OMG, while I was putting together my X6 triple, it fell over and broke :_( . The Carlo lens ripped off all of the LEDs.
Any suggestions on how I should go about reflowing new LEDs on the Noctigon? It is soldered on a copper heatsink. I don’t know how to get it hot enough to reflow unless I use a blow torch which would probably ruin the anodizing.
Also the legs of the lens also broke off in the holes of the Noctigon. I’m not sure how to get them out. I’m so depressed. It’s wowed me for an entire 2 seconds. I was so stoked that I finally finished it and I was just going to screw the bezel on and then it came crashing down.
I can’t help, but I feel your pain. It is sooo frustrating to get so close to a finish line and have a stupid mistake ruin the project.
I’ve been there (not with flashlight modding, but other projects). Can you use the hot plate method to heat the copper heat sink? That should give you better control of the temps.
Grrrrrrr, these things are aggravating. Do the LEDs work still? If they do, just put a new optic on and run with it. maybe PM DB custom, he is good at this kind of repair…
Did they just lose their domes? The picture you posted looks like the LEDs are still in place (yellow squares), just without the domes. Nothing lights up? so the emitters got torn off as well.
For the legs left in the holes, I’d try something like heating a sewing needle and standing that up in the exposed plastic, letting it cool and seeing if it would pull the plastic out — or else a matchstick with a tiny tiny drop of glue — or else go by a hardware store and buy a very thinwalled copper/brass tube from the hobby section that would fit over the leg and maybe collect the plastic inside that and pull it out.
Or suction. One of those rubber bulb ‘ear wash’ things from a pharmacy or a hypodermic without a needle or even a “solder sucker” ??
What kind of stove / range do you have? After you get the plastic legs out (1+ heating a needle with a lighter), you could try placing the head on the stovetop on high. Place it on a piece of scrap metal if you have it. Of course remove the driver and o-rings.
Sorry this happened. And before you got to really use it.
Ha3 anodizing will not be harmed by heat. Thermal adhesive breaks down under hight heat. Enough heat to unsolder the mcpcb should also break the bond of the glue. I know from experience that artic silver epoxy will disintegrate un dear high heat.
I’ve used an old aluminum frypan on the stove when I had to heat up a lot of mass. Remember though, that copper is going to retain heat like an atomic ingot. If you need to cool it down quick in water or something, use long tongs. Beware of super heated steam and splash back.
It sucks that when one is so cautious with the things you love that it can slip right through your fingers and be damaged in the end.
Additionally, thermal epoxy is strong but not PERMANENT. If you can stick a small screwdriver through the back side of the shelf and tap on the star, it will come out.
Unfortunately the star is soldered on the heatsink. Is the heatsink that is glued down. I already tried to force it out and it won’t budge. Maybe I’m just not strong enough.
I wish that was the case. However the domes and phosphor ripped off the pads.
That’s why we suggested using a needle — you only want a very tiny point heated up — and barely touching the plastic. You want just the contact point to melt enough to stick to the needle as it cools (meaning don’t let it wiggle, make sure something holds the needle and target in position after they touch).
Same reason for suggesting just a tiny bit of glue might lift the plastic out — you don’t want glue to get to the edge of the plastic.
Suction might work better. Try that first. See earlier post.
(and whatever you try do it with the opening facing DOWN so gravity is working on your site not against you)
