Gentlemen,
The following is the result of me getting excited about the new BLF edition Tank lights while at the same time being horribly impatient. The one that excited me the most was the Tank E07. Although learning that the only option would be the OSRAM with no possibility of a clip, and not much agreement over modes, kind of cooled my excitement. A few weeks ago I ordered the E07 from DX, but was underwhelmed with my particular sample. The led was horribly off centered, and even though these are supposed to be able to handle 14500's, mine would turn blue after @20sec.
That was enough motivation to tear it apart, so let's get on with the pics:
Here is the Tank E07 exposed, with separate shots of the pill and driver. I used a propane torch to gently heat the head, which loosened the glue enough to allow it to be disassembled.
Well...mystery solved on the off center emitter and the overheating. The glue used to retain the emitter is unfamiliar. I'm not even sure it's thermal glue. On top of that, it was gooped up too much on the bottom, which lead to the LED being cocked to one side and have no contact with the pill.
Easy enough fix. Using an exacto knife and a small screwdriver to remove the OSRAM emitter, I cleaned up the pill and installed a high CRI XP-G on a 10mm pcb. Unfortunately the hole was only 8mm, so a bit of file work was in order. I used arctic silver epoxy to ensure good thermal contact and then covered the electrical connections on top to prevent any potential shorts from the aluminum reflector.
Considering how tiny everything is, I'm very happy how it turned out. The reflector also required a little file work to allow for the leads and the hole needed to be enlarged slightly.
A note on the reflector: Even though I was able to get everything to fit up nicely, upon testing I noticed a slight hole in the center of the beam. Then again this reflector was designed for the osram, not the xp-g. It's only really noticeable against a white wall and not in use outdoors.
Next up is the addition of the QTC pill. Thanks goes to Jekostas who originally posted this combo here. I'm not sure how he implemented it, but here's my solution:
Inside the bottom of the battery tube is a small brass screw that holds on the back cap. It is a standard shallow slotted screw, and somewhat of a bugger to remove. Once out, I filed two notches in sides to allow easier future extraction via tweezers but more importantly to allow the mounting of the qtc pill. I filled slot with solder to make a flat surface and then used a couple of dabs of epoxy on the sides of the pill for retention.
Now, on to the clip. The Tank E07 comes designed with a tail cap that can be rotated to allow lockout. Someone at Tank may have thought this was a neat idea, even though the nitecore EZAA from which it's copied doesn't have this. I found it completely worthless. Well, almost completely worthless... The cap also has a side steel loop to allow for a keychain ring, which if not used does tend to get a bit pokey in the pocket after awhile. What I do like about the cap is, after a bit of filing, allows for the easy implementation of a homemade pocket clip. I had a scrap piece of 316 series SS welding rod that was ideal. Being quite springy, it did take a bit to get the shape right, but once in place it works flawlessly. Here's a shot of the prototype clip alongside the original key ring:
Note that the new clip is much thicker than what it's replacing. This is a good thing, for it's not going to break anytime soon. Getting the length, angles, and contours right took a bit of trial and error and the base cap had to be notched to allow for proper fitment...but here's how it all turned out:
Epilogue:
I'm very happy how it turned out. Except for the original slot that was for the keychain ring, it looks like how it should come from the factory. Retention is top notch and the clip adds a bit more purchase on the light while twisting the head. As far as the beam tint...wow. This is my first time trying the high CRI xp-g, and at first glance looks more like an incan that it does an led, but with the added benefit of brightness and battery life. Also, no thermal issues now on 14500's. Maybe it's just me, but I still have mixed feelings on the use of QTC's. Although they allow for infinite brightness, I find them in use finicky at times. Also, while it's buttery smooth twisting on to low/med, getting to high takes a bit of effort to compress that little pill. I'll leave it in there for now, but may convert it back to a single mode in the future.
As always, thanks for reading,
- Match
