# JEXREE clone upgrading & battery pack.



## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

Just received this last week and I am now putting some feelers out to see if it's feasible to replace the driver and/or LEDs (I would prfer a neutral white). It apparently has 1 amp circuitry and runs at 8.4V, but I cannot be 100% certain of this yet as the specs are of the original (which is probably a clone itself, but I couldn't find a precursor), not the clone.

I highly doubt that it's lumen output is as claimed, and have yet to test it or confirm that there are indeed two xm-l2's in there and not some other version...

Opened it up and all the solders I could access seemed very solid, but the wire to the battery seemed to depend on the mounting hardware to keep it from pulling out, so a zip tie and some silicon might be in order...







The front assembly is quite interesting, you can see the double-rings seperated by the silver spacers with some kind of pcb? and what I assume to be water-sealing o-rings as you pull the light (gently) as far as the wires will allow:








More shots:












































Now I have read Kir's take on this light, and after having a quick look at it's guts I won't know if upgrading is entirely necessary untill I've built a battery for it, though more amps and warmer LEDs would be nice, and it does seem like an easy-to-disassemble unit. Getting those little wires to go back in the rear recess was a bit of a pain though, I'll have to check I didn't end up pinching any off later

I've been scouring this site to see if I could build a nice LiPo battery pack, but now I've got a mental block about the voltage: can I use a 9.6v where 8.4v is required? for the life of me I can't remember if one can get away with this with LEDs, though I assume it would reduce their lifespan somewhat, I thought there was a voltage 'range' that they could operate optimally in. Does any one have any clue if I can do this?

I have also been looking at this as an optional battery pack, though I think it could just as easily be a bomb as a battery...or following Kir's example and buying a bunch of these and replace the batteries & plugs...been following this thread on budgetlights for a while. But still need a bit of guidance.

So has anyone else taking these apart to see if heat-sinking could be improved? Replaced Driver?

Oh, hello, I'm new.


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## Khrystyan27 (Jul 3, 2011)

Let's revive this thread.

I was planning to buy this light, but someone told me that the maximum output is somewhere near 1000-1100 lumens, which in my opinion is now enough (~500lm/LED).

What can I do to boost up the output to 1700-1800 lumens?


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

I asked Kir a similar question about the Jexree Bat, which comes with lower quality LEDs, here was his response:

Kir - "If you want higher brightness for central beam - just increase the current on LED, its easy to do if you can solder small smd components. Basically you have to solder 1 additional smd resistor, like this one:
https://www.fasttech.com/products/1002/10003143/1234405
I did on my own light and for friends, you can drive XML LEDs up to 3A and ~800-900 OTF lumens."

Now, I know in the DIY thread there is a where and how to do this upgrading, but I've been too busy with work and I would rather wait for my battery stuff to arrive so I can actually test the light as is.

Cree - Flashlight Wiki tells you roughly how much each type of LED can be driven up to, but does not factor in heat dissipation, power management and so on, and still one cannot be 100% certain which type of LED you are dealing with when it comes to these Chinese clones.


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

Follow up with some beamshots: Chinese light roulette! Help me place my bets! - Page 2

I'll try and consolidate this into one thread at some later date...


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

More sources for this light (some for the head only):

Mini 2*L2 Bicycle Light 3 mode 2800 Lumen/ 2*Cree XM L2 Bike Light ( Lamp Cap only)+Free Shipping-in Bicycle Light from Sports & Entertainment on Aliexpress.com

Mini 2*L2 Bicycle Light 3 mode 2800 Lumen/ 2*Cree XM L2 Bike Light +4*18650bettery+Free Shipping-in Bicycle Light from Sports & Entertainment on Aliexpress.com

New Bike Light For BMW LED HeadLight Style | 2*Cree XM-L2 3-Mode 3000-Lumen Bike Light Lamp Cap ( Not include Battery pack) - Bicycle Lights Lamp Cap - Bicycle Light & Headlamp Worldwide Free Shipping!!!

http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S022573

http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S022462

2200 Lumens Jexree 2 X Cree Xm-l2 U2 Led 4-mode Bike Light With Battery Pack And Charger - Buy Jexree 2200 Lumens Bike Light,2 X Xm-l2 U2 Jexree 2200 Lumens Bike Light,4 Modes Jexree 2200 Lumens Bike Light Product on Alibaba.com

And these two probably have the most comprehensive info about the light, plus it has "Fire" in the name - how could you go wrong?
NITEFIRE NFC-27 2 x Cree XM-L T6 1200lm 3-Mode White Bicycle Light Headlamp - Black (4 x 18650) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

$52.82 UltraFire XM-19 2*Cree XM-L2 T6 3+2 Modes 1800LM Cool White LED Bike Light / Headlamp - black / 1*18650 battery pack / US plug at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

And one more for the "Bat" version:
3 Cree XM-LU2 3-Modes 3000-lumen Bicycle Light 4x18650Battery pack LED Bicycle Front bike light set - Bicycle Light & Headlamp Worldwide Free Shipping!!!


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

Imported some more dialog and beamshots to tidy up the info about this light for others looking and comparing. Hopefully I have not made too much of a mess of it!



Vilendank said:


> Hello! I received the "Bat" and all of my battery stuff a few days ago. I haven't found a good spot (or camera) to take night shots, but I have taken both the Bat and the Owl out on the road and was impressed. The "daytime running lights" are more than bright enough to be used on their own while riding nights in the city, and I used the emergency SOS on the Owl a few times out of curiousity which resulted in the immediate slowdown and/or stopping of all facing vehicles - handy when you take a left at an intersection, but I wouldn't really recommend it unless you are genuinely in an emergency, like being mugged or attacked by a bear or something, you could easily cause an accident with this setting. The running lights on both lights have the strobe option, but the Bat has only 1) flood lights only 2) flood lights & spot 3) flood lights & spot flashing- which isn't very useful.
> 
> The form factor and robustness of these lights inspires confidence, though I haven't figured out how to take the Bat apart yet, it arrived with the two flood barrels on the sides a bit loose so that both could be rotated about 90º, so where I took the Owl apart out of curiousity, I will take the Bat apart to see if I can rectify this, though I still can't see any obvious way of taking it apart. Another thing is it has that glowing green waterproofing seal on the inside of the spot lens, which some can find really annoying when it colours the light. The Bat seems more like a light you would modify, and the Owl seems pretty great out of the box.
> 
> ...





Vilendank said:


> Both the Bat and the Owl have "Running lights" which are the transparent circles you see surrounding the exterior of the lens, these are separate from the main leds, have their own control button, and are perfect for allowing drivers to see you, though they don't illuminate much in front of you, they are very bright to look at. They have two settings: steady and strobe. The strobe I used to stop traffic and get yelled at is a function triggered on the main LEDs on the Owl by holding their button down for >1 second, not from the "running lights." The Bat is actually quite nice and floody, and the spot quite effective as well, but I won't know how the throw compares to the Owl until I test them both properly tonight. I also note that the Owl has that "halo of not-so-bright-light" between it's hotspot and flood area, which some find annoying, and the Bat doesn't seem to have this issue due to it's side lights...
> 
> Cheers





Vilendank said:


> I'm just going to throw these up here before I go to bed, some are crap but I don't have time to sort 'em out at the moment. Bloody battery on the camera was dying so I was a little too hurried with a few of them, shaky hands from the blood pumping , and steam from my breathing hasn't helped them. But here are the shots, the little reflective strips you see in the distance is my camelbak mounted on a stump 70 metres away:
> 
> Helmet mounted Jexree Owl Clone on High:
> View attachment 849440
> ...





Vilendank said:


> In regards to size, I believe Kir has posted a photo of all of his lights side by side, with the Owl (I think) and SSX2 in the same photo, you could search his posts (it might even be in this thread) and see the difference, but I'm sure the Owl is larger.
> 
> Yes, as is visible in the "Glamour Shot" there is an led ring around the button interface which indicates Green = full power charge and I believe Red = low battery. There may be a middle step but I have not run it all the way down through the battery's charge yet. Mostly used the running lights on the hour or so climb up the mountain, so everything was still indicating green after the trip down.
> 
> ...





Vilendank said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I was ready to be underwhelmed by the Bat, but it was actually a very effective stand-alone bar light.
> Even with the inefficient xml and xpgs it is easily a one-light + two battery packs setup for the minimalist.
> ...





Vilendank said:


> It's the same connection type that Magicshine clone use, I can't remember the exact dimensions, but it was included in one of the descriptions somewhere on ebay or alibaba or elsewhere. the battery pack that came with the Bat fits and threads perfectly, but the magicshine-ish battery packs have a thread too large to screw onto properly (to form the waterproof seal), but this does not prevent a full connection at all.





Vilendank said:


> Yes, do that! The cable is there, but if you can solder small boards, you'd be able to replace the cable with whatever you want.





Vilendank said:


> I wouldn't say that, I would need to find a wall at an appropriate distance to demonstrate it, same with the Owl (very obvious hot spot), I need to find an area that gives a good idea of distance and character of beam. Don't worry, I am keen to get out there again soon, although I could just find a wall somewhere and measure the distance...
> 
> Varider: Yes, there is a seller called outdoor-lights on ebay who sells the xm-l2 Owl clone head only for about $46 USD, but I have not seen the Bat anywhere else, though I haven't checked Alibaba or Aliexpress lately.





Vilendank said:


> Yeah, 5mm sounds about right, can't be certain about the screw-on bits as the thread and cap could be larger or smaller.





Vilendank said:


> No, with the BAt/Owl combo, it's plenty of light. I would just like to try, mainly out of curiousity, a more neutral light colour (<4000k) because I really don't like that cold-white "washout" on the trail. Its fine for urban or dirt road, and on medium settings the depth perception is fine, but the cool-white does noticeably effect perspective and depth at higher speeds by reducing the tones of light/dark somewhat (visualize high-contrast washout).
> I think a lot of it has to do with how our eyes perceive light & colour, so this effect could vary from individual to individual. Like how some people can tell the difference between an MP3 and a CD while others can't (training and genetics), and some people will love the dynamic range of a Zepplin song (an analogy for the effect a neutral tone should theoretically provide), while some will love the compressed power of Dubstep, as examples of preference.
> 
> Using neutral-coloured leds will probably result in less throw, so the smd resistor Kir mention might be a good idea. I am very happy with the the battery pack and Panasonics I got from DealExtreme, so I wll probably grab a couple more sets for backup. Even the pack that came with the Bat lasted the whole ride and was still green at the end.
> ...


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## oalex100 (Jun 21, 2011)

Vilendank said:


> More sources for this light (some for the head only):
> 
> Mini 2*L2 Bicycle Light 3 mode 2800 Lumen/ 2*Cree XM L2 Bike Light ( Lamp Cap only)+Free Shipping-in Bicycle Light from Sports & Entertainment on Aliexpress.com
> 
> ...


I don't get something.
I thought it was either XM-L2 or U2. However I see some listed as XM-L2 U2.


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

oalex100 said:


> I don't get something.
> I thought it was either XM-L2 or U2. However I see some listed as XM-L2 U2.


They all claim to be some form of XM-L, but who knows until you actually test them or buy from a seller who knows what they are doing and guarantee quality?

I do not have the means or knowledge to verify whether mine are xm-l's or xm-l2's on the Owl, the only way I will be able to confirm this myself is to remove the LEDs and look at them, because apparently, according to the Candlepower forums I've been lurking on, the notable difference in physical appearance between the two generations is that the XM-L's have 3 wire leads and the XM-L2's have only 2.

This might illustrate or confuse further: Cree - Flashlight Wiki

I am personally a bit confused as to how many amps my lights are being driven at; I see that some versions say 1000mA circuitry and others 3500mA circuitry. I can't trust that these sellers know what they are talking about, so they could be referring to the draw while charging the batteries or something, particularily when stating 1000mA circuitry, for I don't believe you can acheive the amount of lumen output most of these sellers claim with 1000mA, but you can with 3500mA....but again, I am parroting what others have discussed, and am not confident I know what I am talking about  !


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## oalex100 (Jun 21, 2011)

yes that is the difference. cant you see if you look with amplifier?

See the difference:

L: Cree Component XLamp XM-L LEDs

L2: Cree XLamp XM-L2 LEDs

In this one (look at first picture) you can clearly make out that its L2 (2 wires) if you use the ebay auto zoom feature: New LED Bike Light 2 CREE XM L2 3 Mode 3000LUMEN Bike Light Lamp Lamp Only | eBay


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

Ah! Maybe I can...I convinced myslef it would be more complicated than that.
I'll check 'em when I get back from my ride, Thanks for pointing that out.


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## oalex100 (Jun 21, 2011)

I have ordered from outdoor-light guy. I asked him twice if it was U2 and he said yes. I hope he is telling the truth.
Should be here in a week or so.
where did you order yours from?


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

I bought my Owl from the same guy, asked him to confirm those details as well and he seemed like a straight-shooter as far as that goes, but the claimed lumen output would seem to be only possible over 3500mA's, I just just treated the purchase as a gamble anyway.

Edit: Just scrutinzed the LEDs and they are 2 wires, so it is definitely the xm-L2 version. not sure what bin, but theoretical max output would be around 2200 lumens.


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## oalex100 (Jun 21, 2011)

Vilendank said:


> Just scrutinzed the LEDs and they are 2 wires, so it is definitely the xm-L2 version. not sure what bin, but theoretical max output would be around 2200 lumens.


Yippy Thank you for checking, now I feel better.
BTW do you feel that you ARE going to mod the OWL? Do you want brighter light? How will you know what resistor to add without knowing precise output that you have currently?


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

Not brighter, just a more neutral colour.

I rode with the Bat on the handlebars last night and let the kitchen munchkin use the Owl on her bike. I found that the Bat was fine by itself on the handlebars, decent throw but could be better, great flood, but hitting 2-4 metre rock drops made me want the helmet mounted Owl to aim where the handlebars weren't.
The problem with this, as mention before, is the Cool White washout kind of kills the depth perception of close up objects on High setting, and I would not have to switch to Medium everytime I come up on something technical. A neutral tone would hopefully alleviate this extreme contrast, and although the Bat was fine on it's own last night, some higher efficiency emitters couldn't hurt. Neither my girl, the Owl, or the spare bike experienced any accidents last night so I would say that one could easily get by on the single Owl mounted on the handlebars for climbs, and I'd probably switch it to the helmet for descents. Since you will have two, I'm sure having the both mounted on the handlebars oriented at different angles would be highly effective, I doubt you would really NEED to go past Medium settings on them unless it's really fast and really hairy riding.

Kir mentioned the mod, but he also mention he doesn't think it is necessary to drive the lights any harder, and after using them twice I can see no reason to change them in this manner.


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## oalex100 (Jun 21, 2011)

Vilen, Please check one more thing for me. I would like to know where to led PCB does the cut of on discharge. That is at what voltage does the Owl go off.
To check just run the Owl till it goes of (you don't have to be there, just leave it switched on and come back when its down).
Then (with a multimeter) measure the battery packs voltage. I am interested if its ~5.9V (meaning cut off is at 3v. Or if tis closer to ~5V (2.5v per cell).
Thank you.


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

oalex100 said:


> Vilen, Please check one more thing for me. I would like to know where to led PCB does the cut of on discharge. That is at what voltage does the Owl go off.
> To check just run the Owl till it goes of (you don't have to be there, just leave it switched on and come back when its down).
> Then (with a multimeter) measure the battery packs voltage. I am interested if its ~5.9V (meaning cut off is at 3v. Or if tis closer to ~5V (2.5v per cell).
> Thank you.


Well, I used the questionable battery pack from the Jexree Bat package, drained the Owl until the light shut off, then tested the battery and got no reading whatsoever several times, put it on the charger for 1 second, then tested it and got 6.89v. I would like to know what it all means!
Edit, just tried the drain and test again and got 6.42v after a 1/4 second charge, and after repeated attempts I discovered that the charge indicator on the light goes out and you have 13 seconds (with running lights and on High setting) to sort out your lighting situation. I measured the battery again at the 12th second and got 6.12v so I'll take a guess and say it's the 3v cutoff. I'll try again at a later date with the panasonics, but i figure it's a much longer wait.


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## oalex100 (Jun 21, 2011)

That is wierd. I'd like to know too. . 

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk


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## Rockford77 (Dec 1, 2013)

hi @all

@vilendank
can u pls measure the circuit (diameter), optics/reflectors (diameter/height), inner spaces from the head and diameter of the pcb from the led ?

or

@all
or can someone else who has the lamp measure it

thx Rob


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

*Oalex100* Just drained the panasonics with the Owl, and they all measured a little over 3v. I was draining them outside, so their voltage has been steadily increasing since they've been at room temp. the Owl's discharge/shutdown sequence behaves differently with the panasonic/pannovo combination than with the chinese mystery batteries. I don't know if this is due to the protection batteries inside a protected battery case, or the broken wire or what, but it more of a head-scratcher that a source of concern.

I have also taken both lights out riding in the constant freezing rain with no issues from water ingress, even with the cord possibly broken on that ride, though as a caveat I should say that perhaps I am not aware of any damage yet - the odd shutdown sequence may be attributable to this or more likely it may be nothing at all, as I have very little to go on regarding the proper function of these lights it's all just guesses from here. It'd be nice to talk to a tech from the manufacturer.


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## oalex100 (Jun 21, 2011)

Hmmm. But i understand that the Panasonic has 2.5v cut off no? The case ha no protection, so it must be the light, but the why a different cut off than with the Chinese pack? Really weird. 

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

Rockford77 said:


> hi @all
> 
> @vilendank
> can u pls measure the circuit (diameter), optics/reflectors (diameter/height), inner spaces from the head and diameter of the pcb from the led ?
> ...


I could, but I'd rather wait for Kir to post his review and disassembly before I start mucking around in the guts again, though I suppose I should check for any circuit damage after all the trials I've put these things through recently. I'll try to get around to it, but in the meantime, bug Kir for me!


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## Vilendank (Oct 4, 2013)

oalex100 said:


> Hmmm. But i understand that the Panasonic has 2.5v cut off no? The case ha no protection, so it must be the light, but the why a different cut off than with the Chinese pack? Really weird.


Well, the Panasonics I am using are protected, and from the diagram of the disassembly from one of the other users I had assumed the Pannovo case has built-in protection as well...

The previous shutdown sequence was: rear led ring would go red, then out then about 13 seconds until complete shutoff.

With the Panasonics/Pannovo combo, I missed whether the rear led went red, but when I checked on it after a few hours, the rear led was out, but the front leds all still going strong, and for a lot longer than 13 secs, then it shut down the main leds with just the running lights on, so I unplugged the battery and then plugged it in again and turned the light back on all high settings and got another 1/2 hour of runtime.

I've got about a half hours charge put back into the panasonics, so I'll stop charging them and run the test again tomorrow and make sure I'm around for the shutdown sequence entirely.

Edit: So I drank too much coffee, and went ahead with the test again.

The light shutoff sequence goes:
1)Rear Red warning light for approximately 30 minutes. 
2)This shuts off and the main Leds gradually lose intensity for about another 30 minutes 
3)until you are left with just the running lights for a few minutes until complete shutdown.
Unplug the battery for about ten minutes, plug it back in and I get the same sequence only the times are drastically shortened to about ten minutes total.

Measured 3.04v on the Panasonic batteries out of the Pannovo pack.


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## oalex100 (Jun 21, 2011)

Someone (somewhere in the treads here) reviewed the pannovo case. He took it apart and confirmed that they don't have any protection (that is the reason I went with protected cells). There are pictures he posted (I don't remember who). His conclusion was that space (area) for the protection circuit was there, but it is left out from the product. Probably for pricing reasons. Also you can see no protection is mentioned in the item description. So we can rule that one out.

I have to recheck, but I believe that the Panas are definitely 2.5V cut off. You have the 3400mAh protected right? I don't see how it could put out that without going down to 2.5V. That would be about 200mAh waisted per cell. So in my case 8x which is 1600mAh that I consider a big deal.

According to your test, it is not the lights build in protection circuit, as you say that the Chinese battery pack goes down to ~2.5V.

I really which I had a variable transformer. That way (while I wait for my other stuff) I could test the light and its circuit cut off. Set it to ~7V connect the light, turn it on and start reducing the voltage to see where it goes of. When I was a kid I had such transformer for my toy train. Had a pot-meter on top that went from 12V to 0V output. used it to adjust the speed of the train. If you have something like that around you could test it easily.

In the mean time, I will go and see if I can find some definite information the panasonic cells cut of voltage. But I do remember seeing it to be 2.5V. I could be wrong.

If it turns out to be the light, then I know I wont rest till I am able to mod it.  You cant cause any damage to the light by undervolting it. So if the cells are protected there is no risk in such mod. I am just worried that is integrated/coded in the epron and not just a question of swapping a resistor or adjusting a pot-meter.
Dir or any uber pros in electronics please help us...

EDIT: If you could connect some sort of 2-3V bulb (not led) or something similar to one of the panasonic cells and let it run till it goes out (definitely the cells built-in cutoff) then measure if its ~3V or ~2.5V. This way you/we could be 100% if its the light messing around or the cells doing.


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## oalex100 (Jun 21, 2011)

Here is a comprehensive test of these Pana cells

Test / Review: Panasonic NCR18650B Protected 3400mAh (Green) | BudgetLightForum.com

It shows that protection kicks in at 2.75V that is 5.5V. What I learn't today is the only the cell is made by Panasonic and the protection circuit in it is made by different suppliers. Hence, depending on the quality of the PCB the capacity can vary.
From what I am reading the (currently) best version of the Panasonic cells is a brand called Keeppower. They have the best PCB hence the capacity is maximized.

I am still thinking of a way to test the build in PCB in the light. Also really interested in if it can be mod-ed. I am sure Dir can help with that.

EDIT: *Keeppower* version of the Panasonic protected cell: Test/Review of Keeppower 18650 3400mAh (Black)


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