Very cool. I am interested in seeing the new revisions.
Thanks! The safety lock is what I’m most interested in solving, but requires a little thinking before chopping.
Just a thought, but you can use just buttons on the driver and use all springs on the tail side. That way you can load the cells 2s/2p and still screw the body on without problems. I've done it a couple of times. I just have to remember which threads they were shown in, but it does work well. The other way would be to do as you did and make the tail like the tail of a EA8 or EA4, with the back plate mounted in the tail cap and locators, so it only goes on one way and the tail cap spins on a center pin.
Great to see the work you are putting into these mods.
I might look into that. Weather I use the tail cap battery entry or not, this could at least be a safety measure.
I like this idea a lot! Never thought about integrating the plate with the tail cap like that.
Excellent suggestions, thanks!
Of course! That is a straight forward and robust solution. I wonder if someone could work up something like that for Oshpark?
New driver designed for this light. It’s dual switch compatible so I’m testing it out in this light to decide if I want to convert my M6 to dual switch: Mod: BMF SRK v2 Roche Edition (Rebuilt into triple XHP 35 HI)
I seem to be digging up old threads the same way Mike C was digging up old mines. I'm not sure what's more brave/crazy his bomb squad tactics at dismantling that (very nice) light (I likely would have done the same) or walking around these old mine pillars, which were not intended to keep the cavern stable for very long. I'm going with the mine stuff. Impressive work and photos, but seriously scary. If Mike C is some kind mine engineer checking things out then cool, but kids don't go getting ideas from this kind of stuff. Caves are one thing (and obviously still not entirely safe) but old mines are another. Nothing cool about getting dead.
Yep. Don’t try this at home.
I’ dont understand where they get the power from for the elevator back to the surface.
Dont tell me you climb out?
Yeah, we're not CPF here. I'm not going to start demanding posts be banned and I'll sceptically give Mike C the benefit of the doubt that he knows what he's doing or anyway is in charge of his own fate, but generally speaking, for people who aren't certified miners, this stuff is pure Russian roullette. Those pillars are often intentionally cut down to the point of collapse as the miners retreat from a cavern. Natural caves have had long timescales to settle and stablize. Mines have been forcibly destabilized and you're standing under tons of rock with nothing really holding it up.
Nice videos, thanks for sharing. It was cool to see your custom M6 in action.
What goes down must come up 
Ascending the ropes with SRT techniques is not difficult, but pretty tiring if you have a 100 meters or more.
You can’t assume that what little you know about some mining is applicable everywhere else in the world. Lets put it this way, I’d feel mush safer spending 20 days in a Swedish iron ore mine than a single day in any “old western” mine over in America.
This tells me that you’re a little out of your element. Caves, especially active ones, are constantly being evolved by the elements. I’ve seen way more cave-ins and dangerous loose debris in caves than in I have in mines, and I’ve spent more time in mines. And if a cave isn’t active, that doesn’t mean that any potential death trap just simply decided to stop being a death trap. Also, flash floods in cave systems have trapped plenty of people over the years. I’d love to hear about your experiences though.
Thanks. It’s still the first light I grab for mine and cave excursions.
Thanks for sharing a real-life scenario with flashlights. impressive videos. My flashlights are mostly in their original packaging after they are modded and never used.
Hi Mike,
did you met any problems with 7135 based driver powered by 2S cells? What do you think about 7135 chips that are breaking too fast in sush config?
In my case it was the search for lights that suite my purposes that brought me here. I couldn’t find them so I started building them.
I have had issues. Not with this light but with others. Because of the issues I’ve been using A705s lately. They are basically 12 volt rated 7135s.
How much usage have you got in A705s so far? The AMC7135s have been used a lot by BLF members collectively, so we pretty much know what to expect from them. I’m wondering how good A705s are with different voltages, under different current loads, and over time. If it turns out that they’re very predictable and reliable, it would be nice to see them completely replace 7135s in our driver designs going forward.
My previous statement remains with no modification and I never said about every mine in the world. You can't assume everyone inspired by some sporting fun will know the difference. I did say that I assume you know what you're doing. Well, I don't really assume that, but I'll leave it as a possibility. The problem with mine exploration is it can easily be a tempting "sport" easily accessible to people who have no idea, or who think they have an idea, but still don't. Rock climbing for example, not as much. You can't just wander onto the side of a cliff. You had to at least figure out how to get up there, and likely experience a little appropriate fear on the way. Not always true in mines. I don't see cliffs as a dangerous temptation. Mine entrances are.
I’ve used them in a few lights but haven’t used those lights very much. So far no issues though. I have just upgraded one of my work horses with my new 1634 based drivers and used A705s because it’s a 2S light, so I expect a little more testing. I have however noticed that the ones I have all draw around 290mA when they are supposed to draw 330mA. There are 290mA versions so I might have been screwed by the supplier but the labeling on them is for 330mA though. I still go for them because of the issues I’ve had in 2S lights with 7135s.
I don’t. I believe in taking responsibility for your own actions. If someone gets inspired by my photos and videos, goes down into any old mine and kills themselves, I would take no responsibility for their actions. What I don’t believe in is spreading rather inaccurate information based on assumptions without much knowledge or experience, solely in an attempt to scare people off.
You don't need to believe in my statements. Your opinions about them or my experience are just that, but you're right about one part, I would certainly attempt to scare anyone who I could away from exploring mines. Anyone who I couldn't just might actually know enough that it would be ok anyway. That's another kind of responsible behavior.
Mines are extremely dangerous. Yes if I said bombs are extremely dangerous, I'm sure there's a counterexample but the statement is still valid and I'm still saying it. You're free to disagree, but not to make me quit saying it. However if you really would publically disagree so strongly rather than instead say advocating strongly for how to learn responsibily, it makes me wonder about that "personal responsibility" you claim to have. What responsible person would try to argue with a statement that mines are dangerous? Responsible outdoorsmen of all types that I know don't react that way; they would at the least take the chance to acknowledge and encourage respect toward the dangers and proper training without distracting from that by being combative with someone bringing it up. You are trying to protect people from being scared away from mines? Strange mission.
Yes, mines are dangerous. But when you write things that aren’t true, then you risk having those that you are trying to protect not believing in anything you are saying. If you had just stuck to them being dangerous, fine, but when you start writing crap about things you don’t know much about, you have to accept getting the crap called out.
The internet is full of youtube clips of dangerous activities that could inspire people to do stupid things, a whole load of people need your help. Here’s a couple to get you started:
These videos get far more attention than mine. In some cases people actually have died after doing stuff inspired by them. If you concentrate your efforts on them, think of the lives you could save!