MomentumExchange's 'BEAST-DRIVER' MODIFIED TRUSTFIRE TR-J12 BEAMSHOTS!!

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

Greetings all :slight_smile:

I have modified my Trustfire TR-J12 with this driver: http://www.kaidomain.com/Product/Details.S020417 which has increased the power from a fairly decent 27W, 2350 lumen OTF (reported) to a totally staggering 50-60W, 4000 lumen OTF (again reported, perhaps slightly less) for less than $20.

This has to be the cheapest 4000 lumfen light out there, for less than $90 (now less than $65!) ALL-IN (the TR-J12 is available here http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/546607503-Free-shipping-TrustFire-TR-J12-5-Cree-XML-T6-5-Mode-5xT6-SMO-Reflector-Led-Flashlight-wholesalers.html). The amount of light pumped out of this thing is just astounding, and it has great spill and throw. I have little to no mechanical, electrical or technical know-how (just a little intuition and a soldering ironā€¦) so this is something anybody is capable of.

I have taken a series of beamshots at ISO1600, F3.5, 1/10sec using a tripod. If there is anything else youā€™d like to know about this light or how I modified it, just ask! I do not, however, have any technical equipment so I canā€™t take tailcap or light level readings. Iā€™m open to suggestions for other beamshots too :slight_smile:

So without further ado, happy viewingā€¦ā€¦.

Control Shot

Modified Trustfire TR-J12 at 5% Brightness

Modified Trustfire TR-J12 at 30% Brightness

Modified Trustfire TR-J12 at 50% Brightness

Modified Trustfire TR-J12 at 75% Brightness

and finallyā€¦ at Modified TR-J12 at 100% Brightness: totally blinding!

A demonstration of the throw (the trees in the distance are about 150m away and lit up without much problem!):

ā€¦and, of course, the spill (quite literally a ā€˜wall of lightā€™):

ā€¦and a few more just for luck

Control Shot:

WHAM!!

Here is what the torch itself looks like after I gutted and modded it (hint:it looks the same as a normal J12ā€¦)

But with my signature luminous O-ring around one of the grooves (after all, whatā€™s the point of a torch that you canā€™t find in the dark when you really need it!!)

If youā€™ve any questions or comments, let them be known!

-MomentumExchange

2

wow

3

Wow! Nice mod, now I may have to get one. :)

4

Be warned: as I say, I am a complete novice so took literally no effort in making the insides look pretty, they just donā€™t. The soldering is, however, properly done and the connections are all reliable. This post is just to offer some idea of what to expect if you try this yourself (and do a neater job!) and Iā€™ve included a circuit diagram of the driver in case the two boards need to be reconnected. All I am interested in, really, is that it works as it should which it doesā€¦ what more can you ask?

Soā€¦

The old driver removed with a drill:

The Beast Driver:

The installed Beast Driver
(yes I know itā€™s a total messā€¦ no solder between the edge of the driver and the contact ringā€¦ glue everywhereā€¦ an uneven filing job and a messy blob of copper braid and solder as a contact but the fact of the matter is: IT DOES THE DAMN JOB!!)

I somehow separated the driver boards whilst filing them down to fit in the torch, so KaiDomain kindly sent me a diagram of how to rewire it! (obviously itā€™s red to red and blue to blue)

5

I can say your soldering is better than mine. Of course that doesn't say much. :P

6

Wow is right!! I might need to add this light and driver to the list of must gets. Sure would love to see direct comparison photos with stock as well as hard numbers. With these results Iā€™m sure it wonā€™t be long until it happens. Great job!!!

7

imagine 9 led driver on x100 FUUUUU, I soldered for the first time when i changed the driver of my DRY few weeks ago. But i think Iā€™m going to wait now with buying lights until there is a LED flashlight with 10k lumen or more in a compact format :d For now my 6000 lumen HID will have to do it, but it must be awesome to have full power immediately.

8

Wow, that is incredibly bright. For some reason glue wasnā€™t used on the J12 I recently received and comes apart no problem. Iā€™ve received the Kadomain driver 3 mode driver and the custom mode version from them too. I just have to figure out how to solder a spring to the drivers +B before I try to install it. I donā€™t think my soldering iron will get hot enough to solder a heavy duty gold plated spring to it correctly. Nice photos, thanks for posting them.

9

Nice job. I think i need one :slight_smile:

10

I feel I should add these photos were taken with 3x SenyBor High Drain 18650s 2800mah in the torch. Havenā€™t had a chance to test the runtime in high mode (not sure if I want to because there is a lot of heat) but in the other modes it seems good (think 50% = 100% on the regular TR-J12 perhaps). Iā€™d be keen to know which 26650s work best - A123s?

Thanks for your kind words

-ME

11

the black plastic element that is shown on dx has to be removed before you install the driver i guess?

12

Thanks for sharing this. And no worries about the solder skills. We are NOT all electronic whizzez. In fact a lot of us just do it because it means more lumens or less flashy modes or another emitter type or tint.

One quick question though. Just before you drilled through that driver the first time, did you stop to think something along the line of
ā€œWhoa boy - what am I getting in to?ā€ I know I would.

I love what you have done to this light. It really takes it to a new level.
Another question is this. Would you say that high mode with the old driver is ~ the same as 50% on the new one?
Just asking because then it seems you can have a nice long runtime with nice cool temperature at 50% and then still have the WHAM! effect of going full tilt. And THAT is close to having your cake and eating it too :wink:

13

Iā€™d say 50% on the modded TR-J12 is about equal to 100% on the old one, and yes it runs nice and cool on this setting. The modes are actually 100, 75, 50, 35, 5% and there is absolutely NO visible flicker (PWM) at all or flashy modes - something custom added for this driver by someone elsewhere on this site (if I find I will credit!) The 5% mode is even lower than the low mode on the original torch, so the beast driver really is better in every way.

And yesā€¦ it was a bit of a vertigo-type experience starting out blind but hey, someoneā€™s gotta do it!

-ME

14

Niceā€¦.

Canā€™t wait for the 9 XM-L version to come out and someone tries the 9-LED KD driver. But i think even for the 7-LEDs the components were overheating and power was throttling down by 30 seconds or so.

15

mate i say well done thats what the manufactured suppose to do before the rated china lumens!!. i am waiting for my tr-j12 from allied express i got it for 45 $ lol!! + 20$ driver so 64$ = 4000 lumens !! THIS HAS GOTTA BE THE BEST BANG FOR BUCK RIGHT ?!!!

excuseme mister glow in the dark signature rings ? if i may size 37mm x 1mm or 36 x 1.5mm?? thanks for my J12 :smiley:

16

WOW!!! thats just NUTS. I love my TR-J12, such a great light. This mod takes it to BEAST MODEā€¦ Vernon Davis BEAST MODE ON!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7dGWLkk5YI

Oh also one more thingā€¦ I melted+annealed my springs with the stock ~29W driver. A solder braid mod is a MUST with this ~55W driver.
Nice job and thanks for posting this!

17

Thatā€™s cheap. Cheapest i have seen on aliexpress was 50 bucks.

I got the X100 for $119. Charger (useless but well iā€™ll keep it), 4 x Trustfire 26650 protected which is a $44 dollar value and so the light is $75. Not too bad.
I can use the 26650 for my J12, JM05 and JM07. I feel safer than using the KKs.

The X100 should be able to do 3800L OTF stock with 2 cells. (assisted by 1 dummy via PVC 18650 sleeve stuffed w foil). The J12 tube does not fit the X100, confirmed by bro dong of thaicpf/flaslightmania.

I got my X100 from them, and their J12 is 50 bucks shipped.
http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/548149376-1PC-Trustfire-TR-J12-Flashlight-5-Mode-4500-Lumens-5-X-CREE-XM-L-T6-LED-wholesalers.html

18

That is insane! Whatā€™s the heat management like on high? The output is mind blowing, but the body doesnā€™t look like itā€™s made to handle such high temperatures and looks like it could do a bit of cooking!

19

Oh! I see you already answered that while I was typing. But then you answered it - Again. :wink:
Thank you for the answers. Just what I was hoping for. And what a deal some of you guys have made on this light. Sweet!

20

I hate you all, lol. I was the first to order the custom no blinky 5-mode but mine is still sitting in customs in New York :frowning: