# Romisen RC-G2 (w. SSC mod) vs Fenix L2D-CE - beamshots and review



## meuge (Jan 3, 2008)

This is going to be a fairly short review, so I will get right down to business.

The contenders:






The Romisen RC-G2 is a very inexpensive <$11 light from dealextreme.com that has a number of things going for it. 
1. Positive clicky
2. Large (for 1 AA) reflector
3. Excellent machining and anodizing
4. No glue!!!

As we will realize, #4 is VERY important. 

With a little advice from CPF members, I obtained this light, as well as the 20-mode driver and SSC U-bin LED from DX. 

The 20-mode driver was modified to be a 1-mode driver, and had to be filed down about 1mm to fit into the pill. The stock P2 LED on star was unceremoniously ripped out and tossed, and the SSC was mounted directly on the heatsink, using homemade thermal epoxy (clear $3 epoxy mixed with Arctic Silver 5 in the proportions of Epoxy Part 1-2 = 2 parts, AS5 = 1 part). 






After installing the modified pill back into the light, it was run down using a single Sanyo Eneloop AA (2Ah), to test runtime and ensure that good heat transfer was taking place. The light took it like a champ, and ran the battery down, getting warm, but never too hot to touch, with no complaints from the LED. 

I then compared it with my good old L2D-CE P4 (which is my reference light). So, here goes nothing:

1. Body
Excellent machining and anodizing, very comfortable to hold. Much grippier than Fenix lights, both because of the body design and finish. 

2. Switch
Positive clicky with a good momentary function that requires just the right amount of force (lighter than the Fenix T1). 

3. Brightness
I do not have a lux meter and thus can't make a light box, but by eye it is somewhere in between the L2D-CE high and turbo. 

L2D-CE P4 (turbo) + Romisen RC-G2 SSC





4. Beam
I really like the SSC U-bin tints, and this one does not disappoint. It's warmer than the Cree P4, but not as warm as my Rebel100 P2D. The beam is butter smooth, typical for the SSC LEDs. Very nice hotspot and generous spill. 

5. Runtime
About 1:05 regulated at maximum brightess, then falls to about 1/2 of L2D-CE for another 1/2 hour or so. 

6. Overall
For ~$20 and a little elbow grease (30 minutes), you get a very nice mini-tactical light that will probably give you a nice round 100lumens of light for 1 hour on a single AA battery. I have no problems recommending it to anyone). 

And the obligatory "tactical" pic:





P.S. Ask me if you want comparisons with the P2D-R100 or T1.


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## nanotech17 (Jan 3, 2008)

nice mod.
do you use the star SSC or just the emitter?
if you use the star SSC you did trim it to fit the pill right?


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## meuge (Jan 3, 2008)

nanotech17 said:


> nice mod.
> do you use the star SSC or just the emitter?
> if you use the star SSC you did trim it to fit the pill right?


I used the bare emitter, with the leads straightened so they wouldn't touch the heatsink. 

You can't use a star because it would have sat too high. Compared to the Cree on a star, even the bare SSC emitter is higher by about 0.5mm or so.


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## nanotech17 (Jan 3, 2008)

thanks.


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## taschenlampe (Jan 4, 2008)

Thanks for the review!

An underexposed beamshot with L2D-CE P4 (turbo) + Romisen RC-G2 SSC would 
be nice to judge the brightness of the hotspots.


tl


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## Vikas Sontakke (Jan 4, 2008)

meuge said:


> I used the bare emitter, with the leads straightened so they wouldn't touch the heatsink.
> 
> You can't use a star because it would have sat too high. Compared to the Cree on a star, even the bare SSC emitter is higher by about 0.5mm or so.



Given that the head has nice o-ring and enough threads, is it really necessary to have the emitter at the exact height?

- Vikas


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Jan 4, 2008)

I have De-Oxit from Ratshack and I did my G2 with it. It seems brighter....

I haven't soldered in years, and don't think I'm up for a mod like that.


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## meuge (Jan 4, 2008)

Vikas Sontakke said:


> Given that the head has nice o-ring and enough threads, is it really necessary to have the emitter at the exact height?
> 
> - Vikas


I think the extra 1.5mm or so of the star would make the head sit too high, and be too loose. 

Also, you'd have to trim the star anyway, cause the normal star board is too large for the pill.


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## StefanFS (Jan 5, 2008)

taschenlampe said:


> An underexposed beamshot with L2D-CE P4 (turbo) + Romisen RC-G2 SSC would be nice to judge the brightness of the hotspots.
> tl


 
Not to hijack this thread, but here is one of my Romisen RC-G2 SSC P4 USXOH with the 20 mode driver. That driver is a very efficient booster.

Against NiteCore DI on 14500 LiION. Romisen on Eneloop.












Against NiteCore DI on Eneloop. Romisen on Eneloop.


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## gunga (Jan 11, 2008)

Can any of you recommend a more basic, say 5 mode driver for this light?


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## StefanFS (Jan 11, 2008)

gunga said:


> Can any of you recommend a more basic, say 5 mode driver for this light?


 
This design is one of the best available for one AA. You can make it a one mode driver by soldering the negative wire to the copper ring on the rim of the driver instead of the original position. I have done several like that and it works very well.


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## gunga (Jan 11, 2008)

Do you have a link to the driver? Can it be simplified to 5 mode?


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## bessiebenny (Jan 22, 2008)

Best drivers for single AA are:

20 mode - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7880
19 mode - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7882

19 mode driver has a potentiometer to vary output level.
It can also accept 14500 and feed over 1A to a Cree Q5.

But they are both around 17mm so you will need to file the edges.


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## Probedude (Jan 23, 2008)

bessiebenny said:


> Best drivers for single AA are:
> 
> 20 mode - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7880
> 19 mode - http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7882
> ...



Where did you get the SSC P4 USXOH emitter? I understand the 'H' on the end means low forward voltage vs the 3.7V version that DX sells. Will the above drivers work as well for a non-'H' emitter?

I'd like to buy everything from one place if possible (plus DX has a great price on the SSC emitter).


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## AvPD (Jan 25, 2008)

meuge said:


> 4. No glue!!!



Did you get one from the first batch of these manufactured? Because the emitter in mine was glued contrary to what I read on CPF, I found this out after unsoldering the wires. :thumbsdow


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## meuge (Jan 25, 2008)

AvPD said:


> Did you get one from the first batch of these manufactured? Because the emitter in mine was glued contrary to what I read on CPF, I found this out after unsoldering the wires. :thumbsdow


Of course the emitter is thermal-glued in place... it needs to be fixed, to be stable!

Since it's a P2, I simply ripped it off, and tossed it. I then cleaned the area with acetone, followed by isopropanol, to prepare for mounting the SSC.


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## meuge (Jan 25, 2008)

StefanFS said:


> Not to hijack this thread, but here is one of my Romisen RC-G2 SSC P4 USXOH with the 20 mode driver. That driver is a very efficient booster.
> 
> Against NiteCore DI on 14500 LiION. Romisen on Eneloop.


Nice work Stephan, and thanks for posting in this thread. 

Thanks for the original "how-to" as well, it has really worked wonders. 

Now let's see if other Romisen lights can be as friendly to modding, cause I am very eager to turn the RC-N3 (1xCR123) into SF E1L-type light.


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## AvPD (Jan 26, 2008)

meuge said:


> Of course the emitter is thermal-glued in place... it needs to be fixed, to be stable!
> 
> Since it's a P2, I simply ripped it off, and tossed it. I then cleaned the area with acetone, followed by isopropanol, to prepare for mounting the SSC.



I see, thanks for the details.


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## waTom (Feb 26, 2008)

Would there be much of an improvement with the stock driver and a ssc?


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## meuge (Feb 27, 2008)

waTom said:


> Would there be much of an improvement with the stock driver and a ssc?


You'd likely see about a 30% improvement, since that's the difference between a P2 and the SSC U-bin.


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## datiLED (Feb 27, 2008)

Nice mod. I typically make a point to avoid DX/KD lights, but I may need to get one of these to mod as a "loaner" light.


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## meuge (Feb 27, 2008)

datiLED said:


> Nice mod. I typically make a point to avoid DX/KD lights, but I may need to get one of these to mod as a "loaner" light.


Check out my review of a similar mod, using a Cree R2 WG emitter in the same host. Ceiling tests put it at about 150 emitter lumens (equivalent to P2D-R100) and it out-throws the latter. 

Runtime is about 50 minutes fully regulated, another 15 minutes dimming.


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## jinx626 (Feb 27, 2008)

meuge said:


> Check out my review of a similar mod, using a Cree R2 WG emitter in the same host. Ceiling tests put it at about 150 emitter lumens (equivalent to P2D-R100) and it out-throws the latter.
> 
> Runtime is about 50 minutes fully regulated, another 15 minutes dimming.


 
Can you link it? I can't seem to find the review for the R2 with the same host.


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## meuge (Feb 27, 2008)

jinx626 said:


> Can you link it? I can't seem to find the review for the R2 with the same host.


This is the article in the Modified and Homemade section.


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