Brinyte B158 Flashlight GB- Ordering is a GO with coupon, all details in the OP! Updated: 12-09-15

[presterjohn]

Ordered the standard stock light + tracking. Hopefully I shall get it before the new year but who knows with these guys.

[veer (vēer)]

@mhanlen

Ok folks, mine is finally modded. I pulled out the video camera and kept it rolling. Expect some output figures, beamshots, and a how to video covering the whole process. Batteries are charging, so I won’t have output figures right now, but I’ll put it up against my Acebeam T20, which produces somewhere in the neighborhood of 260kcd.

So anyone wanting to know how it’s done will have a step by step guide. It was fairly easy, although it took me 30 minutes or so- mostly because I suck at soldering. I should have the video edited and up in a few days. I threw in an XPL HI 16mm, and the plastic spacer fits it perfectly.

Looking forward!

[evankouros]

I've ordered 1 white B158 (with tracking + insurance) some hours ago. Thanks again for this deal!

Didn't order the brass pill, because I'm not sure if I can make it. I've no idea regarding flashlight DIYs and no experience at all in soldering. I believe I can make it though, since I've done lots of kinds of DIYs (even in electronics), simply following "How to" guides/videos. So... get ready! I'm affraid I might bust your b@ll@cks with what follows... :lol:

@Kloepper Knife Works

The LED you found is correct, if you check the box that says dedome option it will come to you dedomed.

ok, that's easy even for me to do! :p

@Kloepper Knife Works

The third driver (unfortunately currently out of stock) is the driver I’d recommend. It would come fully assembled.

Since it's out of stock, which driver should I buy then?

1. 17mm Single-Sided FET Driver PCB - V1.11 - MTN-17DD
2. 17mm Single-Sided FET+7135 Driver PCB - V1.0 - MTN-17DDm

Supposing I get the answer for Nr.1 or Nr.2 driver, then (as I understand) I have to assemble it with another part (that I don't know) and make it look like FET + 7135 Driver - 17mm - MTN-17DDm ("driver Nr.3" which is out of stock)? But how do I assemble it? I'm not aware of the DIY procedure. I don't even know how are called (and where to get from) the rest of the parts that are necessary for the assembly.

@Kloepper Knife Works

Unless you have a butane torch I’d just use thermal adhesive to mount the MCPCB to the pill. You’ll need the soldering iron to make the connection between the positive and negative wires and the pads on the MCPCB, and to solder the ground ring of the driver to the brass pill.

All these words in red... I'm not 100% sure if I understand what they are. If there was terminology with pictures somewhere, it would be really helpfull for a "foreign DIY flashaholic wannabe"!

Anyway, if I understood well the architecture of the pill (which is this), in it's upper part is the MCPBC with the LED emmiter (like this) and in it's bottom part the FET driver with the upper spring (like this). What I don't get, is why thermal adhesive is needed in order to mount the MCPCB to the pill. Where do I have to put the thermal adhesive? By mhanlen's video I thought that the thermal adhesive (or soldering) is needed if somebody wants to change the LED emitter on a MCPBC. Is it needed because the press fit ring will be destroyed when I'll try to get the original B158's driver out (according to posts #93 to #97), so you propose to put the thermal adhesive instead of soldering (as you wrote @ post #126) ?

Well... at least I understood why I "need the soldering iron to make the connection between the positive and negative wires and the pads on the MCPCB" when I saw mhanlen's video at 0'20" and 2'10" (though I still don't know what pads are). I also understood that "solder the ground ring of the driver to the brass pill" has to do with the "Tutorial for bridging springs" that follows.

[quote=Kloepper Knife Works] Here's a tutorial on adding a braid (I prefer 18-20ga silicone or Teflon coated wire). "Tutorial for bridging springs":https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/19507 [/quote]

I've read it and understood the general idea, but I'm not 100% sure if I could do it. As I'm the opposite of an expert in soldering, is there a really easy way to bridge the head/tail spring? Let's suppose that instead of copper braid I'm using an old coper cable (or another cable you propose) that I simply twist it around the spring (from botom to top). Would that be ok, or is it most probable that it'll guide to malfunction?

@Rufusbduck

Fwiw you can order the FET +1 driver with Toykeepers firmware from Mtnelectronics with the driver spring already bypassed so all you need to do is solder the emitter wires.

Link for the red? I searched but I didn't find it. Is it something like FET + 7135 Driver - 17mm - MTN-17DDm? Could BLF A6 A17DD-L FET+1 2.8-4.35v 7/4 Modes Flashlight Driver do the job well in my B158 project? If I manage to get a "FET + driver" that suits the B158's brass pill, then I don't need to get some parts or/and do some of the rest that KKW wrote?

@Kloepper Knife Works

@Rufusbduck

Fwiw you can order the FET +1 driver with Toykeepers firmware from Mtnelectronics with the driver spring already bypassed so all you need to do is solder the emitter wires.

His concern, I think, was how to do it on the tailcap, but good to note so he realizes it’s only on one end that he should need a spring bypass if he didn’t already.

My concern is what to do... in general! That's why I've asked for a "How to" guide in previous post. Good to know that if I manage to get FET +1 driver with Toykeepers firmware from Mtnelectronics with the driver spring already bypassed that Rufusbduck wrote, then the spring bypass might be needed only at the tail (as shown at the tutorial). So please give me some info where to find something like that (FET + driver and all the parts I need) that can be shipped to Greece. Could the parts needed be on fasttech, dx, gearbest, banggood etc?

Sorry for my confusion and thanks for your patience guys!

[evankouros]

@mhanlen

Ok folks, mine is finally modded. I pulled out the video camera and kept it rolling. Expect some output figures, beamshots, and a how to video covering the whole process. Batteries are charging, so I won’t have output figures right now, but I’ll put it up against my Acebeam T20, which produces somewhere in the neighborhood of 260kcd.

So anyone wanting to know how it’s done will have a step by step guide. It was fairly easy, although it took me 30 minutes or so- mostly because I suck at soldering. I should have the video edited and up in a few days. I threw in an XPL HI 16mm, and the plastic spacer fits it perfectly.

Just posted and I must say that I’m very happy (maybe even more than you) to read that you modded it! :party: I’ll be waiting fo your guide!

BTW… don’t worry… I must be the definition of “I suck at soldering”!

[keengeorge]

@mhanlen

Ok folks, mine is finally modded. I pulled out the video camera and kept it rolling. Expect some output figures, beamshots, and a how to video covering the whole process. Batteries are charging, so I won’t have output figures right now, but I’ll put it up against my Acebeam T20, which produces somewhere in the neighborhood of 260kcd.

So anyone wanting to know how it’s done will have a step by step guide. It was fairly easy, although it took me 30 minutes or so- mostly because I suck at soldering. I should have the video edited and up in a few days. I threw in an XPL HI 16mm, and the plastic spacer fits it perfectly.

G'Day MHanlen,

As you are publishing your modding video guide...,

..could I Please have the code for 1 of White Brinyte B158, & 1 of Brass Pill?

Thank you Very Much,

Best Regards,

George

[mhanlen]

@keengeorge

@mhanlen

Ok folks, mine is finally modded. I pulled out the video camera and kept it rolling. Expect some output figures, beamshots, and a how to video covering the whole process. Batteries are charging, so I won’t have output figures right now, but I’ll put it up against my Acebeam T20, which produces somewhere in the neighborhood of 260kcd.

So anyone wanting to know how it’s done will have a step by step guide. It was fairly easy, although it took me 30 minutes or so- mostly because I suck at soldering. I should have the video edited and up in a few days. I threw in an XPL HI 16mm, and the plastic spacer fits it perfectly.

G’Day MHanlen,

As you are publishing your modding video guide…,

…could I Please have the code for 1 of White Brinyte B158, & 1 of Brass Pill?

Thank you Very Much,

Best Regards,

George

Yes you can… I’ll put you on the list… but the codes are now public. Demand has swelled, so you’ll have to be patient about when it ships. Gear Best played it safe with the first order, and in the mean time it had doubled… so they’re placing another order with Brinyte. I’d say out of kindness wait a few days before ordering, so people who signed up early will get the first stock. But there’s no rule saying you have to.

Codes and links are in the first post. Only the colored lights need a code. Make sure you set money to USD because otherwise the code has been giving people problems.

[evankouros]

@keengeorge

…could I Please have the code for 1 of White Brinyte B158, & 1 of Brass Pill?

Let him do his homework!

Seriously, you don't need a code. I've ordered 1 white at $22.99 without code. The same goes for the brass pill.

[beam0]

@Kloepper Knife Works

You need 4 parts to hit 300kcd+.

A dedomed XP-G2 S4 2B on a 16mm Noctigon, solder or thermal adhesive to mount it, a good FET driver like the 17mm MTN-DD driver, and a wire jumper on the tailcap spring. All of these should be easy to order from the Mountain Electronics international store.

In comparison what advantages/disadvantages would there be between this and a similarly equipped UF-1503?

And (besides being smaller), performance wise how would it compare to the UF-1405/1504?

(edited)

[keengeorge]

@mhanlen

@keengeorge

@mhanlen

Ok folks, mine is finally modded. I pulled out the video camera and kept it rolling. Expect some output figures, beamshots, and a how to video covering the whole process. Batteries are charging, so I won’t have output figures right now, but I’ll put it up against my Acebeam T20, which produces somewhere in the neighborhood of 260kcd.

So anyone wanting to know how it’s done will have a step by step guide. It was fairly easy, although it took me 30 minutes or so- mostly because I suck at soldering. I should have the video edited and up in a few days. I threw in an XPL HI 16mm, and the plastic spacer fits it perfectly.

G'Day MHanlen,

As you are publishing your modding video guide...,

..could I Please have the code for 1 of White Brinyte B158, & 1 of Brass Pill?

Thank you Very Much,

Best Regards,

George

Yes you can… I’ll put you on the list… but the codes are now public. Demand has swelled, so you’ll have to be patient about when it ships. Gear Best played it safe with the first order, and in the mean time it had doubled… so they’re placing another order with Brinyte. I’d say out of kindness wait a few days before ordering, so people who signed up early will get the first stock. But there’s no rule saying you have to.

Codes and links are in the first post. Only the colored lights need a code. Make sure you set money to USD because otherwise the code has been giving people problems.

MHanlen, Thank you Very Much for your Greatly Appreciated reply.

I will wait a few days before ordering, so as to be fair to those that put the name down for the Group Buy before I expressed my interest.

[Rufusbduck]

KGB, the A6 driver can also be ordered from BangGood but won’t have the same high quality parts nor can it be ordered with the bypass already done so like me you’ll just have to suck it up and get better at soldering. Get a decent iron and use flux and size the tip and temp for the job. Only experience will make any difference after that. I still suck but I do it anyway.

[veer (vēer)]

May I propose that someone starts B158 modding thread instead of losing all the modding info in this group buy thread?

[mhanlen]

@vēer

May I propose that someone starts B158 modding thread instead of losing all the modding info in this group buy thread?

I surely will, if you give me just a few days. I’ll post my mod video with results and we can go from there. I mean someone else could do it, if they couldn’t wait- but since only 3 of us have lights, and only two are modded… I think it can wait a few days. I tried doing beamshots tonight but it’s terribly foggy… so it doesn’t work well.

[veer (vēer)]

Thats fair :D!

[Rufusbduck]

Maintaining a mod thread is a fair bit of work as it constantly needs updating to the op or the mods get buried in the thread. Best is to have one or better yet two people who are passionate about it occupy the first two posts so that it can be kept up over time.

[tkd15]

Just ordered 1 CW with tracking.
Thanks for organizing this GB, looking forward to the mod thread.

[monanza]

Ordered my bits. Thanks for the effort monsieur! It seemed at first that it would be a slow going GB but in the end it heated up pretty quick. Thanks again.

[beam0]

Is it necessary to get the extra pill if you are going to swap out the driver and ledboard?

Are the extra pills being ordered to have the capability for quick swaps to an different LED type/color, or because it’s too hard getting the driver out (and/or causes damage)?

-

Also the consensus is this is a better alternative to a UF-1503, correct?

[KeepingItLight]

@beam0

In comparison what advantages/disadvantages would there be between this and a similarly equipped UF-1503? And (besides being smaller), performance wise how would it compare to the UF-1405/1504? (edited)

@Kloepper Knife Works

In terms of sheer output, the 1504 is better, but if you ask me which model I’m going to carry more it’s going to be the Brinyte. It’s just a more manageable size, lighter, better build quality, water resistant, and has a better lens quality (and won’t shatter). In use it would be hard to notice the 100-200m advantage of the 1504, but it is easy to see the advantages of the Brinyte. Although I really want to complain about the cost of the pills, it’s still a good price all said and done on a light that really knocks 2 other lights out of my on hand stock, the T20 and 1504. It destroys the T20, and performs staggeringly close to the performance of the much larger 1504, while beating them both on build quality. I’m going to pull out a MEM approved lens that should fit the Brinyte and see how much improved it can get from its already excellent output. Edit: MEM approved lens on hold till I reduce the diameter 2mm. It’s only got about a 1mm wide rim, so I may decide not to risk it, but changing out the head may not be too hard…

[beam0]

Thanks KIL, I see it now, don’t know how I missed that, been reading through this, too fast I guess.

[mhanlen]

@beam0

Is it necessary to get the extra pill if you are going to swap out the driver and ledboard?

Are the extra pills being ordered to have the capability for quick swaps to an different LED type/color, or because it’s too hard getting the driver out (and/or causes damage)?

-

Also the consensus is this is a better alternative to a UF-1503, correct?

So I finally did mine, and it came out kind of easily… I did damage the original driver because it was soldered from the inside. I would say the spare pill is necessary for those people who don’t want to damage the driver and solder the driver from the inside. That ring should make it fairly easy. Soldering the negative to the ring on the inside will make for a flicker free light. I got lucky and mine made good contact by pressing it into place.