Q8 modding

This is not the original screw.
I bought from the local store.
Only this M3 (flat head).

Yup, yup. :smiley:
Yeah tail assy PCB.
Haven’t got to the springs or traces yet. Already thinkit improved.

I got 1 more in today, so I got 4 now - I'm frustrated cause I don't have the time I want to spend on them, but the tail PCB is a source of lots of lost amps. Just hard to see or say exactly what it is. I seem to get a small bump just from Nyogel on the main threads, and I've seen this before.

The screws mounting the tailboard to the tube are the - path, right? That’s the case in srk bodies I have with tubes anodized on the end faces where the tailboard makes contact. If the Q8 is the same, the conductivity of the screw material and actual surface contact % between the screw and tube threads would affect current flow and introduce an unpredictable voltage drop.

inside the tube where the tailboard touches the tube is bare, no anodize. The screw pressure assures contact between the tube and board surface.
Part of the problem with the glue on the screw threads is it pushed out on mine between the surfaces reducing the contact.

I cleaned the threads out and screw threads, cleaned the surfaces too. While not measured, I believe it helped some.

Anyone notice the raised brass ring is slightly cupped. I can see why the solder blob cells do well in this light.
I am using HG2 flat tops and they work fine with the slightly raised top, but the contact patch is smaller than a soldered 30Q would be. Think I’m gonna solder a set of 30Q’s for it next.

I kept the dual springs and used bare 22AWG to bypass into the through holes. Did not remove spring to do it. Also sanded off the red from traces on the backside added some solder on top of the traces, prolly not needed as the dual sided traces are best I have seen in width and well thought out tracks.


I care about efficiency in the highest modes.
Because it allows you tu run the max for longer. Your light can absorb only so many Watt-seconds before it gets too hot. I want it to push out as many lumen-seconds before this happens.
This does not mean that I don’t want top amps. But rather that I want the most capable LEDs out there, which bring fair efficiency even when driven hard. :wink:

I'm surprised to hear there was glue there. Maybe I missed it on mine or wasn't there - was it clear in color? Might explain to me why one of my light's battery tube did worse than the others.

Something was there on all 4 screws. May have been clear originally. Pretty certain it wasn’t Loctite (didn’t turn to white powder and wasn’t real hard) so I just called it glue. M2.5 tap cleaned the glue and anodize up.
2 M3 screws on the driver were clean, dry, not glued.

Hello as i write before i recieved today my q8, but unfurtunatelly have the led button problem.

Im trying to help with some photos. My idea was open the button holder ,show some photos, and later fix the led when fix is oficially anounced.

Of course im not modder,or something similar a i have 0 knowleges about this things but i want my q8 full as expected.
To do that i need to remove the button holder i dont know how to do this. Im trying with some tools but, im only doing scratches etc

What tool do you use to do this? Can you do a little how to with 1 or 2 photos please?

Thanks in advance, sorry for me english hope you understand.

If I have time, I'll try to take photos tonight. I used a pair of needlenose with rounded backsides (near the tips, not the pinched surface but outer surface). Using these, insert in a pair of notches in the switch retaining ring (there are 3 1/2 circle notches in the ring), gently apply CCW pressure, while keeping outward pressure on the ring.

What should help preventing scratches is adding some masking tape on the tips of the needlenose.

I've often wondered if a proper tool existed for doing this. Ideally it should be a hard plastic of some sort, rounded outer edge to fit the 1/2 circle notches. I'm sure I could make one out of plexiglas, or something equal, but would probably take me hours.

A machinist could probably make a jig for this in minutes.

Thanks! I will try tonight that tonight, i think with the info you give me gonna be more easy!!

Very apreciated

Just rebuilt the side SW pad. Used lower brightness White 0805 LEDs and a 223 or 22Kohm resistor also 0805 size.
LEDs were more white before install, guess its the silicone button made them look like Cold white, bluish.
Top 2 pics are brighter lighting than the bottom 2 to give an idea what it is. Perfect IMO, enough to find the light SW indoors or darker, and not be annoyingly bright on the night stand.




Did you ask Miller to ask ThorFire what tool to use?

There’s a tool for removing bezels from watches, widely available.
A handle with 2 pins, one in an adjustment slot for separation.

Yeah!!! Received mine today. Initial thoughts are :+1: Switch led’s appear to be equal (maybe a bit too bright), and no issues so far with them getting flaky. Love the ramping, and wow, this thing is bright. Had to dig through the manual (got a little click happy, and induced lockout). I thought I broke it.
Very well built, as I knew it would be. Can’t wait for evening to compare it to a few of my other lights.

Thanks to Thorfire, and the great Q8 team for making it happen.

cool!

Only issue there is watches are usually SS, some titanium. This is anodized or coated aluminum, subject to scratching much easier.

I like to do the same sort of thing, but rather than just beefing up the traces with a thick layer of solder (not really a great conductor), also embed a piece of solid copper wire in the solder (e.g. stripped from 1.5 mm^2 or heavier “twin and earth” household wiring, a UK standard). And where possible plug the current-carrying vias with solid copper wire, soldered both sides of the PCB.

Desoldering braid is also good for bypassing springs, when insulated wire is not needed, as in this case. Very neat when you can also fit it inside the springs. I also try to solder the inner and outer springs together at the pointy end, to mitigate any poor contact between them, maybe developing over time.

I made this jig up from plexiglas for a front bezel, cut to size then molded with a rotary tool. Something similar could be done for switches:

I did this for the 16X XHP50 light shown above:

Replaced stripped stock screws as well. At 37K lumens with 2S3P, there's lots of amps going thru this.

So until i get my hands on a XM size ledboard my Q8 is nearly ready.

- 20AWG Spring bypass + thickening the traces and installing a 16AWG loop for measuring the Amps.

- 16AWG ledboard wires

  • 2,2k switchled resistor + 2x0603 UV LEDs´s
    whats left is changing the srews when they arrive.

Sorry for the shaky pictures (new meds have sideeffects)