The beginning

Beamshot

More Fun at ~7.25 volts

Focusing in

Heat

Pushing it at 8.10 volts

After much encouragement 9V+

10v vs. SF M4

Beginnings (well sorta Read here for the real beginnings of this mod)

Although the 5-watt in a Legend LX was bright (699fc), I knew it was being way underdriven at only 6V (and probably less as the Sanyo 123s in it were kinda used) and I wanted to bring the 5W closer to its peak performance spec to see what it could do.

I got some very good technical advice from dat2zip and lambda about checking current and then stringing resistors together and testing at each step, but the whole bundle ended up looking like the grand prize winner in some boy scout knot-tying contest, plus I wanted focusing ability which meant everything had to fit through the reflector opening which was too small, and I didn't want to cut off any of the reflector to widen the hole because I'd lose some of the focusing range, and...well, you get the idea.

So I very carefully metered all my used AA batteries and came up with five that measured:

1.274V
1.241V
1,259V
1.499V
1.500V

for a total of 6.773V (I believe max spec on the 5-watts is 6.8V @ 700mA).

I had to build a gigantic heatsink with an extended post (or pedestal, as McGizmo so elegantly put it) to match the height of the stock incandescent bulb's filament so I could retain the focusing range for which the reflector was designed.

The end result was several good things:

1) it has full focusing range, from tight spot to wide flood (with the dreaded MagLite black hole, unfortunately)

2) this particular 5W seems to still be running well below its peak as it does not get hot at all (after being on for a couple of minutes, I unscrewed the head and found the LS/post junction was actually cool to the touch)

3) yet the dang thing metered 2130 lux at one meter, or 2130 foot-candles...

Anyway here are some pics of this jade-green Fire Breathing Dragon, note especially the beamshot pic on the ceiling in broad daylight at 12 o'clock noon, where it puts the original DirectDrive 6V 699-lux 5W cyan Legend LX to shame:

I know some people (Hi Ya Lambda, dat2zip, McGizmo, the other Wayne, et al!) are gonna cringe to hear me say this, but -- after the Arctic Silver completely cures, I'm gonna run it at extended minutes and check temps, and if it's still reasonably cool, I am going to FILL up BOTH of the 3AA battery packs with SIX fresh AAs (using five w/one dummy now) and let'er rip at NINE VOLTS!

(and hope like hell it doesn't literally become a Fire Breathing Dragon...)

Beamshot

Comparison beamshot to the brightest 1-watt I have, a white low dome in an LGI which I measured at 800+ lux at one meter. The brightness and contrast were cranked up for this picture in order just to see the LGI's beam -- picture taken from the floor up to the ceiling about 16 feet above:

More fun! I substituted the ~1.2V batteries for five fresher ones, all metering around 1.45V+, still one dummy in there, went to the LM631, stood back one meter away and:

Focusing

I've been thinking all day about brightness, and heat, and lux, and foot-candles, and focusing -- and I just realized how important FOCUSING is when I went outside now that it's finally dark. I shined the FBD into the trees of the small valley behind my house. And it dawned on me that a properly driven 5-watt Luxeon mounted in a good reflector (no collimators needed), can finally be a match for incandescents. For instance, this tree is thirty-five yeards away:

THIRTY FIVE YARDS AWAY. Best my other LEDs could do was cast a dim, ghostly glow, none of which was reflected back enough to be picked up on camera. When a 5-watt Luxeon is well focused, especially the white ones when they become available, we will see led lights start taking away the one advantage incandescents had up until now.

Heat testing

Did a short run time test tonight -- after 20 minutes the warmest spot on the light (with head left off for easier and more accurate temperature measurement) was at the junction of the aluminum pedestal and large heatsink plate below, at 95 F. The area near the top of the pedestal, a millimeter or two below the emitter, was actually lower, at 91 F. And the inch or so just below the plate and light body junction was in the low 90s as well, indicating that sufficient heat paths for the emitter were created.

The lonely test light, broadcasting its somber turquoise lighthouse beam inside my flashlight cabinet:

Maybe 9V is indeed possible with good heatsinking in a big aluminum flashlight?

8.10V

Took out all five old batteries (they all measured from 1.37 to 1.39V) and stuck in five brand new Kirklands from the package -- all of them measured exactly 1.62V x 5 = 8.10V.

Turned on the Fire Breathing Dragon and from one meter away the light meter showed 5670 lux.

Did not do a temp test, was afraid -- very afraid. Let me get a couple cups of Hawaiian EddieJava in me and maybe then...

9.46V!

Well, I did it. I put in SIX AA CELLS. Five of them metered 1.58V and the sixth gave 1.56V (mebbe Eddie would go, but I am not nuts and thus deliberately avoided the temptation to use fresh Kirklands which usually meter around 1.62V+ new).

So adding up the above battery power we are about to get 9.46 volts surging through the Fire Breathing Dragon.

Entered the Test Facility (our pitch-black windowless little laundry room), slid the pocket door shut behind me, set up the LM631 and FBD at the now pre-measured spots (yes, the two 1-meter standardized distance points are practically scored into the countertop now from the light meter and various flashlights being plunked down about a thousand times) and let fly, no focusing, no nothing, just the blasting of aquamarine-green light.

And there on its backlit black-and-green lcd display, the meter proudly exhibited the irrefutable measurement of 7830 lux. I didn't keep the light on for more than the few seconds it required for the meter to establish the peak measurement.

So no heat to speak of, but awesome bright. I also know that on this particular FBD setup the optimal focus point, like in many other focusable lights, varies depending on the distance of the target towards which the light is being shone. Our test FBD just happened to be focused for some trees 35 yards away from playing with it last night -- it actually could have produced higher numbers if focused for 39.37 inches.

But I need to catch my breath and work on some other mods right now, maybe when I feel braver I will put spent batteries in, dial in the focus for precisely one meter, and then put in absolutely brand-new 1.62V Kirkland batteries to get even higher Fire readings. Hey, how about six lithiums???!!! This is getting insane! Mua-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa....

Maxing out?

Middle of night, nothing to do, so I decided the Fire Breathing Dragon has dallied long enough. Fine tuned the head for optimum focus at about three feet, then in went six brand new Kirklands (at about 1.63V each we are running damn near 10V here folks):

9,420 lux at one meter. I obviously did not risk testing for runtimes...

*Note: Beamshot was taken with SureFire M4 using a 500-Lumen N62 HOLA.

Okay, this baby's maxed out and fully earned her Eddie Aikau Lifetime Achievement Award -- time to sell her (as soon as I get my hands on a 5W white, that is)...