basically just a floody light. Nothing is going to turn a light with such a small optic into a thrower and nobody should buy a light with this kind of tiny optic expecting a thrower.

 

[Kenjii]

The star is a single custom direct copper Noctigon containing mounting points for all 12 of the emitters. The star is pretty hefty too weighing in at 3 oz (85g)

Hy,

that is not the weight of the star. 3oz is the rating/definition of the traces on the MCPCB. And in this case the traces are really "thick" for lower resistance.

Greetings

Kenjii

 

[Fireclaw18]

Hy,

that is not the weight of the star. 3oz is the rating/definition of the traces on the MCPCB. And in this case the traces are really "thick" for lower resistance.

Greetings

Kenjii

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[tobrien]

any ETA on this?

 

[kj2]

UI available: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0WEb-DpmrKXalRUVENNaW5QRTQ/view

 

[kj2]

 

[Roger Sully]

Standing by...

 

[Ladd]

any ETA on this?

+1 Interesting Light

 

[Fireclaw18]

Richard at Mountain Electronics received his early sample and posted some first impressions on another flashlight forum. Here's a copy-paste of what he wrote:

"Well, I've had a few minutes to play with the light now, and here are a few of my initial impressions:

• This thing is tiny and light. I was actually surprised by how light and short it is.
• I am not exaggerating when I say that the machining, surface finish, and overall fit and finish are as good or better than any Fenix or Nitecore light I've seen. Seriously impressive in this regard.
• You can tell that a lot of time was put into this light. There are a lot of parts in this one that were designed specifically for this light---from the solid copper tailcap, to the driver, to the Noctigon button boot.
• This is just my opinion, but the dedomed XP-G2 1D emitters in this one put out a pretty awesome and useful beam. The tint is also very good, especially for dedomed emitters. I took it outside and this thing is a beast!
• The driver has a ton of different features. I'm just starting to get used to it now, but it seems pretty good.
• The button has a lit RGB LED array. It can be used as a constant light, as a beacon, or it can be turnedoff (unlike the MM15!!!). This is more useful than most, because it shows the current battery state.
• While this light has thermal management, it isn't set very conservative. The light can get pretty hot on turbo before it starts to ramp down. If you're holding the battery tube you'll be OK, but the head gets pretty uncomfortable. I think that most flashaholics prefer the management to not be too conservative, but a few of "the uninitiated" may think that it is getting pretty hot!
• Because it's a boost driver, there isn't infinite dimming, but there is a good range of modes. Here are the OTF lumens I measured (dedomed XP-G2)
  • Moon: 1.9
  • Low: 107
  • Mid: 756
  • High: 2901
  • Turbo: 6458
    • Of note, the Turbo output only dropped about 50 lumens after 1 minute. This is unusual and is obviously due to the boost driver. The output in all of the modes is remarkably consistent.
• Throw is visually very impressive for such a small multi-emitter light. Again, I think that the dedomed XP-G2 may be the one to get here, but I'll have to see one with the XP-Ls to compare against. I measured about 73kcd. That's pretty good for a light like this!

Anyhow, I'm going to play with it for another day or so, take some pictures, then send it on."

 

[easilyled]

I'm still thinking that it would be nice to have mixed clusters.

For example 2 triple-clusters of dedomed XP-G2s, a third triple-cluster of XP-Ls and a fourth cluster of Nichia 219Bs.

It would provide benefits from all the different types then. (Hi-CRI from the 219Bs, Good output from the XP-Ls and good throw from the dedomed XP-G2s.)

 

[Romanko]

A short review.

 

[Bruno28]

Sexy light!
Any idea of how many lumens with the 12 XP-L?

 

[Dface]

The world's first review Noctigon Meteor M43

 

[easilyled]

The world's first review Noctigon Meteor M43

Which has already been linked two posts above yours - in a language I don't understand!

 

[Romanko]

Which has already been linked two posts above yours - in a language I don't understand!

This should be better.