Hey guys i have this convoy c8 and its great so far but i just saw this deal on banggood on a astrolux S3 for €17.59 and bought it it has the XP-L HI led
I want to put that in my C8 is that an easy swap?
Also bought a fet+1driver for me C8
Edit: i also have lg hg2 and sony vtc5 are these good cells to use?
And what kind of 14500 do you guys recommend for my S3
You need to reflow the LEDs as the S3 has a16mm star and the C8 a 20mm one.
I am from Germany if you dont feel comfortable to do a reflow you can send me the boards and LEDs in a bubble foil envelope
For a good reflow you need solder with flux or paste and something to apply heat to the star, a good controlable solution is on a stove with some mass of metal for a slow temperature transition
For FET currents with those cells you need a DTP board
Noctigon makes good quality, sone other like from Kaidomain needs some sanding to be flat
Also AR glass would be a nice upgrade for the lights
Further you need some thermal glue for the S3 as the board is glued to the base
If you choose me for reflow I can add 2 small blobs of 2 component thermal glue
or make a mod so the LED star dont rotate while the head is screwed down, like a small bolt driven in the head and a hole in the star
My personal recommendation is to not touch the emitter on the S3…
A new xpl-hi is cheap enough to buy and install on your C8 without tearing into the very nice S3.
It will be difficult to get the driver out of the C8 head though.
The retainer ring is glued with thermal glue.
This needs some heat (gasbrander) to be able to screw it out of there.
But maybe you’re lucky and you can screw the ring loose.
If you’re really looking for someone to do things for you you could send it to Den Haag too.
Now that im looking at this i think im better of just ordering an S2 is that a nice thower
Or maybe just another c8 with an XP-L HI
I saw some videos of the XP-L HI and looks like a lot futher throw than my XM-L2
What light do you recommend for around 20/30 euro
So i cant use that driver board with my c8 and those cells?
A thrower needs a big reflector.
That’s why a C8 is a thrower and a S2 is not a thrower.
When the LED is relatively small and the reflector is relatively big, you can make a tight beam of light.
It would be good for you to browse the topics about what you want to know.
There’s a search bar in the top left of the page.
A Brynite B158B would be good too.
It’s a zoomie with a nice big lens, but may need some modification of the pill.
“S2” and “throw” don’t belong in the same sentence.
The S2 and S2+ are great general purpose lights, but the small reflector doesn’t make for a very tight beam, and the OP (orange-peel) finish further “smears” the beam.
My rec is to keep your C8 as-is and just get another C8 with the XP-L HI in your choice of tint. You can never have too many C8s.
Yes you are right
I really want a small thrower and the C8 seems great now just what led
Im new to the whole led thing
My tought now was ordering an Astrolux S2 with a XP-L HI LED for throw right?
So i can just do an easy led swap since its both 20mm
Ive been searching the forum now some time and i think the XP-L hi is the best choice because its factory dedomed right?
Then i have an astrolux S2 with an XM-L2 because why an XP-L hi in there
And the XP-L hi dropped into my C8 for a little thrower
Wil i blow out the led if i use an high drain 20a 18650 and a fet driver? That one that i linked
