Was it hard to do the swap? I imagine it’s just desoldering the 4 wires, remove the top and bottom boards, and just reflow?
Just wondering if there are any hidden surprises or tips I should know before I do it. Thinking about putting some 219b sw35 in mine.
No need to remove the driver if that’s what you mean by bottom board.
If you have the later batch of FW3A they come with a small screw in the shelf and a divot on the underside of the MCPCB to keep it from spinning when you screw the bezel on. I would re-use this one if you are able for that reason. If you don’t want to re-use it you need to remove that screw so it sits flush.
If you have the very first batch of FW3A you can re-use the MCPCB or use an aftermarket one. After you have everything soldered back in place you might want to spin the MCPCB a quarter turn counter clockwise so when it spins while cranking the bezel it wont pull on the wires.
On mine they only used wires exactly as long as they needed to so if you use an aftermarket PCB where the wires are further out it may not reach without replacing them. YMMV.
So there aren’t 2 boards where the MCPCB is? One for the main emitters and one board for the secondary LEDs? I wasn’t referring to the driver. I have the first batch of FW3A I think.
There would be.
Except that the FW3A does not have any secondary LEDs.
If you want secondary LEDs in your FW3A you have to buy a custom secondary LED board from Lexel. That custom board sits on the star just like the aux LED board on a D4v2 or E07.
Did you buy a modded one with secondary LEDs or are you mistaken?
If the secondary LEDs are those “dragon” type they will be on the same board as the main LEDs so you would want to re-use that board and leave them on during re flow. I guess this is why you said 4 wires.
I’m so stupid… I was totally thinking about my D4v2… wanted to swap the emitters on that one.
Ignore my previous messages… haha.
I’m interesting in how you fare doing the D4v2. It does have an aux board but it seems like to me the most tricky thing would be fitting those 4-5 wires (edit: 6!) back through the MCPCB hole after they have soaked up some solder making the wires stiff. Seems like there’s barely enough room as is.
D4v2
No problem. I was kinda thinking that was the case actually.
My D4v2 hasn’t arrived yet, but my understanding is it uses an Aux LED board that sits on top of the main board.
- There are 4 thin wires connected to the aux LED board. All 4 must be desoldered.
- Then lift off the aux LED board to get access to the star, which has the normal 2 wires.
- Use a fine-tip soldering iron for the aux LED connections and a heavier tip for desoldering the star.
- Before desoldering, take pictures so you know the proper pads to resolder each of those 4 wires.
If you’re having trouble threading all 6 wires through the hole in the star, do the following:
- Solder a long narrow gauge guide wire onto the end of each of the original wires. A couple inches should be enough for each guide wire.
- Thread the guidewires through the hole in the star.
- Slide the star down along the guidewires until in position on the shelf. Use the guidewires to pull the original wires through the hole.
- Desolder the guidewires.
Swapping emitters is quite doable on lights with aux LED boards, but it is a much more complex operation than doing so on a light without the aux LED board. Leave lots of time for the project and take a slow and methodical approach.
Thanks for the tip. I’ll post pics if I decide to do this. Will probably swap the emitters on my FW3A as well so I wouldn’t be hijacking this thread… lol
Hi, who is selling the glow rings?
I think you can get them from Neal (Here), CRX (Here), or anywhere else that sells glow gaskets for 20mm Carlco triples.
Alternatively you could make one yourself using these instructions: DIY Glow Gaskets for Triples and Other Glow Stuff
Beautifully crafted response 
thx
You are welcome!
I tried a UCL 22.61mm x 1.90mm lens on my FW3A, and was disappointed to find that it created a slight gap between the bezel and the rest of the head. With the original lens, the fit is so good that the head appears as one piece.
Maybe I’ll try the sapphire lens that Neal sells or TK’s method of polishing the coating off of the original.
To expand on this idea, for anyone that wants a magnetic tail cap, I am considering using one of these to do the same. They are basically neodymium washers. My only apprehension is the 2mm thickness, but I don’t think it will be that bad.
EDIT: Also I found a pull force calculator for ring magnets and these should hold about 4 pounds which should be sufficient for the FW3A.
Neodymium magnets are brittle, so they may not last a lifetime when mounted so exposed.
I had considered that. I was hopeful since they are at the lower end of the scale for neodymium magnets for magnetism that they would be strong enough.
Just try to avoid hard impacts.
I’d do my best obviously. I wish I could make a button like yours. I’m still thinking on it a bit.
I thought I might epoxy coat it to add durability.
The thickness of the magnet should be fine for breakage if backed by a solid setting bond, I would probably use JB weld instead of the E6800 as that remains slightly flexible once cured?
Plus the JB weld can be moulded up the sides of the magnet and shaped with acetone before fully cured.
Chipping shouldn’t be too much of a concern but yeah a coating might help.
I have a similar setup with a small ring magnet around the tail switch on this light with no problems. Stuck on with JB weld & surrounded with a glow mix.
