I'd like to have a place we could put our simplest of all mods.
Modifications that are simple , cost next to nothing and easy enough that anyone new or experienced can accomplish.
- Tonight I took a bolt .filed down the head ,cut down the threads with a hacksaw . Used JB weld to glue a small magnet on top, painted it black with an indelible marker.
Simple easy and adds a magnet to my Jetbeam Jet1-mk and my Nitecore EZ-AA
Next time I'll file the bolts head at an angle so the light will have different angle options when stuck to a metal object .
My only quickie mod is one I have stated before. Gluing a washer around my SP10’s side switch to mitigate inadvertent activation ,as I prefer this method to lock out . Now it is my EDC light at work mixed in with keys and other pocket junk and have never found it on unless the moon mode gets me by accident. Had to learn to check it before putting it in the pocket.
If you’re gonna describe something getting modded by filing, altering dimensions, affixing it to some other part, etc., then provide pictures, sketches, links, whatever, or it can be confusing cuz what I THINK you said may not be what you MEANT and what you meant may not be exactly what ya DID.
A picture sez a thousand words and a thousand words may still not really get the picture.
IOW what the hell did ya do and most importantly HOW did ya do it? I mean if we’re gonna try and make things truly stupid simple.
• 20mm TIR lens of your choice dropped into an S2+ in place of the reflector. Beautiful blending of the beam, especially the 4C (beautiful warm-sunlight color) and no fried-egginess of the beam at all anymore.
• Fasttech deep-carry clip (advertised for the S2/S2+) which fits the Nitefox UT20 and similar lights as if it were specially made for them, even down to the color/matte of the finish.
Before that, I went to Amazon and found some TIRs, but “TIR” was nowhere to be found in the description, only “collimating lens” in various combinations’n’permutations. Narrow it down with “20mm” if you want to.
LEDsupply lets you order singly, etc., but Amazon usually has bulk paks of 20 or more.
Still not reflowing my own led’s, I always buy them on a pcb. Especially the alu ones tend to be a bit warped. Every new pcb+led that goes into one of my lights, gets a flattening trip on a lapping stone. But a sheet of fine sandpaper on a glass plate also will do the trick. It makes better contact (IMHO) and saves on thermal grease. You only need a hint instead of a blob.
Not sure of the correct size for S2+. Does the emitter type matter? I found these 45degree ones on Amazon. I am guessing 45 degree will give smooth beam?
Also, at the Led site , I see various models that have the same specs. For instance , I see different numbers for 20mm wide angle ripple but no way of knowing what the difference is between them . Are holders needed for S2+?
20mm is the “right” size, but they might be listed as 20.1mm or some rot like that. They fit.
The inside of the front bezel keeps the TIR more or less flat, and as long as the LED is centered in the hole, all should be okay. XM vs XP (5050 vs 3535) shouldn’t make much difference, especially with a wider-angle lens.
Ideally, TIRs should have the “shoe” that acts as a centering ring and spacer, lifting the lens just a smidge off the pcb, but it’s not critical. I wedged one in there, had a hard time doing so, but it worked. Also worked well without it, either.
Just get an assortment, play around with it, and you’ll likely find one that suits you.
60° is a nice flooder, especially for a headlamp, but also in a S2/S2+ that’s mainly to be used close-in and you’d want it to be nice and floody.
All this talk of lens got me to thinking about DC Fix . I have been meaning to use it on a C8 to smooth out the beam. Finally got around to it . Looks much better on the wall . Won’t be able to test it outside tonight because we are in a frickin monsoon this week in NEPA.
