Have a metal casting I am trying to use as a body, looking for advise on build

[Jacamo]

Hello,

First off, I am very new to the the whole world of flashlight modding/building. I have just discovered this community and think I have found my people. I come with a background in the film industry doing lighting for almost 20 years, am a certified electronics tech and have also been repairing electronics for the past 9 years. I repair a lot of LED lighting products designed for the film industry. I am very passionate about lighting and electronics and this community I think feels the same way. Some of the machining that I have seen people do on here is a bit over my head though. I have made a ton of my own projects and this is one I would like to potentially sell to other people in the film industry. I am looking for advise on where to get parts that would be a good fit, any recommendations or general advise, and any other specific questions I may have throughout the build. I have ordered a ton of parts from Kiadomain and Convoy that were the best thing I could find that I think will fit but they haven’t arrived yet. I am hoping once I get everything in my hands and see how it can all go together I will have a better Idea of what to do. I am also hoping to make these somewhat customizable, I will be making these to order and want to provide some options.

About the Casting. I am starting off with a metal casting for the host that is used on a ton of the stands we use in the film industry. I work in a shop that rents out this type of equipment and they were going to throw out a bunch of old stripped out or damaged parts and I save the ones I thought I could use to make a pretty cool looking and functional flashlight that fits in the hand pretty well. The top part makes it a pretty obvious place to put a push button, so I think that’s what I think I am going to do.

I also have a few different sizes, and some from various manufactures. The one I think looks the best and will give me more room to work with is the third one from the right.

Here are some more photos at a few angles so you can see the various surfaces.

and

There is a bit of a pocket in the top protrusion where there usually is a break for the stands when in use. I can see this coming in handy.

And a lip that goes from the small end ID to the large end ID about 1/3rd of the way down.

I have some parts leftover from another project I did and was playing around with some different mock ups. I could have a housing that sticks out of the front a bit and I think it doesn’t look too bad, Otherwise my plan was to machine a bezel and put some threads into the inside of the casting so I could have a clear lens or some type of optic and not have to worry about the LED being damaged.

Or I could Keep everything flush with the front.

There is a small gap all the way around with the parts I had leftover, so I think if I went this route I would have to find either something bigger and again thread the casting so they fit or get something machined and again, thread the casting.

I am open to any ideas or suggestions. As I haven’t really started this build, I don’t have that many specific questions yet.

I will keep this thread updated as I get the parts and make progress. Since this is the first flashlight build I am looking to sell, I am hoping to make it really robust and professional. IE use gaskets for water protection. I know there are people on here with a ton of experience with this exact thing. If anyone would like more photos, measurements or info from me, I am more than happy to provide it.

Below I have included measurements of the castings, the one I think I will use is the one labeled Medium Matthews. I might experiment with the other sizes at a different time but would like to at least get one made so I can have it to demo.

Thank you all in advance for the help and guidance I will be needing for this project. I am really looking forward to getting it done though!

[raccoon]

Thanks for joining the gang, Jacamo!

[Jacamo]

Thanks for the welcome! Truly impressed with some of the builds I have see on this website. This community is amazing

[James_C]

Welcome! I haven’t looked at all the pics yet, but in terms of parts you’re on the right track with KD and Convoy. Many parts are fairly inexpensive so it makes sense to buy a variety of things in case they come in handy (at least that’s what I tell myself when I look at my overflowing parts bins).

BTW, you might get more responses if your image hosting didn’t require viewers to sign-in. Looks like that google photos album is asking me to sign-in, anyway. I use imgur. It’s free and works fine.

[gravelmonkey]

I find Convoy shipping times are normally reasonably fast (week-10 daysish) whereas my orders Kaidomain have taken much longer (2-3 weeks at least).

Hank at intl-outdoor has been known to sell drivers, if you wanted higher quality e-switch drivers.

AliExpress has a lot of sellers offering various lighting bits, if you’re still in need of parts you can’t find on Kaidomain or convoy - the search function and pricing tactics are probably the biggest drawback of AliExpress though.

I can’t comment on specifics for the build you have in mind, you mention machining threads, would you outsource this or do you have experience/access to a lathe?

I’ve also not logged in to view images either, so would highly recommend sticking them on Imgur and linking here, you’ll get more responses.

[Jacamo]

Yes I totally get having a cart that is pages long.

Appreciate the advise, I didn’t realize you had to sign in to see it. I went ahead and edited the OP to link to an album hosted by imgur.

[James_C]

Thanks for making an imgur album. Those are pretty neat looking hosts! Though, modding something that’s not a flashlight, into becoming a flashlight, can be very tricky. At least they generally have a flashlight shape.

So do you have access to and experience with a lathe and/or mill? Edit-I see you answer to this question in your reply below.

[Jacamo]

What I am mostly looking for is a Pillar that is the right size. I may just end up machining something. I my self don’t have much knowledge in the way of machining but I have a friend who runs a business where he has a bunch of CNC/Machining tools. So I can use him as a resource.

I have started my model in Fusion360 but its been so long since I have used this program, I am having to relearn a lot of stuff. Here is a screen shot of it so far.

I got my parts from Convoy and one of the things I ordered was two batteries from them and the batteries came with some really cheap flashlights which I am happy to use for parts. I want to machine a bezel for the front to hold a lens which I think I found a 25mm that will work from Convoy. After tinkering with the parts and seeing how the other flashlights are built I have a much better understanding of how I want this all to go together.

The Pill that came from one of the cheapo flashlights is almost prefect for my needs, its 27.5mm when measuring on the threads with a 1.0 pitch, would this make it a ISO Metric 28mm x 1.0 thread righta? The only issue with it is it has a lip on it like a lot of the Pillars have. It would need to be something like this pillar. P60 Brass Drop-in Driver Pillar
I have some of these on their way but I am thinking it might be just too small.

I was really hoping to have the flashlight be USB C rechargeable and have the right drivers to make it happen. However I can’t seem to figure out where I can put the USB C port, I might have it so you have to take the back off to plug it in. That way I don’t have to worry about water/dirt ingress. For the back part I think I will just machine basically a plug that can be tightened down using the holes already in place for set screw. That way it will be removable if someone needs to change the battery or charge it.

I want to make 2 or 3 versions. One as a Mule, one with a reflector and one with optics. So there might have to be some slight modifications between them.

[Jacamo]

I do have a pretty specific question I am hoping someone can help me out with.
I am planning on using the button bezel from a convoy H1 and measuring it with my calipers its Major diameter is 13.5mm. I don’t see any ISO Metric Standard 13mm. And looking at a Metric Thread chart I don’t see any dimensions that are even close to 13.5mm. I am assuming this is all Metric threads because of the H1’s origins. Or could this be a different standard or something custom?

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Looking on the Convoy website, I don’t see any of the button bezels for the H1 or any light for that matter. I have heard that If I reach out through the aliexpress store I can request parts but don’t know how true that is? I would also really like a metal button instead of just the eswitch with the rubber gasket. I see a ton of options for the tail switch but not any for the eswitch.

I have made the inside of the front bezel to be 23mm so I can hopefully use either the 23.3mm or the 23.5mm TIR Lenses as options.

I’ve got most of the parts modeled except for the back part. I am still trying to figure out exactly how that will work. I am thinking of just machining a plug that fits the inner geometry of the casting and the inner dimensions of the plug will house the the either 26650 or 21700. Depending on the size of the battery will determine how much space is left over for the driver and optics. I might make the Mule version have the bigger battery due to not needing the extra space for the Optics.

I am really liking how its all coming together at the moment. I will post the full model with all the parts once I get them all finished.

Lastly another question I have is do I have to do anything specific or what would cause issues with machining the casting? Its already got holes that have been tapped as it comes so i assume I am good but was wondering if these ever just break or crack when machining? They are pretty pricey at $47 for the part plus shipping so I really don’t want to mess these up if I can help it.

[Dc38 (The Glutton)]

@Jacamo

And looking at a Metric Thread chart I don’t see any dimensions that are even close to 13.5mm

Tolerances in manufacturing? The inner diameter before threading might be 13.5mm, so the threads are cut 0.25mm or 0.75mm deep maybe.

**also, it’s 13.05mm, not 13.5.

@Jacamo

what would cause issues with machining the casting?

Use cutting fluid designed for part machining.

[Jacamo]

I measured it again and realized that I thought it had a lip on the bezel but instead it is threaded the whole way so after remeasuring it and getting 13.8mm I still can’t find anything that is close to that in ISO Metric. Also there is a photo of the ID of where the bezel screws in to and I am measuring 13.25 with tips of the calipers all the way at the bottom of the hole.

Maybe I am measuring it wrong? below are some photos of the measurements.

[Dc38 (The Glutton)]

As far as ISO, I don’t know. But the OD of the ring - the ID of the head kind of makes sense, albeit slightly weird…13.81-13.24 gives slightly less than .57 worth of threading…I guess you could check the spacing against known iso values, then try and figure out the full pitch? It’s very possible that the threading is indeed proprietary…I haven’t used those charts in a while, are there different rated threads for different applications? Perhaps look for plumbing rated or watertight ones

[Jacamo]

I think I may have found it. The chart I was looking at didn’t have the size I needed.

Its gotta be M14 x 1. I can see there are basically two whole revolutions of threads on the bezel and in Fusion that’s what looks to be the closest thing by eye.

Does anyone know if there are metal buttons with a rubber gasket for these E switches? I really want the overall look of the flashlight to be all metal looking.
If I had something like this.

But I am not sure if these are compatible with an e switch. I thought these were for the tail switches.
or even the switch on this flashlight.

Then I could do away with the bezel depending on how the switch is made. I may end up just sourcing a momentary metal switch and use that instead of the Eswitch PCB that came with it. I could even get them with LEDs if I wanted to which can come in handy for stuff like battery level.

[James_C]

@Jacamo

But I am not sure if these are compatible with an e switch. I thought these were for the tail switches.

Yes, Convoy uses those for tail switches. They can be used for eswitches, but the tricky part, regardless of switch cover, will be getting your driver secured and aligned correctly with your switch. This can be difficult whether the switch is on the driver or a separate board.

I believe they are m13x0.75 based on my measurements but I’m not certain.

[Jacamo]

I am leaning more towards just using a metal momentary switch and getting rid of the PCB the switch is on.

The drivers I ordered have the switch on a separate PCB so hopefully it won’t be too hard to align. I do have quite a bit of room if you look at the 5th photo in the OP.

What is strange to me about the M13x1 or M13x.75 is while they do sell taps and dies at that size, M13 is skipped over on all of the ISO Metric Standard thread charts I could find. They all go from M12 to M14. Even in fusion360, they don’t offer M13 as an option in the ISO Metric threads tool. I don’t understand why they would use a non standard thread size for something that is supposed to be interchangeable with a bunch of other parts.

[Toaster79]

That retaining ring is a non standard thread. Looks like M14x0.5 or 14x0.75 and the thread in the body Is most likely milled using helical interpolation, not tapped. What’s the diameter of the e switch pcb?

If asked, Simon will probably provide you with retaining ring and rubber boot for the switch. Im on the same boat as you are what regards the e switch and will also reach out to Simon eventually.

Also try measuring the pitch, that’s the distance between 2 grooves of the thread on the retaining ring, or measure the thickness of the ring and count the threads.

[Jacamo]

Instead of using the button bezel from the H1, Ive decided to use a metal momentary switch instead of the e switch. That way I can just use a standard thead pitch and its all very well explained on the data sheet. One of my biggest concerns about the switch is how it feels. I have purchased a couple of these style of switches

But I really don’t like how they feel. Just very mushy with no satisfying click. I have picked out a couple of other options to try but with everything being online I can’t feel how any of these buttons work.

Here are some other options I am looking at.

This FH series looks promising. They have lots of options and alot of them are actually in stock.

FH.pdf

Or I may go with something like this
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/lumex-opto-components-inc/W12M-E11HN/15911606
or this
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Dailywell/MPB12-A02HE-1-JR-12V?qs=i8QVZAFTkqRbAR1EcljqxA%3D%3D

But there are not nearly as many options for the last two.

These are pretty pricey at around $10-15 a piece but I am hoping with that price comes a better feel. If anyone has or knows of a pushbutton with a either very low profile or a flat profile button that has a good feel to it, is IP67 rated and is M12x1 I would love some suggestions.

I am wary of ordering these from aliexpress as I don’t think they would have the highest quality buttons as well as a reliable supply. I could just buy a bunch of them if I find one I like from Aliexpress but was hoping to offer a check list of different options for these and the button color/led color would be selected by the user.

[Toaster79]

I also bought some of these as they’re nice and small. 3v version with NO momentary action