Convoy S2+ Modding/Help/Questions + - FIRST TIMER at modding.

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

Hi guys, Following this thread, I tried to reflow the led but it failed. I now need to

  1. Buy a new star + emitter
  2. change the driver at a later stage.

I have many questions.

1) I measured the star (pictured above my failed star) and I measured about 15 to15.3MM. I would want to know where I can purchase led already mounted on the stars that will FIT on the S2+. (preferable XM-L2 T6 4C or similarly neutral XP-L leds) ?I prefer shops like BG, FT, GB or DX?? as they ship internationally.

2) How do I remove the 7135 chips if I want to? Solder it out?

Questions about tail cap
3) If I change the driver to the BLF A6 driver, do I have to use the BLF A6 tailcap PCB or the one provided in the S2+ will work fine?
4) With what tool do I unscrew that PCB ou? I see a retaining ring with 2 holes. I figure a tool must be inserted and twisted. I don’t have any sharp/strong enough tool. Any specific tool to use?

Thanks guys.

2

Answering your first question, here’s how to use Google to search a site for a particular string:

Type (or copy and paste) this into the Search box on your browser page:

site:fasttech.com “XM-L2 T6 4C”

note you want the 16mm base, not the 20mm base.

so you can include that in your search string:

site:fasttech.com “XM-L2 T6 4C” AND “16 mm”

3

Yeah Thanks for the led….$4.41 for it. Not exactly cheap :stuck_out_tongue:

4

“Budget” does not mean the same thing as “cheap” —- if you want cheap, we can give you pointers to LatticeBright.

But “cheap” does not mean the same thing as “bright and reliable”

There are always tradeoffs. It’s good to get your soldering practice on cheap emitters.

5

Fine man. There are only 14mm and 16mm boards….Will the 16 mm fit or should I go 14mm??

6

Measure the diameter of the emitter you’re taking out.
Note what holds it in place — probably pressure from the reflector being screwed down, unless you’re going to use epoxy.
Is there a plastic spacer on the reflector or on the emitter you’re taking out? You want to keep that.
You don’t want a metal-plated reflector to short circuit the solder points.

One thought — you might want to do this first on a $2 (ebay) SK68 clone. Same size (16mm) emitter. Same basic idea.
You haven’t said how much experience and equipment you have for soldering.

7

Richard builds em all the time - I think you can safely use the same sizes as he does. :slight_smile:

-Chuck

8

I’ve built three of these lights. Like said above a 16mm mcpcb is a perfect fit. If the little leftover machining “ears” are too big you may have to file them off, but its not hard.

Removing 7135s isn’t hard. It’s easiest with a flat iron tip, not a needle point. Lay the tip across all three legs at once, give it just a bit of pressure and the chip will flick right off. Ignore the big grounding tab on the back; its contiguous with the center leg so it’ll turn loose at the same time.

The S2+ factory tailcap will work fine with whatever drive you put in there, including the FET+1. Just leave it.

Turning that retaining ring is pretty easy with a small pair of precision needlenose pliers or a set of snapring pliers. It may turn with a strong set of needlenose tweezers but I’ve had little luck with that.

9

If you are putting in the A6 driver, you need a Copper DTP board, otherwise you will burn up your new LED.

You don't have to swap over the switch, but it's advisable to do a spring bypass if you are using a high drain battery.

10

In regards to retaining ring - you might as well use scissors with sharp tips, thats how I remove ’em on mine ;)!

11

MountainKing,

16mm Board and LED will fit, Here are three that should ship to your location (not affiliated links, of course)

XM-L2 2C

XM-L2 3D

XM-L2 5C1 80+CRI

These are all on Copper, so ready for the upgrade to the BLF A6 driver. I would go the 3D one personally, good tint all around.

Find a good pointy pair of scissors, tweezers or anything else for that retaining ring.

Search here on how to do a spring bypass, good stuff HERE for the tail spring when you put in your BLF A6 driver.

Make sure to get the soldered wires on the LED board as flat as possible, Especially the Red (+) one, if that shorts to the reflector you loose your driver and may overheat the battery, and lose the switch too… Learned that one the hard way. Put a small piece of electrical tape over the wires too.

Good luck and let us know how it comes out.

12

Thanks guys. I am going to go slowly with this one……My equipment is very basic at the moment and I will have to perfect my skills first and get a ‘clamp’. This is a must I think so that the flashlight is firmly held while I work with it.
I will definetely update this thread once I sort out all those items I need and equipment and practice my solder skills on some cheap sk68 etc :slight_smile:

13

I recommend tackling it slow. due to alignment and heat,
I would buy an led already on a noctigon copper pad. they are anywhere from 3.99 to 6.99. that’ll save you some trouble. go ahead and get snap ring pliers for the tail ring and driver rings. the biggest issue I ran into was grounding the driver pre-tin the pill or after using a retainer ring, solder a small spot to “tack” it in place. if you look at my posts, you’ll see that I received great info from members here regarding common newbie questions