Build/Mod: Zoomie with Brynite B158B host (wider flood mod)

I ordered some B158B hosts directly from Brynite to evaluate if I want to use this host with my drivers as my “production” zoomie for fellow cave/mine explorers/photographers. So, let the evaluation begin…

The first thing I had to deal with is the pill can’t take a 20mm Noctigon. I new this from other threads so it was no surprise. However, I did not want file down the 20mm to size. The idea is that this is going to be a production light so I don’t wanna do that for each build, so I needed a reliable method to center a 16mm. I found a driver retaining ring from some old light that fit in the pill perfectly after just a little filing. Then I slapped on some Artic Alumina adhesive and stuck in a Nichia 219c on a 16mm Noctigon:

Then push the retaining ring over the LED to keep if centered while adhesive dries. I had to make sure I didn’t slap on too much adhesive as I want to re-use the retaining ring for all B158B builds. It worked perfectly:

My 17.7mm drivers where just a little too small so I had to solder it in. I used a G-12 in this one (12 x 380mA 7135s). I’ll be making the diameter a little larger for B158B based lights, but soldering would have to do for now:

The plastic ring for LED fits back on, makes it look cleaner than the bare Noctigon with soldered wires.

The next thing I had to deal with was the forward clicky switch. I don’t like them, I want reverse. I know BLF user Cula replaced the contact board and raised the new switch with epoxy putty, but I find a different way which works good enough and uses the original board. I took out the plastic cradle that holds the switch and hacked it up a bit. It ain’t pretty I don’t care, it’s not a visible part. Here next to an original:

I put a Omten switch upside down in the cradle, turned the cradle upside down, filed down the original switch hole a little for perfect height match and soldered the switch into place. The original forward clicky switch on the left, mine with the reverse clicky on the right:

So the light was ready for testing. Some here at BLF may know I use wide floods for climbing and photography. Most use zoomies for pencil beams, but I don’t (although it’s fun), I need and adjustable flood that can go wide… and the B158B does not. It doesn’t cut it, too narrow for my use. However, there is a lot of room between the pill and lens so there definitely room enough for a wide flood, but the flood wideness stops early because of the tube design. If Brynite made made the threaded part about 8mm longer and removed the same 8mm from the wider non threaded part, and removed 8mm from the outer tube, then the light would be able to utilize wider flood without sacrificing focused beam:

The good thing is it can be fixed rather easily. I screwed out the pill about 8mm. I’ll have to find a way to fix the pill to the tube with it hanging out this much, like some thin tubing that’s thin enough to fit inside the host’s inner tube without hitting the outer tube so the pill can go all the way in for that focused beam.

Of coarse with the pill screwed out this far the cell won’t make contact with the tail switch spring. So I had to make the tail switch spring reach longer. I took apart the tail cap again and moved that white “spring cover retainer” from under to the top of the tail switch retainer ring, and stuck it with epoxy:

But the spring inside the tail cap isn’t long enough and I couldn’t be bothered to replace the spring so I just made the spring cap solid instead of hollow by filling it up with copper wire (I filled it with solder after):

Tail cap assembled again, and now I have a tail cap spring that pushes the cell onto the driver and keeps contact all the way until the pill is fully screwed out:

So, I now have the perfect zoomie. It’s waterproof (according to rating, will be properly tested later) and now has a very wide flood that almost rivals my widest zoomie without sacrificing the focused beam at all.

With these mods this is now my favorite zoomie host by a lot. I can now sell lights to my caving/mine buddies with a quality host instead of the cheapo one I’ve used before.

I’ve been dealing with Martin from Brynite. So far he has been very fast and helpful. I don’t know if Brynite will want to make changes to the host design, but it doesn’t hurt to ask Martin if they are willing to. Most importantly I’d like the the threaded part of the inner tube to be 8mm longer and the fatter non threaded part 8mm shorter (so overall length is same but there is more threading). The outer tube would have to be shortened by 8mm too. With these changes I wouldn’t have to lengthen the tail cap spring. Second I’d like LED place in the pill widened so a 20mm Noctigon fits perfectly, or make a 20mm capable pill as an option (they do sell pills separately).
I’ll ask Martin about these changes and see what he says… Maybe there will be a minimum order for making changes like this, it doesn’t cost to ask though.

Looks great! A kan 28 switch fits that plastic cradle perfectly, with no filing required. A different switch boot is needed, though. Also, kiriba-ru’s pills fit a 16mm Noctigon perfectly, and are very thick (heavy) compared to the stock pills.

Does the B158B have logos on it? Do you know if it is possible to get one with no logos?

Edit: I especially like the flood mod, bringing the LED closer to the lens. That is a great idea.

I lengthened the spring only because I’ve screwed the pill out for a much wider flood. No need to do it if you don’t want wider flood.
Thanks for the tip on the kan 28 switch though, will make building these lights a little easier. Are they good for about 6 amps? The Omten switches seem to be.

kiruba has pills for this light? Cool, thanks for this tip too!

Martin from Brynite offered with or without logos. I ordered without.

I understand now, pardon my hasty reading (edited my post before your reply hit). The flood mod is awesome. I have not had any issues with Kan 28s with direct drive lights, but I can’t guarantee anything :slight_smile:

Awesome!!

Wow. Lotsaworkgoneintothisone. :slight_smile:

Very cool! So there are enough threads in the head to continue twisting til stopped by the pill? I always prefer these kinds of lights without branding as well.

Enough threads for the pill to be screwed out about 8mm. Screw it out longer and the inner tube’s threads pop out. The pill is pretty close to the lens too, I don’t wanna be scratching it by hitting it with the pill. 8mm is about right, makes for a pretty wide flooder.

Very nice mod Mike. It’s a great and versatile flashlight. I never thought I would like it so much but nowadays it’s my favorite one. Great work.

How far can this light throw with 12 x 7135 chips Mike?

Good mod.

But If I understood right you loosed full focus(zoom in) mode? Now you have flood light?

Also if my memory serves me right in this light you have greater flood mode by dedoming emitter (try this).

This is thrower flashlight so it would be really nice to see throw numbers with classic nichia and your driver.

Wauw!
What smart clever solutions
Up side down switch
Getting the led closer to the lens.

Yes I have some contact with Martin too, excellent English AMD fast replies.
Anxiously awaiting if your suggestions can be done.

Yeah, I really like it with the wider flood. The waterproof rating is good for us cavers. Your switch mod that pointed me in the right direction, so thanks for the write up you did on it :beer:

I haven’t tried. I’m using Nichia 219c with dome intact. It’s a very nice tight beam, I haven’t tested throw distance.

No, that’s the beauty of this mod, full focus is still intact. With the pill extended out I can still twist it all the way in. So I have extended flood range but full focus is intact and untouched.

I have never seen a good tint after any de-dome with the de-domes I have tested. I really want to keep the 219C tint and CRI intact, it’s very important to me.

I’d like to know them too, but I don’t have the equipment to test. Maybe I should get it as I am selling lights to friends. What equipment do you recommend?

Thanks! About the mods, kiriba-ru might be able to make custom copper pills that are already extended, so there could be two ways to get it done. I’ll ask Martin by email tomorrow in any case.

Does the tail cap screw on if you screw the pill back in?

Got a link to any pages of caving pictures and stories? I did a lot in the US when I was a youngster. I miss it.

“Mr. Ranger, how many miles of the cave haven’t been discovered yet?”

I did this with an sk98 a while back. I filed down the end of the pill to get the emitter closer to the lens. Then I added the extension to allow the zooming mechanism to slide fully back.

It worked well. Gave me just over focused when zoomed in and a nice wide flood when zoomed out.

Nice mod! A wide flood is very useful and not many zoomies have it.

The Kan28 is actually a switch that I tested: switch tests: KAN-28, update: stock switch UF-1405 in post#12

No, not quite. It looks like it’s almost in but it doesn’t make contact. Need the original tail cap if the pill is in it’s original spot.

Not much caves lately, but I got some photos I’ve taken down in old abandoned mines. check my photo stream on flikr for tghe latest: Akrylamid | Flickr

Some older: Mine II 03 | A Gruvtroll (mine troll) in his natural habitat… | Akrylamid | Flickr

And my absolute favorite photo I’ve ever taken so far:

I’ve made two video clips too:

Looks nice. I found a spacer for my pill in the plumbing section of a “home depot” style shop. Not a perfectly tight fit but it does the job, I can screw the pill tight on to it and it fits back down into the outer tube:

Thanks!

And thanks for the link to your test. It looks like a good enough switch to use, it will make building these lights even easier then :slight_smile:

I suppose you could also buy a spare pill and put an 8 mm spacer under the Noctogon. Then it’s just a pill swap to get either type of beam(more flood or more throw) rather than dedicated take tail caps which aren’t as readily available since they sell spare pills but not spare tail caps.

“I’d like to know them too, but I don’t have the equipment to test. Maybe I should get it as I am selling lights to friends. What equipment do you recommend?”

10-30$ China lux meters should be ok for getting throw figures. Couple of threads about them on BLF search box but if I remember right you can’t go wrong with any cheapo luxmeter.

So you are pro photographer? :slight_smile:

I am looking forward for pics in zoom in an zoom out mode :wink:

Your 12x7135 driver would be killer for old and unavailable xp-g2 s4 2b dd emitter cause in FET driver it draws about 4.2-4.5A giving around 300kcd in throw and also very fine and most intense flood mode in a zoomie world.

But since you are not candela hunter this will also be fine. :+1: