I’ve never had any contact with gun flashlights, but a friend asked me to make one and I have some questions. My base is C8 + with a green osram from Simon.
The first question is about the driver. Should he be potted or is it not necessary? Will the components withstand the shock when fired?
The second concerns the led centering. I have noticed that there is a small tolerance at the centering washer and it is enough to lightly tap the flashlight so that the perfect centering is no longer perfect. Tapping again in the correct direction helps re-center the led perfectly. Each shot will move the reflector and washers. How to prevent this movement of the reflector and centering washer? Glue the washer to the mcpcb?
Well, I did not have that situation before! Maybe sometimes hole for emitter was a bit larger but they always fit reflector perfectly with no wiggle room whatsoever.
This looks like XPL HI and 9mm reflector, I would do this: take a centering washer for osram leds and with fine sandpaper expand the hole slightly until it fits snugly, that will fix the problem with led-fit but I do not see the way to fix reflector wigling! check other washers you have, I never had that situation.
Have run a C8-2 (KDLitker), and Sofirn’s: C8T, C8A, and older version C8F (18650) with standard drivers (but larger springs replaced in a few for a tighter battery hold). Most did time over a 270 with zero issues.
my two cents is that it should have little to no grip. A bumpy grip for me means it’s harder to wipe down and get clean. If I need any grip I slap some hockey tape on it which is easy to remove.
I have a couple samples and it performs incredibly well. The issue that needs to be corrected is very poor focus, the reflector needs lifting higher when using the Osram LEDs. Simon is waiting for some final measurements from me before ordering new thicker gaskets.
I haven’t tested the CULPM1 yet, but below are the range measurements I get using the CSLNM1
Red - 820m
Green - 1,674m
Body diameter ended up being 26mm instead of 27mm which I absolutely love since it’ll still fit most 25.4mm mounting brackets. I hope Simon gets into making lighter weight models because there’ll be many who’d prefer them. The L21A is better for heat dissipation, but felt quite bulky, this L21B is only 210g vs 354g. I just wish he’d get a little more creative with the naming as I’m sure many potential customers would be put off from the confusion. I mean there’s the C8+ and the 21700 version is called the M21A, how confusing is that
It’s really decent. This will give all hunting brands out there a real run for their money.
Prices are very high if you’re looking at them in usd, but it’s nzd although I still need to make a living somehow
New Zealand customers only as exporting is problematic. I give lifetime upgrades and free labour on repairs after 1 yr warranty to make the prices worth it
The focus is bad without height adjustment of the reflector and so I’ve told Simon the thickness gasket of what’s needed.