Modified TrustFire TR-J18 +4800 lumen OTF

Bro, is it 2 x 26650 (typo) or should it be 3 x 26650? It should be 3 x 26650 with ~ 5A at the tail. Then can you supply the LEDs with ~ 2A each, plus get 4800 lumens OTF.

Coz my TF X100 is already doing like 5.2 amps with 2 x 26650 TF Flames @ 4.2V. :smiley:
I used Kingkong 26650s and they are the same, all good cells.

My bad, yes it was 4.8-4.9A with 3 x 26650’s (12.1v) :frowning:

hannes,

How do you open to get to the circuit? I just got a TR-j18, and it does not turn on. I think the circuit it broken. I have to upgrade. I can not get it to open. I already screw the lens off. I have tried to put the LED assembly off, but it does not want to come off. I have tried to screw it off(scratch the paint off) , and it does not want to come off…. Can you help?

I got a J18 on Monday. Didn't turn on either - was the switch. Took apart, cleaned up what I could, the switch itself was flaky. Funny, because now I can't get it to fail! Gonna check the amps - running 3 TF 26650 5000's, and see if I can spot that resistor to replace - I could probably get 0.05 ohm one from work. This thing looks super bright before any mods - ceiling bounce was ~450 lux, brighter than the FandyFire King clone.

i can’t find that thing anywhere either… i’ll buy one from you if you can find one? :slight_smile:

Total Bust... My J18 driver is totally different from Hannes'. I got the type with a perpendicular board mounted to the backside of the 26mm board. Also I'm seeing higher amps with 3 TF 5000's - I'm tailcap measuring 4A, then quickly dropping to 3A - no idea what's going on with the drop though. I know my DMM setup has been rock solid with custom 12 gauge leads, heavily soldered into banana plugs. Don't have the know-how to find the current resistor, so was depending on Hannes post up top.

Picture of the J18 head and driver - bought from FastTech, Rcv'd 12/24/2012:

if you got it from fast tech… then i probably have the same one as yours… mine came from fast tech too :slight_smile:

Ohh, ok, both you guys (DayLighter and kingkong) have dim J18's. Been checking the other J18 threads...

DayLighter - I see you got an RMA from FastTech - so, still waiting for a replacement I guess? Sounds like it's been happening where 3 TF 5000's kill the driver... Wonder if there's a fix for that - maybe the driver I got is the new design? Hhhmmm...

kingkong - where/when did you get your J18? Hope my PM helped - interesting to see if your driver looks like mine.

according to WWEfans… he also have the same problem with 3 of his buyers… so they(Trustfires) send him new drivers.
he told me to ask fast tech for new driver … but why? they’re sending me a new replacement already without even waiting for the old one to arrive ( is that a awesome customer service or what?)
i guess this newer driver is buggy when using 3 26650s batteries. hopefully the replacement is not going to be a problem too.

did you try it with 3 26650s yet?

Tom,

Thank you for the instruction. Attached are picture of my TR-18. I am still trying to get to the driver. I got my TR-18 from CarpentryHero. I got the driver out following your instruction. Mine did not turn on after putting 3 -cells in.

Picture of the front.

Yes - that's the only configuration I've been using so far, but only used it in short bursts. No problems so far...

kingkong - from your picture of the battery end, the spring pictured there is mounted to the backside of the driver board. There are two tiny holes at the edge of that board - try poking/prying at them with something sharp, stainless steal preferred - mine popped out pretty easily. I have an assortment of tools such as these: dx-stainless-steel-diy-soldering-tools, but have other better stuff too. You could try ss tweezers, but maybe closed to avoid bending the tips. Mine wasn't soldered, but maybe yours is.

Can this current sensing resistor be found and replaced in most lights to up the current, or is it just in these big lights?

I know it's fairly common in these type of drivers, regulated, but don't use 7135's. I believe it can be found in drivers of all sizes. Hannes seems to understand these circuit designs very well but I guess hasn't been replying on this thread. There's been other postings/threads on guys doing the same exact thing to different drivers on smaller lights. Once you find the current sensing resistor, you can tweak it until you get the amps output you want (using a variable resistor pot or other means), then it's set. You can either replace a resistor or add one in parallel/serial, depending on what may be determined.

Ok thanks, that’s good to know. Now to try some light dismantling :slight_smile:

Copying my post here from another J18 thread...

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Got the I-O driver, installed

Got the I-O driver, installed it, wow! just wow! 3 simple modes, easy to install, fits perfect, sandwhiched in the thermal pads it came with between the 2 boards, cutting into pieces to fit. Measurements of the J18:

Before with 3 TF 26650 5000 batteries, as is, not fully charged but in the 4.05v range:

tailcap reading: 3.8A down to 3.1A, fluctuates, usually dropping steady

lumens: 3330 @start, 2940 @30 secs, throw: 34 kcd

After with same batteries as is, not charged in between:

tailcap reading: 5.78A

lumens: 4930 @start, 4726 @30 secs, throw: 48 kcd

Waiting on the TF batteries to charge, takes long on an i4, but should get 5000 lumens.

Wow!

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Tried for kicks, using 3 KK 26650's and got: 6.0A tailcap reading, 5570-4930 lumens, throw: 51 kcd

Beautiful job Tom. That’s an impressive number :wink:

Hello all. Could somebody tell if the leds of this lamp are connected with wires or are they planted on a circuitboard?

In other words, is it possible to rewire them to be connected in series?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Guys,

My TR J18 has suffered the same fate. After about 4 months of use it has dimmed noticeably. I’ve only run 18650’s in it and it’s had a gentle life. Something wrong with that board huh?

I have managed to pop out the driver board but there is that wound copper wire thing on the inside stopping it from coming all the way out out. Doesn’t seem like it will come out without breaking it. Thinking they wired in the driver board first then glued in the reflector? It’s so annoying.

Any ideas?

James