Is there any reason I cant use black electrical tape instead of Kapton (dont have any). Wrapping bottom of reflector where it may contact +/- leads soldered on to PCB. Also saw xm-l to xp adapter for 7mm led opening to help center led, are these useful.
Electrical PVC-tape is too soft. When the pill is screwed in against the reflector, the solder blobs will rip the tape apart. Kapton tape is a bit stiffer but it still does that. I sometimes use Kapton tape against the reflector and also on the board over the solder blobs, so that the two smooth sides of the tape slide over each other.
Black electrical tape may or may not work for you, depending on a few factors. The cheap stuff is definitely not going to give you any satisfaction. The good stuff might. I’m unsure, because for what I use electrical tape for, I always buy the cheap stuff. In my area, you can buy a whole log (10 rolls) of the cheap stuff for cheaper than you can buy just one roll of the good stuff. Good stuff being Scotch 33+ brand. The cheap stuff will loosen with time and/or temperature changes. It will eventually come off completely, and will leave nasty, sticky black adhesive residue that generally takes a solvent to clean off properly. Not only that, but the cheap stuff can’t stand the amount of heat that the LED’s usually generate. The tape will cook and make the mess even nastier. Like I said, I don’t know how much of this applies to the better tape, but I’ll assume there’s a good reason it’s over ten times the price! So, with some Scotch 33+ you may do just fine. I do know the heat won’t be as much of a problem, because the Scotch 33+ is made to withstand high(er) temps. If you have sufficient pressure on the tape to keep it from ever coming off, and you aren’t planning on ever taking the light apart, the cheap tape might be fine as well. It’s your call!
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…… Don’t you work as an electrician? :~
I am a licensed electrician. I use electrical tape for a couple things. Mostly, I use it to hold things together temporarily. I wrap the tape enough times around that it won’t break or come off while in use. Then, when I’m done with it, I cut it loose with my pocket knife. I occasionally use a little bit of electrical tape wrapped around my finger as a Band-Aid, if I cut myself on the job. Sometimes, when installing receptacles, I will wrap tape around the receptacle to cover the screws so they are less likely to touch something and short out in the box. By wrapping the tape around enough times, it won’t ever come completely apart, but if left alone for long, the open end will start to come loose.
Here is some budget Kapton tape
US based free shipping $3.99 (Get it sooner if in the US)
I used electric tape often.(mainly because I have no idea what’s Kapton tape and my area don’t sell them)
If it eventually melts I’d clean it up with cotton and lighter fluid.
Hope that helps.
I should invest on Kapton tape soon
Don’t forget RMM. $2.35 and don’t forget to look around like a kid at a candy store. He has lots of goodies. I always end up buying more that I first intended to when I shop there.
2/5 inch (~10mm) Kapton Tape - 1 Mil - 33 Yards
+1, support the locals!
As has been thoroughly covered, it’s awful. And it doesn’t matter what color, the goo on the back is nasty and the tape itself won’t stand being smashed. Kapton will take heat better, but still won’t stand between the solder blobs and the reflector.
The little Nylon “adapters” don’t block blobby solder joints either, and make adjusting the beam (by changing the position of the LED in the reflector) almost impossible.
Whatever solution you end up using, re-melting blobby, cold-looking solder joints will help as much as what tape you use.
If you have a ball-end tool for your drill or Dremel, you can seal off the front & rear openings of the reflector & carve out a groove where the solder joints will no longer hit. Use a magic marker to mark where you think it will hit, assemble it, then look for the scratches. Seal it, grind it, re-test it & you won’t need tape and can adjust your beam pattern. Works for me.
I hate to keep harping on it, but now that I’ve tried TIR Optics, I really can’t imagine (assuming proper-sized optics are available) why anyone would bother with anything else. Made of non-conductive plastic, you get the beam pattern you want (per your order, but you may not want what you order — e.g. I like 60° for EDC but would probably prefer 10° for camping) PLUS, the TIRs I’ve tried all tend to blend the awful Cree Rainbow into a much-nicer (IMNERHO, of course) true-white beam.
I like painting the bottom edge of the reflector with a thin layer of arctic alumina thermal epoxy. Gets the job done. It’s much stronger and more secure than tape.
I have had a completely different experience. All the TIR’s I’ve used, even the high quality ones, make everything too floody and appear less bright. They are a neccessary evil for most triples and quads, but I wouldn’t use them at all otherwise.
I have used electrical tape on non-friction points before, and it’s definitely not ideal. My only beef with kapton tape is that it’s a little hard to work with, and just not sticky enough.
Wow! Great tip! Thanks!
Standard binding hole puncher works great too for the center hole, when you’re making custom plastic spacer. I regularly cut-to-fit any rigid plastic I can find (like discarded packaging) and punch the center to make the insulator disc. I find this to work better than kapton tape as the tape can still come off if rubbed a little too strongly.
I use some 1/32" and 1/16" thick Buna-N sheet that I get at a local supplier. They make me some lens seals out of this same stuff when I need a flat seal but for the insulators, I just cut what I need. Super tough stuff. PM me your address and I'll send you some.
Dan.
^ What makes BLF the best. 