Hi all. I am looking for a switch that I’m not sure exists.
I need a (highly preferably) forward clicky switch that is 13-14mm tall, and up to 14mm wide on the switch body. The switch board can (or should) be up to 22mm diameter.
I received a nonfunctional Streamlight ProTac HL-X maybe three or four years ago, and have been on and off looking for a compatible switch since.
When I got the light, the driver had been fried by an alarmingly high amount of solder blobs rolling around in the driver cavity. However, I only need the host. I am putting a 22mm Convoy 3V8A buck driver in it, likely with SFT-40.
The problem I am having is that the stock switch will not hold up to the power I want this light to have. It is set up similarly to a ballpoint clicky pen, kinda like the Acebeam Pokelit (both of my Pokelits died, one driver one switch, but that’s beside the point).
It seems very fragile and I need something more robust. I already have standard 16mm and 20mm fwd switches in other Convoys with the same driver/led, and they’ve been bypassed. If I find a switch that fits in this light, it’ll also be bypassed. The ProTac HL-X is a WML and can’t really be used in another fashion.
These are the important dimensions. I guess it could be possible to bore out the diameter, but I do not have a lathe, only a drill, vise, and dremel, so it would be unlikely that I could get it perfectly straight.
The problem is that most “drop-in” forward clicky switches are, I imagine, built very similarly on the inside. Maybe all of them? If I could find a switch that would fit into the tailcap’s ID, I doubt that the bottom cube shaped portion of the switch would fit well, unless I could remove enough material.
IF I have to do that, it would likely be necessary to just keep the switch held in place between the battery tube and tailcap instead of using a threaded retaining ring. could even solder it in place maybe? I’ve no problems with leaving the tailcap on and replacing batteries through the head end.
Another option, although relatively very expensive, would be to purchase a tailcap adapter from Arisaka to be able to use a tailcap from a Surefire M600 (I actually have an Aliexpress clone of one), but I don’t think that light’s switch would hold up either. it’s built similarly to the Streamlight. there are very thin (0.015" ish) metal tabs acting as ground contacts. there are also caps that would let me use a pressure pad style switch, but I would prefer just a standard clicky switch.
The tailcap adapter that would work is $40, plus another $40 for the Surefire cap. I really REALLY don’t want to spend that kind of money on this project, cause I might as well just buy a whole other WML at that point, and it wouldn’t be what I wanted it to be.
Basically, I’m trying to do this to eliminate using the pic rail clamp mount that’s holding on to my Convoy M1/C8, as it’s a much more probable failure point than a mount that is part of the light’s body.
If anyone knows of a clicky switch that even might work inside this odd tailcap, please let me know. Thanks!
I forgot to mention that, between two and three years ago, I bought every size of fwd clicky switch that KaiDomain offered. none came close, but I gotta say that until today, I had never thought of widening part of the tailcap to make one fit.
I am kinda thinking that that might be the option that I have to go with. An ideal solution would just be to find a tailcap from convoy a similar manufacturer that would thread on, but I’m certain that none will fit these fine threads.
I could find someone to custom machine one, but then again I’m back to the question of “Why?” I just hate this light to sit in a pile of other hosts going to waste. I’ve had it for years and it’s about time to try to figuresomething out, anyway.
Convoy did have forward clicky switch with 22mm pcb, you can glue an extension of the switch to the existing convoy switch since those will be inside the plastic housing.
I think I might have a 22mm Convoy switch somewhere. I was thinking last night that I could bore out the inside of the plastic threaded housing to accept something else. I don’t know if I have a picture of the inside of it.
I’ll definitely check out that site as well. thanks!
