Just got my Astrolux MF01 and was wondering if doing a spring bypass on a double spring is still worth it? Also, what about the springs on the battery carrier?
Tks!
Double springs are used so that the user doesn't have to do any bypasses.
I am pretty sure that bypassing a dual spring setup would yield minimal, if any, gains.
If the carrier is using single springs, then a bypass would worth a shot.
What about removing the inner spring & replacing it with copper wire?
2s2p?
I didn’t know there were only small benefits. Tried bypassing doubles a while back and the solder broke several times while in use. There was also a serious lack of space.
As said, the MF01 uses a 2S2P battery carrier, then three boost drivers into three sets of six LEDs in series.
In version 2 (V1 was a bit of a disaster)
The springs in the head are not likely to be a bottleneck. Actually they are compressed into almost a solid lump of metal when the tube is tightened down.
You are not going to improve this one with any simple DIY stuff. Unless you want to change to e.g. a Lexel FET driver and start hacking up the MCPCB to revert the LEDs to a compatible 2S arrangement.
The LED current is determined by the boost driver characteristics. Minor alteration of contact and spring resistances will have little effect. Or selection of the “best, most bigliest cells, only the best will do…” That sort of stuff only really matters in ancient FET direct-drive designs.
AFAIK nobody has taken a close look at the Mateminco driver design, nevermind tried tweaking it. Not much point, it seems to work just fine, although the UI and thermal stepdown could be greatly improved.
I like mine, just as it is. Enjoy yours too. Not everything needs modding, just because you think you can, sometimes the manufacturers do know what they are doing, and there is little room for improvement.
You have an 18 emitter torch, that outclasses a Meteor in many respects, though not as svelte, and much heavier, for a fraction of the price. Which works well. It is what it is.
Mucking about with the springs in the head is a waste of time, IMO. Likewise in the battery carrier. But check the screws holding the (very heavy and over/under engineered) carrier together, they were rather loose in mine, and the brass pieces that conduct the current could benefit from some appropriate treatment at their contact surfaces, long-term.
I don’t like carriers, but understand why they used one for this 2S2P design.