First Impressions Nitecore EX10 Ti and EX11.2

LED Flashlights – General Info CR123A Flashlights
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I’m quite certain this is not the original piston. The batch sold by Russtang all had that defect. Yours came from Steve Ku or Jeff Hanko (if I remember correctly that was 10-11 years ago !). He offered slotted piston, also 4sevens (again, I can be wrong with this one) had some custom batch offered in small amount where you could buy only a slotted piston.

Also, at that time, CPF user Precision Work offered a service where he would mill a slot to existing piston. Later, I think Nitecore came out stock with slotted piston but only on a special D10 edition. If you want to push your investigation, I think a good start would be to determine if your piston is TI or SS.

So, overall, you are even luckier to have a so nice specimen !

Cheers !

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I also saw a post by russtang stating he had slotted pistons and would install the trit, sold though his store, Unique Titanium. I speculate he had more pistons slotted after the first ones came out off center.

not sure how to tell Ti from SS… curious…

I have EX11.2 and EX10 Ti
the tube in the Ti is 1 gram heavier… the tubes are not identical, the heavier one has a trit. Neither tube is magnetic. The EX11.2 tube is much shinier… guessing its SS, but no clue really…

new questions
where to get a brass plated spring, it is softer than the silver spring, that I find too stiff.

and how to I spin the pill out of the EX11.2?

here is a how to video, but that D10 pill is not quite the same

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The piston in my EX11.2 was aluminium.
The bezel too.
I can tell ti from ss or alu by the feel, ti has that slightly grippy feel to it.
If you have a couple 9v batteries or such, some baking soda, some wire and a cottonbud you can test anodize a small area to see if it is titanium.
Colour will change on contact.

The pill on the EX11.2 slides out the front.
I used to use AW 16340 cells as they were a bit shorter and worked well with the PD, longer cells can be difficult.

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Yeah it comes out the front and is much easier to do simple emitter swaps than the Nitecore D-10's.

So the ex-10 ti is a golden dragon emitter ?

I wonder if that the offset slot isn't a mistake.Maybe it was just an easier way to cut a slot .I'm guessing someone with enough talent to create the ti lights isn't going to screw up repeatedly like that .

Nice lights that had all of my attention right before I joined BLF. All my lurking was in high end customs on CPF and an intense interest in Nitecore D-10's and ex-10's.

Didn't realize there were only 20 of these made .Glad to see it go to someone who will appreciate it .

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great info, Thanks!
the EX10 Ti has no problem with protected USB rechargeable 16340. The battery spring is softer than on the EX11.2

actually not a GDP, it is an XRE Q5

saw a post claiming only 17 of the russtang Ti EX10 were made… Im very fortunate

I wrote to Russ to confirm, have not had a reply

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I came here to see your pics and post on the Ti EX10. Seems like you are teaching me a few things about this light. I did not realize this was a light created by Russtang. From the pics provided by the seller, I thought it was a one-off prototype made for David Chow of 4Sevens.

Good investigative work my friend!

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glad to see you here badtziscool

derfyled is to blame for my russtang education :slight_smile:

EX11.2 progress!

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D11.2 modded to 219b 3000k 9080
low 0.04
high 72 lumens

perfect beam!

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Both the D10 and EX10 are reprogrammable. A couple of CPF members were doing it, but quit.
CPF members “dev” and “nightshade”.
My last queries of them both revealed they were not doing the mods anymore. The nightshade D10 I lost had a copper heatsink, custom springs and a new ATtiny13V with slowed ramping feature. Wished I would have bought another but it wasn’t cheap.
Old post I saved:

That’s how it all started.

Also, somewhere I have saved the original EX10 circuit schematic.
IIRC, that should be archived on CPF too, if it wasn’t lost to their almost endless crashes.

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Since you guys are taking about the drivers, is there a resource for replacement drivers for the D10 R2? I have found nothing, Nitecore can’t help either. I had an Energizer leak in mine, with the head downwards… I cleaned it but the pcb traces are now exposed since the acid ate the board coating. I don’t trust the components to last. I have to somehow re-surface and nickel plate the piston inside also… It’s bad… but I love this light too much to abandon it. This D10 was my red pill. I was thinking of making my own driver. Thanks for any help!

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Good job jon_slider! I may have to fiddle around with a couple of my user D10s. That 219b mod looks fantastic.

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Such a cool light, I cannot wait to put one back into my collection.

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My D10 R2 still get’s the most use out of all my lights. The ramping could be a bit slower on the low end but tbh I mostly just use min and max (praise the lord for shortcuts). A lower moon, aka firefly, would also be nice. Even the stock XR-E was pretty nice but I swapped in a neutral nichia for that holy tint and CRI goodness.

I also have a D11 but prefer the D10; more aggressive knurling and better rear end (imo). The D11 was the very first model with no shortcuts and horrendous parasitic drain so I don’t really use it. Been on the hunt for a replacement driver ever since.

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The ex11.2 fixed those issues, right?

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Yes, iirc. I’m talking D11 specifically though.

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I’m not even sure why Nitecore came out with the D/EX11. It was like taking a step backwards from the UI implemented with the latest version of the D10. Then when the 11.2 came out, it was like perfect. The body design wasn’t as attractive, though.

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There are a bunch of NIB winter editions on eBay right now. Was thinking about it but I can just get an 18350 tube for my S2+ for just a few bucks… I am more interested in fixing my D10 R2 I think. I don’t need to keep collecting but I am really tempted.

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thanks for sharing info, there is also a link higher up to an Anduril flashed D10

Flashing is beyond my present experience level, but I applaud anyone who can do it…

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not that I know of
I wonder if an EX11.2 off the bay, could be cannibalized to revive a D model… the pills are not identical, but maybe the drivers are… I have AA and CR123 models, but have not yet looked at the drivers…

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thank you for your very kind support and encouragement :slight_smile:

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agree
D11.2 firmware has lower low. Plus three more shortcuts (from off).

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supposedly
I still recommend doing a verification test.
Measure voltage on a the battery, 24 hours apart. A bad driver will kill the battery overnight. A good driver will show no voltage drop.

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agree
I prefer the full round body of the version 10 models, very ergonomic, like HDS

the 11.2 models have flats milled on the sides, like Novatacs…

I also prefer the tail of the version 10 lights with full surround for the piston (left), not the partial cut outs of version 11.2 (right):

personal opinion:
I prefer the smooth ramping of the Nitecore Piston UI. The HDS/Novatac UI ramping is a series of distinct jumps in brightness.

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yes, I also posted that further up
they are a very good price

I prefer the softer battery spring in the version 10 models… pics of the springs further up this thread.

The new Nickel plated 11.2 springs are ridiculously stiff, and even worse with protected cells.

The softer spring has no problem with protected cells, and it transforms the light into a really pleasant experience, instead of having to mash the button really hard.

If anyone can source the softer Gold plated spring from the EX 10 models, please share info. They are 18mm wide and 8mm tall, gold plated. (avoid the nickel plated)

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I bet that Hank Wang could source some of those really nice springs he uses in his lights in the right size.

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the pills are not interchangeable, however

It may be possible to harvest a driver from an EX11.2 and transplant it into a D10

The EX and D drivers look like they might have the same electronics,
notable differences include,
the EX driver has been sandwiched onto a larger diameter base,

and there are a couple minor differences
the solder mask coverage, and the color of the lettering:

minimum output differences,
the firefly on the AA powered D11.2 (left), is 1/3 as bright as the EX11.2 moonlight (middle), due to proportionally lower battery voltage

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thanks for the suggestion, sent email w spring dimensions and photo
the gold spring is softer and insho Much Better feeling in actual use
(though the stiff spring was probably chosen for the 11.2 because it resists accidental activation better)

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a couple of notes about disassembly of the D11.2 and EX11.2

The D11.2 can be disassembled without removing the contact ring. A flat screwdriver can be placed in the contact ring slot, aligned over one of the notches used to unscrew the pill.

The EX11.2 does not require removing the contact ring from the bottom. Just unscrew the bezel to drop the pill out the front. (The EX pill is not screwed in, it is a drop in.)

update
EX11.2 reflector is too larger in diameter, and does Not fit EX10 host.

the pill of the EX10 is shorter, than the pill of the EX112, so trying to use the EX11.2 pill with the EX10 reflector does not work because the reflector sits too high above the LED

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Nice catch bro!

Seeing this i had to mod my D11 and EX11.2. Love them, UI is awesome.