# Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark), beamshots added



## LED Zeppelin (Feb 6, 2008)

*Hardware:*

- Fivemega FM3H head
- FM fat tube, 120 mm extension, deep tailcap
- 18 X AA holder 10.8 V operation, soon to be powered by LuxLuthor 12 X Emoli 18650 pack
- (3) 1000 lumen Ostar LE UW E3B QZ
- (3) Fraen narrow beam reflectors
- (3) Cree XRE Q5 WG
- (3) McR17XR
- (3) parallel SF-V Shark drivers, each driving (1) Ostar and (1) Cree in series. One mother Shark wired to the pot, and two slaves wired to the mother
- (3) machined aluminum SharkSinks 
- (1) 20K ohm logarithmic pot
- Heatsink CNC milled from 3" round 6061 aluminum, improved one-piece design, 8.5 oz.
- Custom LZ pot knob w/ trit vial indicator

*Specs:*

- Current pot-adjustable from 0 - 920 mA
- Vf of LED strings: ~25 V @ 930 mA
- Cells are supplying 77.5 Watts


















Pictured next to the original MD:







*Beamshots*
Camera settings for beamshots: ISO 200, F3.5, 2.5 sec, white balance to sunshine. 

Lineup and beamshots L to R:
- Arcmania SF-V, 1000 lumen Ostar, 2 X 17670
- Surefire M6, HOLA, M6-R pack
- My Quinta Magmod, 5 X Q4 WH/McR17XR, Shark/pot, 3 X 17670
- Moby **** MDXR-9, 9 X Q5 WG, 6 X 17670, 2s3p
- Moby **** Trinity, 18 AA NiMH, 9s2p
All cells fully charged.

















The beamshots were taken from my porch, as you can see it's snowing lightly which reduced throw. I aimed the lights down the driveway at the road running left to right in the distance. 

In the foreground the small tree at center is at 35', and the far bank of the pond to the right at 80'.
To the downhill left bend of the drive it's 200', the road is 350', and across the road is a grove of trees at 450' of which some trunks are visible.

In all the pics you can see the edge of the beam except for Trinity; her beam's too wide to capture with the focal length of 18mm. The small tree to the very right at 10' gives a good indication of beam width and spill.

I'd like to thank to MJ and Mac for their help with parts and expertice, and DFiorentino for planting the seed in my head.

*EDIT: Shark micro sink installation*

While waiting for LuxLuthor's pack, I've been testing the light running on the 18 AA, 10.8 V holder. I found that due to thermal issues the Sharks were shutting down after 1 1/2 minutes on hi. 

The Sharks were getting hot due to the level of boost (to be somewhat alleviated by the 14.8 V pack being built), and due to the total power running through them. Wayne recommends 15 Watts max in the stock configuration, and these are pushing over 25 Watts each.

I disassembled the light and fabricated two micro sinks for the top of each Shark from brass shapes and Romex core. The box sink with the soldered Romex epoxies to the top of the IC, and the bent leg sink to the top of the diode. Both create thermal mass and a path to the tube.







After reassembly, I tested the light running off my power supply at 16 V, 4.8 A, and after four minutes the head got very hot, but the Sharks were still happy. I reinstalled the partially depleted 18 AA holder and ran for 5 minutes, the last of which the cells couldn't keep up and the Sharks were flickering, straining to maintain the increasing level of boost. Again the head got hot, but the Sharks were still going strong.


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## easilyled (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

 :bow::wow:

Words fail me when I look at these masterful lights of yours Dennis.

Yet another fantastic creation.

I guess it must be outputting about 3000 - 3500 lumens at max?

What is the beam like with the narrow Fraens?

Does it project far or is it floody?


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Thanks easilyled.

The beam is still floody even with the narrow Fraens.

It doesn't throw as well as the 9 Cree MD, but the beam is much wider with brighter spill. Definitely brighter than the Cree MD, and your guess about lumen output is as good as mine. It has a nice white tint too, makes the Crees look more green.

Once I receive the Emoli pack from LuxLuthor, I'll take some beamshots. The 18 AA holder is temporary, and the Sharks don't have any headroom. The Sharks throttle back the last 1/4 turn of the pot running on the AAs.


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## Lips (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

.




Awesome Specimen as usual LED :thumbsup:




.


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## mash.m (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

wow, thats a very beautiful flashlight !

waiting for some beamshots and compares 

i think this light will get very hot under fully brightness - 25V*0,930mA=23,25 * 3 = 69,75 Watts 

my BigMag³ runs at near conditions: 3,7 [email protected] 20Amperes = 74 Watts. After 5-10 Minutes @ 100% it will be very hot and you have to dim the light. 

markus


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## dom (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

That's a beaut LedZep:thumbsup:

Cheers
Dom


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## Long John (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Awesome work LedZep:thumbsup:...:twothumbs...:bow:...:bow:...:bow:


Best regards

____
Tom:wave:


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## toby_pra (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Hi LedZeppelin!

Like the others told before:

Awesome! Especially your clean and nice work is amazing.
This Beauty looks really nice. More than lots of the others....

I would also like to see some comparing beamshots.


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## ArsMachina (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Size DOES matter 

Jochen


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## MatajumotorS (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

OMFG! I wish that i had "some" money in my pockets to build something like that! :wow: :goodjob:


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## DaFABRICATA (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

WOW!!!!

Words fail to describe the beauty of this creation!!!

UNREAL!!!

beamshots??????


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## Sw3d3 (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

I thought the original moby **** was impressive (and it still is) but this shows some serious ingenuity :wow: good work dude.


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Thanks guys.

This one is really pushing all aspects of the mod. The cells, the Sharks, the fit, and heatsinking. Using just the (3) Ostars and not the Crees is a bit more rational. Ostars need to have a relatively low Vf of 21V or less when paired with the Cree to stay under the Shark boost ceiling.



mash.m said:


> wow, thats a very beautiful flashlight !
> 
> waiting for some beamshots and compares
> 
> ...



The light does get hot, but I'm waiting for the battery pack to really give it a workout and take beamshots. It draws nearly 80 Watts so it's pretty demanding on the cells.


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## griff (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

DUDE....


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## Mirage_Man (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

:wow: :bow: You da man!


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## SUBjohan (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*



Mirage_Man said:


> :wow: :bow: You da man!



+1


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## Aircraft800 (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Zep,

The Moby **** Trinity is state-of-the-art, you *are* the cutting edge of multiple LED mods! You set the bar very high, you'll have many CPF'rs following your lead. I can't wait to see all of the other competitors!

Awesome work!


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## koala (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

LZ - I never liked big lights but yours is something I would like to have. Serious looking front end. goodjob!


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## SafetyBob (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Zep, what exact model number of Fraen narrow beam reflector did you use for the Ostars? 

And, the light is beautiful, but the pictures of the machine work that was done for the Crees is even more impressive. 

Bob E.


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## MorpheusT1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Amazing!

Is there any way to get a shorter setup.4s2P maybe?

Benny


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Bob, the reflectors are part #FRC-N1-OE2B-0. Here's the data sheet.


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## Icarus (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Awesome mod Dennis (Again!) !!!  ... :twothumbs


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*



MorpheusT1 said:


> Amazing!
> 
> Is there any way to get a shorter setup.4s2P maybe?
> 
> Benny



Benny,

If you could wire the pack that way and use Emoli cells, that would be possible.

My power supply is limited to 5 amps, so I couldn't test the draw at the lower voltages, but at 15.5 V it was drawing exactly 5 A. That figures to over 7 amps @ the 10.8 V of the 18 AA holder.

Hooking the light up to my PS and playing around with different Vin values and the pot turned to lo, I found 2 LED strings would start glowing at around 14 V, and the third around 16 V.

So a 4s pack at 14.8 V would be ideal, as long as it could supply the current. It would dim to near zero, and make life easier on the Sharks.

Interestingly the two Ostars that lit first would initially light 5 dies, then a bit more juice would light the last. Of each string the Ostar would light before the Cree.


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## MorpheusT1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

:twothumbs


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## adirondackdestroyer (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Could this be the most state of the art/bad *** flashlight ever constructed? Holy crap man, excellent work! I could only imagine how awesome it must be to have something like this in your collection. 

I need beamshots! How about comparing it to something well known like a M6, Mag85, or ROP High.


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## skalomax (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

3 Ostars and 3 XR-Es.
Amazing


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Thanks guys for the very kind words.

Adirondackdestroyer, I found the light does reach full brightness on the 18 AA when fully charged, so I'll be taking beamshots as soon as the weather clears.

It would indeed be nice to have this in my collection, and I am growing quite fond of it. But unfortunately for me I must return it to the rightful owner, Griff, who provided the fine host. I'll keep it just long enough to verify the operation and fit with LuxLuthor's pack and complete the beamshots. I will build another for myself, but don't have a host quite as pretty.

I had to dismantle Griff's HID Ellie to build Trinity, so I certainly hope he doesn't regret it.


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## sledhead (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Absolutely stunning! Ingenuity at its best. Can't wait for the beamshots! I do believe this light should make a personal appearance at PF10 though. We could compare it to all kinds of lights!:twothumbs


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## adirondackdestroyer (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

LED Zeppelin,

Roughly how much does one of these cost to put together?


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

adirondackdestroyer, good question.

The difficulty is assessing the cost is the host. I'm guessing this particular host was well over $500, before any extension tube accessory or 18 AA holder.

Parts cost for the actual mod, including the pretty exotic low volume CNC milling of the 9 oz. heatsink approaches that figure as well, not including my build time of 8 - 10 hrs.

Then the proper cell solution, which isn't the 18 AA I'm temporarily running it on. LuxLuthor will work his magic (thanks LL), and 12 Emolis with some expert pack wiring won't come cheap either, but worth every penny.

So add all that up and you're well into 4 digit territory. Prohibitive? Yes. Worth it? That is all up to the beholder, in this case Griff. I certainly hope he thinks so, and after he receives his light back I hope he will post impressions, good or bad.

I will build a few more with hosts I have or am having made, probably some with just tri-Ostars as well. They likely won't be as fancy as this one, but also should be more reasonable. But regardless of the particular host, cell solution, and bin of LED, they will all probably be close to 4 digits.


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## wquiles (Feb 6, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

Simply an amazing work of art!

Great job there dude :thumbsup:

Will


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## LuxLuthor (Feb 7, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

This is a beautiful job. It is a bit of a challenge to make 4s3p with 3 stacks of 4 wide Emoli 18650 cells...certainly not as straight forward as 3s4p would be. Also making a balance tap harness that will sit as a dongle in middle of Mag spring, with separate harness adapter that will allow pack balance taps to interface with Griff's e-Station BC-6 charger.

With 12 of these cells, I thought it wise in the long run to make sure cells inside pack get balanced when charged....at least periodically.


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 7, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

This light is as much about the cell solution as it is about the mod. 

Thanks LuxLuthor for your efforts which will allow Trinity to realize her full potential. Prior to this mod I didn't need much more than a couple Li-ion stacks in parallel, but as these mods progress that won't cut it anymore. Trinity is encroaching on the cell demands of hotwires, and with your help I have had a rapid education.


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 8, 2008)

Beamshots added.


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## Bogus1 (Feb 8, 2008)

Great work Dennis:thumbsup:


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## toby_pra (Feb 8, 2008)

Howly crap...

Its just amazing how bright this light is!


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## Aircraft800 (Feb 8, 2008)

Not much of a hotspot, but HOLY [email protected], What A Wall Of Light!!

Beautiful work, love the beamshots!!


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## shroomy (Feb 8, 2008)

Wow, that light is amazing. Absolutely Incredible.

I do have to ask though (and sorry if it's a dumb question), but how did you get the QX Ostar's?


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## kenster (Feb 8, 2008)

Holy multi-die, multi-LED, multi-lumen, multi-, multi-soil my pants   

*I LIKE IT!!! :rock: :twothumbs  :bow:*

:hahaha:Me :toilet:

BTW Dennis, should I send the PayPal today?


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## bluecrow76 (Feb 8, 2008)

And I thought your last one couldn't be beat! Well done!!!


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 8, 2008)

shroomy said:


> Wow, that light is amazing. Absolutely Incredible.
> 
> I do have to ask though (and sorry if it's a dumb question), but how did you get the QX Ostar's?



Shroomy, I have Arcmania to thank for the Ostars and the modified Sharks. Ostars do not come with any marking, but these are QZ bin, currently the brightest available. But they are hard to find, nearly impossible I have since discovered. I have some more on order from a distributor, which I'll have to test to determine their bin.

One nice feature of the heatsink design is the ability to unbolt the Ostars and easily swap them out. I believe there will be 1200 lumen Ostars soon, and even brighter ones in the future.


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## shroomy (Feb 10, 2008)

Ooops! Don't know why I was thinking QX 

Thanks for the info, I hadn't heard anything about new Ostars on the horizon. And once again, great job! That really is an awesome light


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## Ganp (Feb 10, 2008)

Words fail me :bow::bow::bow:



Colin.


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 11, 2008)

I discovered some issues with the Sharks overheating, and fabricated some micro sinks attached to the top of the IC and the doide.

My first post has been updated with the additional work.


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## griff (Feb 11, 2008)

Very clever solution,and all around clean look!
Well done!


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## Bimmerboy (Feb 14, 2008)

Wow, LED... this thing is just crazy! And look at that output! Part flood, part throw, and raw power. I'm guessing you could light up the better part of a football field with it.

Cool micro-sinks too. I might've missed the mention, but are those little hand-made heat pipes on 'em? Cool!! No pun intended.


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 14, 2008)

Bimmerboy said:


> Cool micro-sinks too. I might've missed the mention, but are those little hand-made heat pipes on 'em? Cool!! No pun intended.



Thanks Bb, those are solid copper wire from the core of household Romex wire. I hammered the end flat to meet the tube, and soldered them to both sides of the box-shaped brass piece which was drilled through. One box has little fins cut and folded, but that convection cooling is neglible compared to the conduction, so I didn't bother with the fins on the other two.


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## criollo (Feb 14, 2008)

:wow:That's insanely bright !!! 

You've done it again. Just amazing !!! :twothumbs:thumbsup:


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## LuxLuthor (Feb 17, 2008)

New 12 cell Emoli 18650 cells in 4s3p configuration with balance taps and adapter harness to fit your BC-6 on its way to LZ for final completion. This BC-6 is not a bad charger for the price since it includes AC power supply and balancer built in.


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 21, 2008)

Thanks LL for building this pack, it rocks! The light now performs as intended and then some.

I had to remove the decreasing-radius last coil of the tailcap spring to prevent contact with the balance plug, and now it is non-contact.

The tailcap also bottomed out on the pack before sealing, so I had an extension ring made that adds 0.280". One side has an O-ring seat and the other butts against the tube.









The light is such that the LEDs will begin glowing on lo at a cell voltage of 13.0 V. On a full charge the Ostars will all be lit, and below 13V not at all. So when the LEDs go out on lo, the cells are at 3.25V, well above the recommended low voltage, but a good time to recharge.

I ran the light for 5 minutes indoors and 9 minutes outdoors (13 degrees F) on continous hi before the head got very hot. I also ran it for 20 minutes at mid-pot, 500 mA, which seems to be a sweet spot for continuous runtime and stable head temp.

I ran the light for about 45 minutes total, and it is still going strong with good pack voltage.

I took Lux readings and at 1 m, my meter overloaded (>20,000 Lux). At 1.5 m, it put out 11,500 Lux.


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## LuxLuthor (Feb 21, 2008)

In my planning for the length, I cut off those bottom 3 tight wide end spring coils which on my HA longer tailcap version allowed clearance inside the tailcap....but it all depends on where the switch bottom ended up...and the ring is an elegant solution too. I'm not sure how much metal FM left in the center bottom of that chrome tailcap version, but my longer HA one is mostly all removed giving me more length.

Griff, once you receive this light, knowing how well I built it, and used new cells, I will warranty my battery pack for 90 days. Also, send me a PM to call and walk you through using the BC-6 balancing mode unless you are already clear about how the menus work.

That sound like a fabulous light, and it was fun working with you on it.


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## cat (Feb 21, 2008)

*Re: Moby **** Trinity (3 X Ostar, 3 X Cree, 3 X Shark)*

:wow:


:bow: 



Led Zeppelin was something else, and so are these lights. 
Transcendental.


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## griff (Feb 21, 2008)

PayPal sent via Bank o Troy

Thanks:devil:


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## LED Zeppelin (Feb 21, 2008)

Griff, PP received. Trinity was shipped this morning, feels like I'm giving up a newborn. :mecry:

But I'm glad to send her to a good home. Show her the world and she'll light it for you!


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## adamlau (Mar 2, 2008)

Very, very nice. Just wait until the 1200 Ostars are available. Amazing.


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## Aircraft800 (Mar 2, 2008)

Yea, or the 1000 lumen Crees! I'd love to see what Dennis comes up with....


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## koala (Mar 2, 2008)

LZ you win the title, "*Leader of Multi-Emitter Flashlights*".


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## Changchung (Mar 2, 2008)

Do you have in mind put it sale??? Aprox price???:thumbsup:


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## 270winchester (Mar 2, 2008)

Changchung said:


> Do you have in mind put it sale??? Aprox price???:thumbsup:



if a cheaper version is close to 4 digits.....


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## beetleguise (May 7, 2008)

Hi Zep, I just finished a puny mono ostar. I am amazed at the amount of light this thing puts out, but there is no spot. I have the fraen wide beam reflector and a 6 degree optic, but neither really makes a real spot, just flood. Where did you purchase your FRC-N1-OE2B-0 narrow beam reflectors? I want one if it will make a noticeable difference. Thanks O great modder!:bow:


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## HC ARMS (Jul 30, 2009)

Awesome job on the light. I would love to have one. Would like to sell one or sell the plans to make one??? It seems that people like yourself can make a better light than most manufacturers!!!

please let me know if you would like to sell one or make one for me and how much.

thank you

JAMES 
HC ARMS


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