I did it…I fixed a light that didn’t work, with an emitter change!
This is non-news for you veterans out there, but I’ve had really bad luck (lack o’ skill) with working on lights.
My Convoy S5 wasn’t throwing like I wanted so I dedomed the XML in gas…that worked, but after messing with it I broke the hairlike wires and it went dark. So I ordered an XML2 T5 5C1 on direct copper from Illumination Supply (fast shipping!) and went about replacing the emitter. The board was too big to fit in the pill (yes, I’m a newbie) so I ended up sanding it down with some really coarse sandpaper that was on hand. (what are you SUPPOSED to use?) Put a drop of Fujik-like stuff in there and soldered the wires on. IT WORKS!! I’ve been a pretty hard-core cool white guy up ’til now, but it’s a nice buttery tint, maybe there’s something to these warmer tints…
This may mark the end of my dedoming career…it just makes the LED too fragile for me. Besides, I got a Jacob A60 (very cool!) and that $10 little cutey from WB’s Instant Kill, the Olight i6 to put on my bike helmet for more throw.
PS - Also learned (the hard way) how to get an S3 apart and that the pills are NOT interchangeable between the S3 and S5.
Way to go. Not long ago all this modding stuff looked like unfathomable high tech stuff to me. Gords1001 walked me through my first build, which was basically installing an emitter and a driver, and now there’s no turning back. I still have lots more to learn, but, on this site, all you have to do is ask.
Congrats on the successful XML2 T5 5C1 on direct copper swap! Don’t expect us to really believe you’ve redeemed yourself until pics are up, of course! :bigsmile:
Congrats on your first successful mod. I started modding the same way. Now I only buy lights I intend to mod in some way. Each new light I try something new or different. This past weekend I did my first dedome and first reflow. It’s definately addictive once you get started down the modding path.
I know exactly how you feel! I'm that way. If there is a chance to mess something up, I will mess it up! This weekend I was working on my lawnmower headlight project and finally mounted my emitters (not the junk test one, but now the real one I'm using - I have no extras) and the drivers (I already burned up my only spare trying to resistor mod it for more output). Previously things were just kind of stuck together with wires hanging and lots of alligator clips used to make connections for "bench testing". Well I was about to apply power to test one of my final assembled pieces (I have two assemblies - 2 PC heatsinks with P60 pills attached for driver mounting) and right at the last second I thought I better do a continuity check across the input leads and then the output leads to check for shorts (I was doing these continuity checks all the time during testing). Sure enough I had a dead short on the output leads at the emitter connection! Good thing I didn't power it up! I removed one of the leads (positive), checked for continuity - good now, no short which seemed to indicate some part of my positive lead was touching the heatsink and therefore shorting to ground, then reassembled and re-tested (good now). Fired it up and it worked like a charm! I was so happy that I actually built something that worked!
I may "talk the talk" here on BLF, but in reality I haven't done very many mods and I have a heck of a time with those darn small components!
So I ordered an XML2 T5 5C1 on direct copper from Illumination Supply (fast shipping!) and went about replacing the emitter. The board was too big to fit in the pill (yes, I’m a newbie) so I ended up sanding it down with some really coarse sandpaper that was on hand. (what are you SUPPOSED to use?) Put a drop of Fujik-like stuff in there and soldered the wires on. IT WORKS!! I’ve been a pretty hard-core cool white guy up ’til now, but it’s a nice buttery tint, maybe there’s something to these warmer tints… 
