I was googling around and I came across an article on CPF about mounting an L2P with a Manafont drop in on a Mini-30 7.62x39 since I have a Mini-30 with either a 504B or a Hugsby S3 mounted to it I figured I would check it out. I am not a big fan of CPF they have some great articles for reference but the advice and attitudes are way out of control. He got some great advice like
"the P60 drop in should be potted for better longevity. The most affordable potted P60 would probably be one built by Nailbender from the Custom modified bst section "
That's funny I have put hundreds of rounds through various drop ins including Manafont UF 3 mode, KD U2 one mode, and some XML / Nanjg 105 I made though I will admit I do use some FUJIK but I don't pack it full and not a single failure.
Anyways I found this video where the owner of Solarforce told this guy to mount a stock Solarforce L2P with the Solarforce drop in to a shotgun and blast away, if he could break it they would replace it. Those not familar with firearms a 12 gauge has tremendous recoil far more than a 7.62x39 probably the most destructive test you could put a light through short of shooting the bullet through it.
He put a hundred rounds through the gun anyone want to guess what happened FOY.
They *always* recommend Nailbender custom drop-ins over there. The answer to every problem. I don't have any Nailbender drop-ins, of course, but I think he's basically doing what we do: building drop-ins from stock P60 reflector/pill packages and adding drivers and LED's to suit. So it's no surprise that other P60 drop-ins can perform just as well, though it is impressive they can take that kind of abuse.
I think I am going to start selling some of my excess drop-ins and call them Budget Bender Customs and every time someones asks I need a light to do XYZ some smart ass can chime in and say Oh the only thing that will work for that application is a Budget Bender Custom.
I'm usually the last person to defend anything CPF related but who else is going to built me a p60 with my emitter of choice, tint of choice, driver of choice and have it to my front door in 3 days?
Anyway, NB is always the 2nd recommendation. Its Malkoff that's unbeatable.
The whole point was he didn't need a specialized $60 XML drop in for what he was doing he already had a Manafont drop in that would be perfect for his application.
You are right about the emitter and driver choice delivered in three days no one else offers that service.
I want a Budget Bender Kustom for my defective UF 504B that I have. The tube is too small to fit an 18650 in it, but I just know that a Budget Bender Kustom P60 drop-in will fix this problem for me. What are your offerings for a drop-in? LOL :)
Essentially, yes. Filling the pill with epoxy(thermal) not only helps with heat extraction, but adds a tremendous amount of physical integrity to the components inside, not to mention another layer of moisture resistance. Only do it if you plan on never going back into the pill again though...
Hi E1320, i posted that video in CPF a month ago. Someone said that there's no mention of the type of rounds used, but it is still impressive enough for a Solarforce L2 with XR-E drop-in. The recoil does not seem like 00 buck was used.
P60 lights might even be better than complete lights, esp for those complete lights with just 1 end that is spring loaded. P60 would mean both ends are spring loaded to absorb the shock in that direction. For those complete lights without both ends spring loading, you have to cater for the battery as well as I read that they may be destroyed.
That's not bulletproof. That's shockproof. To be bulletproof, the light must take some lead. Like this one. Check from 2:40 to 3:13
I was very very close on pulling the trigger on that light before I fould BLF. Gladly I did not, but that still impresses me. When the hunting season begins, I will test how L2P likes 12/70 hunting rounds (3,5-4mm). And if it survives, maybe .22LR too. I will video the results and post it here so Foy can cry like a baby or boast on how tough the light is. Depending on the results.
Given the epoxy matrix I'd expect it to be worse at heatsinking, not better. But I've not actually tried it - there are lots of reasons for potting electronics, but heatsinking is not usually one of them.
But it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong....
I'm quite certain of the other reasons, but now you have me wondering how much heat transfer a thermal epoxy like arctic silver would really help in a potted pill vs air. Considering A.S. claims 62% to 65% silver content by weight, I'd figure it would help offset any thermal resistance offered by the bonding agent. Then again, I really should know better than to make assumptions...and it's been awhile since my courses on HT/FF.
I think this calls for a little experiment. Once I work up the test and control, I'll post my results.
Its been quite a while since i have played with CPU cooling stuff and don't check Tom's hardware/Anandtech...sites which are probably out-of-date by now (I'm already 35, way too old to play with PCs....and after 13 years in IT you'd lose all interest LOL!). But generally one would try not to apply too much thermal compound and use it to "transfer heat"...no way that is gonna work. Not sure what is the latest and greatest nowadays, but i think the physics have not changed much dah....
Yeah right...35 years old now and still playing with flashlights. LOL!
Isn't the point of only using a very, very thin layer of thermal compound on cpus and such is that, while arctic silver (or whatever) isn't as good a conductor of heat as the heatsink itself, it's a heck of a lot better than air? We're only supposed to use the absolute minimum needed to get rid of all the air gaps because while thermal compound > air, heatsink > thermal compound.
I can see it being possible that, in the small enclosed space of a pill, a solid blob of thermal compound might be a better option than an insulating pocket of air.
Well, I'm 50.75 or threabouts and still playing with lights! And I'm far from the oldest around here.
But life is too short for spending 6 hours a day reading tomshardware. Much preferred Dan Rutter's tests of heatsink goo where he found Vegemite and toothpaste worked better than most - at least till they dried out.
