What did you mod today?

I recently picked up an Olight S1R Baton II to use at work because I like the tiny form factor and the magnetic charger is great for quick top-offs when I swing by the desk. I work in a semiconductor fab and the overhead lights have UV filters on them to protect the wafers during the photolithography process. This makes the ambient light look very yellow. The S1RIIā€™s cool white low CRI emitter looks positively horrid in these lighting conditions, so I decided to swap it.

I swapped in a 3000K 90+ CRI XM-L2 (XMLBWT-00-0000-000UT20E7) and was very pleased and surprised to see that this is one of the most beautifully tinted emitters Iā€™ve seen. I measured it with a color meter and the tint measures almost exactly the same as a sw45k. I wasnā€™t expecting that but it looks absolutely lovely. I want to order a few more but Iā€™m afraid theyā€™ll end up being from a different tint bin.

White balance @ 4000K

That XM-L2 looks excellent and it is the brightest 90CRI bin for the XM-L2 :+1: Thanks for the heads up!

Rayoui, where did you get that emitter and when? Mouser? Interested as I have a few lights with picky reflectors that only seen to like doomed XML2sā€¦ never found a non-80/85cri tint I liked in this emitterā€¦ found the answer in another thread.

And I did some stuff as well. Modded my FW3A with an S21A reflector that I machined down to clearance the head. Iā€™ve been trying to source one of these reflectors for so long and finally broke down and bought a host from MTN. Turns out I really like the s21a as well, but itā€™s going to turn into a long runtime LH351d triple/quad soon enough.

Convoy s21a reflector in fw3a Convoy s21a reflector in fw3a - Album on Imgur

Convoy makes reflectors that make excellent beams, good idea!

I just realized the FW3A doesnā€™t have a SST-20 3000K option. Did you do an emitter swap on that one? If so, was that from Kaidomain?

Mike, you just made a new requirement for the next BLF light :stuck_out_tongue:
USB-flashing!

Mmm, that is tempting. My Z1 already satisfies the ā€œcompact throwerā€ thing, but it has less than 25% of the output of this monsterā€¦

Itā€™s a pre-soldered Noctigon star from Intl-outdoor. HB4 I believe.

HB4 is above the BBL. No wonder why itā€™s so green. KD used to sell a HD2 bin that was somewhat rosy. I was assuming it was the HD2 bin because itā€™s more popular so I was surprised how the XM-L2 appeared that much rosier.

Even without comparing it next to another light, this particular XM is one of the pinkest LEDs Iā€™ve seen. It measures about the same tint as my sw45k lights. I can take a comparison photo with some slightly rosy XP-L HI in 3000K when I get home from work.

What failed to mod today.

I had a nice project in mind today, hotrodding a ToolAA 2.0 with a 15mm BLF-A6 driver and LH351D. But instead I spent an hour getting the pill screwed out, with brute force, and heatinh the head up with a blowtorch. While applying more and more force and heat, I first broke out the stock driver, then damaged the led shelf, then after a particularly intense heating session, the reflector coating started peeling. The pill never moved.

So that was one ToolAA down, a very rare occasion that I was not able to get a glued part loose. (this used to be a smooth reflector)

Maybe a silly question, but did you try anti-clockwise?

I hope soā€¦ Tool AAs are counter-clockwise and I donā€™t think Iā€™ve run into any glue on them.

I did the same thing a few months back, learned my lesson (on a Tool AA) the hard way :frowning:

Using Aluminized Copper Reflectors as Secondary Heatsinks

Was wondering why aluminized copper reflectors are always thermally isolated from the emitter star, when their composition and construction might so conveniently lend them to use as secondary heatsinks. Yeah the base gasket does help keep the reflector centered correctly around the emitter and isolates it electrically, but the lamp barrel holds it in place anyway and on a large star with + and - solder points nearer to the starā€™s edges risk of contact with the reflector is basically nonexistent. Thinking if the gasket is replaced with a well trimmed thermal pad and the reflector rim is similarly treated with paste, then heat from the emitter could travel unimpeded through the reflector all the way to end of the lamp barrel and into the bezel.

Anyway as proof-of concept unscrewed the bezel on a Sofrin SP33 V3.0 and removed the reflector and base gasket from the lamp body. Next (because my .5mm thermal pads have not yet arrived) applied some no-name thermal grease to both the base and rim of the reflector, lowered the lamp body back down around it, then flipped everything back up. Before rescrewing the bezel with its O-rings and cover glass, fired up the Sofirn on Turbo to see if I could feel any heat in the reflector this way. And boy did it get hot! So screwed everything back in place and let the flashlight cool down against the window while readying my second SP33 for comparison. Turned both units on in Turbo simultaneously while clasping them in two hands. Thermally modified Sofirn got so hot around the bezel I couldnā€™t hold it long. Unmodified unit got hot too but not as painfully so. Thus I declare the experiment a success.

Now, none of the reflectorized flashlights or bike lights in my possession have any problem whatsoever with thermal regulation/step down, so this mod is not all that useful to me. Then again my Kaidomain BL70S XHP70.2 4000K bike light doesnā€™t get hot at all on its highest setting of 3000lm ā€” but maybe it should? So once I get the .5mm thermal pads will see if they make any difference with thermal transfer in that lamp. JKK36R has similar build so might be useful there too (though Iā€™ve never used turbo on that flashlight for more than a couple of minutes, out in the cold.)

Yes, this is a significant untapped source of thermal capacity. To my knowledge Armytek does it already but I havenā€™t seen that elsewhereā€¦until todayā€¦thank you for sharing. :slight_smile:

Thanks :weary: , but not sure if I wanted to know that at this point, not much to rescue anymore :person_facepalming:

i have this zoomie also, i changed the led several times , from fake xhp50.2 fake xhp70 and a funny looking star with 4 leds each with there own dome on them
nothing was a powerfull as the original fake ā€œxhp90ā€ that came with it

now it only goes into low mode and is wierd, i think one of the smd resisters walked away somewhere

cost 30 euro including postage to finland
didnt come with a charger as promised
refunded in full

well ive got a zoom host and 2x 26650 batterys out of the deal for free

i might put a lexel driver in there and a xhp50.2 and see what it does

heat exchange on a zoomie isnt the best though

what did you end up doing on yours cnc

chris

Djozz, I have no doubt that the Tool AA will shine again, brilliantly!

I have a few lights where coupling the reflector, thermally would be possible. The XintTD C8 actually has it designed in, if it will transfer that way. Adding the compound should certainly make it better.

Now, the main concern I have is how messy will it get with some arctic silver goo(?).

Spacer + mule light or tiny aspheric!

It will come back at some point :smiley:
To get over it I repaired my Maratac AAA Copper. It had a 4000K 80CRI XP-L2 on a 10mm Sinkpad and a Mtn direct driver with guppy UI which was wonderful, but I never did the ledboard soldering right so eventually a joint came loose. Now I used a better DTP board (from vestureofblood) and a 3000K 90CRI LH351D (got it from member contactcr), and renewed the ledwires, did a much cleaner job now. Iā€™m not sure if I like it better than the XP-L2, but it works again and will keep working this time :slight_smile: