Modification notes
The mounting of the LED is similar to that of a T62 and other older POP Lites and Lensers. I would like a Nichia 219C driven by about 8 x 7135, as the stainless steel and light construction won’t dissipate more heat than that. But the pill is too shallow to fit a Qlite type Nanjg 105C on an adapter board or ring. So I ordered a 22mm A22-7135 (22mm 7135) v022 OSH Park ~. It looks like that BLF driver will fit with 8 x 7135 on one side, but I am proceeding without it. I am filing down a Noctigon to fit a Nichia onto the pillar sticking up from the pill.
Nichia 219C LED swap
Filed down star, up side down in pressure cap. Some of the insulating layers is scraped off to expose more copper for the leads.
Here is the under side of the pill.
It has the same budget type FET and resistor driver as the T62. I might fill the Q2 slot, using a transistor off another FET and resistor driver, as I did with the T62. Since the Nichia has low forward voltage, and the Q2 spot is still empty, I will start with the resistors and thin wires still in the circuit, this time. I am hoping I can replace the whole driver later.
I am guessing that if I take 1.6 mm. off the pillar, to make up for the Noctigon thickness, it will focus about right. The focus also depends on the LED substrate thickness and the dome. My T62 has more than 1.6 mm. of o-rings under the bezel. I filed down the pillar of the Lenser P14: Classic Review: LED Lenser P14 TIR zoomy.
As with the P14, spacers are required under the pressure cap. The hand filed pillar seems nice and flat.
CNQ Host on left (Q Lite with 12 x 7135, mode 3 of 4), P632 with Nichia and stock driver on right (high).
Both have Nichia 219C, 80CRI, 4000K (Cutter-NVSL219C-20-E5).
The TIR optical zone around the convex lens helps the tint, as well as increasing the total output. (The wall is a bit pink.)
POP Lite T62 with dedomed XP-E2 on left, P632 on right.
The difference in spot size is probably mostly due to the XP-E2 being dedomed. The apertures are about the same size. Unscrewing the bezel to change the focus doesn’t make much difference to the spot size, my guess was about right. The greater total output must be due to the lower resistance of the Nichia.
Maybe they used a better FET, the modes change normally.
Half populated, BLF 22mm 16x 7135 driver, by wight (Alex Wells)
The back of the driver will have solid copper wires for the negative contact to the retainer plate, like the lumps of solder on the original driver. This will keep the plate from contacting other traces on the driver back. The center hole of the plate needs to be cut bigger to clear the components on the back. The center will get a brass pill.
The driver thread is: 22mm 16x 7135 driver for F13 flashlights - [released].
Driver contact plate trimmed for small components:
Driver, one side populated with controller and 7135s:
Driver back side with brass button and solid wire contacts. Small components still to assemble:
Small components on:
I shorted across the otc pads to ground pin 2, to imitate star # 4 on the Qlite. After fixing a bridge between one of the connection plate wires and the 7135 output pad (lower right above), it works, on the bench! Too bad my soldering isn’t neat like the machining of the stainless steel host.
In addition to four wires, away from the components, a connection is needed to supply a ground, across the two center pads for the missing 7135 next to R2. wight used the center bus of the 7135s to distribute ground. 8 x solid copper wire would be best because the 7135s were also part of the thermal design. But with half the power that won’t matter much.
Going back together:
Perhaps because of the thickness of the back contacts of the 7135s, the pressure plate won’t screw in all the way, which keeps the battery tube from screwing all the way into the pill.
Perhaps shortening the driver pressure plate threads and the battery holder would make it fit better and mechanically stronger.
CNQ with 12 x 7135 and Ahorton lens on left (mode 3 of 4), POP lite on right:
Modified POP lite T62 on left, POP lite P632 with Nichia and wight driver on right.
It seems not quite as bright as expected, but it is now regulated.
Here is the modified light, right, and the stock second example of the same type, left.
Left image: stock with protected Panasonic charged to 4.1 V, mod. with a POP included cell charged to 3.6V.
Right image: cells reversed.