# Trust Fire TR-801 Test with pics!



## ambientmind (Jul 7, 2008)

After receiving and modding my trustfire TR-801 today, I thought I'd run it through some tests to see how it holds up. I changed the led to a Q5 WC bin since the original Q5 was really blue. I also changed the board to the two mode KD board which offers a 1A high and a 150mA low and put a gitd oring at the front since it had no oring on the lens. Now for the pictures!

Anti Scratch test:






PASS!!!

Drop test:





PASS!!!

Lanyard test:





PASS!!!

Crush test:




PASS!!!

Taste test:





FAIL!!!

Give it back test:





FAIL!!!

For the money, it looks like a winner to me, and to my cat....:twothumbs


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## Federal LG (Jul 7, 2008)

Oh no! It failed in the TASTE TEST ?? My dog will not like it, them...


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## kramer5150 (Jul 8, 2008)

Oh noes!! it at LEAST needs to taste good in order to pass the mouth-hold test.


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## Nos (Jul 8, 2008)

hahahahah, ive never seen a cat flashaholic before


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## LukeA (Jul 8, 2008)

If you don't mind, what's the sku for the KD 2-mode board, and is it lo-hi or hi-lo?

Edit: this one right?


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## matrixshaman (Jul 8, 2008)

Awesome review and pics!! We need more in depth reviews like this  Cool kitty too!


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## ambientmind (Jul 8, 2008)

LukeA said:


> If you don't mind, what's the sku for the KD 2-mode board, and is it lo-hi or hi-lo?
> 
> Edit: this one right?



yes its that one. they have a 5 pack too thats a pretty good deal. its got memory, so it can go either low hi or hi low, depending which one it was on.

lol, she licked it and didnt go for it again, although she is a picky eater!


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## THE_dAY (Jul 8, 2008)

Little piggy seems to love that couch.

Glad she didn't give it the waterproof test..


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## LukeA (Jul 8, 2008)

ambientmind said:


> yes its that one. they have a 5 pack too thats a pretty good deal. its got memory, so it can go either low hi or hi low, depending which one it was on.



So it just starts off in whatever mode it was in when turned off more than three seconds ago? 

I've got that 5-pk on the way. This might be my new favorite board. 

Thanks for the heads-up/info! :thumbsup:


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## ambientmind (Jul 8, 2008)

LukeA said:


> So it just starts off in whatever mode it was in when turned off more than three seconds ago?
> 
> I've got that 5-pk on the way. This might be my new favorite board.
> 
> Thanks for the heads-up/info! :thumbsup:



you got it! just leave it in one mode for a few seconds, it will flicker to signal it has the mode memorized, then the next time you turn it on, it will be in that mode. i wanted something simple with a hi low, and this does it!


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## LukeA (Jul 8, 2008)

ambientmind said:


> you got it! just leave it in one mode for a few seconds, it will flicker to signal it has the mode memorized, then the next time you turn it on, it will be in that mode. i wanted something simple with a hi low, and this does it!



To recap: 2-mode low-hi or hi-low, AMC7135s, no inductor, 1A on high, under $2.50/ea, 

My Smartfire is getting one of these, as will be a homemade light in the design stages.


Oh, and can you tell if low is PWM?


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## ambientmind (Jul 8, 2008)

LukeA said:


> To recap: 2-mode low-hi or hi-low, AMC7135s, no inductor, 1A on high, under $2.50/ea,
> 
> My Smartfire is getting one of these, as will be a homemade light in the design stages.
> 
> ...



Yes, low is PWM which annoyed me, but oh well. For that price I can't complain.


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## LukeA (Jul 8, 2008)

ambientmind said:


> Yes, low is PWM which annoyed me, but oh well. For that price I can't complain.



How's the frequency? Is it really bad?


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## ambientmind (Jul 8, 2008)

LukeA said:


> How's the frequency? Is it really bad?


its noticeable if you move your eyes or the flashlight quickly. other than that its ok. I would say its on par with some of the stock led taillights on cars that use PWM.


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## nanotech17 (Jul 8, 2008)

kitty kitty kitty


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## gollum (Jul 8, 2008)

I got one of these and found it to be ...
nice and bright
good size
great price

although I did have to re-solder the connections,but it works fine now

will be a good work light to lend out or a good gift to a non-flashaholic


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## Aluminous (Jul 9, 2008)

LOL, nice review :laughing:


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## Daark (Jul 9, 2008)

Very nice cat, give him a big huge from me..:wave:


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## guiri (Jul 9, 2008)

Yall are a bunch of amateurs.

Isn't the light moisture proof? Well I bet if you dip it in some bacon grease it won't fail the taste test 

I barely made flashaholic and I STILL know this. Sheesh and I thought I was among pros..


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## orbital (Sep 11, 2008)

+

Got a 5-mode Q5 TR-801 today from DX.

Overall the machining, fit and finish is good, threads were dry for the most part. (no big deal)

For a EDC size 18650 light, its only a tiny bit longer than a L-Mini from Shiningbeam.
There's only room for 18650 cells that are flat, without pos. button.
The TR-801 has a kind of dedicated pill that you can unscrew, so mods. should be simple.

Put an 8 degree optic in it, the ones from Kai, (just lens, without its carrier) and its made this light much better. Not the warmest tint though..:tinfoil: 
Has mode memory, and switch has good tactile feel. 
The 5-mode TR-801 uses PWM on its Med. & Low level. 
Its essentially unnoticeable on Low and you'd have to use a fan to see it on Med.
The L-Mini does not use PWM for its Version 1.

Overall I give this light a B+ in its current setup, the High is real strong, the Low isn't low enough... but hey, total cost w/ optic is about < $23


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## LukeA (Sep 11, 2008)

orbital said:


> +
> 
> Got a 5-mode Q5 TR-801 today from DX.
> 
> ...



It doesn't fit button-top cells? At all?


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## Flashfirstask?later (Sep 11, 2008)

orbital said:


> For a EDC size 18650 light, its only a tiny bit longer than a L-Mini from Shiningbeam.
> There's only room for 18650 cells that are flat, without pos. button.


Really? .. I have the single mode Q5 TR-801 and it can take my button top AW 18650 and Trustfire 18650 2500mAh button tops sku.5790 just fine. The 5 mode version came out only shortly after got mine otherwise I would have went for the 5 mode.


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## orbital (Sep 11, 2008)

LukeA said:


> It doesn't fit button-top cells? At all?



+ 

No go, the IC sticks way up above the threads.

I don't have another TR-801 to compare to, but flat top cells for this version. 
Have a couple, so non issue..


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## Flashfirstask?later (Sep 11, 2008)

I do not have a spring on the head of mine, just a flat surface with a small point with a little bit of messy solder around it. This could have been due to the 5 mode driver in yours.


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## LukeA (Sep 11, 2008)

Flashfirstask?later said:


> I do not have a spring on the head of mine, just a flat surface with a small point with a little bit of messy solder around it. This could have been due to the 5 mode driver in yours.



That's what I was thinking. I plan to put in one of the aforementioned KD boards. Compared to that 5-mode board, I can make back some 2-2.5mm.


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## Bigsy (Sep 11, 2008)

Bought one of these when they first appeared on DX (direct drive version) its an easy mod to stick a sku 7882 in it and it makes a very powerful (1.3a) 3 mode regulated light.


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## Nos (Dec 14, 2008)

:bump:


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## Fallingwater (Dec 14, 2008)

LukeA said:


> To recap: 2-mode low-hi or hi-low, AMC7135s, no inductor, 1A on high, under $2.50/ea,


Seems just what I need. I'd love a few of those (one of which would replace the dead board in my L-Mini), but that KD link comes up dead. Does anyone have a working link?

Loving the cat review by the way


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## Fallingwater (Dec 15, 2008)

Bump... I'd really like to buy one of those boards... or twenty


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## linterno (Dec 15, 2008)

I just received mine from DX and didn't find it so bright; If was pulling (from the battery) 680 ma in high, 440 ma in mid and 230 ma in low using a 4.15 volts Panasonic unprotected battery, measured with a Fluke 179 DMM. There was not a noticeable difference between high and mid; Low was not so low. Memory mode didn't work.

I replaced the installed driver with a DX SKU 7612 and now it pulls 1050 ma in high, 380 ma in mid and 80 ma in low. SKU 7882 could have been a better option but I didn't have it on hand.

In TR-801 mid with 4.1 v Panasonic 18650 is as bright as Fenix L2D Q5 in high with fully charged eneloops. L2D in turbo is almost the same than TR-801 in high (beams are some different, so are colors; L2D Q5 is whiter and TR-801 is more creamy).


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## Johnnydrz (Dec 15, 2008)

Okay, I'm rather new to all this so there are certain things (...many...) I'm not sure of. I bought 2 TR-801 (5 modes) for my mountain bike helmet. They work okay, but if I can make them brighter, I would certainly go for it. I've dabbed in electronics before and I'd like to mod my lights if it's worth it. I just need to know exactly what I have to buy and what I have to do. 

Obviously, this mod sounds good to me !!! 

Please elaborate on how to improve the TR-801.

Thanks in advance,

Johnnydrz


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## phantom23 (Dec 15, 2008)

It pulls 1050mA on fresh cell, but Cree may have quite high Vf (no manufacturer control) and it will start dropping gradually.

'Orbital' can you make some pics and beamshots of your 801 (with optics).


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## Fallingwater (Dec 15, 2008)

Johnnydrz said:


> if I can make them brighter, I would certainly go for it. I've dabbed in electronics before and I'd like to mod my lights if it's worth it. I just need to know exactly what I have to buy and what I have to do.


While searching for the aforementioned two-mode driver on KD (to no avail...) I found a board whose high mode can be set to have a 1.4A output. This would overdrive the Cree a bit, but given decent heatsinking it'd definitely make your TR801s brighter. I didn't bookmark the link, but you can find it (eventually) by searching for "7135".

Searching for "7135" does not give any result for the two-mode board though...


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## linterno (Dec 15, 2008)

phantom23 said:


> It pulls 1050mA on fresh cell, but Cree may have quite high Vf (no manufacturer control) and it will start dropping gradually.


You are right. Doing some test this morning I left it on for a while. Now, when the battery voltage dropped to 3.9 volts the circuit is pulling only 700 ma from the battery.

Any way, this is better than the flashlight stock driver.



Johnnydrz said:


> I just need to know exactly what I have to buy and what I have to do.
> 
> Obviously, this mod sounds good to me !!!
> 
> Please elaborate on how to improve the TR-801.


I would recommend you, in this order, to buy DX SKU 15880 (I have read a good review on this - do a search here at CPF), DX SKU 7882 (I used it in a [email protected] 2D SSC P4 moddification running on 3 AA eneloops which is my best thrower to date - I am a not rich man). DX SKU 7612 (constant current 7135 regulator) is the one I used in this TR-801 flashlight.

If you have never bought from this supplier you have to know that some times you have to wait for a long time (from 1 week to 8 weeks) before you receive your products.


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## csshih (Dec 15, 2008)

I'll take 2, is the flashlight included?


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## Fallingwater (Dec 16, 2008)

I'm going insane searching for that driver. The only thing I've found that is somewhat similar is this, but the low mode is way too low (25mA!).
Are they no longer selling it? :mecry:


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## LukeA (Dec 16, 2008)

Fallingwater said:


> I'm going insane searching for that driver. The only thing I've found that is somewhat similar is this, but the low mode is way too low (25mA!).
> Are they no longer selling it? :mecry:



I can't find it either. That sucks because I only have 2 left and I don't want to buy 20. 


The one to which you linked has the same outward appearance as the 2-mode board. Barring a reprogramming of the IC, it may very well be the same thing. 

Taking the duty cycle down low enough to equal 25mA at that frequency would be murder on the eyes, so I think that's unlikely. My money's on an inaccurate KD description. Wouldn't be the first. 

Maybe email them or ask Jerry over in the MP.


*EDIT*: I found them! Links using the new system in a previous post of mine.

I had tried searching "Two light level" and it didn't come up, but "Two-light-level" returns with the right boards at the top.


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## LukeA (Dec 16, 2008)

Johnnydrz said:


> Okay, I'm rather new to all this so there are certain things (...many...) I'm not sure of. I bought 2 TR-801 (5 modes) for my mountain bike helmet. They work okay, but if I can make them brighter, I would certainly go for it. I've dabbed in electronics before and I'd like to mod my lights if it's worth it. I just need to know exactly what I have to buy and what I have to do.
> 
> Obviously, this mod sounds good to me !!!
> 
> ...



With moderate soldering skills, you can piggyback another AMC7135 chip on top of an existing one to bump all the modes by 25%. My 1-mode TR-801 came like that--two pads on the board, but one pad had 2 stacked AMC chips on it.

Or, for high mode only, buy some 1400mA single mode boards and put them in.

Of course, these won't do much for a high Vf. Could buy a couple Q5s on 16mm stars from DX and test for Vf and put in the one with the lowest.


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## MIKES250R (Dec 16, 2008)

That is one sexy model!


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## Johnnydrz (Dec 16, 2008)

So, if I order some of those boards : *Two-Light-Level 2.6V-6V 1A Regulated 17mm Driver(5-park) SKU: S004660 *

A few other TR-801's, and I'm good to go? And this will be a noticeable improvement over the regular 5-mode?

Thanks,

Johnnydrz


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## glenda17 (Dec 16, 2008)

This is a great light. Anyone have a SKU for a GITD oring for the lense?

Also I want to order another to try a board replacement, any definative best DX board to use ?


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## LukeA (Dec 16, 2008)

Johnnydrz said:


> So, if I order some of those boards : *Two-Light-Level 2.6V-6V 1A Regulated 17mm Driver(5-park) SKU: S004660 *
> 
> A few other TR-801's, and I'm good to go? And this will be a noticeable improvement over the regular 5-mode?
> 
> ...



If you think the 5-mode has too may modes you'll like the 2-mode board. But it won't be any brighter. It won't solve the problem of a high Vf emitter.


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## LukeA (Dec 16, 2008)

glenda17 said:


> This is a great light. Anyone have a SKU for a GITD oring for the lense?
> 
> Also I want to order another to try a board replacement, any definative best DX board to use ?



20mm GITD o-ring, but I'm not sure how much glow you'll see. You need three of them. Put the lens and reflector into the head, then drop the three o-rings around the reflector and screw in the reflector retaining ring behind them.


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## Fallingwater (Dec 16, 2008)

LukeA said:


> With moderate soldering skills, you can piggyback another AMC7135 chip on top of an existing one to bump all the modes by 25%


This is very interesting.
So for a 3-chip board such as this one I'd have to cannibalize the chips from another board and piggyback three of them on the existing three? Or do I need to do this on just one of the three chips?
And this should bring the board from 1A/150mA to 1.25A-190mA?


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## LukeA (Dec 16, 2008)

Fallingwater said:


> This is very interesting.
> So for a 3-chip board such as this one I'd have to cannibalize the chips from another board and piggyback three of them on the existing three? Or do I need to do this on just one of the three chips?
> And this should bring the board from 1A/150mA to 1.25A-190mA?



The AMC chips are just in parallel, so you could theoretically add as many as you pleased. I don't know how many more chips the IC can handle, though. My example board is just some AMC chips on a sliver of FR4.

The modes would be bumped to 1400mA/200mA


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## Fallingwater (Dec 16, 2008)

LukeA said:


> The one to which you linked has the same outward appearance as the 2-mode board. Barring a reprogramming of the IC, it may very well be the same thing.
> Taking the duty cycle down low enough to equal 25mA at that frequency would be murder on the eyes, so I think that's unlikely. My money's on an inaccurate KD description. Wouldn't be the first.
> Maybe email them or ask Jerry over in the MP.


I sent a question to KD. Let's see what they say.




> *EDIT*: I found them! Links using the new system in a previous post of mine.
> I had tried searching "Two light level" and it didn't come up, but "Two-light-level" returns with the right boards at the top.


I love you 



LukeA said:


> The AMC chips are just in parallel, so you could theoretically add as many as you pleased.


But I'd need just one more for the 25% increase, yes?



> The modes would be bumped to 1400mA/200mA


:thinking: 1000+25% is 1250, and 150+25% is 187.5...


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## LukeA (Dec 16, 2008)

Fallingwater said:


> I sent a question to KD. Let's see what they say.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



My calc for 25% is based on the final current. I suppose it might have made more sense if I said 33% increase. It's (.350*3)+.350, or 1.050+.350=1.400

I was just thinking: The IC must be able to handle a number of extra AMC7135 chips because StefanFS's master/slave board idea is the same concept but with many more chips added.


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## LukeA (Dec 16, 2008)

Stock 1-mode TR-801 board







The rear large tab is also soldered. 

This isn't bad for a phone camera assisted by a 10x loupe.


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## Illum (Dec 16, 2008)

Nos said:


> hahahahah, ive never seen a cat flashaholic before



https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1299110&postcount=14
one of the few 1st cases was back in 2006


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## Fallingwater (Dec 16, 2008)

LukeA said:


> My calc for 25% is based on the final current. I suppose it might have made more sense if I said 33% increase. It's (.350*3)+.350, or 1.050+.350=1.400


I see. Well that's even better  I'll definitely do the AMC mod... I'll cannibalize the chips off one of the 5- or 20-pack (I'm getting the 20-pack if KD confirm it in fact has a 125mA low mode and that was a typo).



LukeA said:


> This isn't bad for a phone camera assisted by a 10x loupe.


Huh, I thought that was an ordinary camera. It's indeed good. What phone is it?


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## LukeA (Dec 16, 2008)

Fallingwater said:


> I see. Well that's even better  I'll definitely do the AMC mod... I'll cannibalize the chips off one of the 5- or 20-pack (I'm getting the 20-pack if KD confirm it in fact has a 125mA low mode and that was a typo).
> 
> 
> Huh, I thought that was an ordinary camera. It's indeed good. What phone is it?



It will be interesting to see if it is a 20 pack of the best board out there.

It's just a Samsung Sync. Believe me when I say the 10x loupe is doing most of the work in making the image not suck.


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## Holepuncher (Dec 16, 2008)

Hey. That looks almost just like my cat. Mines cuter though:naughty:. His name is Phoenix.
Does anyone know where to obtain these 7135 chips?


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## Illum (Dec 16, 2008)

Holepuncher said:


> Does anyone know where to obtain these 7135 chips?



from the looks of it...
http://www.ipower-tek.com/uploadfile/content/2007061917031411.pdf

its exactly the same as the AMC7135 chips, the supplier appears to be MicroBridge...If I had something like an insulated tweezer and a pencil iron I could probably extract a few off of DX boards and prototype with them...but unfortunately I don't:candle:

interesting to note that LukeA's magnified picture shows the 7135 in both SOT-89 and SOT-252 [the one with the middle pin floating and unsoldered]...hmm, wonder why


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## Holepuncher (Dec 16, 2008)

Illum_the_nation said:


> interesting to note that LukeA's magnified picture shows the 7135 in both SOT-89 and SOT-252 [the one with the middle pin floating and unsoldered]...hmm, wonder why


 
I was wondering the same thing but then maybe he has the tab soldered on the back side. The heat sink tab is probably ground as well.

Edit. I just looked at the pic and right under it he states that "The rear large tab is also soldered. "


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## EngrPaul (Dec 16, 2008)

Packaging Crush Test





PASS!


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## LukeA (Dec 16, 2008)

Holepuncher said:


> Does anyone know where to obtain these 7135 chips?


The simplest way is probably to buy a 10-pack of 1400mA 1-mode AMC boards. That will get you 40 chips for $18.


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## Fallingwater (Dec 16, 2008)

LukeA said:


> It will be interesting to see if it is a 20 pack of the best board out there.


Ordering four 5-packs wouldn't really cost much more, especially considering the quantity discount. I don't actually know how much that is, because clicking on the "buy 3 and blah blah" link does nothing...


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## EngrPaul (Dec 16, 2008)

Improved for about $4






Before upgrading the front end:





After Upgrading the front end:


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## EngrPaul (Dec 16, 2008)

Piece of mind test





PASS!

Brightness Test





Not Sure, is that a YAWN or a HISS?


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## Holepuncher (Dec 16, 2008)

LukeA said:


> The simplest way is probably to buy a 10-pack of 1400mA 1-mode AMC boards. That will get you 40 chips for $18.


 
Oh well. I like playing around with boost chips rather than ineffecient linear regulators. I was just wondering if there was a distributor that sold the chips individually as well as other fun stuff worth ordering. Just wanted to play around with a couple of them. Nice simple design though.


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## Holepuncher (Dec 16, 2008)

EngrPaul said:


> Not Sure, is that a YAWN or a HISS?


 
Thats a yawn. I had cats long enough to know that when they hiss they usually bare their teeth as well. He's bored with your flashlight. Get rid of him.:laughing:


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## linterno (Dec 16, 2008)

Holepuncher said:


> I was just wondering if there was a distributor that sold the chips individually as well as other fun stuff worth ordering. Just wanted to play around with a couple of them. Nice simple design though.


Litemania sell those individual chips at CPFMP. See Sgt. BURKETT _ 18650 Twitsy EDC thread, first post item #9-2.


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## Johnnydrz (Dec 17, 2008)

So none of this will make my TR-801's any brighter? For what I am using them for, all I need is more brightness. The beam suits me fine for helmet use (2 or 3 on the helmet) but a bit more power would be welcomed.

Thanks,

Johnnydrz


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## glenda17 (Dec 17, 2008)

A UCL lense would make it brighter if we could find one that fits it.


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## Fallingwater (Dec 17, 2008)

Johnnydrz said:


> So none of this will make my TR-801's any brighter?


The piggyback AMC mod will make it brighter. Not by very much, but still.


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## EngrPaul (Dec 17, 2008)

glenda17 said:


> A UCL lense would make it brighter if we could find one that fits it.


 
I'm using the 20 mm from flashlightlens. Green AR coating both sides. See my post earlier in this thread.


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## 1080P (Dec 17, 2008)

Hate to be a bringer of bad news, but the folks over there at TrustFire /Deal Extreme have been shipping out bogus Q5 Emitters in their Single Mode TR-801's.

A beam shot comparison from a light I ordered 10/15/08 with 3 single modes I ordered 11/11/08.








The problem... either bad emitters, or P4 emitters substituted for Q5 emitters. The good Q5 emitter has the "CREE" logo on it.







File a complaint with Deal Extreme and claim your light is defective... this has been going on from time to time now, since September. I've a feeling that Trust-Fire got a hell of a deal on a bunch of P-4 emitters and is doing a switcheroo for the Q-5's. If you 've never seen a Q5, you wouldn't know if you got a P-4 emitter, now would you?

Some beam comparisons of my three single mode TR-801 Novembe order lights, all on hot off the charger 18650's 2500 Mah batteries.

















If you got a Q5 emitter, you'll have no doubt about it, it is very bright in standard form, puts out a lot of light from such an emitter.


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## Illum (Dec 17, 2008)

1080P said:


>


sure thats a P4? [three bond wires instead of 4?]
I don't recall any silver backed P4s...I guess I just was not very observant:duh2:


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## Fallingwater (Dec 17, 2008)

I too don't recall silver P4s. Also, if I'm looking at the pics correctly, both those LEDs have four bonding wires.
I'd bet a small amount of money that your problem is the driver. Try unsoldering the emitters and driving them at spec current. Compare *those* beamshots and you'll have your answer.

Edit: it might also be that one of the two has a fairly higher Vf than the other. The driver *should* compensate and drive at the appropriate current regardless, but cheap drivers aren't known for their stellar performance or reliability.


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## Wiggle (Dec 18, 2008)

I've got one with the circuit board on the right, it's brighter than my Fenix L2D.


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## glenda17 (Dec 18, 2008)

Mine is the right PCB. About as bright as my Deerelight Q5 P60.


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## Illum (Dec 18, 2008)

the PCB just makes wiring easier...there is no difference between the two LED boards except possibly thermal dissipation, you meant the driver under them?


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## LukeA (Dec 18, 2008)

Illum_the_nation said:


> the PCB just makes wiring easier...there is no difference between the two LED boards except possibly thermal dissipation, you meant the driver under them?



No, they're talking about the MCPCB directly under the LED. You can't see anything relating to the driver board to be able to identify what driver you have.


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## Wiggle (Dec 18, 2008)

Illum_the_nation said:


> the PCB just makes wiring easier...there is no difference between the two LED boards except possibly thermal dissipation, you meant the driver under them?


 
Just chiming in because the PCB/LED combo on the left has been pointed out as possibly not being a true Q5 star.


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## Illum (Dec 18, 2008)

Wiggle said:


> Just chiming in because the PCB/LED combo on the left has been pointed out as possibly not being a true Q5 star.



even if its not a Q5, the 1st LED with 4 bond wires AND may be silver backed is the Q4, which should not be all that different than a Q5, with the exception that the Q5 has a higher Vf


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## kramer5150 (Dec 18, 2008)

The difference between P4 and Q5 should not be _that_ night and day dramatic.

For example heres a Cree P4 (DX:6090) on the left and a Cree R2 (DX:11836) on the right. Both modules have identical DC-DC circuits, and I am using 11836 in a SF-6P while the 6090 is throttled (supposedly) in a Superfire host. So I am giving every advantage to the R2-11836, yet it is not _that_ much brighter than P4-6090.

OVERALL BEAM : Cree P4-6090 on the left R2-11836 on the right





SPOT INTENSITY : Cree P4-6090 on the left R2-11836 on the right





Silver backed 4-bond wire Cree P4 (for illum_the_nation.. yes they do exist:thumbsup





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiDTQY13_cY

I would suspect a faulty driver circuit in the dimmer lights, either that or the Vf is unusually high. Theres also the possibility that the manufacturer botched the build or mixed up emitter BINs.

I have not seen enough evidence of blatant emitter forgery for me to suspect DX of wrong-doing in that regard.


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## Fallingwater (Dec 18, 2008)

Still waiting for KD's confirmation on the 20-pack of driver boards. Do they ever reply to messages? This is the fourth one I've sent them since I know them (and this includes two I sent relative to orders I had with them), and they haven't replied once.



LukeA said:


> Maybe email them or ask Jerry over in the MP.


What's Jerry's username? Is he affiliated with KD, or does he just own every driver under the sun, or what?


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## LukeA (Dec 19, 2008)

Fallingwater said:


> Still waiting for KD's confirmation on the 20-pack of driver boards. Do they ever reply to messages? This is the fourth one I've sent them since I know them (and this includes two I sent relative to orders I had with them), and they haven't replied once.
> 
> 
> What's Jerry's username? Is he affiliated with KD, or does he just own every driver under the sun, or what?



Jerry's username in the MP is drumroll...kaidomain


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## Illum (Dec 19, 2008)

kramer5150 said:


> Silver backed 4-bond wire Cree P4 (for illum_the_nation.. yes they do exist:thumbsup



Ah, well noted :thanks: :thumbsup:


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## Fallingwater (Dec 22, 2008)

Hmm. I thought some more about the AMC piggyback trick, and I have a question: isn't a 4xAMC board a bit too much for a SSC P4 (or single-die Cree)? The LEDs themselves are rated at 700mAh IIRC, so 1400 would be twice their rated current. They might survive with good heatsinking, but I don't think the TR801 and L-Mini have enough mass to give it to them...

Another question: if I wanted to run one of those boards on a smaller light with even less heatsinking capabilities, could I just unsolder one of the three AMC chips to bring the power down to 700/100mA?


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## FLT MEDIC (Dec 23, 2008)

Nice review, pics and cat.


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## glenda17 (Dec 24, 2008)

One of the reviews on DX says that the 5-mode is brighter than the single mode version, is this a true statement ?


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## Jarzaa (Jan 2, 2009)

I also got a while ago 5-mode TR-801 from DX and i was a little disappointed about it. 

Firstly the tailcap sometimes does not make a good contact even though the retaining ring is tight. 

I was also surprised about the 5-mode driver. I thought it would be 7135 based but instead it's completely unregulated. It was pulling less than 500mA from a 18650 so I thought that maybe the led just has very high vf so I quickly tested it with 2 CR123 but it pulled over 2A. That made me realise that it's not regulated. I took off the driver an it looked like this.





Looks like it just has some microcontroller that controls a transistor that switches the led on and off. I'm not sure why it drives the led with such a low current.

I had a spare 3x7135 5-mode driver that I changed in place of the driver and now it pulls slightly over 1A from the same 18650.


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## Illum (Jan 2, 2009)

2 amps from 2xcr123A?! thats about ~11Ws of heat if its a 2 amp rated heater resistor:thinking:

jeez...thats a horrible efficiency curve if the LED is still being driven at such a low current

the microcontrollers just for the modes...not for regulation. Whats on the otherside? just the ring contact?


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## Jarzaa (Jan 3, 2009)

Illum_the_nation said:


> 2 amps from 2xcr123A?! thats about ~11Ws of heat if its a 2 amp rated heater resistor:thinking:
> 
> jeez...thats a horrible efficiency curve if the LED is still being driven at such a low current


The 2A was also going to the LED. 7135 based drivers work with 2xCR123 but the driver may overheat if used for prolonged time. In this drivers case the current output has no limits and is based on input voltage.



Illum_the_nation said:


> the microcontrollers just for the modes...not for regulation. Whats on the otherside? just the ring contact?


The microcontroller is used for the rapid output on/off switching just like in all PWM dimmed lights. The other side of the driver just has the contacts and a spring which i moved to the new driver.

The large brightness variations in these lights noted by others are likely caused by widely varyin driving currents between lights. In addition to the driver the LED vf also has large effect on the current. Just measure the current if the light seems dim.


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## Fallingwater (Jan 4, 2009)

I stumbled on this thread from a link I found elsewhere. In it, the four-AMC board from DX is described as a buck-only driver, that quickly drops out of regulation when used with a single LiIon cell.

Now, as I said before I have a five-pack of these coming, one of which I want to use on my L-Mini to replace the busted stock board. I was under the impression that they were fully regulated, but I can see little else on them other than the three AMC chips and the microcontroller, which I understand is only used for PWM and not for regulation; does this mean these boards too are buck-only and will direct-drive my L-Mini for most of the battery charge?


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## LukeA (Jan 4, 2009)

Fallingwater said:


> Does this mean these boards too are buck-only and will direct-drive my L-Mini for most of the battery charge?



That depends in large part on the Vf of your L-mini's emitter.


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## Fallingwater (Jan 4, 2009)

I take that as confirmation that it's buck-only.

My L-Mini has one of these. Not sure about the precise Vf, I never bothered researching it since the original board is current-limited and adapts voltage.


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## Jarzaa (Jan 5, 2009)

I found the reason for the unreliable tailcap on my light.
I started checking with a multimeter where the circuit fails in the tailcap. It turned out that the switch on it self works perfectly but assembled tailcap does not. Then I found out that this happens only when the retaining ring is fully tightened. What was occurring was that the switch was being almost constantly pushed by the rubber button to point of disengaging. The switch had in fact been very sensitive and even the lightest touch would cause it to switch mode. I solved the problem by putting a cardboard spacer in the tailcap in addition to the already existing black plastic spacer. 

Here is a picture of the tailcap components.


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## Misan (Apr 3, 2010)

Review  especially fotos :twothumbs


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