Help - Disassemble the Hugsby XP-2 Head and driver mod?

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

Hi,

This is a followup to another thread (Single AAA Gifts), but specific to the Hugsby XP-2 (and maybe XP-1) AAA lights.

I have a couple of the XP-2 (2 x AAA) and have been trying to disassemble the head.

As mentioned in that other thread, I tried to push the driver etc. out the back but ended up cracking the (apparently AR) lens.

So, now, I’ve removed the driver, by de-soldering (and cutting) it from the brass ring:

Here’s the driver:

and:

Is this driver moddable at all?

After removing the driver, I was kind of surprised that this appears to have a solid shelf for the star (seen from the back below):

So now, I’m trying to disassemble the rest of the head. I’m kind of sure that the head must unscrew into (at least) 2 pieces, because (a) it doesn’t open from the front and (b) there’s the shelf in the middle, but I haven’t been able to take it apart any further.

Here’re a couple of more pics:

Has anyone taken this head apart? If so, how?

2

That rectangular shape kind of looks like a 7135, if it is maybe it is possible to stack them?

I don’t think it is in two parts on the outside but that it is a brass sleeve that is pressfitted into the head with the star and led already mounted on the lens side with the o ring and lens dropped down first.

But i hope i am wrong and it is screwed together somewhere around the knurling :slight_smile:

3

Hi,

I think that that chip is a FET, and the smaller one is a (Schottky?) diode.

I don’t think you’re supposed to stack (parallel) FETs like you can with 7135s, because you normally need to balance the current amonst the FETs.

EDIT: But, if you had problems killing the 1xAAA (vs. working with the 2xAAA) when using 1xLi-ion, maybe it’d be possible to mod the 1xAAA driver by replacing with different version FET and/or diode.

EDIT 2: Since you have some dead 1xAAA heads, can you pull the driver out like I did (cut the 2 solder joints) and post pics of the driver?

4

cajampa,

I had thought the same thing as you suggested, but the LED shelf is a couple of cm down from the end of the brass ring, and the inside of the head is black, so I don’t know if it could be that way.

5

Sorry that wasn’t me, i was the one who put a 10440 in my xp-1 and i didn’t get any light at alll, now i know i was fortunate because,i had i got some light it would be dead now.
I was the one who liked his hugsby to much :slight_smile: to be rouge with it before i got the others in the mail for sacrifice :evil:

EDIT
what…. so the brass ring is just a retaining ring for the driver………i don’t know what to make of this how do they get it in there???

EDIT2
I think i got it, if you take off the o ring it looks like maybe it is glued in or pressfitted in where the shiny aluminum stops and the anodizing start.

6

Did you actually get it apart there? Post some pics!!!

7

Sorry to get your hopes up, no as i said i will not try to rip it apart before i get some more in the mail for sacrifice, i like it to much and use it surprisingly often.

But if you take of the o ring and check where i described it looks like it could be fitted there by glue or pressfit.

8

The chip is boost IC, obviously (most likely BL8505, BL8530, LY8530 or something similar).
There’s no easy way to mod this driver, I’m afraid.

9

Hi,

Thanks. So this:

http://www.belling.com.cn/2011p/BL8530_en.pdf

?

10

FYI, I’ve tried using a pair of pliers in the emitter wire holes but it wouldn’t budge (tried both counter-clockwise and clockwise, just in case), so maybe, as you said it’s glued :(?

11

Yep, SOT-89-3 5.0V variety

12

This is a bit disheartening, i guess i will just have to use the Hugsbys as nice aaa gift lights, they really didn’t want anyone to open them is seems, it is like the complete opposite of the jexree mini.

13

Since it’s not a FET, I wonder if it’d be ok to stack them, as cajampa was thinking earlier?

14

I would guess not, i would not stack anything other than the 7135 or resistors, boost drivers are finicky, i haven’t seen any very suspenseful attempt at modding them.

How deep is the driver compartment? check out wight new 12mm driver

At least the driver is somewhat accessible so it is still upgradeable, depending on how deep the space are.

15

heat up the pill before attempting to remove driver/emitter.

16

have you tried carefully pulling out the front o-ring, and seeing if it disassembles that way?

17

Hi,

By “front o-ring” do you mean the one that’s between the front of the reflector and the inside of the head? If so, that O-ring came out awhile ago, when I cracked the lens. The reflector cannot come out the front of the head, as there’s a lip there.

It also doesn’t seem to come apart at the other end of the head, where the threads are, either.

Totally puzzled at this point.

18

Check where the threads are, if you remove the o ring on top of the threads, i think it looks like it could possible be as seam there.

And could you measure how deep the driver area is for me, if it is at least 4,9mm deep (and maybe smaller if one shaves some components), wights 12mm FET driver could fit in there for a driver upgrade at least.

19

I’ll try measure the depth later today.

But, off-topic: I found the stock XP-2 light, with 1x10440 and a dummy battery is kind of crazy bright! We were out last night, doing some snow blowing, and that was the only light I had on me, and I used it light up across our entire driveway (and brightly).

20

Good update on the 10440 :slight_smile: i have some xp-2’s coming soon, i can’t wait to get them :slight_smile: