DQG 26650 MCPCB removal

lil bump

On my DQG tiny 18650 4 mod the driver/mcpcb was glued with grey glue. With a heatgun and some force from the vice it all came apart.
I don’t have the 26650 version…

thanks for the input Dutcheee

Has anybody had success removing the MCPCB from this light?

I tried White Gas/Gasoline and prying with no success.

I have not had to work on my DQG 26650, but I have removed MCPCBs glued down in other lights. I clamped the lights in my wood vice, wrapped in rubber inner tube to keep from damaging the light, then I used large needle nose pliers to twist the MCPCB loose. It was not easy and I did pretty much destroy at least one MCPCB.
I have an old Shadow triple LED light that has a large MCPCB glued down with some rediculously strong adhesive. I hated the cold blue LEDs in that light and knew I would destroy it tying to get the MCPCB out so I did something different.
I removed the battery tube and driver and stuck the entire head in my toaster oven, laying on it’s side. I heated it just enough for the Solder to melt and the LEDs slid right off. I used the same trick to reflow new LEDs onto the head. It worked.

Easy. I soaked the whole light in gasoline overnight. Be careful that by doing so you to have change all the swollen wires. The silicone potting compound will swell and gets very soft. Remove while its damp. If you let it to dry the. It’ll hardens back.
First of all remove all sort of plastic stuff. That includes switch, centering pieces, seals, etc…

Note: you also dedome all the LEDs in the process. So plan ahead.

[Clemence]

Noticed this thread’s return. A quick update on my original plan.

I laid quite a bit of heat on the mcpcb with the bad led, to try to remove it. Was doing that one first in case I trashed it, not out much. So much heat it began to smoke and still didn’t loosen up the glue. I stopped as it didn’t look like it was getting the job done.

When it cooled, the bad led began working. Evidently the solder had reflowed on it. So I did get a decent light made from 2 donors but still have not removed the glued mcpcb.

Thanks to all fo chiming in. I will give it another try and let you know if I succeed.

Thought I’d come back to you with my work in progress update.

After trying to pry out the MCPCB with rotation and lifting, I gave up and then moved on to removing the battery tube.
Removing the battery tube was difficult, but managed by putting it in the freezer, then taking it out and heating it up with my wife’s hair dryer, then using my hands to unscrew it.

I then submerged the head with MCPCB in Gasoline overnight and was then able to push out the MCPCB by applying pressure from the drivers side hole.

Unfortunately, I damaged the MCPCB and will need to replace it. Does anybody know who sells a replacement MCPCB that would fit the 7 x TIR?

Thanks again

Stuck the hell on there, aren’t they? Great effort on the dismantling.

I don’t know of a replacement source, but I’m sure someone on here does.

Good luck on the project

Is this the DQG Tiny Triple that Richard at Mountain was selling a few years back?

I have my second ‘burned’ up example that Richard sent me after the first driver board went up in smoke. I tried getting the inner retaining ring off to look at things, but was never successful.

Chris

This one is the 7 x LED version, I believe the triple was the predecessor.

I’ve had some luck with urethane type glues (the sticky types) with Methylene Chloride (chilled at about 10ºC).
What is Methylene Chloride? The stuff they sell for welding plexiglass and acrylic. It’s also used in some paint removers (the ones for metal). Actual name is Dichloromethane CH2Cl2 (sorry, markup editor doesn’t support subscripts) and is polar (i.e. will dissolve many synthetic organics).
At room temperature it evaporates quickly (boiling point 40ºC) so best used at cold refrigerator temps. Not flammable but toxic - don’t breath the vapors.

And why this chemical? It dissolves (softens) CyanoAcrylates - the main ingredient in Loctite threadlockers.

So I have searched the web extensively for a replacement MCPCB with no luck.
Anybody know where I can get a replacement MCPCB?

U can try emailing George

He may be able to help.

Thanks Slayer1
I emailed George and Fasttech… fingers crossed!

Fasttech just got back to me saying the supplier won’t sell the MCPCB separately…
Still waiting for George at DQG to reply…

If only this DQG is a bit tougher and reliable. George priority was to make the smallest possible lights. I like it’s size and efficiency but not the toughness.
Pavlo, you can place small order DTP MCPCB from Kerui.

[Clemence]

Which DQG 26650 model are you asking about? I have only replaced the pcpcb from the first model and I never had to force my way in to remove the board.

3rd model with 7 LEDs.

George from DQG was able to sell me a replacement mcpcb for the one I damaged. Saved by the owner himself :slight_smile: