Another possible cheap AA mod host (aka "What do I do with this one")? Kind of [PIC heavy]

I seem to be on a streak of buying lights like this one:

http://www.myled.com/p7811-led-flashlight-220lm-3-mode-cool-white-silver-1xaa-1x14500.html

because I’ve been looking for cheap 1xAA hosts.

By “like this one”, I mean lights that don’t have a bezel ring, and in particular, don’t have a reflector and lens that are easily removable (as someone pointed out on another thread, the lens/reflector may be removed by pushing it out from the back).

However…. Although the lens/reflector is not easily removed, on this one, I was surprised that it actually has a small aluminum pill, rather than just a plastic ring like some of the other ones I got.

It also has a mechanical (not electronic) side switch, which is built into the battery tube, which makes it a little unusual, so maybe it’s worthwhile to mod?

Here’re some pics:

The tailcap:

The front of the battery tube (side switch, which is built into the battery tube, not in a separate section):

Some pics of the driver (3 modes, hi, lo, strobe):

The head/reflector:

So, I’m trying to figure out what to do with this now, and looking for ideas…

I guess the easiest would be just swap out the emitter and keep the driver… maybe swap in an XM-L or XM-L2?

The nice thing about this option is that the driver works with both 1xAA and 1x14500.

What about a resistor mod to increase current? Is that possible with this driver?

I still might try to pop the lens out, and maybe somehow make a pill extender and put a triple or quad in there?

Thoughts?

XPG2 + XML TIR is my go to with small AA/14500 lights meant for lots of use. Great balance between heat/output/throw/spill.

Nice find. What’s the diameter of the driver?
and of the LED board? Is the pill hollow or is the LED board backed up by a flat surface?
Can you measure the tailcap current?

what led comes stock ??

Under $10, 1x AA/ AAA/ 14500/ 16340 flashlight reference

I’ll need to dig out my calipers for the driver and LED board measurements.

Pill is hollow below the LED board, which just sits on a shelf on the pill.

Tailcap:

Eneloop: 1.18 amps - 1.24 amps

Efest IMR: .84 amps

FYI, the light is noticeably, but not terribly noticeably, brighter with the Efest IMR than with the Eneloop.

Some more pics of the driver:

Notice the extra pad circled in this pic below. If I move the LED+ lead to that other pad, would current increase, similar to some other lights?

EDIT: That “A1SHB” might be a P-channel MOSFET?

EDIT 2: I think, from earlier work, the SS24 is a Schottky diode.

I think that I’d have to somehow pop the lens off to use a TIR. I tried that in a different but similar light, and ended up destroying the reflector when I pounded it out. Is there a better/safer way to do that (get the lens out)?

That looks similar to the Ultrafire 535 w/o the bezel ring

and of course with a boost circuit driver for the AA vs a 18650

does it have a solid pill?

Interesting review…thanks!

As I responded to hank earlier, no the pill is hollow, i.e., the emitter board sits on a ledge.

Also, to hank’s earlier questions, here’re the emitter board and driver diameters:

Driver: ~14.79 mm

Emitter board: ~15.7 mm (a 16mm Noctigon or other 16mm board seems to fit as replacement - see below)

Ok, so I decided to mod it, but a bit conservatively. I just replaced the emitter with an old XM-L U2 on a 16mm board from CNQ that I had, and replace the wires with heavier gauge (24 AWG maybe?).

Pics of the mod:

The new pill/emitter in the reflector - note no insulation or centering ring was used/needed:

And, a whitewall - on High mode, using Efest IMR 14500 (AA still works also):

Tail cap now:

Efest 14500: 1.15 amps
Eneloop AA: 1.35 amps

I’m still wondering about wiring the emitter to that extra pad on the driver, but I wasn’t sure if that should be LED- or LED+ or neither.

EDIT: Random thought: This is one of those lights that I thought I hated when I got it, but now, I’m really starting to like it… not as-is, but for modding potential. When I was working on it, the lens popped out the front because I think the new emitter board is slightly thicker than the original one, but it was easy to pop it back in, and without damaging the lens or the reflector. Now, I’m starting to think about making a tiny, like really tiny, triple or quad!!

Also, the AA and 14500 compatibility is nice. We’re planning to visit my family, that I haven’t done in a few years, and I’m planning to gift the one I just modded above to my brother, as he’s no flashaholic, so AA would work for him. Very cool :)!!

Nice mod.

I like these small, cheap and surprisingly powerful for what they are lights. And I like this mod very much.

TY for sharing

You’re welcome.

I have a bunch of other cheap AA/14500 lights, but the thing that is rather neat about this particular light is that it not just a tube style light, but it’s design is like a mini-thrower, i.e., relatively large diameter reflector (it’s almost exactly the same diameter as a Solarforce L2) but (to me) deeper reflector, but on a tiny AA/14500-sized body, so if modded, I think that it could throw like, or better than a P60, but in a much more pocket-friendly light.

I really do wish that it had a real bezel ring, but I guess that’s compromise for a $5 (or less) host??

Thanks,
Jim

Sorry, I missed this. I don’t know exactly what the original LED is, but it’s one of the “straw hat” ones (as shown in the pics, both leads coming out of the end, then going into the PCB). But, per the previous post, it looks, the pill seems to fit 16mm boards , even Noctigons, without any extra sanding or anything. Probably if there is a 16mm board that has “tips”, those might need to be sanded a bit, but the boards I tried before putting in the XM-L U2 from CNQ all fit.

P.S. I also put some thermal paste on the edge/shelf when I put in the new emitter board.

EDIT: I keep forgetting to mention: The pill SCREWS into the head, so it has good contact with the head (for better heat transfer/cooling).

It looks like the trick to getting the lens/reflector out is to just screw the pill in from the battery end maybe 1/2 turn, and that pops the lens out”

I haven’t had a chance to measure the reflector yet.

Found at GB (four colors), it seems to be the same
http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_58186.html

BackToSchool8, 8% discount until 09/30/2014.

Ooh. Thanks! I wonder if those’ll come with the green GITD O-rings? The ones I got don’t.

Part of the reason for getting these was that I’ve been trying to find a host for a quad, and I’ve been able to put one (4 x XP-G2) into one of the ones I got from myled. Here’s some pics:

and, it is pretty bright on 1 x 14500 (it’s even brighter on 2 x 14250 though :)!):

Right now, I just have the front of the Carclo quad optic pushing against the lens (which I popped back in). I haven’t figured out a way to hold the Carclo centered yet :(….

But, beamshot-wise, it doesn’t seem to matter with a quad!!

FYI, the XP-G2s were from CNQ…

EDIT: I wanted to thank ImA4Wheelr for his help with this project, and figuring out how to make and solder the driver and pill (based on the work he did with other cheap AA lights).

^ Dude, I just gave you a couple little tips, you did the the creating.

I had no idea you were creating madness like this though. That little light is going to blow minds when you (or they) turn it on. My wife almost had a maintenance guy fall through the ceiling at her work. His light went out and he asked her if they had a flashlight around. She grabber her little stock Trunite Tis out of her pursue and handed up to him. She said just tighten the head to turn it on. Next thing she heard was him saying a few choice words and then "this light is bright!". When he came down from the ceiling he told her he couldn't believe his eyes when he flipped it on. Just imagine what this creation of yours would have done. Big Congrats Man! I love it.

It wasn’t just the PMs, but also that series of threads you had on your “Police” mods was what helped a lot. I had almost given up on these because of pill situation, but those threads caused me to think again. So, again, thanks!

Jim

P.S. BTW, if the 1st thing that maintenance guy asked for after falling through the ceiling was a flashlight, he’s gotta be a flashaholic :)!!

I was in a rush last night. Looking at your pics in Post 16, it looks like you had room to spare in the head of that AA light. Could have you done this mod to an even smaller AA light?