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which MCE optics will win

59K views 295 replies 57 participants last post by  Turveyd 
#1 ·
Which optic is going to be the killer that every one will want

and which optic maker is going to nail the issues so a 5 degree spot is just that
not a 12 degree 4 leaf clover .

and a 10 degree medium is not a 20 degree flood
 
#4 ·
I have a ledil LM1 and will eventually post beam shots when I finish the light. I went with the soothe spot. Its a very nice clean beam but not all that spotty. I am a little worried its not going to be that great on my helmet. Guess I have to finish the light to find out. One thing about the LM1 that's really disappointing is that the lens is new for the MC-E but the holder is for the XP-E and snaps on to the XP-E, it dosnt snap onto my MC-E and just sits there and will have to be glued. I am still holding out hope for the boomerang reflector and kind of wishing I had gone that route. Of course with out really nice glass all the extra efficiency is killed by the window that covers the front.
 
#6 ·
Just finished up trying a couple of ledil mc-e optics. I ordered the CMC-D and the CMC-M. My dual Q5 light head uses the XR-E equivalent CMC-D but on the MC-E the spread is noticeably wider. Almost like the XR-E Ledil -M optic. I think I need the smooth spot to compliment the -D optic. The beam is wider than I prefer. However, I was very impressed with the uniformity. Nice smooth wall of light.

I setup a dual MC-E (K BIN) and ran it off a 16 volt battery and a 3023-1000 Buck. On each chip the leds were in series but each chip in parallel to one another so I was only driving around .45amps into each led. I estimate a little over 800 Lumens. Quite a bit more light than the dual Q5 setup. Interesting, I can feel more heat on my hand when I place it in the beam path than on the dual Q5 light.

Dual MC-E > 2(14v x .45A) = 12.6 watts
Dual Q5 > 2(3.5v x .9A) = 6.3 watts

Gonna be a challenge to dissipate all that heat..

I'll try to get a pic soon. I haven't put the thing in one of my cases but I was impressed enough to order more leds (m bin). This time on a series configured star.


Bob
 
#7 ·
Don't have optics yet, but was playing with my MC-E. I mounted it to a series-wired star and temporarily fixed it to a 5lb cast weight (super sized heat sink) with some thermal paste. The only other bare emitter I have is a Cree P4 (I think), so I set it up the same way (its nice to have a dual channel power supply).

Running at 500mA, the MC-E is BLINDING!! I still have spots floating in my eyes! It made the P4 look old and dim.

Can't wait to get some optics to try. This thing ROCKS!
 
#12 ·
I really don't have a problem with that. Right now I've got a triple Q5 setup that is MR11 sized. It actually would be kind of nice to have the single MC-E fit in the same housing, as I wouldn't have to design a new one. Downside is the bulk for a single emitter... But with Trout's idea of the housing that wraps around the bar, we could make the whole housing smaller dia, and flare the end to fit the optic.
 
#13 ·
znomit said:
Yes the Vf is lower on the newer LEDs. Im measuring around 3.3v at 1A on new R2s.

Anyone notice the promising MCE optics are getting about as big as the MR11??? :skep:
Yes the lower VF`s is good news .

The wow factor is not there with the mce with the messing about I have done .
and the small is beautifull has not happened yet also .

I went out for a ride yesterday in the dark with the triple K bin stem light / the single M bin mini trout light and a quad R2 helmet light .

I was disapointed with the beams from the MCE`s
but happy with the quantity of light .

but the quad cutter optic which I believe to be a ledil cute was the better beam .

The jury is still out

one think that stood out was the single M bin MCE could make a difference in the beam from the 3 Kbin MCE and they were all on the same optic
 
#14 ·
Ledil LM1 optic

Finishing up the last details on my MC-E helmet light right now. Running at 400ma, I think I need to turn it down a bit, getting very hot. Of course this is just still air testing. Tons of light out of this thing and what a nice color. I also report a low VF.
The ledil LM1 optic
Where to start.......
The holder I recieved is clearly meant for the XR-E.
It fits perfectly around the XR-E and actually snaps into place. WIth my MC-E it just sort of sits there and provides no real help in centering the optic. Maybe thats my problem, maybe the optic is just not centered. Also the opening in the bottom of the optic is not large enough to fir totally over the MC-E dome.
The beam is not nice at all.
Not very tight, looks to be way more than the +-10 advertised.
It has a donut in the center and I cant eat it. Pure rubbish. The donut is noticable and the spill is a flower pattern. Quite dissapointing. I better keep looking for a better optic or place some orders for reflectors. As a helmet light this is not going to cut it I am affraid.
I will be trying the secondary optic made by cree for the XR-E next. Hopefully it wont suck.
 
#16 ·
Well after a lot of swearing at it I pried the optic holder up and re-glued it and the donut hole seems to have gone away but all the other complaints still stand. I hope other MC-E optic holders are better and actually center the thing, an optic holder that dosnt self center is about as useful as a non alcaholic beer...
I turned down the drive current to 300ma since this thing is dinotte sized and got real hot in still air testing. Going out tonite for a little ride tonite and will report back on how it does. Photos coming eventually, but this is one for the ugly thread for sure.

Jay
 
#17 ·
I also building an MCE helmet light and I have to say the optic issue is killing everyone.
I'm putting my build on hold for a while until either the Boomerang reflectors or some other good optic hits the market. I tried some reflectors I have and they're all terrible, with the dreaded donut. I'm not an optic expert so I'm scratching a hole in my head.
I did get an email from Cutter and they are processing my Carclo 20mm optic order finally, maybe that will solve this issue...
I just don't know if the optics will be tight enough, I ordered the frosted narrow(18') and medium(24') as well as an oval beam, I'll keep you guys posted.

Eric S
 
#18 ·
I'm building yet another Dinotte-style MC-E helmet-light. Was poised to 'pull the trigger' and order a couple of different Carclo 26.5mm optics to try out, but after reading Bikerjay's tail of woe I'm hesitating now. Ah, what the heck, somebody has to be an early adopter I guess.
 
#20 ·
What sort of modding did you do, it has an odd looking base, did you just open up the base a little so it fits over the mc-e. Or did you have to sand down the base or cut it totally off. I would think the base would get in the way of all the wires necessary for a series wired mc-e.
Also is the thing really 26mm in diameter. Maybe I will have to make a better housing eventually with a 26mm Inner diameter unless it could be some how made to fit my 22.2mm inner diameter housing. That ledil rocket SS lens sure does look nice.
 
#21 ·
Bikerjay

:madman: should have taken pics but didnt really expect it to be any good :madman:

first off I dremeled the wings off so it would clear the solder pads and spaggetti of the series wired star .

that is when I took the first beam shot .

then while I was inspecting it under a magnifier I saw that about 1 mm of mce dome was visibly from the side . so then sanded the base flat so the dome was totally inside the optic .
the end result is total removal of the base to leave a standard shaped optic
which sits over the dome of the mce nicely but then needs to be fixed in the housing
mine will have a clear disk glued in front to hold it all together .

beamshot in the next couple of days of the finished light

Yes it is 26 mm
 
#22 ·
Just tried the Polymer Optic 185 and it is a nice smooth beam with no clover. It is a wide pattern although I am very happy with it overall and will probably go this direction. Not happy with the Fraen narrow optic or reflector as they both have rings, although the reflector seems to have more throw. It is kind of hard to tell though with that much light right in front of you how the throw really is for me at least.
 
#23 ·
P S A For All Those Waiting For Optics

For all you out there waiting for orders for optics or optics and leds then the agony may be over soon

I just had a reply from Mark at Cutters Who sends his apologies for the waiting to all of you out there .

Hi Chris

Verbatim, my last email from Ledil on Monday the 3rd

''LM1 and BOOM are ready.

Also LC1 with tape, LXP with tape and CXP with tape.

I have samples of EVA and if they are OK (will measure on Tuesday), we can start molding them as well.

In addition we have TINA-XP ready

TWIDDLE-XRE will be ready in 2 weeks.

The same for CMC.''

I had expected this to all be done a month ago, so my apologies but outside our control

Cheers

Mark
 
#25 ·
I am really starting to wonder if the LM1 i received is actually an LC1. They look to be nearly identical. Maybe there is hope for the LM1 after all.

Cant wait too see the boomerang, it should fit in my housing and if they look nice Ill have to get a hold of one.

The CMC is what we are all waiting for I think. It would be great to see a aches alot tripple with 3 MCE running at 300ma. Could easily be a 1000lumen monster. Should be way brighter and more efficient than 3 R2 at 1A. Maybe even better than 4 R2 at 700ma.
 
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