I’m not really sure how to go about pulling this driver. I suppose its press fit. I wonder if they glued it. I just don’t want to mangle it up trying to get it out using the wrong technique.
I’m going to take emitter readings from the pos. tonight, just so I can see with my own eyes.
I just thought I’d mention. If you turn it off and wait for a long five seconds, it will always come back on in high. Under five seconds, and you get next mode.
I’m wondering if this driver could be persuaded to fit? And how it’d do with an xp-g2 or xm-l2.
Then I got to wondering about this driver again, and if it really is a boost driver for 3 xm-l in series instead of parallel? and if so, would it equally be able to boost to six volts or so to drive an mt-g2 off four parallel cells?
Well I took my readings from the Pos. LED wire, and confirmed to myself that they both give identical readings. I just had to do it, or I would forever be wondering.
Does anyone know how I should get this driver out. There was a tiny dab of something on the outer in unanodized part of the pill. It looked like silicone. I’m wondering if its glued in.
That beam looks real nice. The reflector sounds bigger than a HD2010/SS T08/T13, etc., not sure if as wide as a TN31 though. To me, this looks exactly like a 7G9. The 7G9 is 3 cell, had the driver glued. An easy mod is de-domed XM-L2 U2, use the driver as a contact board and sandwich a Nanjg type with the 7135's piled to the ceiling. I'd try to go over 5 amps for sure with 4 parallel cells and the size/weight of this light. On the 7G9's, we drill out the driver board - drill a hole between outer and inner rings, making a pry hole. I wouldn't mind trashing a classic 5 mode driver anyway. vinh did my original 7G9 mod and he probably drilled the hole first, then cut down the driver board - 2 straight cuts on each side so you has lots of access space and didn't effect the + rings or neg. return. I would speculate you could make it a 250-325 kcd thrower. Maybe there's better options for a driver, like a buck and using 18350's like you are saying, but you want at least 5 amps.
I thought about drilling a small hole for prying, but I don’t know what’s underneath. I’d like to keep it functioning until I can have a look at it. I haven’t really tried too hard though. I should probably remove the led and see if I can poke downward.
I need some basic wiring diagrams for wiring 2S2P with the switch. Maybe even 4S.
From there I can figure out how I’m going to do it.
I have the first one, it WILL NOT run a MTG2 with any combo of cells (it is very nice though, completely stepless dimming, no blinky modes, just press & hold to ramp up or down). Don't know about the second one.
I didn’t expect the first to run an mt-g2 but I can see it’d be awesome in this light.
I’m going to order the second for my supfire m6 so I guess I get to be the guinea pig, I’ll click buy it now tomorrow. …
I want to get a look at this driver before I make any decisions. I’ve been looking and wondering about both these drivers for a while. I wonder how hard the electronic ramping switch would be to incorporate.
I’m going to try RaceR86s resistor mod on my M6 first. I got my resistors in the mail yesterday.
Do the handle screws get Loctited?
Ouchyfoot wrote:
I thought about drilling a small hole for prying, but I don’t know what’s underneath. I’d like to keep it functioning until I can have a look at it. I haven’t really tried too hard though. I should probably remove the led and see if I can poke downward.
Yeah, your idea in the last sentence above is definitely the way to go. Does the charger port cover come off? If it does, you can also push the driver out that way. You may want to first heat up the head a little so it expands and also so the glue (if any) softens.
Cool Gords. Sounds like it will be an awesome light.
Reflector looks identical to the UltraFire 1226, if so it does indeed work nice with MTG2. It's ~65mm OD at the front, and has a step-down in the flat area around the emitter hole?
I think the reflector is different. I think the reflector in this light will be much better than the 1216 reflector.
Post 11:
1216 Reflector:
Looks the same to me, at least the part that's visible in the first pic.
Ill pull the reflector and post some pics after work today.
If you have something thin and stiff you could maybe push it out through the emitter wire hole. Make sure to put the pressure at the edge of the driver.
(You could drill one of the emitter wire holes to become a bit large in order to do it. Then use a flat screwdriver or something.)
If there is no glue-stuff on the driver. You could probably just take a thin flat screwdriver, set it between the edge of the driver circuit and the flashlight (on one of those places where there is a bit edge), give the screwdriver a little "bonk" and pry it out.. There is a little risk of damage to the edge of the board, but if done correctly, it will probably go out fine. :) Unless its glued it some way that is...
The "make a pry edge/hole technique" should be a safe solution, but it is a bit more time consuming. Drill, or use a little cutting plate just at the edge of the board, or into the flashlight. Then use a flat screwdriver to pry it out.
Im usually able to pry the driver out.
Whatever technique, good luck! :)
It's hard to tell from the picture, but the bottom of the reflector looks flat. Look how big of an emitter base was used and how far out they have the wire contact pads. The 1216 has a normal 20 mm base with plenty of room for the wires to stick up.
The inside of the reflectors look very different to me. The beam shots also look very different.
We must be talking about two different lights that look the same on the outside then. Mine was a 1226 (link), you're saying 1216. Dunno. 1226 definitely doesn't have a 20mm star...
The 1226 reflector looks like the one in your pics, but I see an identical reflector in the pics of the JS-8054. I see a double step in the base of the reflector, both on the inside and outside. Just like the 1226/1216.
You could be right. Better pics will help. This is where I first saw a model name and have been using it all along (Post 67):
Sorry guys. I’ve been working every day and am too weary in the evening to do any work on my lights. I still haven’t pulled the driver…that’s next…but did a little bit af work on it tonight.
First off. The bottom of the reflector is flat. I know in the pics it looks stepped, but its not. The center part is smooth, and the outer part is rough…but it’s flat. The centering disc is stuck in the LED hole, so don’t mistake it for a step.
I decided to play with the tailcap tonight. I added 3mm copper braid to all the springs, and jumped all the traces to the switch with 20AWG Teflon wire.
Thank god I’m learning to use a DMM, because the light still worked fine after all my mucking about. I took another reading at the emitter, and nothing has changed. I guess that was a lesson in futility. I was sure I might have gotten a little gain.
But then again, I don’t really know how that affects the big picture. The stock emitter wires look pretty thin, and who knows what other kind of wiring is in there. Maybe once everything is upgraded, I’ll see some improvement. If there is a charging unit attached, I’d like to disconnect it. I wonder if that would make a difference.
That’s all for tonight. I promise the next step will give us all a look at that pesky driver. Keep your comments and observations coming, together we’ll get this light built into something, even if its just getting a little more amps out of that driver.
On a side note. I popped into the pub after work and a guy I talk to gave me ten pounds of brand new copper plates. A big stack of shiny 12”x12” sheets of copper plate.