In retrospect, I could probably have used the 4.25” bar and threaded the end for an internal bezel, more of the retaining ring variety. Wish I’d thought of that when I was figuring out how to go about it as I’d like to have had the reflector encased inside a head as usual. Oh well, little to late to do the right thing now…
I don’t think you will make anytime soon another bezel Dale , haha !
Nope, got parts in to rebuild DBC-05, looking for more lumens and better throw by swapping out 50.2 ’s with 70.2’s.
I took a chance on the ArmyTek Barracuda, they claim to have a redesigned style, new reflector and redesigned regulated driver. The very deep reflector is not quite mirror finished, but not exactly orange peel either, sort of a satin look to it. As such, the XHP-35 HI has fuzzy edges in the hot spot and it’s more blue/white than I like. So I ordered a new XHP-35 D4 from Richard in HD with 5000K tint.
Swapped it in and the hot spot is more defined, probably lost some throw but I like the beam more and the tint is a lot better. Easy enough to do, and I gained a 26mm XP footprint MaxToch MCPCB in the process. 
Got my 70.2’s in yesterday for DBC-05, so I pulled the 50.2’s out and headed out to the shop to carve out the inside of the copper head for the new larger triple reflector. Got it all done and assembled, using iJoy 21700 cells it pulls 32.2A and makes 16,836 lumens! 
Nice progress, nearly 5,000 lumens for an emitter swap. Liking that! 
Um, I found out where the limit’s are on the mini Omten switch. 
Recharged the iJoy 21700 cells and put the light on the light box, no amp reading first this time. Start up was 17,215.5 lumens, at 30 seconds it was at 14,869.5 lumens and when I pushed the switch to turn it off the spring inside collapsed and the plunger wouldn’t return. Reckon it died a valiant death! lol
Installed a Tofty, cells not charged it’s showing 18,285 lumens!
With the iJoy 21700’s freshly charged, DBC-05 makes 18,940.5 lumens at start, at 30 seconds it’s doing 16,318.5.
I took the small Omten switch apart to see what happened. The plastic housing melted around the thin aluminum switch components and blocked the switch from separating. The little internal spring was intact, the plastic housing suffered.
As I certain Engineer used to say on TV………….
Aye , I am giving her all shes got captain , If I push her any harder she’ll come apart at the seams !!!
The halogen light on the side of out yard went out recently. I decided to get one of the cheap COB Leds and see how well they work. I did have to carve up the housing to make the heatsink and fan from an old CPU fit, but it works! A bit too bright though, pulling 60w from the wall and the original reflector didn’t fit well so the light goes everywhere.
From MTN, ordered the new emitter on a large MCPCB knowing the ArmyTek is proprietary.
Nice!
Do you have pics of the inside?
How did they fasten the PCB?
There seems to be an aluminum cup serving as a pill that holds the emitter and driver assembly, I couldn’t get it loose and didn’t really try as the proprietary MCPCB with 3 leads going to it was screwed down with 2 screws that were easily removed. Pulled the board out, used a hot air station to remove the HI, put the HD on and re-assembled. Pretty easy really.
Their board is copper, had a thermal circuit on it, so of course I kept it.
Finally got around to swapping out the cool white emitter in my Nitecore TIP with a 5000K 219C.
I know I could have just bought a TIP CRI, but where’s the fun in that?
I also like the worn look it has after being on my keychain for months.
Not something I modded today, but due to some spontaneous indoor weather*, I got some beam shots of the Jax Z1 I built a while back.
(*) V tried to make fried chicken. It didn’t end well.
TK what is the led and driver in the Z1?
Reminds me of the DQG laser I did yesterday
Yesterday I have build my first XHP50 flashlight.
I used X7 host, 2x26350 cells (I had to rewrap one of them twice. First I recognized that stock violent wrap had burst. After I put both cells in host and looked at head from the driver side, I wonder there is no part that could isolate retaining ring (-) from big cell positive contact (which is usual size for 26650 cells), I think this caused by undersized driver, 24-25mm driver with proper ring could never meet such problems. So I had to add isolation ring made for 18650 cell on top and rewrap one cell one more time). I had no 2-cell compatible fet or linear driver so there is just 20mm contact plate (true direct drive).
I didt want to have hotspot hole so I replaced stock reflector with Ledlink LL01CR-ZE20L02 optics. Had to add extra 1mm copper shim (made from KD pcb) under main pcb.
I didnt expected such output from cheap single led. I dont have light meter box but it has near same output that triple xp-l X6 have. I like beam very much. Not so tight, not so wide. And this bubbles on optics top are making any multi-die led beam better - no hotspot hole, no extra rings or bezel caused artefacts, no tint shift - any reflector sucks with XHPs in comparations with optics.
I wonder why there is no compact and cheap XHP50 flashlight on market (equipped with optics). Since bigger capacity 26350 and 18350 are available, there is no need in expensive boost driver.
I’ve swapped LED to XP-L HI V3 3C in BLF-A6. Very noticeable throw increase Measured almost 6A (with fresh 30Q) on tailcap without any other modifications.
