ok, so i bought a manafont one mode, drop-in brass pill, red xrc for my hs-802/xlr250. came with green. screwed the pill in, popped a fresh keepower 3400 in and hit the switch. lit up nice. tailcap reading was 2.5a! so immediately i think this thing is direct drive. i was kinda nervous about the reading and rightfully so. one minute later the light turned off. a shake of the light , it flickered. shook it again. nothing. and it wouldn’t come back on. removed the head, turned light on and noticed the emitter floating on the pcb. uh oh, thats bad. so i did what was right.
ordered a new soldering station, weller wes 51, rma flux, solder, tip tinner, arctic silver 5, helping hand, tweezers, the works. watched the pilotptk video on how to solder and fired up the weller. reflowed that emitter like a pro. i mean it came out perfect! thats the good news. then i slipped with the tweezers and ripped the dome off destroying the emitter. uhmmm….these little buggers are fragile. oops. so i had another red xrc on a 14mm board. set it in the pill and soldered those tiny little wires to it, and presto. fixed. now pulls about 2.3a and gets quite warm after a few minutes. so i’m thinking about toning down a bit maybe 1.4a or so.
this was my first attempt at flashlight modding and i’m totally hooked. if you have never done it before don’t be deterred. its not that hard give it try!
now i gotta order more emitters and drivers.
thank you to the blf members that have posted how to’s and offered advice.
Next step, order a driver, host and emitter to suit and build your own light. Trust me, its satisfying, and no more difficult than the job you’ve just done. Make sure to get the correct sized star and driver obviously.
Cngq and intl outdoor have some nice hosts (i like the OEM hosts) and all the info to get the other bits.
Nice save there kev. Unfortunately you have the start of a new addiction that there is no known cure for and is bound to cost you lots of money and loss of hair. People that you thought were friends will have you earmarked for the loony bin in no time. Chicago X has a very cheap lathe going at the moment. Just suggesting. Well done and good luck.
I saw Chicago x’s lathe, sweet piece, nice price. I was an engine machinist in a former life would love to pull the trigger on it. have other projects in the works, stay tuned. Thanks for the tip on CNQ and intl-outdr. Ideas are outrunning the wallet. I think I have a problem!