# Quick look at a R5 single mode drop in



## hyperloop (Apr 11, 2010)

*EDIT: *based on input from other CPF-ers and the fact that i posted this the day a got it, i want to be very clear that this is a *very initial* view, it hasnt been used for long yet. CHeers

Was wondering what the R5s were like so ordered this R5 drop in drom DX just to give it a try.

It arrived yesterday and it was surprisingly nice, the reflector is made of metal not plastic as i was expecting and screws on and off the LED pill/heatsink which also feels quite nice. There is some epoxy/thermal paste around the LED itself but it doesnt touch the dome nor does it affect the profile of the beam.

I got the single mode as i am figuring on using this only when more light is needed, it will be riding in my G2 running on 2xRCR123s and my K106 3 mode programmable on 14500 is the primary EDC with the Raw NS (20/100) bein the back up.

Beam profile, a larger hotspot than i am used to, comparison pics taken below using my Jet III Pro ST on max. Have not done any runtime tests yet but will get around to it sometime.

Suffice it to say, this one BRIGHT dropin for a sub $15 item. They have a 5 mode too, but i didnt need that as my other lights serve that need already.

*Below: *Pic of the drop in, sticker says "Super Bright R5"







*Below:* Closer pic of the LED






*Below:* Side view with both springs






*Below:* Side view, spring removed to fit in G2
(note: the other P60 hosts needed the larger spring)






*Below: *R5 drop in, reflector removed






*Below: *side view of drop in without reflector






*Below:* as close as i could get of the LED, note some thermal paste/epoxy spillover






*Below: *R5 dropin fitted into Surefire G2, no rattles at all






*Below:* beamshot of R5 drop in, about 6ft from the wall, loads of ambient light as it is noon here.






*Below:* beamshot Jet III Pro ST Q5 on max (note the hotspot is so muh smaller)






*Below: *comparison: R5 on left, Jet III Q5 on right






*Below:* comparison as above just that i moved the lights further apart







I like this dropin, i only wanted a single mode as (a) less things to mess up, (b) only needed a single mode for my uses. 

*TINTWISE: *As you can see from the shots, the Jet III appears a bit but just a bit warmer, the beam profile and tint of Jet III is very nice, slightly vanilla-ish. The R5 on the other hand is a blindin white, would be great for indoors to light up rooms, search all corners etc. But will be takin this R5 outdoors with me as well to test out.


*EDIT*:just tested the drop in on my other P60 host running a Trustfire Protected 18650, it appears to be just as bright to my eye.


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## bigchelis (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

I got one too for real Out the front lumens.

With A single Cell it pulls 2A or so at the tail

Then it does over 1A with 2 AW 18650 cells in a L2 w/ext...


Finally; it broke prior to getting readings. I actually got it at 300 plus OTF, but then the lumens drop to like 140 after 15 seconds. Then  no more light. It still doesnt work.

A guess I got a bad one.:thumbsdow


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## hyperloop (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



bigchelis said:


> I got one too for real Out the front lumens.
> 
> With A single Cell it pulls 2A or so at the tail
> 
> ...



sorry to hear that man, when i read your post, immediately turned the dropin on, leaving it on now for the time its taking to reply to your post, no discernible drop in output (to my eye) and that is running it off 2xRCR1123s (Soshine unprotected)


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## bigchelis (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



hyperloop said:


> sorry to hear that man, when i read your post, immediately turned the dropin on, leaving it on now for the time its taking to reply to your post, no discernible drop in output (to my eye) and that is running it off 2xRCR1123s (Soshine unprotected)


 
check the current at the tail?

With a single Cell it should be around 1A. With 2 cells it should be at 500~800mA at the tail.

bigC


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## Black Rose (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

bigchelis, what colour is the circuit board on yours?

If it's green, it's a faulty driver (high current draw). The red drivers resolved that issue.

I had one of these drop-ins die on me.

It turned an angry blue with diminishing output. The LED separated from the MCPCB  

The LED survived, so now I'm learning how to reflow solder.


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## gcbryan (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Black Rose said:


> bigchelis, what colour is the circuit board on yours?
> 
> If it's green, it's a faulty driver (high current draw). The red drivers resolved that issue.
> 
> ...



I have the Uniquefire R5 but it looks like the same dropin. Mine worked fine with (1)18650 but when I tried (2) Cr123's it fried something and no longer works. I ordered another one but I'd like to learn something from this one.

To get to the circuit board do I just need to desolder the two "silver blobs" on the back of the heat sink?


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## jackaloop (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

As I wrote here I read 1.4A on a single trustfire (the one with flames, freshly charged) and 1.18A on two RCR123 Trustfires (the ones with flames, freshly charged), with no visible difference in output.

This is a great dropin for indoors because of its big hotspot, lots of spill and the smooth transition from hotspot to spill. In a cealing bounce test with my bare eyes, I perceive the total amount of light as equal to my Jetbeam Jet III Pro I.B.S. 3.7 Volts Edition. Outdoors however, the Jetbeam dominates this dropin in regard to throw by a large margin.


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## Black Rose (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



gcbryan said:


> To get to the circuit board do I just need to desolder the two "silver blobs" on the back of the heat sink?


No, just look at the bottom of the drop-in and see what colour the back of the circuit board is.


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## RedForest UK (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

Thats funny, I was just reading this thread thinking how great my DX R5 drop-in had been when i reached over turned it on and after a few seconds it went a dim blue tint  anyway I took it out cleaned it a bit with a cotton bud and now it won't work at all!  Oh well, I guess thats what you get from DX.. Mine was the red-backed one btw, I'd taken it out of the Skyray single mode.


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## fishx65 (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

Been using my four DX R2's for a couple years now without any problems. Was thinking about ordering a few R5's but it does not sound like such a good idea. Is the R5 much brighter then the 2?


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## RedForest UK (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



fishx65 said:


> Been using my four DX R2's for a couple years now without any problems. Was thinking about ordering a few R5's but it does not sound like such a good idea. Is the R5 much brighter then the 2?



I'm not sure about mine tbh, it had worked fine up till now for a good few months.. And yes, it was very bright, I'd estimate well over 300 OTF lumens. I think I'll go with one of nailbenders new Neutral white XP-G's now tho :thumbsup:


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## Black Rose (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

The reflow soldering on the one I had that failed was very poorly done.

Peeling back the paper isolation disc should not take the LED with it!!!!


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## gcbryan (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Black Rose said:


> No, just look at the bottom of the drop-in and see what colour the back of the circuit board is.



I was asking how to take the board out...it doesn't work and I want to look at it. It seems to be a blue board however just judging from the circle on the back of the dropin.


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## Black Rose (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Just desolder the solder blobs on the back of the pill and use a small screwdriver or pocket knife to take the driver out of the pill.

If you want to fully remove the driver, you'll also need to peel back the paper isolation disc on the top side and desolder the wires from the MCPCB as well.


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## stallion2 (Apr 12, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

i thought mine was great back when it still worked. its output was on par w/ my Dereelight XP-G pill and Thrunite 1A XP-G pill (rated at 350lm & 345lm respectively by factories) but the tint was pretty cool. i popped it loose trying it w/ another reflector and wasn't paying close enough attention. prior to all that the lamp had performed flawlessly. the reflector that came w/ it is by far the best i've seen in a 26mm...i'm no w using it w/ a Thrunite 1.5A XP-G in my C2 and its easily the best light i've had in a P60 format.

in short, other than a coolish tint, mine was perfect.


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## Wilkerson Brasil (Apr 12, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

I got one of this too.
Measured 1.5A at tailcap using 2*AW16340.

It is bright...It was bright...

Emitter just felt off board...

Dx sent another one... Still waiting


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## Black Rose (Apr 12, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Wilkerson Brasil said:


> Emitter just felt off board...


Glad I'm not the only one this has happened to.

I should have asked for a replacement insead of trying to fix it myself.


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## kramer5150 (Apr 12, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Wilkerson Brasil said:


> I got one of this too.
> Measured 1.5A at tailcap using 2*AW16340.
> 
> It is bright...It was bright...
> ...




1.5A from 2xRCR123 cells sounds a bit excessive. I would expect 1.5A from a SINGLE cell, and half that draw from two cells.

It sounds to me like there is a bad batch of these floating through the DX supply chain.... either that or the DC-DC circuit in these is not very efficient at higher voltages.

I am running an R4 at 1.4A, and it did around 220 OTF in bc's sphere.


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## hyperloop (Apr 13, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

i'd like to measure the current at the tailcap and i do have a DMM (cheapo one from DX) which i primarily (well, actually ONLY) use to measure the voltages for my rechargeable cells, could some kind soul tell this tech-impaired CPF-er how to do it? 

If needs be i can post a pic of my DMM so you guys could tell which sockets and settings to use


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## ^Gurthang (Apr 13, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

So, has anyone clearly identified which XPG drop-in is the two cell [3.7 - 8.4 V] version and the one cell [3 - 3.7V] ? Obviously DX is rushing these out the door w/ poor QC. 

I've got the doppleganger clone [UniqueFire S5] of the SkyRay [LF SP-6] clone. Absolutely NO issues so far on 1 x 18650. Its got the blue 5 mode driver. I use it at least 30 minutes every morning [dog walking] and it gets nicely warm but no tint shifting. 

The problems mentioned make me wonder if the emitter is overheating due to poor thermal contact.


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## jackaloop (Apr 13, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



hyperloop said:


> i'd like to measure the current at the tailcap and i do have a DMM (cheapo one from DX) which i primarily (well, actually ONLY) use to measure the voltages for my rechargeable cells, could some kind soul tell this tech-impaired CPF-er how to do it?




https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/236906


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## Lightwise (Apr 13, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

I just got in the new UltraFire 502B (5 mode 35076) with the same R5 drop from DX and mine came dead on arrival. It's the same drop-in that is in this tread. When it came in I smelled the bad old burned circuit smell, and the light would only put out a very dim amount of output. The mode switching worked but almost no light. I switched out the module with another I had around, and it worked fine so the tail switch is good. I do have the green circuit board model. I've applied for a DX replacement. And as a backup I've order a new driver PCB from Shiningbeam to replace the one that is blown. It's a three mode (no SOS and strobe) and not the 5 mode model I have and looks like a much better quality. 

One question, my LED is very close to the reflector sticking out of the white paper, is there any problem with is coming in contact with the reflector?

Louis


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## Wilkerson Brasil (Apr 13, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Black Rose said:


> Glad I'm not the only one this has happened to.
> 
> I should have asked for a replacement insead of trying to fix it myself.



Emitters are too small for my soldering skills

I paid DX U$2 for shipping + U$2 for registered airmail.

I bought two emitters on 14mm board from kaidomain to replace dx broken drop in and on dereelight digital infinity 1.2A that uses xr-e r2.



kramer5150 said:


> 1.5A from 2xRCR123 cells sounds a bit excessive. I would expect 1.5A from a SINGLE cell, and half that draw from two cells.
> 
> It sounds to me like there is a bad batch of these floating through the DX supply chain.... either that or the DC-DC circuit in these is not very efficient at higher voltages.
> 
> I am running an R4 at 1.4A, and it did around 220 OTF in bc's sphere.



I know it works on limit but I use it on short bursts. I want lumens, lots of lumens .


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## Lightwise (Apr 17, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

I took my R5 drop in apart and found the bad part. It's marked "100" and is the biggest part on the front board. It was black and the smaller part next to it was black also. Some of you might know what it is, but I don't. 







As you can see from this pic the LED pill looks like a good board. 






I went ahead and changed out the regulator board for one that I purchased from Bryan at Shinningbeam - link to the part:

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-133/**NEW**-3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit/Detail

After the change out boy did the UltraFire 502B work great. A very very bright light and a good beam pattern, a little spot and a little flood, just right for me, but maybe not enough long beam for some. The only light I have any brighter is a P7 light. The Shiningbeam PC board is a little better board and is a small amount thicker than the one that came with it so you'll need to kind of rap the solder up and around the board, not hard at all. See completed R5 below






Hope this helps those with this problem. The 3 mode board from Bryan is really a good part for the R5 as it can drive the XPG LED and I don't like the SOS and strobe modes anyway on the 5 mode board. I'm now a happy camper with my new R5 flashlight. 

Louis


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## trailblazer (Apr 17, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

The "100" looks like a coil or more probably a transformer. I have used 2 of these dropins for over a year without any trouble and just ordered another one to serve as a backup when I was buying some other stuff just because they are so cheap and excellent output..


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## kramer5150 (Apr 17, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*






The big round "100" thing at L1 is the inductor.
The clear/copper shiny thing at D3 is the diode. It is used to limit current flow in one direction, to protect against reverse polarity.
The other two grey components C1 and C2 next to the inductor coil are capacitors.

You can tell from the silkscreened text on the PCBA. Its an industry standard to identify capacitors with a "C", Inductors with an "L" and Diodes with a "D". These are called Reference Designators, they allow the build house to know where to place each component on the PCB. A design may call for 3 resistors R1, R2 and R3, each one at a different kOhm rating. Without reference designators it would be impossible to know which component goes where.

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-133/**NEW**-3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit/Detail






The shiningbeam 3 mode XR-E board is a variation of DX:7612. The difference is Bryans board fully populates all the 7135 current drivers for a total of 1.4A. His EPROM program is set up to omit the flashy modes. I added a 4th 7135 to my DX:7612 and it works fine. I just keep it in the L/M/H mode group, and avoid disco boogie all together. Its one of my favorite modules, it has a very high PWM frequency.

One thing you should know about all 7135 DC-DC boards is they are terribly inefficient with 2-cell applications. Their current draw with 2 cells is nearly the same as it is with one. So using boards like this in a 2-cell application does NOT decrease current draw from the cell, and therefore will not extend run times appreciably. 7135 boards work best with single 18650 cells.

An XPG at 1.4A is a great setup... nice job on the repair!!:thumbsup:


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## old4570 (Apr 17, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

Seems they are cooking on 2xCR123A ...

Can we draw such a conclusion ? Or are they cooking on 18650 as well .


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## Black Rose (Apr 19, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



old4570 said:


> Seems they are cooking on 2xCR123A ...
> 
> Can we draw such a conclusion ? Or are they cooking on 18650 as well .


Depends on the version. There are at least two versions of that drop-in.

One with the sandwhich board as shown above and another with a single layer board. 



Lightwise said:


> As you can see from this pic the LED pill looks like a good board.


My board looked like that...until the LED fell off.



> I went ahead and changed ot the regulator board for one that I purchased from Bryan at Shinningbeam


That's a nice board. I used it in a build yesterday with an XP-G R4.


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## Lightwise (Apr 19, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

Sorry your LED fell off. I also ordered the XP-G R4 LED just in case from Bryan. I didn't need it so I have it as a spare. Glad to know they work well also. Very pleased now with the UltraFire 502B with the R5 LED, in fact I'm taking it on a trip soon in my laptop case. I like the smaller size for travel compared to my EagleTac, but the EagleTac is a much better made light. 

Louis


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## hyperloop (Apr 20, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

Well, got the drop-in installed in a P60 host with reverse clicky, 2xRCR123s and had the chance to use it. After leaving a friend's house, was walking out to the main road to get a taxi home and the lane out isn't very brightly lit as the trees block the street lamps. Saw a taxiabout 50-60m (150 - 180ft) away and tried to hail it but as i was in the dark lane and he was on a bright street, he couldn't see me.

Whipped out the light and gave a quick blast with the R5, worked like a charm, immediately pulled up to me and when i got in he was like "what the heck light was that?! It was so incredibly bright!"


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## Mike_TX (Apr 20, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

I have an XP-G R5 drop-in on the way from DX, too. 

I got one awhile back from Kai, and have been using it in an UF 510B host with an 18650 with excellent results. Mine from KAI has a slightly different reflector, though, in that the base of the reflector cone is flatter and the hole for the emitter is smaller. 

The beam hotspot from the Kai R5 is about 50% larger than an XR-E R2 @ 1m, and is a lot more diffuse because of its extra spill. That makes it look a little less bright on a wall, but that sucker lights up my whole backyard on a dark night. It's not the thrower the R2 is, but it's hella bright.

I'm anxious to see how the DX product compares ... assuming, of course, it works. And you guys have me wondering now! 

.
.


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## brted (Apr 20, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

I just got a 502B with the 1-mode drop-in. Bottom of the board has a red ring. So far it is great. Draws 1.5A on a fresh battery and is bright. This is my first 502B and I have to do something about heatsinking before I try to run it for any length of time. I was able to pull the paper disk off without dislodging the LED, just to see how it looked. It looks better than the picture in the post above. They are using a square hole that fits over the LED and lets the LED get up into the bottom of the reflector a little. Centering is very good.


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## Wilkerson Brasil (May 1, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Wilkerson Brasil said:


> I got one of this too.
> Measured 1.5A at tailcap using 2*AW16340.
> 
> It is bright...It was bright...
> ...




Received new drop in a few days ago and guess...

Emitter felt off board again :shakehead


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## Lightwise (May 9, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

I just took my Ultrafire 502B based host with the R5 LED in it and the Shinningbeam PC board on a business trip and really liked the size of the light and the light output from Byron's 3 mode regulator board. Even though this is a low cost light, with my total investment of only of ~ $25 US, it is becoming the light I like to carry most! Maybe this is because the modifications made it customized to be just the light I want. I think that's why I like this hobby, you get just what you want if you take a little of your time and have a soldering iron! :twothumbs

Louis


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## brted (May 9, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

I have the 502B with the single mode and did some measurements to figure out driver efficiency. These numbers are so high, I would think it is direct driven except that afterwards I didn't include the isolator disk over the LED and it was very bright and drawing 2.2 amps. So I know there is some kind of limiting going on. Also it is actually increasing the current at higher voltages which wouldn't happen on direct drive. I did a test with gray DX batteries at 4 different states of discharge and measured V in and I in at the battery under load and V out and I out at the LED. Those two multiplied is P. P out / P in is efficiency. I've been testing some multi-mode drivers lately with 60-70% efficiency, so 80% looks good. The problem is that brightness is probably trailing off the whole time, because there doesn't seem to be much regulation going on, certainly not when the battery is below 4 volts at rest.


```
[FONT=Courier New]
V rest     3.56   3.81   4.04   4.12
V in (V)   3.46   3.72   3.89   3.97
I in (mA)   610    840   1080   1100
P in (W)   2.11   3.12   4.20   4.37
V out      3.04   3.09   3.11   3.11
I out       600    870   1110   1130
P out      1.82   2.69   3.45   3.51
Efficiency  86%    86%    82%    80%[/FONT]
```


I still wound up replacing the driver with another one though, because I would rather have a low available.


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## FLT MEDIC (May 9, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

Bought a single mode R5 with a red PCB driver board. It overheated and became dim after a few minutes of continuous use so I swapped its stock driver with a 3v to 18v 1.2A driver I had bought from DX just in case its driver board failed like what happened to most buyers in DX. Works ok so far till my 2xRCR123As get discharged.


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## richardcpf (May 10, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

Ordered one of these drop in. 

I expect it to fail so I also ordered a pair of sku 7612, this one has proven to be the best 3 mode no-strobe board on DX.


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## gcbryan (May 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



richardcpf said:


> Ordered one of these drop in.
> 
> I expect it to fail so I also ordered a pair of sku 7612, this one has proven to be the best 3 mode no-strobe board on DX.



I looked this sku up on DX and it says it's a 16 mode driver? What's the deal?


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## Black Rose (May 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



gcbryan said:


> I looked this sku up on DX and it says it's a 16 mode driver? What's the deal?


It has mode groups.

The second mode group has the coveted L-M-H mode sequence.


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## Lightwise (May 11, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

If you need a good three mode driver board for your R5 module, I installed this one from Shiningbeam and really like the results. Low cost ($5.95) and fast shipment if you are in the U.S. - so what not to like. It fit well also even if the PC board is just a little thicker (that's because it's so much better made than the DX one!).

Louis

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-133/**NEW**-3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit/Detail


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## Lolaralph (May 28, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

I'm still confused by LED names and numbers, would the R5 throw less or more than an R2


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## Black Rose (May 29, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Lolaralph said:


> I'm still confused by LED names and numbers, would the R5 throw less or more than an R2


The answer depends on what type of LED you are referring to.

With several different types of LEDs available from Cree now, you simply can't refer to the BIN (R5, R2, etc), you also need to refer to the LED "model".

For example, an XP-G R5 throws less than an XR-E R2, but an XP-G R5 most likely throws the same as an XP-G R2 (just the R5 would be brighter at the same drive current).


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## Black Rose (Jun 14, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

Well I have had great luck with this particular drop-in from DX :duh2:

First one fell apart and had to be totally rebuilt.

I ordered a second one of these back in late February.

Last night the driver failed on the second one...just a dim blue glow.
Time to order a better driver and swap it out :thumbsdow


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## gcbryan (Jun 14, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Black Rose said:


> The answer depends on what type of LED you are referring to.
> 
> With several different types of LEDs available from Cree now, you simply can't refer to the BIN (R5, R2, etc), you also need to refer to the LED "model".
> 
> For example, an XP-G R5 throws less than an XR-E R2, but an XP-G R5 most likely throws the same as an XP-G R2 (just the R5 would be brighter at the same drive current).



If it was brighter then it would throw further (and I don't think there are any XP-G R2's).


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## Tally-ho (Jun 14, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

_Cree XLamp XP-G LED - Binning and Labeling_


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## Nautic (Jun 14, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



old4570 said:


> Seems they are cooking on 2xCR123A ...
> 
> Can we draw such a conclusion ? Or are they cooking on 18650 as well .



Mine has worked for 2 month now without any trouble. I use 18650s. The light draws 1.06 amps at the battery


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## Mike_TX (Jun 15, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

Mine from DX works great on an 18650, too.

I think I posted beamshots elsewhere on the forum, but the DX one is a little yellower than my Kai R5 drop-in and has more spill due to the mounting method (the Kai one is mounted recessed behind a round opening in the base of the reflector, whereas the DX one is mounted flush or slightly above the reflector base). That obviously lets more light spill out as compared to the Kai, which is forced into a tighter beam.

.
.


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## Black Rose (Jun 25, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Black Rose said:


> Well I have had great luck with this particular drop-in from DX :duh2:
> 
> First one fell apart and had to be totally rebuilt.
> 
> ...


A quick update.

This was not a driver failure, but yet another problem with the LED separating from the MCPCB.

Two units, both failed. Total crap IMHO :fail:


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## Zatoichi (Jul 5, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

My Skyray R5 just arrived. I'm wondering what the consensus is about it's drop-in being the same as the problem ones, and if it looks like it's safe enough running them on a 18650? I was planning on using mine with CR123 primaries. Have all the problems been with 2 x RCR123?


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## sol-leks (Jul 5, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

I've used my skyray with cr123's and 18650's and it was fine with both, although I didn't run it for an extended period on cr123's I just tested it.


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## Zatoichi (Jul 5, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



sol-leks said:


> I've used my skyray with cr123's and 18650's and it was fine with both, although I didn't run it for an extended period on cr123's I just tested it.



I gave mine a few 2 minute bursts with CR123's. It seemed okay but I'm reluctant to risk damaging the drop-in if it's proving to be fine on a single liIon. Did yours look brighter with 2 x CR123? A few of us all thought it was noticeably a little brighter, but I'm happy enough with it on a 18650.


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## Manual Man (Sep 22, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I also have this drop-in (from DX) and with a recharged (4.1-4.2V) 18650 battery I am getting readings of 1.6A at the tail, I have a circuit board (06190) in the mail to replace a defective board which came with an XR-E R2 drop-in and was wondering...would this board suit this drop-in or are there better ones out there? I would like something that still delivers around 1A at 3.5V and 1.2 A at 4.2V....I don't want to buy a board off Shiningbeam as I can probably request a new driver strait from DX

So to sum it up: which of these is best?
SKU. 06190, SKU. 7612, SKU.15880 or 25517???

Cheers


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## applevalleyjoe (Sep 24, 2010)

Love my R-5's...good flood, good throw :thumbsup:


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## MosesM (Sep 25, 2010)

*Re: Quick look at the DX R5 single mode drop in*



Manual Man said:


> Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I also have this drop-in (from DX) and with a recharged (4.1-4.2V) 18650 battery I am getting readings of 1.6A at the tail, I have a circuit board (06190) in the mail to replace a defective board which came with an XR-E R2 drop-in and was wondering...would this board suit this drop-in or are there better ones out there? I would like something that still delivers around 1A at 3.5V and 1.2 A at 4.2V....I don't want to buy a board off Shiningbeam as I can probably request a new driver strait from DX
> 
> So to sum it up: which of these is best?
> SKU. 06190, SKU. 7612, SKU.15880 or 25517???
> ...



SKU.06190 will work for your XPG drop-in as well, delivering around 1A of constant current. I'm sure you know not to use 2xRCR123s with any driver that runs on AMC7135s right?

Among those drivers that you listed, it will depend on what your needs are...like whether you actually want S.O.S. or not 

You can actually piggyback AMC7135 chips on each other to increase the current that the driver will deliver, all you need to do is solder together all the legs (including the bigger one on top of the chip), EXCEPT for the small middle leg. 

Any questions on drivers, I would suggest you start a thread in the DIY section.


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## Manual Man (Sep 25, 2010)

:thumbsup: Thanks! One SKU. 06190 on the way! (also thanks for the advice about using 2xRCR123s with 7135s, something I didn't know)


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