# New 3W aluminum headlamp initial thoughts and pics



## xiejol (Jul 31, 2009)

I ordered one of the newer 3W aluminum headlamps from focalprice because it looked like it might take a P60 dropin. It doesn't, but it does have a nice heatsink, a standard Cree star (for modding) and it is very nice and light. KD sells one that claims modes, and has the same packaging, but mine has only one mode.

I bought this light as a replacement for my helmet light and I think it will fit the bill nicely. I still can't believe how much metal it has, while remaining under 6 oz with batteries. I'm currently running a battery life test, and the light has been on for 50 minutes. The body is warm, not too hot, very similar to my 6P with a R2 dropin.

Here you can see the weight in oz with batteries and without:











A comparison shot with the rechargeable AAAs I use. One future mod might be to replace these with a single RCR123a or even an 18650 if I really want runtime.







A comparison with my Surefire 6P:









The battery case is cheap, but not too flimsy. It comes with a large o-ring, but I wouldn't want to dunk it under water. It will probably shed rain just fine, but that test will have to wait until later. One very nice feature of the case is that the lid, which snaps on, is attached by a metal ring, so you don't worry about losing it or holding it while changing batteries. Very nice. The battery contacts are cheap and one popped out while pulling out a battery. A dab of glue will fix it.









The base of the light contains a simple clicky switch setup with a spring that provides a contact to the emitter. There is a metal contact that covers the spring, which popped off the first time I took it apart. 







Here you can see all the components, my only concern is the multiple paths required for heat to leave the body. All the connections involve threads, so I may end up smearing thermal grease to help heat transfer between each component.

The reflector is low quality smooth plastic. I would like to replace it with a aluminum OP, but getting the threads to align won't be easy for me (any machinists out there???). The lens on this light is really poor quality glass and has a few marks out of the box. I'll probably get a replacement from DX. The body is in fact aluminum, only the reflector and the adjustable base are plastic.






Imagine my grin when I took the reflector off and discovered this:






I only wish I could access the driver, but it is either glued in on the bottom of the heatsink or wedged in really tight. I couldn't get it out with mild pressure and don't want to break it (yet). Can anyone ID this emitter?







The light does protrude a little from the head, but it is so light you don't even feel it. Since it will be on my helmet I don't care, my visor will block it anyway.















And, of course, I must have beamshots. My Sony camera doesn't take the best shots, but here are some. On the left is my 6P with a R2 emitter running off two RCR123As, on the right is the 3AAA headlamp. 





The R2 is a good bit brighter, but also runs with more juice. The picture below is the same shot, but with an adjusted exposure.





For $14 I didn't expect much, but I like the headlamp and think it is well worth the money. The fact that I can upgrade it easily makes it a steal. I'll ride around with it tonight and report back.

Sorry for lots of pics, but no one has reported any experience with one of these lights, so I thought I'd be the first.


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## problemchild200 (Aug 1, 2009)

Is that an LED HEADLIGHT? I have never understood the need for manufacturers to put some lame print on straps. Put an xre in it.


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## xiejol (Aug 1, 2009)

Eureka!

This light will handle P60 dropins with little, if any modification. The base may need some copper tape and the dropin may need to be built up a bit to help with thermal conductivity, but they work.


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## ahorton (Aug 3, 2009)

Good work!

Does it bounce when you run?



problemchild200 said:


> Is that an LED HEADLIGHT? I have never understood the need for manufacturers to put some lame print on straps. Put an xre in it.



I have a theory that someone in China once turned an elastic-making-machine on and then took a 2-month holiday. They now own enough elastic to reach the sun and are selling it for peanuts (or possible rice?).


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## bigchelis (Aug 31, 2009)

Cool find,

thanks for disclosing the P60 compatible headlamp.


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## kevinm (Sep 4, 2009)

It looks like the emitter is a Cree XR-E. If it has 3 bond wire (wires touching the yellow in the center) it's a P4 probably. If there are 4, it could be a Q2 all the way up to an R2. 

In the other thread, I saw that you had a P60 drop-in in it. Does that mean you managed to yank that circuit board out? Is there room to mount a 17mm circuit board in there? It would be sweet to have that heat sink, a good driver, and a bigger battery pack...


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## xiejol (Sep 10, 2009)

The emitter, heatsink, and (I assume) the board all come out together as they are all one piece. Just put the dropin in their place and you are done. Now that I've put the copper tape around the dropin I have decent (not perfect) thermal conductivity to the outside of the unit and it stays cool as long as I'm moving.

When I get a chance I'll post pics of the setup.


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## kevinm (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks Xiejol. 

My interest goes the other way. I want a BIG heatsink for a Cree MC-E. I'm wondering if I can cram the 17mm driver in there and keep the thing cool enough. I know there are MC-E dropin's (have one), but that's 400 lumens. I want 800!

So, could you post pictures of the stuff you pulled out? Or measure it?

Thanks,
Kevin


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## xiejol (Sep 11, 2009)

All of the components are in the pics on this post. I can't measure it because the original heatsink and emitter are lost right now (middle of a move). I can tell you that you probably won't be able to keep a MC-E cool enough with the small amount of aluminum on the heatsink. The heatsink itself is okay, it is the very small body of the light itself that won't give you enough cooling. 

One of these days when I have some extra funds I'll get the MC-E dropin to create a backup bike like for my handlebars. Before I build that I'm going to put the dropin into this light, just to see what happens.

I'd say just go buy the headlamp and see what you think. For the price you just can't beat it.


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## Kindle (Jun 9, 2010)

Does anyone have this headlamp & the Solarforce T4 kit?

The headlamps look a lot alike from the pics.


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## psychbeat (Jun 10, 2010)

does the T4 take drop-ins?

Im kinda wanting to try one of these as 
as a p60 host.


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## Kindle (Jun 10, 2010)

psychbeat said:


> does the T4 take drop-ins?
> 
> Im kinda wanting to try one of these as
> as a p60 host.



Word is that it is not a P60 host...BUT if it's the same setup as the Focalprice headlamp then maybe it's easier to finagle than previously thought.

On the other hand if it were that simple I'm guessing someone would have figured it out by now. 

I just ordered one of the kits from SBF (minus the headlamp) & one of these headlamps so we'll see.


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## xSmurf (Jun 11, 2010)

Excellent right-up, thanks! 

I just ordered two of these to mod. First off will be 18650 batts and I'll see about a drop in after, I have one with a Q5 and some drivers laying around.


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## xSmurf (Jun 30, 2010)

Just received mine 

So, anyone's found a way to put a 3/5-modes driver in there?? The lamp is great, but it seems like the driver is really small compared to the standard 17mm.


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## xSmurf (Jul 1, 2010)

Yeah I'm just stupid. There is no driver, it's just a small PCB for contact, and there's tons of room behind the LED Star to put a 17mm driver. I ordered a few on DX. Next up will be making a new battery pack to hold one or two 18650.


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