A few quick emitter swaps...

Match · November 16, 2012, 10:26am

I got tired of messing with the lathe and qtc's so I decided to take a break and do a few simple emitter upgrades.

First up is the Quark AA2 Turbo xpg.

Here's the tools needed to remove the head:

Mmm...look at all that delicious threadlocker...

And all back together with the new emitter...

In sticking with the "pocket thrower" theme of the quark turbo, I decided to forgo the ever popular nichia and even the xpg2 and instead used a Cree xp-e2 (2B). My emitter testing led me to believe this would be a better fit for this little double AA... and it is. Here are the results:

Lux before = 8,250cd
Lux after = 16,000cd

Lumens before = 241
Lumens after = 215

For a minor hit in overall lumen output, lux almost doubled! I was hoping to get some beamshots up with this post, but it's been rainy/cold/miserable the last few nights. I'll update later when I have a chance. Suffice to say, I'm very happy with this emitter choice.

Next up was a Naithawk M.1 emitter swap. Simple xp-g to nichia219. This one was so straight forward that I didn't even bother with pictures. High output was never the naithawk's strongpoint to begin with, and things didn't get better post mod....however the combination of the beautiful tint and well spaced rotary U.I. makes it an outstanding little light.

Last but not least, a very simple mod! My used and very much abused zebralight H51. Please note that all damage to the light was due to its owner subjecting it to a very harsh working life, and not caused by the mod. Here again, I went from an xp-g to a nichia219:

Opening shot:

Post emitter reflow and partial assembly:

Fully assembled H51 but now with more CRI goodness (bad phone photo, the lens/reflector are not cloudy):

A few things to note:
- The bezel is press fit, and not threaded.
- The stock emitter pcb is screwed down to the head - hence great heatsinking!
- The reflector is also press fit, but comes out easily enough with a few gentle taps.
- The lens dimensions are 18mm x 1mm
- The nichia219 was reflowed onto the stock pcb.

As with most xpg to nichia mods, the hotspot is now slightly more diffuse - which most may find that to be a good thing in a headlamp. Lumen output is less but of course the color rendition and tint speak for themselves.

Play time is over...now back to quad xpg2's and mt-g2s....

-Match

Confusius · November 16, 2012, 10:36am

Ha! I knew it! You are using a sonic screwdriver:

So the true question is: Match Who?

No wonder you can do miracles

JohnnyMac · November 16, 2012, 8:25pm

Very nice, my man!! Please enlighten us as to how that ZL bezel is removed without nicking, bending, gouging, or shattering anything.

rojos · November 16, 2012, 9:55pm

Bravo!

CheapThrills · November 17, 2012, 12:07am

That Zebra mod…. The great one just got even better :cowboy_hat_face:

nitroz · November 17, 2012, 3:42am

I would think some heat, placed on rubber and twist really hard.

AlexGT · November 17, 2012, 4:32am

What did the pliers “bite” into? Is that a car water hose? the rubber looks nice and thick to prevent any damage to the bezel

MILO · November 17, 2012, 1:15pm

It will be great to find out how to remove the bezel ring without breaking the glass len first.the last time i change my zl sc60 to a nicha 219 emitter.I ended up using 1 more glass len than required and got quite messy with all the broken glass in the reflector.Its all straightforward after the len is broken withthe ring ply out.

Philipp · December 4, 2012, 1:50pm

+1
Oh yeah! please do so!

@MILO: can you tell me/us more about that emitter change in the sc60?
Was it hard to get the bezel ring out?
What diameter was the PCB or did you reflow the nichia 219 onto the original board?
Was it screwed down like in the H51?
Wich new lens did you install? Where did you get it from?
many questions…

MILO · December 5, 2012, 12:17pm

The 18mm x1mm glass len can be found at DX, fasttech at relatively low price. The AR ones at intl_outdoor for more cost.

Its not really hard once the len is broken. The whole idea is to create a gap between tne bezel and oring so that a flat tip screwdriver can be inserted to ply the bezel out. It should be easy to come off as it is not really tight. Please take note not to punch something sharp right into the glass len as you might not control the strenght properly and damaged the reflector or emitter. Wear google and glove for protection from broken glass.

Didnt measure the emitter pcb but it not a regular shape as there is 2 cutout for the 2screws holding the pcb. Reflow will save you from more work.

Putting the bezel back to flush when everything is done can be done by using a bench vise.

Will try to post some pictures when i am home tonight. Hope it helps