Tractor Supply 3xD, Zoomable, Side Switch. Update - xm-l soldered to copper heatsink - pics

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
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First - I'm posting this in the mod forum because I cannot recommend this flashlight unless you plan to modify it. It has pitifully low output - think old incan mag.

On Black Friday, Tractor Supply offered this flashlight for $9.99. I didn't make it to the store to buy one. They hardly sold any at the store I go to, and have at least 20 left. I figured they'd mark them down, so I kept checking, and they have. I only bought one because I think they'll discount them further - let's hope even cheaper than on BF.

For anyone interested, there's a similar light that's 2C but not zoomable - it was originally $10 and will end up on clearance, too (probably is already, I forgot to check, not interested myself, don't like C cells).

I'll let the pictures tell the story - sorry to those who don't like linked pictures.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150510553696798.423382.581641797&type=1&l=9311313ad5

A few things you can't see in the pics:

-no packaging, just bare lights in a display box w/ holes to hold each one, (iow, some are scratched, have dead batteries, etc)

-lots of dust/lint/crap inside the head, even though you can't see much in the pic

-no grease or thermal compound - maybe a half a drop of oil on zoom oring

-side switch gets hung up occasionally (an extra press and it frees up). took it apart, can't see why.

-current at tail - .84A, .17A, .55A strobe

-lens is plastic, but not bad

-3 x 32650s should fit, see depth of tailcap pic

- 0.8" between top of switch assembly and end of body (ie plenty of room for thick custom pill)

-C ring that retains plate/switch assembly is the crappiest part I've ever seen in any light. If you can get it out w/o breaking it you should be a surgeon. The only reason to bother trying is to measure it, because even if you did, I can't imagine getting it back in.

-it won't quite reach full focus. DX 50mm lens has longer focal length than stock lens and the whole lip would have to be removed for it to fit in the bezel. I have a 44mm on order.

I'm off to home depot - I'm going to open up the bottom of the pill to where I can pound a 3/4" copper pipe plug into the bottom of it. This should allow me to move the emitter back far enough to get it focused. Then I'm going to hook up the original emitter direct drive to see how fast I can fry that POS

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I also saw these at our local TS. Only thing I thought about after picking one up was "a lot of work' lol.

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hopefully not too much

I'll probably just add some copper, thermal compound and direct drive an xm-l then give to a friend - should be pretty impressive for <$25....

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I looked at their "tactical" lights last time i was in there, can't remember which battery config they were, but they were the most pitiful, horribly put together lights i've ever seen, lol. And the price was like $14.99 or something each, i hope people really don't buy them wanting a good light when they leave the store :)

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yeah, not much quality here - feels worse than any of the xxfires

but my non flashaholic friend won't care one bit once he turns it on. If they go below $10, then I'll get one for myself.

I just got back from home depot w/ my copper - a plug and a bushing...combined they probably weigh more than the body tube of the light (literally...its a pretty thin body).

I'll be cutting both in half, but it should make a pretty good heatsink that I'll be able to adjust for focus...

Haven't ordered the xm-l yet so don't hold your breath

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going to make a build thread?

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probably just add it right here - almost done fitting the copper plug to the stock pill. Doing it by hand while watching 'black hawk down'

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modded pill - 3/4" copper plug, 3/4" bushing - hollowed out stock aluminum and reduced flange on plug until it would drop into the aluminum and could barely be pressed all the way through. bushing was already a pretty tight fit around it but I cut it in half so it wouldn't go too deep.

two holes in plug for leads, 4 smaller holes for screwing down star. arctic silver under star but nowhere else, yet. When I put a torch to the bushing the aluminum heated up very fast.

I trimmed the spring on 'driver', glued it to the bottom of pill, soldered wires to bottom so its just a contact plate now (direct drive).

Current at tail hardly went higher, but lux when focused did. It is now slightly higher lux than my sipik sk68 clone (on 14500) - total output is probably the same but jobsmart hot spot is smaller. Not bad, if you figure it could do that for 8? hours w/ good NiMH D cells.

The emitter needs to be 4 or 5mm farther away to fully focus.

When I get an xm-l, or xp-g, I will get another 3/4" plug and just thermal epoxy it to the bottom of the pill and slip the bushing on it w/ some thermal grease. It should be right on or even slightly over focused.

If you want to mod this light just get an emitter on a star small enough to fit in the bottom of the stock pill. You won't need any tools except for soldering, cutting the spring, and cutting the bottom half off the plug. Very easy mod...

no shelf queen, but it should be very bright, have good throw, and run on standard batteries...

added two pics of modded pill in album.

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Pics, please. :)

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let me know if it doesn't work

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150510553696798.423382.581641797&type=1&l=9311313ad5

are those your dogs?! great pyrenees? I have a samoyed, a husky and a great pyrenees.

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whoops, sorry, I'd uploaded but hadn't clicked 'done'

edit: also, tip for those who do this sort of modding - lapping compound. once the plug was a close fit to the aluminum I put some lapping compound on it and spun it around in there until they were both shiny where they contact - probably why heat from torch dissipated well w/o thermal grease.

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Nice ! I'm guessing you own a tape-roller as well?

Those are my Pyrs, a brother/sister pair that just turned 7 last week.

EDIT: Great pics, thanks !

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all kinds of them, but after awhile you get used to the hair...

sort of

I've wanted a pyrenees for about 30 years. I had a samoyed pass on about 1.5 years ago and started looking, but the pyr rescue organization here requires a fully fenced yard. I could buy one, but with so many dogs in shelters that seems illogical.

I finally found one at an independent shelter. He was over two years old, 80lbs and shaved except his tail (skin infections). Within 3 months he was over 120lbs, thanks to good food, venison, and tape worm meds.

My lack of a fence is certainly not a problem - the dog sticks to me like glue. Now he is over 140lbs of goofball.

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They are truly special animals. We should start a pet thread.

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I am so glad you did this mod. I had also looked at the light and even at $14, I couldn't bring myself to buy it. Thanks for saving me a few bucks!

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happy to help lol

I'm kind of surprised to hear that from you after watching the saik mod - although, w/ maglites on sale cheap, I can't really recommend this light..

I think it isn't bad for anybody that wants a large capacity zoomie that uses standard batteries, but that's not me, so i'll give it away when I'm done.

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Man, when I looked at these lights, I tried out 3 of them before I had one that would stay on and none of them felt solid. I took one apart in the store, enough to make me feel the Mag on sale at Wally World was worth it's weight in gold. Smile, but I agree with you, for a cheap zoomie with possibilities, folks might want to get one. Just check it out in the store first.

Don't get me wrong, if they ever go back to under $10 I will probably buy and mod one.Wink

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lol yes, that is its price point for me, too

$6 difference doesn't sound like much, but hey, I could get an xp-g emitter for less than that!

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I have two of these lights now

One is Q5, w/ the pill pictured in links, ridiculously small hotspot and ~1.5A at tail (one mode, direct drive, 3p3s AA Nimh).

I did a better job on a second pill, it is REALLY heavy (copper pipe parts, solder, pennies, lol - totally ghetto, but HEAVY and screwed, + arctic epoxied to the original screw in). I put an xml U2 in it, did some resistance fixes to the switch and I get 2.9A at the tail (same cells).

This thing is so ridiculously bright zoomed in. It is just unbelieveable - WAY more throw than anything I have except Pro's Choice halogen spotlight - beats stanley led spotlight, C10 zoomie, even TF D1 - EASILY.

xml zoomies CAN throw...

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Ok I traded the xm-l one I modded for a stock one and a oil lantern.

I've finished modding the one I got in trade.

The driver:

from HD2011 ("direct drive" on high, 5 mode w/ strobe/sos). I shortened a 1/2" pipe cap, soldered the driver into it, removed the brass button from the driver and added a spring.

Heatsink/emitter:

I filed the inside of the (hollow) pill then squeezed a length of 3/4" copper rod into it w/ my vise.

I took an xm-l U2 1A off its pcb, sanded the electrical solder connections off the bottom (w/ dremel) and then soldered leads to the contacts on the top (if you try this, don't touch the dome when its hot!).

I used calipers to mark a square in the center of the copper rod, put a tiny piece of rosin core solder in the middle of that, heated it up until it flowed, held the xm-l in place w/ tweezers and cooled the pill w/ a wet shop towel (if you try this...again...don't touch the dome while hot!).

There's plenty of metal contact between pill and rod but I put some solder in the gap (where the stock pcb was) before heating it to reflow emitter, just to ensure it won't move if the light is dropped hard.

As you can see in the first pic, I modified a 1" to 3/4" coupling, to join the rod and 1/2" cap. The cap is soldered to the coupling, but I used copper foil to make an interference fit between rod and coupling (w/ some wire glue to make it permanent).

Now.....I might have made this sound easy, and maybe it would be for some of you guys, but this took me four tries and two emitters (ruined first dome, and leads came off the emitter 3 times, twice due to rough handling, once when soldering emitter to pill).

This would probably have been easier w/ smaller leads but I used those the first time and wasn't satisfied w/ current measurements. I probably would have just went w/ it but I proceeded to bump a lead off by mistake anyway).

So...when I finally got it right...I put the pill in the light, wrapped the edge w/ tape, put shrink tube on the led dome and poured JB weld in there. I checked it hourly until it was firm then I removed the tape and trimmed around the emitter and edge of pill w/ a razor.

That ought to help it hold up to bouncy rides in a truck/boat/backpack!

With fully charged 3xD (tenergy 10Ah) I get a tailcap reading of a bit over 3.5A. Its probably worth noting that the same batteries in a true direct drive config (no driver) will destroy an xm-l.

Anyway, I added copper braid to the tailcap spring, (since this is a side switch) I figure I'm probably pretty close to the measured current w/ light assembled.

Sorry, no beamshots yet. I hope to do quite a few memorial day weekend.