Converting SL4 Xenon > LED?

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What sort of R2 mod did you make to your SL4? I've tried the DX R2 and Q5 drop-ins, but the drivers must control output, since the beam intensity is the same with an SL6 as SL4. How did you set up the R2? thanks, Mike

I don't think there is much difference form the 6 v out put and the 9 v of the SL6. I did make to the store and picked up some more cr123 so I'm running 20.8 v and there is a big difference.
The R2 mod I use is this one.
Width: 26.5mm
Height: 29mm (without the included support spring)
Output: 117~225 Lumens (manufacturer rated)
Input Voltage Range: 3.7V~18V
Thanks
 
yeah - have to second the warning re: using different battery chemistries - they all have different discharge characteristics, and if you stuff up bad enough, you could end up reverse charging a weaker battery - at best it will leak, at worst - "boom!"...
(why not replace the real 'c' cells with dummy ones?)

it is no big deal to run the R2's right up to their rated max voltage - the controllers are constant current output devices - (this is why sl4 or sl6 looks the same brighteness wise) you will find that when they are run at higher voltages, the input current is less,
so the Sl6 should burn for longer.

cheers,

I just didn't want to buy more CR123s if it didn't work. So I was able to put 3 more CR123 batteries in for a total of 20.8v 4@3.7v and 2 @ 3v. I did read that you can over drive the LED and it shortens the life but I think they will still out live me.
The center of the light is a little bigger but the spill is twice as brght.
Thanks for the heads up on mixing the batteries.
 
The drivers don't supply the rated current on the DX page so it wouldn't surprise me if they also don't regulate the current perfectly either. Probably more significant as you increase the voltage more. SL6 runs on 9V if using alkaline and SL4 is only 6V. That would explain the greater output even though the driver is supposed to regulate the current (does so by adjusting the voltage across the LED one way or another). Going above the rated voltage for your driver could damage it as well, not sure how well they hold up.
 
just did the q5 swap just wow what a difference. only took about 10-15 min. max. took the big spring off and left the little spring on. Used a 3/4" spring washer as a spacer, heated it and smashed flat with a hammer then buffed it with a wire wheel. I had to grind the inside diam. of the washer to fit. Although I had to contend with a
21W Monkey light to compare it with lol.

stan
 
just did the q5 swap just wow what a difference. only took about 10-15 min. max. took the big spring off and left the little spring on. Used a 3/4" spring washer as a spacer, heated it and smashed flat with a hammer then buffed it with a wire wheel. I had to grind the inside diam. of the washer to fit. Although I had to contend with a
21W Monkey light to compare it with lol.

stan


I found out a 1" metal conduit coupler is about right too. Cut 1/4" off, ground out the inside a little, then pressed in the reflector. The coupler cost me about $1.
 
I just got my XP-G R5 drop-in, 1.2A driver and 35x28mm reflectors from KD in last night. The 35x28mm reflectors from KD are a perfect fit for this light, the brass pill is identical to the one used on the 26.5mm R2 drop-ins so with this reflector you can just unscrew the R2 from the 26.5mm drop-in and screw it into the 35mm reflector, drop it in the light, tighten the bezel and turn it on and it works. Bezel closes all of the way with no problems and the reflector drops into the bezel just fine. Though I did modify the end of the case by beveling the edge so the 35mm reflector would slide in all of the way.

There are some differences in the refelctors of which I have three at this point that work in this light. I have the 35x35mm ones from DX, the 26.5x28mm and the 35x28mm reflector (from KD).

The 35x35mm from DX has the tightest beam with the smallest hotspot of the three, it has a very similar beam to the 26.5mmx28mm with the exception that there is a few inches less spill and the hotspot is a little tighter. The only problem with this one is it's too long so the bezel doesn't close all of the way (small gap) and it smashed in the tops of some of my alkaline cells slightly when I used it. I did take the UK SL4 with the 35x35mm reflector with me on a dive to 105fsw w/o any issues with the bezel not screwed all of the way down (less than 1/8" gap).

The 35mmx28mm reflector from KD has the worst focus of the three reflectors, it has a wider hotspot that is a little ringy and has a similar amount of spill to the 26.5mm reflector. Easiest to get to work though, just screw it on and drop it in.

I'll post some beamshots of the three in a few days, I just need to get some time to change the driver on my XP-G R5 drop-in. The XP-G R5 definately has more throw than the R2 drop-ins, the beam width is similar to the 26.5mm reflector but it has a much larger hotspot than the R2. I was shining them out my lanai at another building several hundred feet away to see the differences in throw. I don't really like all 5 modes from the driver it comes with, high is good, but medium and low seem too dim, strobe and S.O.S. I don't really like. The 1.2A driver I bought has 3-modes, high-med-low. Have yet to hook it up, but the XP-G R5 with the stock drop-in is probably driven around 700-800mA on high, so not as bright as it could be.

I've also got a UK mini-Q40 xenon that I've been modifying. I widened the inside of the head of the light so it could accept one of the brass pills with the driver and LED in it but had to grind down the pill to where it's almost tin-foil to get it to fit in so there won't be too much heat sinking from it. I also got a 24mm collimator that fits in it to use instead of a reflector. Will try it out with one of my R2s and post results. Not worried about leakage in the Q40 as I've already taken it down to 105fsw without issues with the original xenon bulb in it after shaving away some of the plastic casing so the LED pill would fit. I only really dive recreationally so 100fsw or so is probably about as deep as I ever really plan to go.

Beamshots and photos of all to follow--
 
Thanks for the follow-up. Would be great to see screen shots.

I just placed an order with DX for the 26.5mm drop-ins and smooth reflectors. I'm going to mod those to fit in a Halcyon Scout (head is similar to the the SL4). I'll post what I find out for the spacer.

Henrik
 
Took some pictures of the beams this morning and I measured the current last night when I was replacing the driver on the XP-G R5. I found that the drivers on the R2 drop-ins from DX were providing a full amp of current. I had two different drivers on my two R2s, one was driving the LED at 1.15A the other at 1.03A. I was a little dissapointed with the driver I bought for the XP-G R5 as it was advertised to provide 1.2A but is only providing about 996mA on high, just about 1A.

I was playing with them shining off my lanai again and this time the R2 seemed to have a bit more throw than the R5 with the 26.5mm reflector. The R5 has a bigger hotspot than the R2 though and also a bit less spill.
 
Beam Shots? You want beam shots?

say hello to my little friends...

before i show you - a description of how this was done.

all pictures taken with f8, 1/3.3 second Iso 800.
(for the camera non-geeks this means the exposure was the same for all shots)
taken at a distance of 7 Metres.

all lights were powered with a 18650 4.2v battery

First the XRE r2:

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2373913380055225526FCanXc

now the ssc p7:

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2527338410055225526luHswF

Finally the xpg:

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2099456720055225526xvvCcq

There it is folks....the ssc wins for sheer light output....and can be driven a lot harder
to make even more....

in terms of best bang fer buck and ease of conversion to sl4....
it's the xpg....
 
Thanks for the beam shots.

It looks like the R2 has the tightest beam - is that correct? Or is it just that the other two are that much brighter?

Thanks,

Henrik
 

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