Great work, bud! Oh, how I find myself aching for a lathe to play with! Can't wait to see the end result and everything in between. What made you choose diffused optics over clear?
Thanks for your input ! The little bit I've played with was not as fun to cut as the Al...
I have some 7/8" round rod that was purchased to make some P60 triples, and I'll likely just press-fit some of that into the center of the Al heatsink before drilling for wiring.
I still need to learn how to cut threads, that's next on the list. :)
do you suppose you could measure the OD of the threads on the body, head side, and the tpi? I have a head I'm hoping will screw right onto this body.
edit: i'm assuming you have a thread gauge, since you've got a lathe! if not, somehow I've ended up w/ 3 and I'll send you one just for doing me the favor. I know it is a slim chance, but I'm REALLY hoping I get lucky w/ this lol
Overview: Converting a 3x18650 battery holder from parallel to series operation.
Here are a few pics of the stock battery holder:
As you can see, the holder needs to bring both + and - to the top end, as the body does not have a ground path...it's entirely anodized.
The first modification was to cut the trace on the PCB, linking two spots on each one. I failed to notice these initially, and this led to a short (and melted springs.)
Working from the switch to the top spring, linking + and -, requires a bit of wire:
The extra wires are used to make for a better negative pathway:
Here you can see the addition of 2 contact points to the negative (ground) ends:
Here's a look at the modded holder, reading 12.61 volts:
Next round will be the assembly/wiring of the Light Engine.
I mean, since the plastic legs are stuck right on the heatsink, that they could get warped from the heatsink temps. Obviously they don’t since so many use them. I was just asking, since the stock puropse is for indoor/outdoor lighting where the heatsinks are usually finned for cooling.
That stock battery holder sure is a lot better looking than the plastic junk ones I'm used to. Looks like it's going to be a great light when you're done!
Excellent work so far sir! I like the work you've done on the battery holder.
If you'd like to see a spoiler of the beamshots, take a look at this build I did back in April using the same emitters/optic combo comparing it to a zebra SC60 and everyone's favorite MF 3 mode XM-L drop-in :)
Despite the narrow specs on the optics, prepare for a huge wall of light!