Olight Ti S Mini mod to sw30

Im much happier with the Nichia, on the left:

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Nice tint on the left!

Looks great. :sunglasses:

I should go mod my old Olights.

:+1: for tint improvement. I think the hassle of open ’er up was worth it.

As for the dark spot, could be emitter sitting too high into the optic. I recall the original MCPCB being thinner than off-the-shelf 1.6mm and required adjusting.

I tried to replicate the photo taken at 4 ft from wall and my Ti S-mini SW30K SW45K doesn’t have dark spot.

I ground down a utility blade to create a gradule thicker bevel. The problem I had when trying to remove the bezel is the sharpest part of the blade hits the inside of the bezel ring then stops. This only moves the bezel off a small amount. By increasing the size of the start of the bevel each time the bezel moves further and further out each time hammered down around the bezel ring. By the time you get all the way to the end of your ground down bevel, the bezel should come off. Start at the sharpest end drving it down until it stops then move about 1/4 the way down the blade and go around the bezel again and then move another 1/4 down the blade etc….etc…

good idea! thanks

here is another good one:
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pic is a link

congrats… looks great

here are the two mcpcb, stock on right:
since the Tir sits on the mcpcb, in both cases (unless Im mistaken)…

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the LED heights should be the same… but the retaining ring sits higher when pressing on the stack with the thicker mcpcb

however, please do tell what adjustments you made…

your beam looks clean

In order to minimize re-focus issues when modding I usually try to duplicate LED surface height in hopes duplicating original optics/reflectors geometry. Similar to approach illustrated in this old photo where I was swapping a first gen Luxeon emitter (or course in that case I was stacking MCPCB’s for added height.)

In the case of the S-Mini, I thinned the 3535 MCPCB before mounting the 219B. I’ve tried thinning PCB’s with pre-mounted emitters and the failure rate is not worth the trouble.

Also, the S-mini’s are designed with no wiggle room, the outter gold retaining ring might not seat flat otherwise.

Thanks. I look forward to your success!

thanks for your thoughts
since I did not thin the mcpcb, the retaining ring does not seat flat, but afaict, you just got lucky, cause we are both resting the stock Tir on the mcpcb, around the 219b…

IF the problem is that my 219b sits too high into the xm-l2 Tir, then a plastic centering ring could be used to lift the Tir… I might test that if I open the light again… I agree the bezel ring would sit too high, again… but my first mystery to solve, is how you got a good beam, and I did not, (yet). And I think the height of the LED can definitely play a role…

thanks for the brainstorming

That would be my first guess as well. When I swapped the LED in my Baton 1 to a 219 C I used one that I pulled from a Convoy T2. The new PCB was the same thickness as the stock.

In another mod I tried shaving down the base of the TIR to fix a height issue with bezel clearance. You might have some leeway to do this but it could make the focus worse. Considering you probably only have one stock TIR, maybe try to adjust your PCB thickness first. I’ve had luck sanding them down on a belt sander but it’s a pain and hard to keep flat.

thanks for your thoughts
Im not concerned with the gap at the bezel

and Im not understanding how thinning the mcpcb, would alter the height of the 219b LED in the Tir… since the bezel presses on the Tir, which presses on the mcpcb… The LED height in the Tir stays the same when thinning the mcpcb…

So I see no point in taking the light apart to change mcpcb thickness

maybe there are LED height factors, in relation to the Tir, that are altered by thinning the mcpcb, that Im not understanding?

Sorry, I didn’t explain that thought very well. The big variable you changed with respect to focusing the TIR was the LED (smaller die, different emitting properties, etc.). The only variable you can change now is the LED height in the TIR. It’s always trial and error for me. If you find you need the LED to sit lower then you’d need a shim to lift the TIR off the PCB and possibly the PCB itself to be thinner or the bezel may not go back on / gap may be too big.

thanks, that all makes sense

if I understand correctly, you have a 219b with the stock Tir sitting over the LED, and resting on the mcpcb…

and I have exactly the same setup… but your beam is better

We agree that thinning the mcpcb only alters the depth the bezel can be pressed, and does not change the heigh of the LED in the Tir…

so I dont know why your beam is better, but it is… congrats!

Jon I’m pretty sure I didn’t keep the original spacer, I don’t remember because I did the mod 2 yrs ago. The S-mini originally would have had a XM-L 5050 opening whereas the Nichia 3535 would have been smaller requiring a different spacer. As you say I was probably just lucky that it worked out.

I think you might be replying to me but thinking of pc_light’s light. I have an old S1 Baton with a 219c and the beam isn’t perfect.

It seems all that’s left to try is adjusting the height of the TIR - up, down, I don’t know. If it so happens it needs to go up then you might run out of space with that thicker PCB. Focusing can drive a person crazy. The more I write here the more I think about the slightly brighter spot in my beam… Best of luck attempting to fix it or convincing yourself you don’t see it :slight_smile:

I’ve successfully modded Olight S mini and S1 mini lights. They aren’t the easiest to mod!

The S mini is easier since it has the bezel with a lip that isn’t completely recessed. It can be removed with tapered blades as shown by moderator007.

I like shaved LH351d LEDs with beaded 17mm TIRs from Yajiamei Photoelectric co on Aliexpress. This makes a very nice, smooth beam.

I have a S1 mini with a 219b that has an uneven beam with the stock High CRI Olight TIR. A layer of DC Fix is needed to smooth that beam out. I don’t really want to open that one up again to use a different TIR. Opening the S1 mini is very difficult without destroying something.

To fix that uneven beam, DC Fix is the quick and easy fix. New optic from Yajiamei is the slower, but better option.

Have fun!
FB

there was no spacer (centering ring) in my Ti SMini, between the Tir and the mcpcb.

I dont see a thing… LOL!
(when I dont look)

I have some beaded 17mm Yajimei, they fit with their holder, to center over the 219b, but the bezel wont go over the housing… (I could shave the housing in that area, but did not try.

I did try removing the housing… that does not work… the Tir falls out, through the bezel

I have some LH351d, both shaved and not shaved… but lack the courage to reopen the Ti SMini…

thanks for the DCFix suggestion… Im not a fan… plus it wont work on the stock Tir, which has a non flat face, with a bump in the middle…

thank you all for the comments and suggestios

Im still really enjoying the Ti SMini w sw30 and stock Tir, despite the artifact in the center of the beam, beyond 24” distance…

pause to reflect
Merry Daze

The beaded 17mm I have do not have holders and fit in the S mini perfect.
They are intended for XML size emitter but work fine with the smaller emitters, probably because of the beaded surface.
YJM-XML-Φ17mm-20°
There are various beam angles available.

The DCFix’d TIR I have is the high CRI TIR from a S1 mini. It has a slight recess and the DCFix followed it fine.

Another option is to “frost” the TIR surface. I’ve used a coarse polishing compound on a dremel buffing wheel to get a light frost.
You can adjust how much frost by how coarse the polish is and how much you buff. Various sand papers also work if you had a flat surface to work with.

FB

thanks for the suggestion…

I found the 17mm Tir w no holder, but they are all XM-L, so at first I ignored them

but your suggestion makes sense

the beads sound like they would hide the dark shadow… so I just ordered some beaded 17mm xml Tir. expected Jan 17…

I apparently didn’t take photos of the Ti S-mini mod but did capture some during an earlier Al (black) S-min mod.

S-Mini w/Original optic w/holder and eventual MCPCB upgrade (to LH351D 5K Hi-CRI).

New Copper MCPCB, re-shaped/reduced diameter Copper MCPCB and S-Mini original PCB w/XM-L

MCPCB profiles showing reduced thickness - New Copper MCPCB, thinned Copper MCPCB and S-Mini original PCB.

S-mini beam before w/XM-L (left) and after w/LH351 (right)

A holder or spacer would lower the emitter from the optic opening and impact the resulting beam profile.

great photos! thanks for taking the time

I suspect the wider LH351 LED works better than the 219b, in the stock xml Tir

The Ti SMini Tir has no housing nor centering ring or spacer…
the Tir sits directly on the mcpcb

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