From Life's Lemons, LumenAid! (Trustfire 9xT6 converted to 1x XHP-70)

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts Featured Mods
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Hi everybody!
Thought I’d share a little build that’s been a while coming. One of those “life gives you lemons” moments, turned sweet. :wink: Sometime back a forum member asked for my help with a couple of his lights, and he gave me this one that was “beyond fixing”. This is a Trustfire 9XT6 beasty, nice cooling fins on top, 26650 tube, but a mess when I got it!

The XM-L emitters were present, but an attempt to rewire everything apparently ended in failure. No driver, no driver retaining ring, but the o-rings and extension tube were present.

What to do? This big aluminum 9x reflector won’t even make a good boat anchor! lol

But these fins……

So, perusing the list of products at Illuminations Machines I saw the next reflector down from the well known Lum 5-90, this one doesn’t have the diamond patter but instead is fluted, perfect for an XHP-70! :slight_smile: So I got some of the XM-L 4 reflectors and with a bit of trimming, got one to fit inside the head of this former 9x light!

This was done by removing the shelf the big flat 9x reflector used to sit on, and then shaping the remains to allow the reflector to sit inside this 3rd section. (This light has many sections, odd, but it worked out)

And this piece, mated to the finned section, allows the much deeper IllumMach reflector to work…

So this morning, off to the lathe I went… to create the pill that would become the light engine in this big light.

With no driver retaining ring, I simply cut a standard driver pocket in the base of the big aluminum pill. This piece is from 6061 Al, 1.5” diameter. Turning one end to fit through the battery stop, it worked to hold he driver in the proper position.

Machined similarly to the central section, the reflector can sit into the base up top and the flare allows aluminum mass to spread heat to the fins from top to bottom, utilizing every one that’s available…

Fitted into the finned section alone, the light engine appears like this…

With the 3rd section, shaped to cup the reflector, it comes together like this…

I scraped the masking off the trace coming from the emitter so the wires could be attached in a linear fashion, used 18ga wires for power.

Ultimately, it appears pretty much as though it was originally made for a reflector! Sweet! (lucky) :stuck_out_tongue:

Now I need to go out and get a beamshot or two.

Output is 6 modes, Turbo makes 5234 lumens pulling 12.37A from a pair of Efest Purple 4200mAh 26650’s. Not too shabby! :slight_smile:

Heading out into the night…

Ok, in the name of fairness here’s the Trustfire 9XT6 XHP-70 head to head with an MT-G2 Jax X6 Hunter. :slight_smile:


The XHP-70 at 12.37A and 5234 lumens, the Jax MT-G2 at 11.5A and 4665 lumens. Couple of potent lights, to be sure!

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I want that!! That’s awesome! So, what’s are the benefits of a fluted reflector?

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The XHP-70 is a 4 die array, with a mirror polished reflector this shows a “+” figure between the dies much like a shadow of a window. The flutes merge the output for a goot spot without the dark image in the middle. :wink:

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:slight_smile: … Nice. This one really turned out pretty unique looking.

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Powered by an A17DD-S08 with Vishay SIR800DP MOSFET, Zener modified. Low voltage protection adjusted for the 8.4V power supply. :slight_smile:

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Well done .

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Very nice Dale.

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That’s a cool mod. I have that exact same host. I kept mine with the xml2’s though. It was actually my first hot rod tube style light.
That sure is a nice lookin reflecter. Why not shave off the dome for more throw? That head is big enough…

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It is a very nice beast you made there Dale. Awesome lathe work, wish I had one.

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nice work Dale! :slight_smile: Your neighbors must hate you at night. :beer:

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From the title I figured it would be a 9x XHP70 flashlight, and if anyone would make one it would indeed be you :open_mouth:
But not so, but still a very sweet mod! :slight_smile:

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Nice mod :slight_smile:

The overall output looks terrific. Interested to know the throw numbers.

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Wow! That is one sweet mod… I especially like the look of that reflector :smiley:

Congrats !

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Nice mod
What a beautiful reflector!

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DBSAR, funny you should mention neighbors…
The 18yr old girl next door was outside screaming at someone on her phone going on 1AM last night. I took this light out to “illuminate” the issue and give her a chance to chill before the Sheriff’s office needed to be called, then the trains came through and the coyote’s started hollering and the cows went to bellering and I came in and went back to bed, somehow fell asleep amongst the bedlam without having to photonate anyone or make any phone calls.
But I WANTED to photonate her, badly! :stuck_out_tongue:

When you live in the country, talking loudly outside can be heard for a mile away. Especially late at night when everything is comparatively calm. I have an 8 yr old. Those neighbors (bought my sisters house next door when her husband moved them away) talk loud, shout obscenities, and the guy will use F bombs and GD language with my boy right there! And he’s a COP! But we live outside of the local town’s police jurisdiction, hence having the Sheriff’s number in my phone…

For whatever it’s worth, I don’t shine my lights at anyone’s house, even if they’re half a mile away. Plenty of open space to test a light on, and the barn 610 yds distant is a likely candidate. I need to rig a shoulder harness to carry the BTU Shocker 10,000 lumen triple 9V MT-G2 front and center, bordered by the 4664 lumen MT-G2 Jax X6 Hunter and 5270 lumen Trustfire XHP-70. That would present quite the frontal lumen impact, no? I could always add the Convoy L2 MT-G2 with 4200 lumens and a second BTU Shocker with triple XHP-70’s at 14,400 lumens, if need be. :wink: (The 4640 lumen TK75 and 5600 lumen Intimidator would be more than happy to join the fray I’m sure.) What’s that, some 48,000 lumens? lol (my 4000 lumens SP-03 feels offended at being left out, as does the 4300 lumen Terminator, wondering if I added in all the 3000+ lumen triples just how much light I can arrange in one place?) {this accounts for 10 lights, wonder what the other 125 are doing?}

I need to get a life

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LumenAid! HA! You crack me up. I really like that reflector. Nice work buddy. :GRADE:

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Can I use XHP-70 with original driver of TrustFire X6?

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I don’t know Testerx.Loner, I don’t have an TrustFire X6 to test the driver as to how it works. I’d suggest trying to figure out how much output voltage the driver is making and that should tell you if the XHP-70 will work with it.

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This is TrustFire X6 review:

I want to change SST-90 to XHP-70. Should I buy a new driver? Thanks.

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Just awesome work on that 9XT6, my God WOW
Can you tell me about or offer me a link to your BTU XHP70 build? I need to bring my Tom E. edition up to date.
Thanks, oh, what model lathe/mill are you setup with? It seems like it will do almost anything related to modifying flashlights. You have a $40K CNC machine in your garage? :open_mouth: