Our national dollar store chain, Dollarama, has had a variety of crappy LED flashlights for quite some time. Usually it's the typical 3xAAA 9 LED tube of disappointment. About a month ago I noticed a more interesting looking light:
What sucked me in was the side-clicky. $6 later I leave with a black and a red one (also available in silver and blue).
In the car I couldn't help myself so I opened it up, popped in the included carbon-zinc AAAs and behold! A slightly brighter tube of disappointment. In the passenger seat they go.
Some time later one managed to migrate to my desk, so I decided to strip it down.
Pretty standard. The only part that looks reusable is the clicky and switch boot. Then I got to thinking (usually dangerously); that tailcap spring is really long...will an unprotected 18650 fit in that tube? I quickly grab the red one and try it; almost closes, about 2mm to spare. For fun, I turn it on anyway. Yikes! Those LEDs are crying blue! Tailcap measurement was 1.4A! That's 100mA per 30mA LED. Oh well. ;)
Then I thought about possibly getting a reflector in the head. Will a P60 fit?
First I have to get the junk out of it. A pair of needle-nose pliers on the retaining ring does the trick.
Now time for a dry fit, and...
So close! So close I can just grind it a little and it will fit...
Grind off a very small amount, maybe 0.5mm of the diameter, and now it fits!
OK, now time for the pill, driver and something to improve the host contact:
That is a brass braid ring from a microwave magnetron. I had about a dozen of them when I stripped microwaves for transformers (incomplete arc welder project). These work well for improving conduction electrically and thermally. I just cut off a piece and jammed it down in there with a screwdriver. Aluminum foil would work as well, maybe better. I just wanted to justify keeping these things for so long :)
Since things are pretty tight in front of the clicky, the outer spring of the P60 drop-in is not used. Ground is supplied via the brass braid. I used a NANJG AK-47A on this, so heat isn't a serious issue. This host seems to deal with heat just as good or better than a WF-501B.
Put things back together, pop in the 3xAAA holder and on it goes. It works! The included batteries will give about 74 seconds of run time at 1 Amp. Back to the 18650 fit issue.
I already tossed the switch spacer that was in there. Maybe the switch holder could use a trim...
Trimming off just about 3mm at the most. The switch ends up sticking out a bit on the drop-in side, so I applied a piece of electrical tape to prevent the switch from shorting on the drop-in.
Close it all back up, slip in the unprotected 18650 and BAM! (sorry) it all fits and lights up very nicely.
(no beamshots yet... picture your typical P60 drop-in with an XM-L NW emitter).
I bought some glass lenses from Fasttech to replace the plastic, but they're just a smidge too big. Maybe a little grind would make them fit too.
So, how does it compare to a 501B?
Because of the side-clicky, somewhat similar looks, 3xAAA support, and being slightly shorter, I like it better than the 501B. Very pocket/purse friendly too; no sharp attack bezel to chafe on stuff.
Cost of Mod:
Host: $3
Total: $12
I've done up three (Black and Red in XM-L NW, Silver in XP-G 1A; I prefer the XM-L NW), and all are working fine so far.
That's all folks! Happy Modding! searchID8935
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