Mod/Driver: ZY-T08 series conversion, MT-G2.

I hear you. Gotta try out the new version with the FET first though.

I got mine ages ago, so I don’t know myself.

Light and driver has had a major overhaul… again… Details in OP, original post moved to #2 (yippee, I found use for that reserved post).

Do you have a link to the switch you used? I’ve been trying many things, but have yet to work out a good switch housing when adding an eswitch to a light.

Mike, please give your suggestions about copper pill design for this light.

Nice work! I have one and have a few ideas about it. The tail switch would break contact between the cells rather than between the host and 2B~~. Leave the existing contact board in the head as is and make a new oval one to fit in the head end of the battery tube with solder bumps on the top (both at 2B+ potential) and copper tabs at the ends to ground the host that get sandwiched between the head and battery tube. On the underside of this board are a B+ and B~~ contact. This way the rotation of the battery tube is irrelevant to polarity.

I knew you had reserved a post for a good reason :wink:

I’m not sure how I missed this one. Nice work. I’ve been playing with this light myself lately having made a couple with the batteries in series. Is there a link to Oshpark for the switch board?

Yeah, I’ve had some issues with that too. This is the switch I used for this light: http://www.newark.com/c-k-components/k12c12-5n/switch-1mm-travel-2-5n-ip67-seal/dp/58T4766
For smaller lights I did this: Mod: My take on the convoy S series with side switch mod.
Check the last photos, I ditched that switch that was taped to the outside.

I would definitely like a copper pill for this one, but the light I have is quite old and I’ve read here that the newer ones have declined in quality. Someone would have to confirm though. If the new ones suck it might be a waste of time making a copper pill for it.

I’ll have to make it a habit now, I’m hooked! :smiley:

I had one shared before, but changed the design just a little later on… I’ve now shared it again: https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/gqQMuyMr

I have actually attempted something very similar. The tail switch I have already breaks contact with the cells, not the host, but earlier I designed plate to sit on top of the cells, and had changed the underside of the driver so rotation wasn’t and issue. However, fixing this plate was too much of a hassle, and as I use this down in dark abandoned mines I want to be able to replace the cells rather easily. I couldn’t get this solution to work smoothly so I switched back to the original design.

Here are my driver boards with the similar design as your suggestion (it was when I was using ATtiny84 for this driver):
Edit: The + and - signs on top of the battery plate are incorrect, + is the middle circle, - on the two outer.

Thanks Mike for the switch plate. I concur with the issues of alignment with the batteries to the driver board. I have resorted on my test light screwing the battery board to the battery housing which is a pain changing batteries.

I mean what do you think about led and driver combination for this light. I have read that using mt-g2 requires make pcb place lower cause reflector sits higher on such big led. Driver size and config is also an opened quetion.
This flashlight have at least two good quality clones (ultrafire with serial cells in stock and one more with piggybacked BT receiver for remote control), even if anodize or smth else is not very high quality the host itself is very good designed for heat accomodate and transfer (much better than all SRK clones for example). I can’t imagine how much power it can carry with copper pill.

That was definitely a no go for me. I had to be able to replace cells “normally”. I had to insert the driver in exactly the right angle so the cells aligned with the solder blobs when screwed on. And now with the body filed down I’m not getting any shorts. What driver are you using?

It was quite a long time ago I first installed the LED, but I do remember I had to file down the reflector to make it fit. I did an ugly job of it too. However, I really like this light with the MT-G2. It’s why I have continued to develop it. For my usage I don’t want an extremely tight hot spot and I think it’s close to perfect with the MT-G2. And driven with a FET it puts out quite a lot of light.

My driver is made with a 30mm diameter which is a little too large so I have to file it down slightly for it to fit. I did this intentionally so that the driver has to be pressed in with force so it will not move.

I didn’t know about those clones. And one has serial cells already? Also, piggybacked BT receiver sounds interesting. Do you have links for these two clones?

How is it now days with the ZY-T08? I think I remember they made a new version with e-switch on the side and no tail switch. On FT the pictures show the tail switch version: https://www.fasttech.com/product/1188301-small-sun-zy-t08-1-led-635lm-5-mode-white-light

The light linked above is the normal ZY-T08 with plastic reflector. I believe the ZY-T08 at Gearbest has the aluminium reflector and they are a different shape to the plastic one.
I’m running a 5.5 amp, 4mode driver from RMM in a custom pill with the one light I’ve modded to series.
I’m a late comer to this light but fallen for it big time. Made quite a few, running the BLF A6 +1 DD driver piggybacked on the standard stripped driver, XPL Hi led, 26mm Maxtoch MCPCB screwed to the pill, replaced switch, spring bypass, and a larger oring on the battery tube as the stock one does nothing.
I thought I had pictures but cant find them so maybe I did not take any. :slight_smile:

Interesting… The Gearbest has aluminium reflector? This one: http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_198014.html ?
Have you been able to compare it with the plastic one, or have you only been working with the alu one?

I only have the one with aluminium reflector which I bought second hand of losttheplot. I believe it came from Gearbest. I do have one on order myself from Gearbest to compare them with.
The plastic reflector at about 4 meters has a smaller hot spot. Shining both lights at a tree 115 meters away its hard to pick the difference. It could come down to the plastic reflector being slightly better tuned to the led but both reflectors are definitely slightly different in shape.

Here is link to remote controled clone:
https://www.fasttech.com/product/1342000-flex-asgard-1052-lumen-programmable-cree-xm-l2
Photos of ultrafire with cells in series:

I’ve recently ordered this one from gearbest and it has the plastic reflector.

Could you (or someone) measure the distance from the top of the pill to the led shelf? I’m currently modding one and making my own custom copper heatsink but forgot to take some measurements… Haha

4.1mm

So it appears they are all plastic now. Not that I have anything against plastic.

Thanks, I don’t think I’ll care much for the bluetooth one, I can configure most of that stuff by buttons. However, do you have a link or name of that Ultrafire one with cells in series? I’m interested in checking it out.