I’ll be buying either group1 or group2 in different LEDs to see the difference between them in person, then later mod them all:
Which Convoy platform (either 18650 or 21700) is easiest to experiment with and availability of parts, such as MCPCB, drivers, relectors/optics, and other misc parts?
I would say they are pretty close but group1 wins.
They all use a 17mm driver and the 17mm driver comes in many different flavors.
The S2+ and S3 can use the 20mm TIRs which come in many different types/angles.
I find the integrated shelf construction of the BLF/Manker A6, (or I believe the S21G) to be easier to mod as you don’t need to unscrew the pill every time to make adjustments. Its easier for me to align the optics when just unscrewing the bezel rather than the pill also
That is true. Though at the same time, a pill gives much more freedom in the total height of the PCB and optical elements, while an integrated shelf does not offer this flexibility–a fraction of a mm in height could compromise waterproofing or cause rattle.
Modding wise I’d say S3 is the best. 17mm drivers, 20mm TIRs, and it is a shelf light, as opposed to a pill light, which makes swapping out parts easier and faster.
If you want a wide availability of colors and short 18350 tubes, S2+.
I think, S2+ is easier to solder on for beginners since the pill can be screwed out which makes the solder joints on LED board much easier accessible.
I don’t have that many convoy lights, have you confirmed that all the parts of each group are compatible if you wanted to “mix-n-match” them?
I wonder if it would be better to just get 3 S2+ hosts in whatever colours you like, and use those to compare LEDs?
There are a limited number of TIRs available on the market and the height is similar to most shallow reflectors. If the height is off, the bezel can be unscrewed a bit or filled with a thicker O-ring. I think the difference between pill and integrated structures might not be that big, but pill does give you more freedom, like TIR+glass.
I may be stating the obvious if you’re swapping the lens and optics the integrated shelf that is faster but if you’re swapping the driver and led than not so much, as you can just swap out the pill to a different one and even revert back the original in a pinch. This leads into to having multiple pills for just a single host, even destructive mods like triples are possible to revert back from. which also makes it a cheaper endeavor as pills are just fraction of the cost of the host. Last time I asked Simon to buy some extra pills he wouldn’t sell them on his store but he gave me some spares. Kaidomain sells the original s2+ hosts with the trapezoid threads and extra pills.
The original s2+ hosts have a truncated triangular thread, i.e. 60 degree included angle. The new ones have a trapezoidal thread, but it is undetermined if it is ISO metric or ACME, which between the two there is a 1 degree difference in the included angle.
I’d say the S21A is a better platform for modding. The MCPCB shelf is thicker and it is easy to lap it flat, which is not the case with the s2+. 20mm drivers offer more component real estate than 17mm ones. 20mm MCPCBs and larger optics allow for bigger LEDs to be used easier. The 20mm MCPCB can be fastened with screws. The driver shelf / lip of the S21A pill is not flat though, it is actually a 45 degree angle or something, so the thermal and electrical contact of the driver occurs via the retaining ring. I’d recommend sanding the retaining rings flat on both sides as well to clean them up.
