This "Cree Q5 300LM LED 3 Mode Zoomable Headlight" bought on Ebay has been on my todo list since about October.Previous discussion on this headlamp is found in this thread starting at post#37 and also recently reviewed by RaceR86 here. I figured it would be a quick and easy driver, emitter, and glass lens swap so I decided to "just do it". I'm happy to report that all went pretty well (hey, when you don't burn up the driver, it has the modes you intend, and the LED lights up the first attempt, that's a good feeling!).
Here is a quick build post on the mod:
Here is a pic of the light which comes with three diffusers:
I'm pretty sure the stock convex lens is plastic, the zoom mechanism slides a little too freely, but overall it has a decent feel. It is Hi-Med-Strobe in stock form, and I didn't even check stock current draw.
Here is a shot looking down into the battery tube where the positive end makes contact:
Lens removed showing pill with plastic press-fit retainer:
Pill removed showing contact springs for positive and negative:
That positive spring is a little weak, so I suggest not touching it. I thought I had bent it to the point where it was going to break at one point.
Photo of press-fit stock driver removed:
Showing the solid pill without any drop of thermal paste/compound:
First order of business was to take a Nanjg 1.4A 101-AK-A1 4xAMC7135 driver and convert it to 3 mode (H-M-L) by adding a solder blob across the two pins of the mirocontroller as shown in the following pic (and at link above):
Now wired up and ready:
Placed an XM-L2 T5 5B1 NW emitter with Fujik on the pill and wired it up (fought with cheap wires - ugh! Had to redo wiring because the positive wiring kept melting and would have shorted to the pill/emitter). - No pics shown. I'm only driving it at 1.4A max, so I was not concerned about ridiculous overkill extreme heatsinking techniques or using a copper mounted emitter.
The stock insulation pieces (and an aluminum washer) had to be reamed out a little bigger to clear the XM-L2 pad:
Here's the pill ready for action (fit's nicely in my solder spool - BTW, notice the date? I've had that a long time!)"
Shot of the new driver press-fit in:
New 21mm AR coated glass lens from KD installed (BTW - the KD 22mm AR lens is too big to fit) using two thick o-rings, rear view:
Front view:
Now the finished light:
Sorry I don't have beamshots, but this baby is wide wide even flood! Great for closeup work! Good spread of modes too. At a distance of 12 feet back from a wall, the beam measures 21 feet wide, no rings. My large o-rings may even be restricting a little light. Tailcap current draw measured: Hi - 1.39A, M - 0.43A, L - 0.07A. The driver also has low voltage protection.
Tip if you choose to do this mod. The original lens is press-fit (possibly glued) in place. Do not try to unscrew the very front bezel! (I gouged mine up - should have tried pressing it out to begin with, as it came out pretty easy.) The whole mod is really easy to do and will only cost you roughly $9.50 for the light, $3.50 for the driver, and $4.50 for the emitter, and $2.25 for the AR lens for a total of $19.75 (depending on where you purchase these items of course).
So far I am very happy with this mod as it will be a very useful goto headlight! Medium is plenty of light and should give excellent runtime! On high it still throws out light far enough to see about 50 feet I'd guess. This is my first experience with the 5B1 tint and I think it's tough to compare to other lights with this one being a mule. It's definitely NW, but the jury is out in comparing it to a 4C tint.
-Garry
