Alpha Blue Label Nichia 219 - Turbocharged

JeremyS

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Feb 11, 2014
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I've had this for about a week now, received from the last flight of Blue Labels Jason put up for sale. This is a Blue Label brushed finish Alpha with a Nichia 219 LED. Notice anything strange about the pictures? When I first opened the light, I noticed the PSR was missing. When I unscrewed the head to add a battery, I received another surprise: a 2.1A driver as opposed to the 1.4A driver in my #261 Blue Label "Stone" finished light, also with a Nichia. I emailed Jason to inquire whether he had decided to quit using the PSC. His response? He told me that my light was actually an experiment. He wanted to see if the Nichia could be "turbocharged," so he installed it with a 2.1A driver. The result? 311 lumens of light with virtually no decrease in luminosity after 10 minutes. The copper MCPCB successfully dissipated the heat. Jason was so concerned he would have a meltdown that he left the PSC ring off, in case he would have to remove the LED. Although he offered to install one or send me one, I declined. I enjoy all of the things that make this light unique.

Here's the LED shot:



And the 2.1A driver:



Finally, a family photo. Left to right: #136 (Brushed, MCE 4500K); 0083 (Stone, MCE 5700K); #261 (Stone, Nichia 4500K); #262 (Stone, MCE 4500K); #274 (Brushed, Nichia "turbo" 4500K) and at the bottom, a Ready Made.

 

chengkhi

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Nov 17, 2013
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I have got 1 Nichia 219 from the latest batch as well. How do I check if mine is turboed ?
 

JeremyS

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Feb 11, 2014
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I have got 1 Nichia 219 from the latest batch as well. How do I check if mine is turboed ?


When I get home later, I can take a picture for you, which will better illustrate the difference. However, if your flashlight head looks exactly like the one in my picture--with a spring contact--then you probably have the "turbo" version. The regular 1.4A driver does not have a spring, but rather a lump of sodder on the driver. Additionally, look at the report card that came with your light. In particular, look at the current. If it is over 2.1 Amps, then you have the turbo version. If it is 1.4 Amps (give or take), then you have the standard Nichia driver. Neither version is better than the other. The 2.1A driver pushes the LED harder--maybe too hard, in fact. More than 10 minutes on high, and the light could overheat. It also substantially reduces the runtime, which is one of the advantages of the Nichia LED. The 1.4A driver can pretty much be run indefinately on high without overheating.
 

chengkhi

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Nov 17, 2013
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I looked at Jason's report card, mine is 2.079 Amps with 292 lumens.
heres a shot of the head.... So it's turboed, seems like something special, and I thought of selling it off. Will keep now instead. 8)

Thanks JeremyS... Learned something from you.

 
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JeremyS

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Feb 11, 2014
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It might be special, or it might just be a cost savings measure. After all, it is cheaper and simpler just to use one driver, as apposed to buying two different kinds. Also, I noticed the drop of solder he used to put on the contact springs is missing on yours, as it was mine. It seems as though he has discontinued that practice, which was touted as increasing the contact area between the driver and battery, as well as protecting the top of the battery. Nevertheless, still a great light. Enjoy!
 

Newguy2012

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Jul 4, 2012
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There must be a reason why he didn't put the solder. Did the spring on driver change? Interesting experiment. Pushing led @2A+ brings the LED CRI up to 95. The efficiency drops a lot at 2A. Do you feel the light getting hot after 10mins on high? Can it really overheat? Isn't the heatsink more than enough to dissipate heat off this small led?
 

JeremyS

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Feb 11, 2014
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It does heat up--noticeably--after 10 minutes. I think the copper SINKPad is the only reason the LED isn't suffering thermal runaway before 10 minutes. Honestly, I just haven't been brave enough to push it any further. As for the spring, I can't really tell. It looks to be the same as the previous springs, but I couldn't say for certain.
 

candleflana

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Jun 14, 2015
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Really appreciate your collection. I am working on obtaining a Blue Label myself at this time.
 
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