So you're saying that your light has a more intense spot and is also wider than the DiNotte Day time Red Rear? I am interested in actual lux measurement at distance. Do
you have any figures?
I might actually be interested in one of your lamps but I would probably request the XP-E ( or E2) in Amber. I know that the red is actually brighter but for day only I like the idea of Amber. Since you're using a driver like the Maxflex can you tell me what kind of flash patterns are offered with a driver like that? Do you over-drive the emitters?
I've been told you can do that safely as long as you don't over-do it.
If I was to buy a light like this I want the most intense throw I can get. My intention would be to attract attention from as far away as possible. Last question; what voltage battery is used to power your lamp?
Hey Cat,
Since I haven't personally seen the daylight Dinotte, I can only go by what my customer relayed to me and make some deductions, based on my own experience. The XPE die size in combination with the Carclo triple narrow lens does make an incredibly tight and focused beam, so it doesn't surprise me too much that the DS-500 would have a more intense spot. Since they don't have an elliptical lens on the new light, I can say pretty definitively that the DS-500 is wider. Where this really comes into play is about 100 to 200 yards back. If you happen to be on a tightly curved road, the wide angle really helps a lot.
When comparing the DS-500 to the 400R this was one of the more striking differences. From about 100 yards back, I could start to walk off-angle and the 400R had a very distinct and sudden roll-off in intensity whereas the DS felt nearly constant over the same range.
No, I don't over-drive, even in flashing mode. 700mA max. It could be done, but I wanted this light to run comfortably with as little strain on the LEDs as possible, plus, with the Maxflex, there's not an option to just "slightly" overdrive.
I've had customers tell me routinely that they receive comments from drivers that they are being seen from literally a mile away in full sun in heavy traffic. The flash modes in particular more or less demand that you be seen. There are six "placeholders" in the driver memory for different flash patterns. You can control intensity, duration, repetition, and come up with some pretty wild patterns, but I've got a special firmware version of the MaxFlex that has my own "default" patterns.
The DS-500 design runs beautifully off of any 7.4V li-ion. The Magicshine, Gemini, and Gloworm packs are all directly compatible, but anything else (such as Dinotte) just requires a simple adapter. In reality, you can drive the light with any voltage (capable of delivering the necessary current) in a range from about 5V to 12.6V.
Finding a housing to even think about building a custom amber version would be the trick at this point. Everything I'm building now is already pre-sold, but PM me if like and I can tell you more about it.
Cheers
I'm not having any luck finding amber XPE triples, but maybe you have a source?