Can someone recommend me an XM-L2 source and optics

yorkie_chris

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Hi guys,

I'm looking at another torch build.

I want a tight beam and compact head, looking at next one being 3x XM-L2 board, with a triple optic to go over it.

Can someone recommend me a good setup? Maybe you have something already proven? Copper back board preferably.

I was looking at the carclo tight focus triple TIR optic as a possibility but not sure how good the beam is. Anyone have any experience of using these underwater?

My first thought was to put seperate emitters behind Ahorton aspherics like my current XML light, but this will be a lot chunkier than the triple board.

I will drive it from lithium pack in a long tube to sit down the side of the 3l DIL cylinder on my unit. Hopefully good burn time.
 

yorkie_chris

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Maybe I'd get better light with a single one behind a bigger lens, maybe drive a single chip higher?

Recommendations welcome... for general wreck diving light in "variable" vis, hopefully 1700-2000 lumens. Currently have single XML behind ahorton lens at 3 amp. But I want more power and brighter spot for signalling.
 
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SST-50 at 6,5 A (smaller die , brighter surface - that you need ) and 70mm fresnel lense + nice Cu heatsink

SST-50 is declared to 5A but with proper heatsink it can be driven up to 8-9 A , but I'm more conservative.
 
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yorkie_chris

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I see what you're saying, the reason I was leaning towards XM-L2 is it's the newer generation and more efficient.

Numbers I found, XM-L2 is 4mm^2, SST50 is 5mm^2 is that not correct?

XM-L2 at 6 amps would give me something like 1600 lumens at the chip which should be pretty effective... maybe behind that similar 70mm fresnel? (do you have a particular source of them you recommend?)
 

yorkie_chris

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https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-.../AAAAAAAAAms/E1d0Db5CQLg/SST-50%2520Graph.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...I/AAAAAAAABdM/T-M74IN6KOE/s800/xml2copper.jpg
xml2copper.jpg

SST-50%252520Graph.jpg




Two tests both by "match" of budgetlightforum hopefully the links work... doesn't seem any competition (but still, maybe I missed some fact? viewing angle more suitable on sst maybe?)
 
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XML2 with 50 mm lens have MB SUB VB50 ( they replaced SST-50 (name) with XML2) but with 1. May they closed production )

I have SST- 50 and SST 90 bought from ebay with certificate top bin 6500 so that's why i use them. But for sure SST is much more robust than XML , but true in other way XML is more

efficient.
 
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DIWdiver

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I have a light I built with an XML and jspeybro 28mm Fresnel lens. I love it. It's not quite as good as the ahorton lens, but it takes up a lot less room!

I would think an XHP50 or XHP70 would work well with the 50mm lens.
 

yorkie_chris

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Single LED, not sure what the XHP70 would be like behind fresnel, I think I have some kicking around I will try it. Fresnel will be easier to package I think so would be nice if it works.
 

DIWdiver

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The cheap (oops, sorry. "inexpensive") plastic fresnel lenses don't have the crisp focus of the glass lenses. Given the multiple dies of the '70, this is probably a good thing. I'd bet that at sharpest focus, you'd see artifacts of the multiple dies when shining on a white wall, but not when actually diving. Certainly a slight defocus would blur the artifacts to acceptability or even invisibility for diving.

But with an emitter that large, a 50mm lens isn't going to give you a super-tight beam. If you're primarily diving in poor vis and want a really tight beam, you probably want a bigger lens or a smaller LED. The '50, overdriven with really good heatsink in water could be a more attractive option. I can offer drivers with overtemp protection for the LED, if that helps.
 

yorkie_chris

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I had a play with a jspeybro 50mm fresnel held up near the XHP70, wasn't great to be honest, maybe they need another reflector behind? Seems it was so far away to focus tightly that it was only catching a fraction of the output.
Hell of a lot of light though. That aspheric does focus sharp enough to see clearly the 4 die crosshairs.

The DX reflector I linked to above didn't work at all, the hole in the bottom of it fits the LED dome but the wires on the star foul it... tempted to machine the back of the reflector out to get it in, unless there is a less butchery way forwards?


My other thought is to go for a carclo 10158 "ultra narrow catadioptric". These give 7 degrees with an MC-E. 60mm o/d.

Or this thread
http://budgetlightforum.com/node/36431?page=11
Seems to suggest that Ledil cn10861 may be an option with the XHP50. 38mm OD.
 

yorkie_chris

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Good to know about the drivers DIWDiver, will have a chat about those soon, I was leaning towards a H6Flex from TaskLED but open to suggestions. The thing that I'd like on a driver is good efficiency, a couple of power settings maybe even just low and high, and to be able to operate it from a piezo switch.

Not sure about the thermistor as tempted to put the driver in the battery pack to make the head easier to build. Nice and simple just a slug of ally with cooling fins, no pill. Just 2 wires straight to the LED. If I've got a well heatsinked body it should survive being switched on in air.

Ideally I'd like a buck driver to use the 6V XHP from a 3s 20Ah li-ion pack.
 
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yorkie_chris

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Looks like I'm going to give the ledil 10861 a try with an XHP50 instead of the MCE it's meant for.

Can someone recommend a good reliable source for the LED? There is loads of stuff available from china but for the mess around involved in a dive light I'd rather have quality - a decent bin of LED soldered to a quality copper board.

16mm sinkpads are available on ebay from china as well, are they the real deal? Wonder if I would be better buying the sinkpads and learning how to reflow solder them myself - I have a mate who's an auto locksmith who's excellent at this sort of thing from reflowing car immobiliser and ECU chips.
 

yorkie_chris

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Realise we're now far, far away from the thread title. Oh well.


Had a play around with XHP70 and the Iris optic last night, it's actually pretty good. Would be cracking in reasonable vis but suspect it might be a wee bit too wide to work well in snotty water.

Time to order some XHP50 6V. Planning to drive it with a taskled h6flex 6 amp on full.
 
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