Keeping your Convoy S2+ 8xAMC7135 cool during bike ride with a quick snap/slide on mod.
If you want something to help cool down your convoy s2+ during those long dark night rides where you just can’t resist blasting it’s LED on high over prolong period, you are in luck! coz I believe I have found the perfect solution for it.
Owner of S2+ especially with those with high current driver knows very well that due to the S2+ small size and mass and lack of proper cooling fins gets very warm especially on high mode.
There is a simple and practical solution which not only helps keep your S2+ cool during rides but also won’t mess up with the beautiful slim aesthetic of this very pocket-able EDC light because you could just simply slide it off to remove it and bring it back to sock form afterwards. As a plus the light still looks damn cool even with the mod on if you decided keep it on indefinitely.
Of course you can use other mods to help cool down your S2+ such as better thermal paste or a solid copper pill but at the end of the day the bottle neck will of course still be the overall surface area which is where the actual heat finally radiate out. This mod not only increases that surface area, it also cools better with the aid of the air flowing through it during your bike ride.
This mod is especially useful for those cyclists that not only use their S2+ as their prime cycling light but also for their main EDC.
THE SOLUTION:
SLIDE ON HEAT SINK! Originally made for cooling down RC motor.
This particular heat sink that I use in my mod fits the S2+ so well that one could easily pass it on as a standard stock accessory made just for the S2+. This part is available online and in your local RC store. It is made by Taiwan’s GWS RC components and parts maker. The model is GW/EHS-300 .
You can use other RC heat sink as long as it is made for 24mm diameter RC motor which is also happens to be the outer diameter of the S2+. RC heat sink made for the 280, 370 or 300speed series RC motors would all fit coz those are all made for 24mm diameter RC motors. Your best bet to find this part is at stores specializing in RC helicopter and aircraft because they usually stock more of those smaller motors accessory.
FIXING THE HEAT SINK:
Not much to explain how to use it. Just carefully slide it in from the front of the light and NOT SNAPPING IT IN to mount it. Just make sure you deburr any sharp edges on the heat sink inner circumference edges first to prevent scratching the S2+ finishing. Aluminium is not very hard metal just roll out the edges with a screwdriver’s metal shaft.
You could use an O-ring to improve fitting and to prevent it from coming loose due to vibration during rides.
Notice how the heat sink inner surface just lie nicely on the S2+ flat outer surface head as if they were stock made!
OPTIONAL!:
To improve fitting (tighter fit and thus better heat transfer) and better scratch protection during sliding in and out of the heat sink you could tape an alluminium foil tape (available from you local hardware/automotive parts store) underneath the heat sink. I use the one used for automotive repair due to its high durability, I got this from ACE hardware.
Alluminium foil tape underneath the heat sink provides a bit of cushioning and improve fitting and thus heat transfer to the fins. It also soft enough to prevent scratching of the S2+ anodized surface but still is very durable.
Extra tips in installing the heat sink!
Grab it this way! slightly press the wings towards your palm using your index finger as leverage point, this will open up the heat sink a bit to aid in sliding in and out the flashlight head.
COMPARISON TEST BEFORE AND AFTER MOD:
This test is to measure temperature rise after 5min. Temperature rise was taken 5 minutes after the S2+ body stabilizes at room temperature (27⁰C) and switched on at high mode. The fan is to simulate air flow during riding (the fan is switched on during both setup). This is just a simple test and does not actually replicate actual riding and is done just to show the effectiveness of the mod.
Test setup:
Result:
table(table#posts).
||START|∆5 min|∆T|
|WITHOUT HEAT SINK|27⁰C |43⁰C|16⁰C|
|WITH HEAT SINK|27⁰C |38⁰C|11⁰C|
Lastly, good luck and hope S2+ owners and fellow cyclists like and enjoy the mod.