Here is my DinoDirect 5 mode XM-L P60 drop in ...
And today we will be putting in this driver ........ http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S020064
Ok first thing to do is remove the + Contact spring , I hold the spring with pliers , and unsolder one side at a time [ It may only come of a little , thats ok , move to the other side and repeat the process until the spring comes off ]
Then using the soldering iron try to push the solder away from the join [ see above picture (3) ] , if done well ? [ pic 4 ]
The driver will come out real easy [ one hopes its not also press fitted ]
Then unsolder the + and - leads from the emitter ...
Now your ready for the new driver ...
Most of the time , the new driver needs to be fitted [ File edges , to lower DIA , clean up joins etc ]
Once the driver fits easy [ can be removed ]
Solder on the wires ... Once this is done ...
Solder the wires to the emitter , I use a 2xAA battery holder [ 3v ] to test the circuit , 3v cos it wont fry the driver ..
If everything tests ok , solder the driver to the pill , and test again ...
If everything is ok , assemble the pill [ reflector etc ] and test again ..
Put it in the light and use a MM to check current , this is supposedly , a , 2280mAh driver , so check to make sure your not pulling much more than that ..
If you see 5 or 6A , you probably have a mild short , 10A and you will most likely fry something [ not that 5A cant fry something ] , but 10A could be real bad for the battery ...
So thats the basics of it , if I missed something , let me know ...
Important Update :
Seems the driver actually behaves a little different [ its dark out so went and played a little ]
What ever mode you stop at : When you go to change mode it starts on Low ...
So if you stop on low , and go to change modes , its starts or goes to low , and then you continue to change modes till you get what you want ...
What ever you stop on [ even low ] when you go to change modes , it goes to low ...
So it looks like it will always start from low [ stock ]
Always remember , the easiest thing in the world to do , is to expel hot air from your lungs and through some vocal chords ..
The resulting sound may , or may not be worth listening too ….
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-PCS-2-x-AA-Battery-Holder-Box-3V-Case-w-Lead-be2aa-/180437791608?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a02ee3378#ht_3391wt_905
2xAA battery holder ... In series so = 3v I have alligator clips on mine ...
MM = Multi meter , put the battery in the light , place the neg probe to the back of the battery and + probe the clean threads to close the circuit , check Amp reading , + by tapping the + probe you can change modes .. [ If it wont change modes or your getting high Amp reading ]
Short = Unscrew reflector - check Amps / If no fix - resolder leads to emitter and keep bare wire to minimum [ may short against base ] / still no fix , unsolder driver from pill and check solder work , check to see if anything might short against the side of the pill ...
The driver :
This driver is nuts , Ive left it stock ...
Starts Low - Med - High [ No PWM to worry about ] no mem in stock form ..
Then goes strobe [fast], strobe [slow] , SOS , and Beacon ..
Here is where it gets trick :
If you change modes slowly , it only goes L-M-H , and bye passes the blinky stuff ..
If you want to get into the blinky stuff >
Then you need to change modes quickly , cycle through L-M-H once > continue to change modes so that you do L-M-H again .... NOW !
The second time around lets you get to the blinky stuff , so the 4th mode is Strobe Fast - 5th mode is Strobe Slow - 6th mode is SOS - 7th mode is Beacon
So you have to cycle through the modes and the 2nd time around you get to access the blinky modes = OK ?
Current draw High / 2.28A - Med / 0.72A - Low / 6mA from the looks of it ... [ Thats insane ] It will run for ever on low ...
Always remember , the easiest thing in the world to do , is to expel hot air from your lungs and through some vocal chords ..
The resulting sound may , or may not be worth listening too ….
AA is used to test = To see if its working .. 3v is just enough to cycle through the modes and make sure the pill is working as it should ..
You test to make sure everything is fine , as you go , makes life easier if you can catch mistakes early . Also 3v is much safer as its far less likely to do damage if something is wired or soldered incorrectly , you can oops and laugh about it latter .. [ + wont pull 10A ]
Use a 4.2v 18650 and you may get the magic smoke as your reward ... [ You fried something ]
New driver Brighter ? I dont think so , more efficient , user friendly , better .. + Folks wanted a guide on doing a driver swap , and I wanted to see what this driver does ...
So a few birds taken out with one stone ...
Always remember , the easiest thing in the world to do , is to expel hot air from your lungs and through some vocal chords ..
The resulting sound may , or may not be worth listening too ….
Red to + , which is the centre spring ...
Neg is the pill body ...
Before soldering the driver in place .. Just put the red to centre spring , and neg to the outer edge of driver
Always remember , the easiest thing in the world to do , is to expel hot air from your lungs and through some vocal chords ..
The resulting sound may , or may not be worth listening too ….
Important Update :
Seems the driver actually behaves a little different [ its dark out so went and played a little ]
What ever mode you stop at : When you go to change mode it starts on Low ...
So if you stop on low , and go to change modes , its starts or goes to low , and then you continue to change modes till you get what you want ...
What ever you stop on [ even low ] when you go to change modes , it goes to low ...
So it looks like it will always start from low [ stock ]
Always remember , the easiest thing in the world to do , is to expel hot air from your lungs and through some vocal chords ..
The resulting sound may , or may not be worth listening too ….
Thank you for taking the time and trouble to write this article. It's a little advanced for me as yet, but the pictures really help. Better than a lot of text books.
I highly recommend a solder sucker or solder removal wick for when you are removing the original driver. Either of these can be purchased cheaply from DX. Having these tools will really help if you are going to be doing a lot of soldering.
Keepin’ the “B” in BLF
Do you have a link?
Old4570,
Thank you so much for posting this, I haven't done anything like this with flashlights yet but have been thinking about getting into it, this helps greatly and it seems straightforward.
Is there any chance you, or someone else could post or link me to a similar tutorial for swapping an emitter???
Thanks again, I have bookmarked this.
Thanks for the write up.
I feel like I should take something apart at least to look at it..............
The next part I have to figure out is what to buy for a replacement.
Ummm... how about:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/aluminum-alloy-desoldering-pump-33011
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/goot-wick-soldering-remover-1-5mm-x-1-5m-6252
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/goot-desoldering-wick-remover-2-5mm-x-1-5m-6211
The solder removing wick can be purchased in multiple sizes...
Keepin’ the “B” in BLF
I think you would just figure out what you want out of the light, I.E. modes, current, etc and find a driver to suit your requirements.
Are most all drivers the same size or is that another thing you have to look at when purchasing one?
Bookmarked, thanks!
Flux is also useful both for soldering and desoldering.
You should be able to pick up the solder removal wick at Radio Shack or any local electronics shop
You would want to make sure that the driver you need is the right diameter. 17mm is a very common size and is the sized used in the P60 dropins, but some drivers are larger and some are smaller.
Keepin’ the “B” in BLF
Have you tried these. I managed to reduce one to one mode. I am not too good with soldering small pieces.
http://www.intl-outdoor.com/amc71354-5mode-circuit-board-nanjg-101aka1-p-254.html
Another way to remove the old driver is to cut away the solder blob with a sharp hobby knife (mind your thumb) and also cutting vertical along the edge of the driver. This is normally sufficient for prying the driver out at its edge with the knife (again mind the fingers).
I have found that this can snap the blades on hobby knives, so now I have an old small, precision flat blade screwdriver that I use to pry out drivers.
"You are making progress if each mistake you make is a new one."
Remember - Most great discoveries start with maki
No Problem
KD gives a description of how to mod modes - ill see if I can snap a picture as time permits ..
Always remember , the easiest thing in the world to do , is to expel hot air from your lungs and through some vocal chords ..
The resulting sound may , or may not be worth listening too ….
I use a dremel with a sanding tip to remove solder off the driver and pill I find it easier and quicker.
I think I'm going to try this method. I just tried to desolder my driver and could not get the solder to flow at all. I have no idea what they used to solder this damn thing but I was getting worried that I was gonna fry the board with the heat I had the iron on it so long. All I could do was push the solder around a little bit. I'll just cut it out now.
I use an xacto knife or a razor and cut around the edge of the driver through the solder. I have taken many drivers off this way.
I am already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.
Some times they are a bitch to remove I find the dremel is quick and easy and you don't have to worry about over heating the pill and causing damage to the led.
Ive found sanding the solder off the driver and pill makes it Easyer to re-solder the new driver to the pill as it removes the tarnish.
Just make sure your soldering iron has enough Wattage .. 25-35W should be enough 45W if you need to get a little more heavy duty ..
I have a 65W iron for silver solder , want to get the solder to flow [ used to make tin tanks from jam tins for control line ] but we dont need that for electronics .
Swapping the emitter ---
If all your doing is an emitter swap
1/ Make sure your new emitter is on the right sized base [ new one ]
2/ Unsolder + and - wires
3/ Removing emitter - can be easy - can be a PITA , I use a small flat head screw driver and try to pry it out as carefully as the required force will allow ..
4/ Clean the pill
5/ Mix and apply thermal glue [ Archtic Alumina ]
6/ Put down new emitter the right way (+-)
7/ Centre emitter as best as possible before glue dries
8/ Resolder +-
9/ Test
10/ assemble pill/light and test again ...
11/ Your looking for shorts , so Multi Meter is a must to keep an eye on current draw , Direct drive and a XM-L mod may result in more current , but just watch out for extra ordinary current .. A mild short can easily add one or two amps , and the emitter may burn brighter [ but a short is a short , and one day it might not be mild and stuff happens ]
Always remember , the easiest thing in the world to do , is to expel hot air from your lungs and through some vocal chords ..
The resulting sound may , or may not be worth listening too ….