Current 5mm candela champ?

[lampeDépêche]

Which current 5mm has the tightest, brightest spot?

Think about the first-generation of 5mm LEDs -- like in the AAA Arc, or the old Fenix E01. Terrible purple/blue tint, lousy color rendition, not a pretty beam. BUT! They threw well for their size. They probably put 90% of the lumens into a 10-degree half-angle.

Then we had the Yuji revolution -- suddenly, a 5mm emitter with beautiful tint, high CRI, and an even, artifact-free beam. However, they had wide angles, and produced something like a medium flood. No punch, no hotspot.

So! Are there any up-to-date 5mm white emitters that have better hue and CRI than the old first-gen emitters, but still concentrate the lumens into a high-candela hotspot?

I see that LEDSupply offers one with a 20k mcd beam. Canceling top and bottom (one thousand divided by one thousand...) that means a 22 candela hotspot. That's okay, but are there any better out there?

I ask in part because I want to run a 5mm LED at very low lumen levels and still have it usable. Floody beams get too washed out at low lumen levels; throwers concentrate the low output into a small area.

Any leads on LEDs?

 

[LEDphile]

Most of the 5mm packages available today are intended as indicator LEDs and don't have CRI specified (although chromaticity data is usually on the datasheet). For narrow beams, Cree C503D-WAN comes to mind. 15 degree beam, typical 48 candela at 20mA (with a 28.5cd minimum).

 

[lampeDépêche]

Most of the 5mm packages available today are intended as indicator LEDs and don't have CRI specified (although chromaticity data is usually on the datasheet). For narrow beams, Cree C503D-WAN comes to mind. 15 degree beam, typical 48 candela at 20mA (with a 28.5cd minimum).

That’s a solid tip! I’ll look into that. Thanks!

 

[gurdygurds]

Which current 5mm has the tightest, brightest spot?

Think about the first-generation of 5mm LEDs -- like in the AAA Arc, or the old Fenix E01. Terrible purple/blue tint, lousy color rendition, not a pretty beam. BUT! They threw well for their size. They probably put 90% of the lumens into a 10-degree half-angle.

Then we had the Yuji revolution -- suddenly, a 5mm emitter with beautiful tint, high CRI, and an even, artifact-free beam. However, they had wide angles, and produced something like a medium flood. No punch, no hotspot.

So! Are there any up-to-date 5mm white emitters that have better hue and CRI than the old first-gen emitters, but still concentrate the lumens into a high-candela hotspot?

I see that LEDSupply offers one with a 20k mcd beam. Canceling top and bottom (one thousand divided by one thousand...) that means a 22 candela hotspot. That's okay, but are there any better out there?

I ask in part because I want to run a 5mm LED at very low lumen levels and still have it usable. Floody beams get too washed out at low lumen levels; throwers concentrate the low output into a small area.

Any leads on LEDs?

Interested to see where you go with this sir . I always thought it was pretty cool how well the E01 would throw those 13 or so lumens.

 

[lampeDépêche]

I’ve got a few different samples on order now, and I’ll report back after I can try them out.

 

[gurdygurds]

I’ve got a few different samples on order now, and I’ll report back after I can try them out.

You have a host in mind?

 

[lampeDépêche]

For testing purposes, I’ll just throw them into a Photon Freedom. Even a moron like me can trim and bend the legs to do that. And it will let me see how they perform at very low lumen levels. (Yes, extreme PWM, so not a perfect simulation of very low current input, but it will show me the visual characteristics.)
Eventually, I’m going to ask Vinh to put some into some old carcasses of Gerber Ultra Infinities.
Speaking of which, if you have any old carcasses you want to sell me….

But you Fenix E01 fans and other 5mm fans might consider the same thing. Yujis are beauties, but if these can throw like the old purple burners but give better light, then they might serve a need.

 

[gurdygurds]

Honestly it’s nice to mix it up and go back to some purplish blue 5mm beams from time to time. They’re fun!

 

[lampeDépêche]

Honestly it’s nice to mix it up and go back to some purplish blue 5mm beams from time to time. They’re fun!

Ummm... maybe? Nice in the way that going back to something primitive makes you appreciate the modern conveniences?
My hope is that I'll be able to find a new 5mm that has decent throw like the old ones but decent color and beam shape like the new ones. Not perfect color like a Yuji, but better than the old purple ones.
The Cree that LEDPhile put me onto upthread has a color temp of 9000k. 9000k! That's going to be way on the cool end of the spectrum. That's why I want to test it out and see how much I dislike it. Maybe I'lll decide that the throw just is not worth the cost of living inside an icicle.

 

[LEDphile]

If 9000K is too much of a sacrifice for the candela, Nichia has some 5mm LEDs as well. Options at both 6500K nominal (NSPW500DS and NSPW500GS-K1) and 3200K nominal (NSPL500DS), although they are harder to find in distribution and you take a candela hit down to 27, 33, or 22 candela for the 3 parts respectively.

 

[lampeDépêche]

If 9000K is too much of a sacrifice for the candela, Nichia has some 5mm LEDs as well. Options at both 6500K nominal (NSPW500DS and NSPW500GS-K1) and 3200K nominal (NSPL500DS), although they are harder to find in distribution and you take a candela hit down to 27, 33, or 22 candela for the 3 parts respectively.

Wow! You really earn your 'nym! I'm so grateful to you for sharing this info, and I will look into these options too.