so after 25 days ,the xml t6 and driver from lightmalls arrived
i decided to get busy immidiatly!!! :8)
it was harder then i thought it would be
first changed the switch with a clicky
then the driver on top of the cover
the emmiter seated nicely .
looks good.
the beam is b e a utifull :bigsmile:
its a similar beam pattern that the Cree MC-E gave but theres a massive amount of spill …really really wide i mean
i think its giving out at least 800 to 900 lumens
here hows i feel its giving more then 800 lumens… beam comparisn with a jetbeam bc40 (830 lumens)
ON THE LEFT IT JETBEAM BC40 –830 LUMENS AND ON THE RIGHT IT MODED FENIX TK40 WITH AN XML T6
sadly the 8 AA cant supply the enough juice this hungry driver. it starts blinking within a few minutes. so i have to put 6 of the AA in series and the other 2 in series thus providing around 6-7 volts or get another driver of lower requirements i guess
In reply to chicago x . yes it will work great if i configure all 8 AA in series.not a very good idea to have 8 AA in series Since all 8 batteries have to be top notch or it may heat it up. But i will try and see how it does .
@ rusty joe
loved the mce beam when i first bought the light but began to hate it as i got more into leds . The dough nut hole bugged me . the xml is way ahead of the mce for me in every way. the fenix tk 40 has very good heat dispation design so the xml can driven hard without issues i think.
Haha . Very funny … once iv perfected mine! I will do the run time - check heating issues etc . will be taking it camping next week to see how it does .maybe toss it to a grizzly ! iv applied ” potting compound around driver to make it more impact resistent . An expensive thermal paste under the xml …. No heating issues for the few minutes i manged to play with it last nite
Yes beam quality is very good . Its the high quality orange peel fenix reflector thats responsible for it .
.Fyi the hot spot can be enlarged or made smaller ( making it more intense (by moving the emmiter forward deeper inside reflector or back it out by placing plastic spacer around it !!! theres no artifects cos of the op
I'd poop my shorts if I had had to do my very first modding on a high end light like that! Man you've got some big ones!
Just modding my 65$ Trustfire X7 gets my knickers in a knot every time I do it and that was bough exclusively for modding! Kudos 2 U.
I am really digging that beam profile you have with the XML in it. It looks like a massive hotspot with almost immediate switch to a soft spill that would be really soft on the eyes. I like beams with soft not too bright spill you see. Something to do with my eyes not liking the reflected light that a bright spill will give. If you have the chance of doing it would you mind taking a picture of the beam outside at something reasonably far away? I'd love a 8 AA light with a great beam profile. Even if I have to mod it to get what I want...
for those who may be interested in modding the tk40 heres a list of itrms i puchased
i disliked the thin battery carrier springs which a too thin too carry heavy amps so i replaced all 4 with these springs which are Gold-plating Strong Switch Spring For High Current 10 springs for $3 http://www.cnqualitygoods.com/goods.php?id=1127
the driver from lightmalls wasnt doing too well so i purchased this driver (reconfigured the battery carrrier back to 4 AA in series and another 4 AA in series . $6 http://www.cnqualitygoods.com/goods.php?id=1379
Awesome job!
What run times do u get with AA at this setup? How did you unscrew the head without damaging anything?
I’ve got exactly the same problem, my light is an original tk40 though, tried to contact Fenix, it will cost around 50-60$ to ship it to them + they might charge me to get it fixed, so will fix it myself.
But im looking into switching to 18650 or rcr123 setup, if possible.
run time is 2.5 hours on high mode at 2 amp tail cap reading( used 2300 mah energizer nimh
I opened the head using 2 wrench straps
that xml in your link will work fine .
reason for removing the switch is cos it has a electronic switch since previous driver was electronic . replaced it with a forward clicky . Previously both positive and negative went directly through the battery carrier to tue driver and body ran the electronic signal .
now battery carrier has just gives positive to the driver and flashlight body provides the negative thus the clicky switch
