Thanks it is very cool and tough, it needs to be where I work…
You can still find them on E-Bay sometimes dirt cheap… but so far just the silver/gold aluminum bezels, the Black bezel is SS and they polish up nicely… wish I could get a hold of a Black NovaTac…or even something similar…
I made extra pills and purchased extra drivers and boards… just in case…
Yes. I’ll do up a small post with a how to… check back later.
UPDATE
I’ve revisited the design for creating a nubbin’ replacement that is simpler and (hopefully) universal. I had gone through many trial and error iterations and just stopped once I found a working combination. Turns out only one part of that configuration is needed. That’s the o-ring. 1/16” nominal thickness a 3/16” ID. Industry size –008.
Just remove the nubbin’ and insert said o-ring into the nubbin’ cavity of the switch boot. Carefully reassemble tailcap following guidelines mentioned in multiple fw3a threads. Enjoy the switch actuation that should have always been.
I did a quick search and they can be found on eBay for $2.50 per 10 shipped to US. Hardware or automotive stores will likely have something suitable as well.
Previous post updated. I tried the pencil eraser idea and while it was better than a stock nubbin’ setup, the o-ring really is the trick. What’s needed is pressure to be applied close to the perimeter of the diaphragm switch. This effectively reduces the lever arm/mechanical advantage of the switch, thereby increasing activation pressure. Also, since it’s rubber and not hard plastic, the actuation is also quieter. I’m going to suggest Neal makes these available in his store, or better yet, included in the spare parts bag.
Take a close look at the pic…driver retainer ring at the bottom, so the head was bored to .900” (to which saves the retainer ring and bezel threads) and the aluminum pill .899” the copper pill was something I had laying around, the aluminum was counter sunk and the back of the pill was stepped and then pressed into the aluminum pill, the whole package push fits into the head and the glass o-ring and bezel press everything together. The original heat sink wouldn’t make contact with the back of the FW3A driver….just a different way of and easier for me of doing it as compared to the original design…. you’ll see when you strip yours…
Woah. I had a few orings available. I dunno exactly how I feel. That is much - much stiffer. I think I would want something a touch softer. That said, I’m going to run this mod in an edc FW3A and see how it goes. Maybe a thin rubber piece in the middle to soften it up. Definitely no accidental activation though! Thanks for the cool tip!
Small update. I added a couple layers of glow sticker punched to 3/16” for a thin shim. This softens the feel just a touch. Now it’s firm and is unlikely to activate accidentally but not too firm. Love it. I think I can edc this now much more comfortably without lockout.