My first mods! An experience, for sure!

Hi there!
Wow, thanks for your comments folks!
I know this was a “minor” modification of flashlights, but I guess that’s it, we all start somewhere! This was my start to recycle 2 lights that may come in handy! I won’t let their host become a rot carcass :smiley:
An overall “thank you”, and I’ll answer below individually! :wink:

@ Ollie
Yeah, I guess it will get easier from now, and I’m already preparing the new thing to mod :smiley:

@ CRX
Well, a comment from one of the greatest modders/creators in the forum makes me happy!! Your creations are inspiring!!
Thanks for the tip about the kapton tape! I’ll try to get some and to put it.
Meanwhile, I really decided to risk all and I put electrical black tape to insert the new reflector (OP). And I like it better! The “yellowish” crown around the beam center disappeared!
About thermal paste, yeah, I gotta use less, it become really messy :person_facepalming:
On the next mod I will certainly be careful with that :wink:

@ Lightbringer
Hum, I thought about buying a “pre-made” drop-in. But, for what I’ve seen, those are bigger and wouldn’t fit this light.
So, to make it work, I had to make my drop-in :smiley:
Also, I wanted something better for the driver and the LED, so I had to do this!
This is different from a Solarforce L2M, because it has the side switch and that changes the process of putting the things into it, namely about dimensions.
I thought about buying a L2M tailswitch to make it more consistent, but I kept on my stubbornness and made the tail switch against the odds. Still have to perfect it, though :nerd_face:

@ FPV
Thanks! I’ll try to share what may bring input to the community :+1:

@ Persechini
My choice for the XML2 U2-1A instead of XPL-HI was due to main reasons:
a) I wanted to have a more floody beam,
b) I’m not familiarized, so far, with that LED output/beam.
The flashlights will be used for close range, mainly, and when used for larger distances, their reflectors can help making it go further.
Also, this was the tint I wanted to make it brighter in outside environment, so I chose this LED beacause of that and also because I have no XPL-HI lights. My first will arrive in some weeks and will be inside a Convoy S2 tan version+.
After that I’ll be able to know how the beam looks like and the output luminosity!
Thanks for asking :+1:

@ The Miller
Well, for someone that about 8/9 months ago was just looking for a good flashlight and never thought of being a flashaholic, to get into modding (even if it is a simple thing) may be a reason to be a bit proud :slight_smile: Thanks! :smiley:

@ FmC
You are right! More than the mod, to learn about the tools, the times of construction and what not to do in the process might have been the greatest learnings here.
I spent a bit of money to buy new things (aside from the drivers, leds….) but I’m more confortable now! :wink:

In some weeks I’ll have a new one, a bit different from these in some aspects, and I’ll share it with you!
I’ll be recycling a (old) 9 LED flashlight, to make it accomodate a reflector or TIR lens, pill, driver, and eventually and 18350 or 18500 battery! It will be funny :smiley:

Thanks again for reading and your comments!
Best regards!! :+1:

Nice work :+1:

Thanks XXX-Man!! :smiley:

Wow! I’ve been here a while longer than you, and my mod skills aren’t up to your level! Great job! If the ever gets the scratch made contest going this year, you should definitely enter! :partying_face:

Thanks for your words DavidEF! :slight_smile:
I’m just a beginner on these things! I have a lot to learn from people here before going on a contest (if I’ll ever enter one), but I’ll do my best to do some things :wink:
Glad you appreciated it!! :+1: :smiley:

Naw, all I meant is that yesterday I was feeling oh-so-productive that a long-overdue drop-in that I wanted for my L2M host, I was finally getting around to, and here you are doing major surgery on a junk-light to make it actually usable.

MascaratumB,

Even beginners are invited and encouraged to enter the contest. The contest is for fun. If you’d like to join, don’t let inexperience keep you from it. I entered last year. I intend to enter again this year. I think you can do better than me. :innocent:

Me, now I take the lazy way out, and just pawn ’em off on someone who doesn’t know any better. :smiley:

I had enough aggravation with junk-lights, kept thinking of ways to “fix” them, but underneath it all, it’s still a junk-light. Took a while to get it into my head, but now I just get rid of ’em.

“Man, what crap… Hey, you! Want a flashlight?”

“Sure!”

“Here ya go…”

Problem solved.

Hey there again :slight_smile:
Well, thanks again for your comments! I’m thrilled that these mods may be encouraging!
First I was afraid” to start modding, as I never had soldering experience, nor building electronics experience.
But then I read a lot here on BLF, benefitting from other members’ experience and I started watching some videos about technical aspects. That was what encouraged me to do these first things.
And, of course, the not-so-good quality or usability my lights had! :smiley:

@ Ollie
The process was a bit like that: 2 lights in which I saw some possibilities to become “stronger” lights!
Then, the pieces from other lights I had, and then the new components that would make the difference.
I’m not much creative but I like to “invent” and experiment some things and to take me to another level, fearlessly!!
What could go wrong? Just some “wasted” € and wasted time! Comparing to what I had to win - 2 fully usable flashlights - I gave it a try!
Wish I had a lathe too, it would drain my money and energies, but it would be incredible!
Now I just use some of my old lights and I buy some new to make them better :wink:

@ Lightbringer
Sorry, I completely understood it in the wrong way! I thought that you meant that I could have bought a drop-in module for the light as they it is similar to the L2M! My bad :person_facepalming:
Well, this was not a perfect “surgery” and I just hope some “stitches” don’t get loose :smiley:
The Brennenstuhl I moded, despite the common aspect with some other cheap lights, it is a really nice light with very good original components, from the LED to the switch (OMTEN). But I guess that it had the capacity and the body to get something more powerful, and more usable for a daily base. I like better outputs and beams and I don’t like blinkies! That was what took to this “transformation”.
The Ante light…well, the some of the components are a bit junkie, yes. LED, pill, driver, reflector…That would need a major transformation.
And the adding of a tail switch. I guess that when the new switch arrives, I’ll borrow it to my parents, even if it uses a 18650 battery. They have their own lights, but this may work as a backup. There are no major issues when using it, and it may come in handy :wink:
BTW, I thought about buying a L2M, but I abandoned the idea some time ago, as most of the drop-ins didn’t suit me. Now…I’m not sure if I won’t give it a try :smiley:

@ DavidEF
Hum, I like non-competitive “contests”!! I guess they become learning opportunities! :+1:
What’s the name of this one you’re mentioning?
Maybe the next mod I have in mind may be a nice one for that :wink:

Thanks again folks!! And keep up your good works too :wink:
Best regards!! :+1:

Nah, no worries.

Yep, I hear ya.

The crap-C8s I got with the plastic reflectors and the like, I know they’re essentially garbage, but figure that with decent pills from FT, I could load up my own drivers/emitters and have something that I know I ain’t gonna push very hard, so having a solid brick of metal at the head won’t be critical, nor would a cheapcrap switch.

Really nice host, forward-clicky switch, no shroud around the switch, so you can use it as a true tac-light.

I haven’t bought a completed drop-in in æons, and just roll my own with whatever emitter and driver I want. As long as the emitter fits the reflector, I’m set.

Hum, yeah, I realized the pill makes a lot of difference, especially to absorb some of the heat!
I bought mine from Kaidomain store in AliExpress, and I hot another 2 on the way!
They also have those to fit the C8s and other that fit drop-in hosts! I didn’t adventured myself on those because its measures are always missing. I guess that it is a flaw from sellers (although we can ask them of course…)!
I saw the L2M host there as well and it really seems a good one! Nice to know that from what you say! I guess some day I’ll give it a try and see how it works :wink:

Thanks for the inputs once again!!
:+1:

Yes, the comp is mainly for fun, & pretty much everyone who completes thier entry wins something.

I entered in the first 3, but was unable to last year. Can’t wait until this year’s!

Check out the first few comp builds here.

A lot of times when you buy a pre-built drop-in, you have no idea what went into it, or how. Did they use thick-enough wires? Did they use a good thermal goop like AS5? Or is the emitter just press-fit to the pill by the reflector?

Æons ago, when I saw an 5000K XP-L drop-in just came out, and at a non-obscene price, I sprung for it immediately. Nice emitter, but the driver is just a bunch of parallelled chip-resistors, no actual regulation. Wellp, there goes that idea…

Never bothered to replace the driver, and I still have it somewhere, maybe in a ’501 host, forgot.

Point is, had I rolled my own, it would’ve been with my choice of driver, AS5ed nicely to the pill, and I would’ve been happy with it for what it is. I wouldn’t consider it half-good.

Throwing together a drop-in is easy. And quick. And you get to pick’n’choose everything you want on it, down to the last detail, just like ordering a sandwich from a deli. :smiley:

@ FmC
Hum, nice!! I guess I’ll have a lot to see from the past years :smiley:
Maybe I can enter too, if it is that way! I guess we “just can’t get enough” of new things to mod and learn from!
I have 3 projects in mind to mod! One I guess its almost done, I just have to fit the pieces when they arrive; a second one will be mostly a LED and driver swap, and a TIR lens replacement; and the third one, somewhere in the middle, will imply a side switch construction to recycle a flashlight’s host! This one may become a bit tricky as I don’t know much about electronics and that stuff, but I’ll try it and maybe I can take it to the contest :wink: :+1:

@ Lightbringer
I guess you’re right! Besides the measures, that aspect is pretty important, the components used and what have they done to them.
That’s why I preferred to use things from Convoy and Kaidomain stores instead of buying a stock drop-in! And more than that, I think the “hands-on” approach to the builds are the most exciting things, once you get new skills. You get to know the materials and processes better!
After the first one (or two, in this case) I just want more. And even if I don’t exclude the idea of buying those pre-built ones, it won’t be as funny as these were :smiley:

Only now, after seeing FmC link, I understood that the is the name of the member that promotes the contest :person_facepalming:
I’m so noob :smiley:
I’ll be looking forward to see the news about the contest! Thanks again! :+1:

:laughing: :+1:

I saw 3 different kinds from FT, just slight variations of 1mm or less, so got 1 of each. So thinner/thicker stars, O-rings, etc., I’d probably be covered.

Most cases, though, I’m not pushing the critter very hard (colored LEDs, UV, etc.), so I leave the original crapflector in there.

Nice work! You certainly are hooked up modding!
I did some basic modding, not even your level, so keep up the goood work

Absolutely it does. It’s hindered by any washer/spacer/etc. that keeps the reflector from shorting out the wires to the LED (at the solder-bumps), but it makes some thermal contact and wicks away some heat quite nicely.

“Some” being the operative word. And every little bit helps. Kinda like DTP vs non-DTP…

Hi Yokiamy! Thanks for your words!
In my view this was a bit basic too, comparing to what other people do here! But I guess this is a beginning and now I want more :smiley:
Practice makes perfect and I guess the more we do, the more we want to do, the more we do better :wink:

@ Ollie and Lightbringer
On the Brennenstuhl I started to use the aluminum reflector I bought, instead of the original plastic reflector! I put some insulation tape to avoid the short circuit (I don’t have kapton tape as CRX suggested)!

The first thing I noted was that there is more heat on the front of the flashlight. The beam pattern is a bit different, but the temperature is certainly higher. I just don’t know if it creates or draws heat from the plate and LED! So far, it is working :smiley:

The Ante, although using the aluminum reflector, it barely makes contact with the plate, so there’s no short circuit possibility and few heat transfer, I guess!