The 18350 tube is black. The 18500 tube is dark grey.
I ordered multiple copies of each tube. I only checked one sample from each box but I assume all the tubes of each type are the same.
I’m quite happy with how these 18500 tubes look. While not an exact match, the grey is still close enough to the grey from my E2L host.
While battery capacity is less, I do find that the light with 18500 tube is much more pocketable than with the 18650 tube. With the 18500 tube installed the entire light is 98 mm long. Still not tiny, but much better than before.
Here’s some pictures of mine:
The above light includes the following:
- Triple XPL HI on copper Noctigon (4000K 5A2 tint)
- DrJones H17F driver
- Lighted tailcap (BLF A6 lighted switch assembly resistor modded for more brightness)
While small enough for EDC, this definitely isn’t the most compact light out there. A DQG 18650 is smaller and uses a bigger battery. My modded Convoy S2+ with metal tailcap is only slightly larger and also uses a larger battery. So why use this light instead of something more compact? … brightness!
With the DQG or the S2, the head gets burning hot extremely quickly. Those lights have no heatsinking. In contrast the E2L’s head has the deepest fins on a tube-type light coupled with a very thick shelf. My Convoy S2’ head gets blisteringly hot so quickly, I had to cap the output at 3 amps even with a temp sensor on the driver.
Using the same driver in the E2L and an IMR 18500 instead of an 18650, I can set the driver to run the light at 100% FET output. The head will still get very hot … too hot to hold, though not enough to cause injury. The light can be comfortably operated like that by holding it by the body tube and tail.
Incidentally, the 18500 tube leaves quite a bit of excess room inside the battery compartment. Mine has about 4mm of empty space in it even with the battery installed. I might try filing down the head and top of the tube to eliminate this empty space and make a more compact light.
Nice job Firelight2, say can you tell me, with the D.J. H17F, did you have to use a bleeder resistor for the switch?
I read somewhere that it already bleed enough for the stock LED switches that the bleeder wasn’t needed, wondering if perhaps that was wrong…?
I’ve got 4 lights with the H17F’s and love that driver for sure, good choice for these lights. Thanks
I did not use a bleeder resistor with the H17F and the driver works perfectly. Some things I’ve tried with this switch and driver:
- H17F + stock BLF A6 lighted switch - driver works perfectly
- H17F + BLF A6 lighted switch resistor modded (1 duplicate resistor stacked onto each of the switches’ stock resistors) - tailcap is brighter and driver works perfectly
- H17F + BLF A6 lighted switch with all resistors bypassed - much brighter. All driver functions work fine except memory when the light is turned off. If set to always turn on in low it will instead act as if next mode memory is active. If set to advanced memory it will alternate between low and second low when first turned on. Once the light is on, all functions operate normally. The light correctly remembers all programmed modes and settings. I consider the light still quite usable in this mode, but it might be a bit awkward if you always want to start in moonlight unless you manually make the second brightness another moonlight.
- Bleeder resistor added to previous option - did not help or fix the problem with off memory.
Thanks for this info FL2…!
It’s now been cut and pasted into my book of stuff to remember, and with confirmation to boot…
This is quit awesome actually and it’s not that I didn’t believe the person who told me that the H17F could light those switches without any UI side affects I just never got around to installing them with the switches and didn’t think about it again until today when I saw your work here, very darn nice and the best choice of driver IMHO…
I love UI’s and the more complicated it is the better, like the M43 is my idea of fun.
Now that I think about it, it was Dr. J. himself that told me there wouldn’t be any problems running those LED switches, wish I would have asked why, I’ve never looked to see if there’s a bleeder already in the build and that’s why it doesn’t react like most other drivers with those switches, I guess I have some work to do…
Sounds like you may have had a H17 malfunction on you with the resistors bypassed scenario, and brighter you say? Hum, but has memory issues, well that sounds like me, but not the brighter part.
I’ve had only one out of maybe 10 or so that went nuts on me and when they do act up they really act up and for me anyhow I couldn’t even begin to figure out what is or was wrong so just replaced it and all was good again.
Anyhow thank you for your time and info, seems to me I have some work to do…
I have some 18500 tubes too, it makes the E2L into a nice length. Btw, they fit the S2+ too, and I have several S2+ shorties that I made into 18500 lights by shrinking the inside. When I screw in the 18500 tube, they fit an 18650 cell. Then the light becomes 10.2 cm long instead of the full 11.7 cm of the standard S2+ and still uses an 18650.
(no one gets this without pictures, right?)
Also, I built up a black E2L host as a 18650 shorty, some explanation and pictures in the what did you mod today thread ( What did you mod today? - #3049 by djozz )
Can you explain how you fit an 18650 using an 18500 tube? Was it only with an s2+ or is this possible with an e2l?
Only with the S2+. And you need to earn every mm.
-triple optics are a bit shorter than the stock reflector.
-I cut the top off the pill and solder the triple board on top of the half pill (the MCU is the tallest component, it just clears the underside of the ledboard).
-no driver spring, just a very shallow button.
-tail spring replaced by a very flat intl-outdoor Be-Cu spring, made smaller by cutting off one complete wind.
If yoo do all this you have just enough length for a 18500 (with 18350 tube) or a 18650 (with 18500 tube), and for a glass lens in front of the reflector.
Comolication: in not all S2+ lights the threading goes deep enough towards the front that the pill can be screwed in enough. For some mods I had to file off some pill threads to get it deep enough.
Ouch. Ok. My mod took me to 107mm. I think I’ll stop there. Thanks!
I tried an 18500 tube in the S2+. With a shortened pill mod it did indeed fit an 18650.
However, for that build I still prefer using the 18650 tube with shortened head. While harder to do I think I like the result better since it gives more knurling along the length of the light.
To win some space, you can use the S2 Pill in the S2+: http://kaidomain.com/p/S024023.DIY-22mm-x-8_5mm-Brass-Driver-Pillar-Set-for-18650-Flashlights
I sawed off the bottom of the head on my E2L and then ground out part of the remaining threads to make space for an o-ring.
Entire light with 18500 tube is now 94mm.
However, the result isn’t perfect. I took a little too much of the head off. result is I couldn’t grind out enough space for a full o-ring unless I wanted to leave just 1 thread in the head. It works now with a smaller o-ring, but the o-ring is slightly chewed up. I’m doing battery changes through the tail now.
Solution is to try again with a fresh head. Take a bit less off at the head, and if I want it to still be short, take some off at the tail.
It only fits 18500 though right?
Yes, the 94mm version only fits 18500. The E2L can’t be made much more compact because of the relatively long head with heatsink fins and presence of the tailcap clicky.
As a result, a DQG Tiny 18650 with an 18650 inside is still shorter than this shortened E2L with 18500 tube. Even my old side-switch modded Convoy S2+ mini using the E2L’s 18500 tube but with an 18650 inside is shorter.
The advantage of the E2L however is the heatsinking is excellent for a tube light, and because there’s no sideswitch you can hold and operate the light from the back end without any pain from the heat even when the head is hot. So even though this light is bulkier and has a small battery than the DQG, it can run longer at max power making for an overall brighter light.
It also helps that RMM sells off-the-shelf clicky drivers with temp sensors. I don’t yet have any e-switch drivers with temp sensors.
Jaxman, are you plan make E2L hosts , machined for 20mm copper stars, Noctigon and others (not 19mm, as current) ?
thanks.
May be, you can clarify - only black E2L-hosts are resized or dark grey too ?
[quote=T18]
[quote=Evgeniy]
Dear T18, why you wrote so many off-topic words ?
Why you wrote to me tons of words without any sense ?
“YOU should … ”
I not should you anything .
I simply wrote question to author of this topic, Jaxman ( author of topic and seller of E2L hosts).
Nothing more.
Yep whatever, good luck to you Evgeniy and
as well, and to the PM question you got it, so all’s good and that is why I know the black and grey are good to go. Will explain in my way re: X1S on other thread and boost driver sort of issue per Paul reasoning.
I don’t always use a glass lens in front of the triple optic, that should buy me about 1,5mm right ?
About colour, how is the dark grey 18500 tube in comparison with a grey S2+ ?
[copied from email].
"Joson Bo: hi, the first batch is 19mm really. and the MCPCB is also 19mm. there is no enough space for a torlanrance. Now we have changed it to 20mm. We never care about other MCPCB. You can reduce a little by a sandpaper. then the 19mm can ok. Now all the on selling host are 20mm."