The Titanium "Haiku"

[PoliceScannerMan]

Sure is, love it. Actually I think datiled made it.

 

[bluemantra]

Is the XR reflector the same that comes with the XML?

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

I believe it is yes, could always email Don to make sure.

 

[Jfowler]

Just to throw in my 02.

I have 2 Haiku 1x123's. I built custom drivers with the Nichia 219C for each. One light has the MCR17XR reflector, the other has the MCR17XP. The beam profile/throw is very different between these two lights, despite every aspect other than reflector being identical.

My advice is to order a light from Don with one of his HIVE light engines (once available) and choose a LED that comes with the -XP reflector (that should be any LED except the XM-L2). If you want a supercharged driver, you can build yourself, or find one from one of CPF's vendors. Then, you can order a -XR reflector from the sandwich shoppe if you want to try the Haiku with the floody beam. As far as I know, the -XP reflector is only available from McGizmo, while the -XR can easily be ordered after the fact.

 

[greatscoot]

I have an XR reflector with the Samsung LED and it's quite floody.

 

[bluemantra]

I have an XR reflector with the Samsung LED and it's quite floody.

This is what I am doing. Just ordered a host with XR reflector from Don and custom engine from CPF with a Samsung LH351D.

 

[bluemantra]

Did I assemble this incorrectly? I struggled a bit with the window o-rings. Does the beam look right?

 

[desert.snake]

The diode looks more like a nichia 119 or 219a. There is a feeling that the diode is standing a little at the wrong height. Have you screwed engine all the way into the head?

 

[bluemantra]

It is a Nichia 119V. And yes it is screwed in all the way

 

[F89]

Did you install the LE first, then seat the reflector down over it?
It's hard to tell regarding your beam shot if all is well, but assuming you've seated the reflector correctly all should be well.
The window o-ring (outer) doesn't look properly recessed into its channel. I usually use a fine coating of silicone grease so it slides in smoothly and coax it around with the back of my thumb nail. It seats correctly with no twisting that way.

 

[bluemantra]

Did you install the LE first, then seat the reflector down over it?
It's hard to tell regarding your beam shot if all is well, but assuming you've seated the reflector correctly all should be well.
The window o-ring (outer) doesn't look properly recessed into its channel. I usually use a fine coating of silicone grease so it slides in smoothly and coax it around with the back of my thumb nail. It seats correctly with no twisting that way.

Do you have a Mahi head?

 

[F89]

Do you have a Mahi head?

Yes, but we're talking about the Haiku yeah.

 

[bluemantra]

Yes, but we're talking about the Haiku yeah.

I was just wondering how to beam profile compared.

What batteries do you recommend for 123 pak? I've been using 16340 Vapcell INR16340 T8 850mAh 3A High Discharge I had previously.

 

[F89]

No worries, just clarifying.
The beam profiles vary depending on the Haiku reflector (and LED).
The closest apples to apples comparison (using the same LED, e.g. 119V) would be a Haiku with the XPG reflector. The differences being a smaller, more intense hot spot on the Mahi with a prominent corona and less brightness distributed through the spill, while the Haiku has a larger hotspot with a more even intensity through the entire spill.
I'd give the advantage to the Haiku/XPG reflector for a more general purpose balance while the Mahi leans more toward throw. Both are fine for general purpose though.
In summary Mahi = small intense hotspot, corona, low intensity even spill.
Haiku = medium sized hotspot (less intensity), medium intensity even spill.
Something like that anyway.
Currently (still) using Fenix 700mAh Liion and K2 liFePO4 16340 batteries for rechargeable and occasionally Panasonic CR123A primaries.
Stock drivers don't require anything special.

 

[Reijer]

Hi Don,
I've been trying to reach you via e-mail to order some parts since november, but I guess my messages are stuck in some spam filter I've re-sent one last night, maybe you can check?

 

[desert.snake]

This reflector for XR-E is pretty versatile. I cut off the dome of the XM-L2 with a razor but not completely, about 0.3-0.5 mm left to the phosphor, the hot spot decreased slightly, but the transition remained very uniform. Here next to some flooders, discolored so as not to be distracted by shades, distance to the wall about a yard. Very similar to 119 inside the same reflector in bluemantra. And the same beam was with XP-L HI, I think I already wrote this somewhere, but I don't remember exactly.

 

[desert.snake]

I found another LE, it looks like it's just 119, not 119V, since the crystal glows a little differently, so I put it in this reflector, compared it with Malkoff AA, for which Don also designed reflectors. The difference is small only in the spill (a few degrees wider cone of light), in the hot spot there is little difference.

 

[Duster1671]

My first Haiku came in the mail today and I've had a little time to play with it, disassemble it, etc. I have to say I've very impressed with the design. All the usual stuff like aesthetics, ergonomics, etc. live up to the hype. But what I was really pleased to see was the thought that went into the head design.

What first stood out in disassembling the head is the use of o-rings. There are four in the head and they're used in pretty interesting ways. The o-rings to seal + retain the window are a neat alternative to a threaded bezel ring which adds another part and set of threads. The o-ring as a centering ring for the LED/reflector is an elegant alternative to some specially made plastic piece that's not as widely available.

What's really cool, I think, is the fourth o-ring—the one around the body of the reflector. As I put the head back together, I wondered if it wouldn't fit more nicely with two o-rings instead of one. That would keep the reflector pointed straight without any tipping. But then I realized that maybe the tipping is a feature, allowing for a small amount of adjustment for an LED that's slightly off center. We're only talking a few thousandths of an inch, but that's probably all that's needed.

Okay so that's cool, but it gets even better. The next feature I see is a shoulder that serves as a stop for the MCPCB. Where other head designs just have you screw the pill in until the board mashes into the underside of the reflector, pushing the whole stack against the window and o-ring, the Haiku head uses two separate "chambers" separated by that shoulder. The pill screws in until it reaches the shoulder, mechanically grounding it directly to the head. Independent of that, the reflector floats in its own bore, not rattling around but able to move in and out and tilt all around a small amount, ready to perfectly accept the emitter wherever it ends up in space. What an elegant design, with just a precisely machined head and standard size o-rings!

I imagine this stuff has all been discussed at length here over the years, but these details are not lost on a first-time owner either!

 

[F89]

There's always room for more McGizmo enthusiasm.
The Haiku is my eternal favourite. I can't say enough (good) about it so I'll leave it at that.
I have four (greedy) in various configurations, of which I've played around a fair bit.
This is what I've settled on:
2AA 119V/smooth OP XPG (reflector), 1AA 119V/smooth OP XPG, CR123 XPG2/smooth OP XPG and CR123 219B sw45k/medium OP XPG.

 

[McGizmo]

My first Haiku came in the mail today and I've had a little time to play with it, disassemble it, etc. I have to say I've very impressed with the design. All the usual stuff like aesthetics, ergonomics, etc. live up to the hype. But what I was really pleased to see was the thought that went into the head design.

What first stood out in disassembling the head is the use of o-rings. There are four in the head and they're used in pretty interesting ways. The o-rings to seal + retain the window are a neat alternative to a threaded bezel ring which adds another part and set of threads. The o-ring as a centering ring for the LED/reflector is an elegant alternative to some specially made plastic piece that's not as widely available.

What's really cool, I think, is the fourth o-ring—the one around the body of the reflector. As I put the head back together, I wondered if it wouldn't fit more nicely with two o-rings instead of one. That would keep the reflector pointed straight without any tipping. But then I realized that maybe the tipping is a feature, allowing for a small amount of adjustment for an LED that's slightly off center. We're only talking a few thousandths of an inch, but that's probably all that's needed.

Okay so that's cool, but it gets even better. The next feature I see is a shoulder that serves as a stop for the MCPCB. Where other head designs just have you screw the pill in until the board mashes into the underside of the reflector, pushing the whole stack against the window and o-ring, the Haiku head uses two separate "chambers" separated by that shoulder. The pill screws in until it reaches the shoulder, mechanically grounding it directly to the head. Independent of that, the reflector floats in its own bore, not rattling around but able to move in and out and tilt all around a small amount, ready to perfectly accept the emitter wherever it ends up in space. What an elegant design, with just a precisely machined head and standard size o-rings!

I imagine this stuff has all been discussed at length here over the years, but these details are not lost on a first-time owner either!

Thanks for your observations and comments! The primary ground path is through the lip of the battery tube into the rear shoulder on the E-Can. The tight seat of MCPCB against the shoulder of the head is primarily intended as a thermal path from MCPCB to head.