Build video

OP: Choosing host and leds, parts list

Post#2: Build video

Post#12: Drilling reflector and switch retaining ring

Post#19: Seven XHP70 and long tube arrived, dremel reflector edge

Post#28: Drilling and filing, parts line-up

Post#28: Drilling copper plates, sawing copper rod, preparing copper spacer

Post#32: Fitting glass lens and measurements

Post#33: Preparing driver, modifying battery carrier

Post#42: Soldering MCPCBs to copper plate

Post#43: Testing and final assembly

Post#46: Beamshots and picture gallery

Thanks for your encouraging comments, MascaratumB, Scallywag, CNCman and pinkpanda3310 !

After a month, I have made up my mind which host and led configuration to use in my OL contest modded flashlight this year.

I updated the OP with pictures of the host and the reflector. It will be a big host with 9cm head diameter and optional 8 18650 tube, a heavy copper spacer and seven XHP70.2 leds.

Thanks for the nice comments, MRsDNF, MtnDon and MascaratumB. Sorry if I am replying late but here are the updates.

A few days ago I drilled out the holes of the seven leds reflector. I used a 10mm drill bit.

Before drilling

Half done with drilling

After drilling, I removed sharp edges and cleaned the reflector with air. It looks nice again and the holes are a little bigger now.

The switch retaining ring had to be drilled, too, to allow fitting a Convoy L6 switch cover. The self-made silicone covers did not work properly.

Switch retaining ring before drilling

After drilling and filing

Last Thursday five XHP70.2 leds arrived. I will use four of them in this flashlight. They are 5000K 90 CRI with N2 3C bin. I bought them at the HotRed Official Store on Aliexpress. XHP70.2 90CRI

Compared to a XHP70.2 P2 3A with 70 CRI (bottom right corner) it is clearly visible that these leds have the for high CRI leds typical orange phospor cover.

The four XHP70.2 look great in the reflector. The for now empty spaces will be fitted with three XHP70.2 P2 7A 70 CRI leds to achieve a rosy 4000K light.

MRsDNF wrote:

MascaratumB wrote:

Someone likes walls of light

It would appear so.

That is true indeed. Especially high cri and rosy walls of light.

But I hope it will give me a big hotspot with a little throw as well.

Rdubya18 wrote:

This is gonna be nice !

Thank you, Rdubya18.

YuvalS wrote:

Wow 4*XHP70 is going to be Sooo bright (and HOT)

That’s for sure. I added some new pictures below where you can see that I will actually use 7 XHP70 with a big copper spacer underneath.

YuvalS wrote:

A bit off topic but what is your opinion on the Deko drill? seems like it is better than most crappy Chinese power tools.

I didn’t want to make an advertisement for the Deko brand but it is a great drill. It is one of the few drills on Aliexpress that is brushless. It is said that brushless motors are more efficient, stronger and better than brushed motors. The Deko drill is indeed strong with 58Nm torque and it even has an impact mode for drilling walls. It has a 40Wh battery that seems to last forever, two speed settings and a very handy percentage display on the battery pack.

I am not an expert in drills but compared to the old drill with Ni-MH batteries that I used previously this is a whole new world. So far, I found no flaws with this Deko drill and I would recommend it. [end of advertisement ]

Last week the other three XHP70 leds for my project arrived, together with the long tube for 8 18650 batteries.

The four XHP70.2 5000K 90 CRI (N2 3C) and the three XHP70.2 3000K 70 CRI (P2 7A), in the right picture the configuration they will have:

The seven leds reflector is full now.

Here is the long tube, together with the battery carrier:

What I did in terms of modifying was to grind away part of the egde of the reflector with my dremel to make it fit into the flashlight.

It went quite smoooth. I feared to scratch the reflector with the aluminium particles but they went outside and left the reflector untouched.

Before

During work

Almost there …

… and it fits.

The edge is a bit textured now but not too rough so I will leave it this way.

Current status

CNCman wrote:

Sweet light Skylight I really like this very challenging mod your doing. Great job and I’m looking forward to more pics . .

Thanks CNCman. I never did a mod with 7 XHP70 before but I hope to get it right.

MRsDNF wrote:

The torch looks finished on the outside.

True. Inside, the heart and the brain are missing, leds and driver.

Scallywag wrote:

With a good FET you can get 7000 out of the 70.2 pretty realistically… Wonder if with 7 of them you’ll hit 50k (however briefly)?

50k lumens would be an optimistic but nice lumen value. If the FET can handle 70-80A I might reach that. However, my aim is more like around 30000 lumens which is already plenty. To handle the heat well I will solder the led MCPCBs to a copper plate and maybe add a little copper piece as heatsink on the FET.

pinkpanda3310 wrote:

Just like CNCman said this looks like a challenging mod. Looking good so far

Thanks pinkpanda3310. I chose a challenging mod on purpose because if it was not for the contest I would always postpone it. The contest gives me the right motivation to finish this mod within a certain time limit.

pinkpanda3310 wrote:

Skylight wrote:

The contest gives me the right motivation to finish this mod within a certain time limit.

…and that time limit is coming around….

Thanks for the reminder, pinkpanda3310. Just realised that time is running fast and I need to reserve a few afternoons for flashlight modding.

Here is a little update what I have so far:

- Host Dongdonghai D8A
- 7x reflector
- 7 XHP70.2 leds (3× 3000K, 4× 5000K 90CRI)
- 20mm copper rod
- 65mm, 55mm, 40mm copper discs for the spacer
- 30mm TA driver and side switch
- 8 18650 tube
- Soldering paste, thermal paste, 16 or 18AWG cable, drill, metal saw, dremel and other material

So as of now I have everything to continue with the internal parts of the build. Some copper sawing, drilling and soldering is left to do.

What I am still waiting for is a 82×2mm AR coated glass lens (from the Haikelite MT07). It showed me to have arrived in my country so it should make it in time. It will replace the 80×3.8mm stock not coated glass lens.

Today I’m back with good news. Last week I managed to complete most of the remaining work so that I’m close to the final assembly now.

Here comes what I have done step by step with many pictures.

I drilled the hole for the side switch with a 10mm drill to let the side switch fit in.

Result

Filed the edge of the 65mm copper plate to make it sit lower in the flashlight.

Before I continued modding I took some fotos of all the parts together.

The three copper plates used for the copper spacer all need two holes to pass the cables through.

Before

A few fotos with leds and reflector installed.

During drilling

The holes in the 65mm top copper plate are determined by the position of the leds.

I marked the holes in the 55mm copper plate to overlap with the 65mm copper plate.

The holes in the base 40mm copper plate correspond to the holes from the driver cavity in the flashlight.

Finished

I just had to take some fotos in the decorative shiny copper swarf.

The last part missing for the copper spacer is a 30mm piece to be cut from a copper rod with 20mm diameter.

All the parts for the copper spacer are finished now.

Here is what the copper spacer will look like. The 40mm and 55mm copper plates will be soldered to the copper rod, the 65mm copper plate will be put in only with thermal paste.