MOD: Shortened blue Convoy S2+

Oooh! I’m gonna need to try something like this.

Can it be shortened to say 110mm without grinding the head threads?

Whst did you do to the tailcap?

Hi Firelight, sent you a PM. Thanks.

I need to do a search on the S1 18350 version modded to take a 18500 .. I just got Two blue 18350 versions in the mail today cheap off amazon .My 18350's are pretty old and I have too many 18500's unused just layin about.

For mine I cut the front off the brass pill and replaced that with some sheet copper totaling 2.5 mm thickness. Short springs, thinner brass button spacer(.5mm) with trimmed rubber cylinder, just the optic and no lens, 101.3mm wih 16650 2.5Ahr cell.

Do you mean 18650 ?
I would really like to see some pics of yours too !
BTW, nice work OP ! THAT is modding :smiley:

Nope, I mean 16650. It’s a 4.35V Sanyo cell purchased from RMM. Now that it’s done I should really update that thread. The 16650 is used since a brass sleeve is needed both to carry current through an otherwise wood tube and for strength. Since the brass fits inside the threaded tube ends it reduces available ID in some cases requiring the use of a narrower cell. K&S Precision metals makes some great thin wall brass tubing but only thicker walled stock in this diameter. I can now make my own thin wall tubing but it’s not so precise. I’ve also reamed this same tubing enough for an 18650 but it still requires the narrowest of cells. I really enjoy seeing how others do mods like the one in this thread and what different approaches to shared obstacles are used. The length of threading in the heads of S2’s is what makes the mod here possible and fuels the imagination for other mods as well.

The new short head also works with the 18350 tube with an 18350 cell inside.

However, note the gap between the head and the tube. This is because I didn’t file off the threads on the 18350 tube as much as I did on the threads on the 18650 tube. This gap wouldn’t have been there if I hadn’t accidentally slipped with the grinding bit and ended up having to shorten the head a little more than I first intended. Also, in retrospect I don’t think I should have tried to shorten the tailcap at all. If I were doing this mod again I’d fix those problems so there were no visible gaps.

As-is, I might be able to fix the gaps on the current sample, but to do so I’d need to open up a little more room inside the battery tube. I should be able to get 2mm from filing down the top of the switch retaining ring and contact post on the bottom of the driver. But to get more than that I’d have to grind the pill flatter.

Here are some pics of the light with 18350 tube (it is fully functional with either length tube):

That’s awesome. With the new pics you can really appreciate how short you made it.

Very cool mod. Thanks for sharing.

Bob

Here’s a picture of the Shortened S2+ next to an unmodified S2+


Alternate shortened Convoy S2+ host in polished bare aluminum.

I soaked the light in Greased Lightning to remove the anodizing. Then to remove the final bit of green anodizing I soaked it in Clorox bleach for 6 hours. The bleach also turned the aluminum a dull dark grey. I sanded and polished off the grey from the raised portions of the light, but left it in the cracks as much as possible as it provides a nice contrast.

Great mod, better for EDC, buy what about heat dissipation?
By removing alle that material it will heat up even faster

Yup heats up very fast… which is why I have it set to 3 amp max output and have the driver’s temperature sensor set to its most sensitive setting. With such a small head and no heatsinking, it does heat up very fast.

That said, the light you have on you is always more useful than the light you left at home because it was too big. There’s certainly something to be said for a small and compact light. And these are capable of very high outputs, even though due to heat they can only sustain it for a very brief time.

So little is removed and most heat transfer is to the hand anyway that it shouldn’t be very different.

I actually found I could run the shortened S2+ on the second highest FET setting for extra output. The head gets too hot to comfortably touch after awhile. The body tube especially near the head gets hot, but not too hot for the hand and the battery is fine. The temperature sensor kicks in to keep the light from getting too hot.

It’s perfectly usable like that even when left tailstanding. However, I’d probably want to wait 30 seconds for it to cool before putting it back in my pocket.

Does it work with a lit tailcap?

Btw. I like your strip and polish. I stripped mine and did minor cleanup. I think I’ll polish because I like how tired looks.

Unfortunately no.

If I hold the illuminated switch to the end of the battery tube without the tailcap I can see the 2 blue LEDs on the tailcap dimly lighting. But when I assemble the tailcap their output is far too dim to actually make it out of the cap. And this after I replaced the metal washer above the switch with a transparent one and verified that the rubber gasket around the metal plunger is full transparent.

I need an illuminated tailcap switch mechanism with a brighter LED in it.

Does it work with that driver? No bleeder resistor needed?

Works as is without a bleeder resistor. Just not very bright.

What’s the bleeder resistor do? If I add one will it be brighter?