Modified LED lamping torches.

[Dave-G]

sandgrounder, I don't know which torches you have fitted them to so i cant comment on that, or what lenses they have in them as standard but if you got the lens/led to focus sharply then they sound comparable. Was there much difference in the focal length?

 

Torches made for other batteries (2x cr123 = 6V) are not compatible with a single 4.something Volt 18650 built torch. Brightness is usually determined by how many Milli amps are sent to the LED via the driver - which has the small spring on it. It can be upped but the standard brass pill will probably not carry enough heat away from the led quickly enough so it will likely blow. The people who made it will be driving it at the best power level they can whilst considering it's ability to remain functional at the temperatures that it will be operating at.

 

Have you shortened the standard alloy reflectors blackened spacers at the front or rear? If you are going to run the modules brighter they will run hotter and you will need to ensure the heat is sucked away from the LED - and preferably passed to cooler air outside the torch rather than just increasing the temperature of the air trapped within the torch.

 

Ideally you will need to be able to press the front of the reflector/spacer onto the torch body like this with the lens as you screw up the head:

 

[sandgrounder]

I bought several torches, all with variable focus and plastic convex lens'. None of them have a reflector inside, relying I guess on the lens to provide the beam. Would a reflector increase brightness dramatically or simply cause more 'bleed' in close proximity to the source?

The standard lens' is convex but not as dramatic as the ahorton ones.

I tested them last night and all with the ahorton conversion lens gave light to about 200m, the plastic lens out to about 150m.

They are all being driven by 18650 batteries, some with 2 but obviously the voltage will be the same as they're in series.

 

All the torches are 5mode which is a pita! Can the easily be changed t single full on mode? I'm not sure charlie will understand ...---...

[mick miller]

Are these the little grey slim ones with the acrylic lenses? Sometimes a sort of metallic grey body? If so, you can drill out the centre and replace with a standard p60 brass drop in. A 20mm drill and tap would do it, perhaps Dave could do that for you? Then you could add one of his drop ins...

 

Trustfire xm-l 1600?

Edited July 8, 2013 by mick miller

[Dave-G]

TBH 200 meters is good going for a P60 pocket torch. I presume you are using white LED's? Glass lenses are more transparent than acrylic. You seem reluctant to tell us exactly which torch you are using - gissa link mate.

 

Single mode CAN be sortid but it will be a PITA soldering iron faff about job and ultimately probably almost as expensive as buying replacement single mode torches from China again. A reflector would undo the good throwing performance that aspheric lenses are giving you.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Dave-G

[mick miller]

TBH 200 meters is good going for a P60 pocket torch. I presume you are using white LED's? Glass lenses are more transparent than acrylic. You seem reluctant to tell us exactly which torch you are using - gissa link mate.

 

Single mode CAN be sortid but it will be a PITA soldering iron faff about job and ultimately probably almost as expensive as buying replacement single mode torches from China again. A reflector would undo the good throwing performance that aspheric lenses are giving you.

 

 

As Dave said, 200 metres is pretty good. My custom jobbies throw some +300 yards, but it's an expensive job getting that extra 100 yards!!

[Scottoj18]

Hi guys I have been given this by work, so I'm using it for shooting . How can I improve it? It's bright but the patterns a tad crappie ... It's called a smile sun, creed q5. It has a glass lens about 30mm in diameter

 

 

 

[Dave-G]

I have no experience of that torch Scott - sorry.

 

The first few copper modules are ready lads, Some of you who have ordered modules only might be getting an email shortly.

 

The one in the centre is a visible red one on a copper star.

 

[sandgrounder]

Is that how its comes across oooer vicar. I'll get some pictures of the torches in question up tomorrow if I get a chance as I'm in work the next couple of nights.

 

The torches are (in no particular order):

2x XML-T6, single battery, zoom with acrylic lens

one with no indicated description

2x cree xml-t6 with double battery

one 501b single battery

and another one thats at home at the moment

 

Seven in total with an infra red one on its way.

[Dave-G]

Ah that's something to work with for some of them. It's probably easier to look back in your ebay purchases and post up a link to them - if they were from that den of iniquity.

 

The XML-T6 is, I think a fairly big emitter that is a nice bright white light that's fairly comfortable on the eyes and a handy lamp for what most people want - hence the wide availability of them.

 

When used with aspheric lenses the projected square beam you see when it's fully focused will be bigger than if a smaller emitter is used. I have not fettled with many white lights as my interest is solely concerned with night shooting lamps, IE, visible red for lamping and Infra Red for NV use.

Edited July 9, 2013 by Dave-G

[Dave-G]

I've inadvertently invented the worlds first combined hand warmer and torch.

Check the bottom left corner to see me put the temp sender unit to the torch body, then watch the temp readout rise - hand warmer or what?

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2013 by Dave-G

[mick miller]

If you're creating a good thermal path and over driving it Dave you kinda have to expect that. Mine certainly warm up if left on for any length of time. Think of the benefits in winter!

[mick miller]

They look really well engineered.

[bazzab]

Hi chaps.

 

I use a red 501b on my HMR its running aspherical lens and standard blacked out reflector. I would like to get it out to 150/200yds can anyone sell me drop in for the wee beastie?

 

Many thanks.

 

Bazza.

[activeviii]

With the small heads on the torch you will struggle to gather the available light to focus all of it to push the distances you require. Its not just a case of change drop in and add a lens.

 

I have spent a fair amount of time and money getting the right combination of touch, head, lens, driver and LED. I have a hell of a lot of spares.

 

one Chip comes out on top but to get the best you need to de-dome it, turn a new pill to get the correct back length for focus, modify the driver. then i will get 2 hours out of a 18650 battery and push 300 yards scope veiw and a lot more on eye shine.

I have another one that runs on two 18650 batteries and the beam is as tight as a ducks butt. throwing red light to a stupid distance. a lot of work in modding but worth the effort. it sits on my shelf now as its as big as the nm800 but a 66mm lens.

 

I have 10 single battery torches here all ready for friends, shame the uk charger order went wrong.lol.

[mick miller]

Hi chaps.

 

I use a red 501b on my HMR its running aspherical lens and standard blacked out reflector. I would like to get it out to 150/200yds can anyone sell me drop in for the wee beastie?

 

Many thanks.

 

Bazza.

 

I run modified drop-ins built by Vinh with the AHorton lenses. They'll give you plus 200 yards at x12 mag no problem and give you eyeshine out to 300 yards plus! They're nay cheap though. By the time you pay postage they work out to be £35 each.]

 

I'm sure Dave's would be comparable?

Edited July 9, 2013 by mick miller

[Dave-G]

Hi chaps.

 

I use a red 501b on my HMR its running aspherical lens and standard blacked out reflector. I would like to get it out to 150/200yds can anyone sell me drop in for the wee beastie?

 

Many thanks.

 

Bazza.

Activeiii: That is incorrect in regard to new visible red LED's and - TBH with the last sentence adding nothing to the issue, looks like product placement on my thread. It's a bit off mate?

 

 

 

Bazza, Is this a visible red light you are asking about?

 

If so, as discussed earlier in this thread if you look back, the standard blacked reflector and DX aspheric lens is declared as up for moderate rimfire ranges only.

 

The Ahorton lens has a shorter focal length that grabs more of the emitted light cone and is more intense and throws further.

 

The XP-E red LED is a much better performing red than earlier offerings and has much finer 'wiring' that allows it to be better focused than usual with no big blank areas. The LED is mounted onto a copper star that makes contact with the sides of the copper module and has a vastly superior heat-path than the brass/alloy combination you are currently using. It can therefore be be over-driven.

 

The red LED drop-in I have made will more than do the distance you require.

 

The Ahorton lens is £13

The one piece over driven red LED copper drop-in is £35, and both are available now.

Edited July 9, 2013 by Dave-G

[activeviii]

Not sure what you mean Dave. Im not selling them to open market. i have made 10 for friends, that's all im doing. I didnt think this was the For Sale area. just diy'er. oh well i learnt something else.

 

Um new red LED, might I suggest you have a better look around matey there is one LED that is better than the XP-E 635nm. de-domed it runs even better. I have enough burnt out ones here.

 

 

Nice work on the Copper turning by the way, hard stuff to turn.

 

All the best

 

Phil.

[mick miller]

I thought dedoming altered the led colour Phil? Thats why I always held off asking for it to be done, it also gives a really tight beam which isn't that useful at short ranges.

[Dave-G]

Sorry Phil, that post came over rougher than intended - and I had to dash off to work before I could edit it. I try to keep this thread on track about the 501b torch and nip any potential off track posts in the bud, looks like I failed in the last couple of days.

 

You are correct in that it's not a sales area of the forum. If you check my original post from over a year ago it lists where to buy the torches, where to buy the lenses and where to buy the drop-in modules for it and why they offer better performance. I have run a group buy for some of the parts for it. It has from the very outset been a thread about the P60/501b torch and ways to improve it's performance without resorting to specialist knowledge. Ways to improve it continue to emerge and that remains the topical point of this thread, which being my thread I would like to keep being about P60/501B torches because so many of us have them.

 

 

I recently thought up a way to even better improve the 501B so I bought a lathe and have started to produce some custom made parts as a small cottage industry to the shooting community, rather than see members keep having to import lesser performing modules for it as there is no UK source. Because of it's specialty and because the thread is still all about where to buy 501B components, (albeit that some are now from myself - but not limited to myself) for this drop in torch, I have been advised that I can carry it on.

 

I looked at de-doming and there seem to be issues with it,and it seems it's for use with reflectored torches? I may look at it again - but with you having several burnt out ones I might not. Tell us more about de-doming if you like?

 

Edited July 10, 2013 by Dave-G

[nicholiath]

Dave, i have a 501b with ahorton lense and standard reflector, if i get The one piece over driven red LED copper drop-in at £35, do i need anything else off you to improve this torch? do i need a different spacer for example?

[bazzab]

Fantastic thank you for replies chaps bang on as always.

[activeviii]

Dave. I take very little to heart. I'm to easy going for that lol.
Not a problem about the 501 I didnt realise so my bad. I have a 2 battery on here on the shelf. I think its the older 501D. No use to me at the moment. i did swap the glass to a DX and filed the sides to fit but i only ran it with a R2 white. sat here doing nothing now as the one im using now just offers a little more i think, saying that it still is a driver and LED mod and the pill needs the length changed.

On the shelf means in my shed/workshop in the he box of other thinks I have tried. He he.

I will try and get a photo up of a white, R2 XP with the glass dome taken off. Big difference between the two. In fact. I'll go do it now.
Same for the XP red. It cuts the emitted light from a 1mm 80degree down to an unmeasured .5mm 20degree. Making more useable light hitting the lens and not bouncing off a reflector.

On the the led I put a washer on the star and run a blade over to take the top of the dome off. No colour change just a tighter light.

Not sure how this has done. I'm on the phone so it might be a little all over the place lol

 

 

All the best

Phil

 

 

Not the best photo but its off the nexus phone.

they are both in focus just a bad photo but it was the size more than anything.

 

One on left is a XM-l chip and the right is a de-domed XP-E R2. they both had the same size square as start. the photo dosent really show the difference in brightness between the two but the Right one is very bright.

Edited July 10, 2013 by activeviii

[Dave-G]

That looks good Phil, I understand it only works on "white" led's - which have a range of colours making up the white.

 

Apparently solid colours change colour temperature.

 

 

 

 

 

I have:

 

Ahorton lenses ready to ship.

Copper heatsink modules ready to ship, both IR and visible red.

 

The copper heatsink spacers and are delayed due to the tap being rarer than hens teeth - and seem to be either seriously expensive or made of unobtainium.

[Dave-G]

Dave, i have a 501b with ahorton lense and standard reflector, if i get The one piece over driven red LED copper drop-in at £35, do i need anything else off you to improve this torch? do i need a different spacer for example?

Your standard reflector will be the wrong spacing between the Ahorton lens and the LED - which means it's badly out of focus unless you shortened the reflector a few millimeters? If you have the means to shorten it you will get a massive improvement. You still need to have the widest possible 'bell' at the end of it though.

 

Otherwise: as you already have an Ahorton lens, all you will need is the copper heatsink module - it has the "reflector/spacer' built in.

Edited July 10, 2013 by Dave-G

[nicholiath]

Thanks Dave i will have one of the copper drop ins off you at the end of the month.