First DIY - Convoy c8+

pierre1 · 2019-01-27T09:56:00.000Z

Dang you enablers…. Years back I started my foray into lithium lights with an h602w (original, not mark anything). Recently I wanted something more modern and got an acebeam H15 and some more cells. Feeling like I spent too much but still wanted some non-headlights on the cheap I ended up here and checking out convoys.

Started with an S2+ tan. Wanted throwier, and diy-er… so putting together a C8+ tan. Really liked the finish on the s2+.

Got the host (that came with a smooth reflector), a noctigon xp-l hi and qlite driver, and an OP reflector to experiment with. It came with a few spacers.

I tried with no spacers and the smooth reflector. Uuuuuuuuugly ring. I added the centering spacer and it helped some with the ring but introduced some minor artifacts. The OP reflector of course was fine but I don’t want to sacrifice any throw…

Few questions. Other then centering, is a spacer a good idea / necessary?

When using a spacer the reflector sits up floating off the body. Should one add an o-ring underneath it?

The base of the reflector is slightly thicker then the spacer, leaving the polished edge exposed to light. The factory de-domed led is super thin, sitting beneath this edge. This is where I think the ring in the beam is coming from. Should I file the base of the reflector down? This should raise the LED past the bottom lip of the reflector hopefully eliminating the ring and dropping the top lip down closer to the body.

netprince · 2019-01-30T01:32:25.000Z

I have to admit, its kind of hard to picture your setup… but I usually just use a centering ring. Also in my experience centering the LED on a thrower is much more difficult than a smaller light like the s2+.

Take some pictures of your parts and lets see if we can answer your questions better…

toddcshoe · 2019-01-30T03:17:14.000Z

I had this same problem on a different light. Replaced the XP-L HD with a XP-L HI. I was doing it for my wifes dad so I don’t have the light in my possession anymore. I do remember having to trim the centering ring little by little until I had the emitter placed at a proper depth in the reflector. It didn’t take much before the beam went from fine to fubar and back. I also remember having to trim the ridge on the top of the centering ring as well. It was causing problems too. I imagine that had something to do with the lack of a dome on the HI emitter. I am not a expert on this at all. I spent many a evenings and going through a many of centering rings before I found the right adjustments. I highly doubt if I could replicate it again.

I just kept sanding the centering ring, testing, more sanding, more testing, etc. Didn’t even put the lens or bezel back on after a while. Once it was looking good I put the lens and bezel back on and called it a keeper. What I didn’t know then that I do know now is that my father in law is damn near blind and wouldn’t have known the difference anyway.

pierre1 · 2019-01-30T10:40:14.000Z

The spacer is just too thick to the point the reflector’s top ridge sits above the head. The bezel still screws on fine though, but I imagine this would put undue stress on the led pcb.

Spacer has a round inner and outer diameter. Probably not meant for this led.

I sanded the back side to the point where the reflector would sit on the body. It became very thin but worked. I tried to sand the top side to improve the artifacts and was making progress, but then I guess I went too far and the ring in the beam similar to what would happen with no spacer came back.

The led hole in the reflector seems rather large for a small led - 8.5+mm. It’s going to be tricky getting any spacer to work right I imagine as there will be a lot of “white” exposed. I wonder what would happen if I painted the spacer with a reflective chrome / aluminum coat?

The OP reflector I have with a 7mm led hole, without a spacer, has zero ring. I’ll try to find a SMO reflector with a 7mm hole, or a more suitable spacer.

polarweis · 2019-01-30T16:33:18.000Z

Its a 9mm reflector hole. Its good to have some presure on the mcpcb because it will have better heat transfer to the body. I took the normal gasket and sanded it down a bit and you can see a very fine ring. Its just how it is. xpl hi doesnt gives a perfect spot in my experience. I would not paint the gasket because it has no purpoise and it could get hot.

pierre1 · 2019-01-31T05:53:02.000Z

Without the gasket the ring is there but hotspot is perfect. With the gasket the ring is gone but hotspot looks odd. I figured it had to do with how light wasn’t reflecting well off the white material and making it shiny would help with that.

Yes it does seem tricky getting the HI led’s that perfect. Kaidomain had a 7mm hole reflector and a matching gasket to a 3.5 mm led. It’s a wait and see now.