OMG youâre right about the retaining ring being on there TIGHT. I just tried to remove the ring on the head and quickly bent a cheap awl in the process. I guess a driver swap is going to be a little harder than I thought lol
Had a small issue with them (not a flaw), Tekton went well above and beyond to make it right. Inspiring, ended up getting more stuff from them as a result.
My homemade snap ring pliers cost $1.99 from Harbor Freight and also fits (just barely) my Supfire M6 retainer ring that is about 42mm wide. I like how the filed down ends fit snuggly in the divots/holes so they do not slip or mare the retainer rings.
Nice write up. Great detail and good photos.
If later down the line you want some extra wow then drop in a dedomed/sliced XPG2/XPG3.
The G2 will require a regulated driver (qlite is a good option) whereas the G3 should be able to handle short bursts of direct drive if well heatsinked and will be able to put out ~900 OTF lumens but being a smaller die it will out throw any XML or XPL.
There was some machining marks including a dimple in the middle, but overall the shelf seemed pretty flat. I didnât notice any unevenness between the LED MCPCB and the shelf.
Okay⌠luckily my wife had a pair of round-nose pliers for jewelry crafting and those worked although it did still take a bit of torque to break the retaining ring loose.
However⌠now I have another problem. Unlike your pictures and the video that I watched, the driver is not loosely in there. In fact, it almost seems like the driver is wedged in there somehow. Itâs like the driver is âsetâ perfectly inside. Itâs solid contact all around the diameter of the driver. I tried pulling on the spring a little bit but the driver does not budge AT ALL. Any ideas? I donât want to wreck the light.
This is the video Iâm referring to. In that video is seems like the driver is loosely in there once you remove the retaining ring.
When I removed the retainer ring on the head, like in the video, the driver was not stuck at all and pulled right out. But when I put in the new driver, I had to file down the sides in order for it to fit. So maybe the driver in yours was a little wider and wedged in when the retainer ring was put on. If itâs not budging, you could take out the screws holding the LED and push through the holes with a tooth pick. Or if you are replacing the LED, you could push through the wire holes since they are bigger.
I think this happens when its been in a light for a long time. My ee x6 did the exact same thing.
Try after removing the ring and desolder the led wires. Try to use the wires some to push the driver back. A little of that and tugging on the spring it will come out. Iâve had to play with them to get them out before. Sometimes it helps sometimes it doesnât. Try that and pulling the spring a little harder. Or take a tooth pick and try to pry the driver a little bit or stick down the wire hole for a little push. Push with toothpick pull by the spring
I donât think its to warm it definitely not warmer then my v6 3d xpl c8. Its intense though at 50 yards the beam is maybe 3 feet across.
I guess it depends on the led as well. I have xml2 u4 1a and 1c that ended up really warm. And a xpg2 s4 0d that warmed up a good bit. In the sweet spot. The xml2 is bordering to warm but once you use the light for a few mins your eyes adjust and get use to it. But the xpg2 s4 2b. Looks cooler then the xpg s4 0d after dedoming strange but thatâs what happened. If you like warmer go for the 0d dedomed
I actually donât mind warmâŚish. Figured most people dedome 1As and the like, so starting with something a bit warmer might end up even warmer than that.
It usually does Iâve seen 3d dedomed and i donât like it at all. If I had to guess. Id say it came out around 5500k if 3d is 4700-5000 looking at the two of them. Its not blue and its not exactly neutral. I think youâd like it. The 0d looks more similar to xml2 dedomed just a little less lemon color.
I like it a lot though, use it just to use it even though not right for the task at hand. The racoons and possums hate it. I strobe them with it. Had two on the porch last night trying to steal cat food. The racoon I can shine 50-75 yards away and it runs. And if itâs on the porch it hauls ass. But the possums man those things can be nasty and when they get pissed its not nice
I kinda lucked out with all my dome-on chips. Dedoming is always rolling the dice, I know.
As long as they donât turn green. Just got a bone-stock Zanfare F1, and man is it an ugly green. Pea-soup green. Ecch. Ugggg-ly.
I tend to leave âem alone. I put out catfood for the stray critters that took up residence a while back, and if I leave it, the ants and flies will get it. So this critter comes around and practically licks the plate clean.
Of course, he uses my patio as his own personal toilet, butâŚ
This one just kinda hisses/growls when he doesnât waddle away and instead gets cornered. Iâll pet him and get him really pist at the degradation, but hey, itâs fun.
Oh, and they fluoresce red under UV light.
Eh, they only live 2, maybe 3 years, so Iâll be nice to him.