So my Ultrafire F13 just arrived and I want to mod it to turn it into the “perfect” bike light. Here’s what I plan on doing:
1.- Driver upgrade:
It comes with a crappy DD, 5 mode, no memory driver that will get an upgrade. This LD-25 will go in, and will need to find a way to fit this 17mm driver in what seems a 20 or 21mm integrated pill.
2.- Emitter upgrade
The XM-L2 T6 cool white will be replaced by this Noctigon U3 3C for a little extra brightness, heat transfer and warmer tint.
3.- Get the reflector closer to the LED to improve spill a bit
It’s a rather spotty light, with the reflector sitting on a little plastic ring. I hope removing it will help with spill a bit. The Noctigon base is a little thicker so I hope that helps keep the reflector from wobbling. Might add an extra O-ring if necessary
4.- Stiffer springs
Will be replacing the stock springs with these to keep the battery from moving around and switching modes in bumpy roads
So the first hurdle right off the bat, and the first question please. How am I supposed to remove the driver’s retaining ring? Should I drill small holes in there?
Huh. I have two of these lights, one open right now to replace bits.
Mine were bought more than a year ago for $13, and their driver retaining rings have the usual pair of small holes for turning them.
I guess somebody found a way to make them cheaper since then.
If you try drilling watch for metal slivers falling into the driver.
I’d try clamping the head and tapping the ring gently with a screwdriver or nail to try to get it turning.
A drop of light machine oil or tuner cleaner or something left overnight to penetrate into the threads might help if they’re jammed by being assembled without being cleaned first.
Just hope today’s cheaper light is really threaded and not pressure fit I guess.
Once you get that ring and the driver out, you can find a couple of brass or copper “oil pan gasket” rings or something like that; stack them together and solder them to reduce the size of the hole to fit the usual drivers.
I also used copper spacers wire and a lot of solder to make smaller drivers fit in former times…it worked but wasn’t ideal.
There are brass rings for this type of application available, I had some with 20mm to 17mm. In the trustfire A8 there was a 20mm driver.
If there is enough room over the stock driver you also can use the stock driver as a contact board.
There is also a oshpark file somewhere which can be used as adapter if I remember right.
You also could build a 22mm driver with nanjg parts yourself. I dislike the LD25 personally.
This thread
If you want to make it easy this adapter might work https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/vDNmPf9B
If you can solder drivers you simply could use one of the 22mm driver boards found in the oshpark thread.
Thanks Werner. Spacers on hold then.
How would this contact board thing work exactly please? I don’t mind using the stock 22mm driver even if it means ruining it. How do I stick it to the driver?
Those Oshpark boards look good, but I live in Spain and I don’t think they ship here, need to check.
How was the threads between the battery tube and head and also the battery tube and tailcap? All the later ones I bought had very sloppy threads.
Your on the right track getting the led into the reflector also some material can come of the led side as well. The biggest single improvement I had was replacing the XML-2 led with a decent XML-2. The reflector housing may have to be shortened as well to take into account these mods.
If there is enough space in the pill for an additional driver, you can simply strip all components from the original driver and solder a wire on GND and VCC from the original driver and connect the other ends to the new driver. GND to the outer GND ring and VCC to the Springpad.
The stock driver works only as contact plate. If you are handy with soldering and modding you even can drill two holes in the original driver to assemble the wires on the battery side, that minimizes resistance…you even can grind the topside of the stock driver with a dremel to remove all not needed traces…
Some here even glue the new driver on the contact plate with some silicone or thermal glue …whatever. In former times I build some lights just with two layers PVC insulating tape around the new driver or over the old driver to make sure it don’t makes contact on a place I don’t want it to be connected and assembled all of that with bad insulated wire and giant solderblobs and it still worked well…
Look at this sloppy piggybacked nanjg to the stock driver….
The advantage of this method is that you don’t need any additional parts just a bit work and that what you already have.
Oshpark sends worldwide for free, I praise it everyday.
Sit that on one of the slightly larger oil pan gaskets after cleaning both
You can hammer some solder flat and lay it between them
Heat it up
(hint— pin the pieces in place somehow, if you use a propane torch, as once the solder melts they’ll slip sideways)
Hmm, I’m trying to picture this… So I take it I would have the adapter ring from intl-outdoor, then a 22mm gasket on top of it, then the driver would sit on top of that? If that’s the case I’m not sure that’s gonna work, because this retaining ring has a 18mm inner diameter and wouldn’t be holding the 17 mm driver in place at all. If I put the adapter ring on top of the gasket, I’ll need to sand it because it will add to some 4mm tall and I don’t think I have enough threads to fit the retaining ring… Maybe I should look for a new retaining ring (23mm)
The brass ring goes on the LED side of the copper gasket — making a ledge.
YOu still need to solder the driver to that, unless you can find another thin brass washer that will go between driver and the retaining ring and let that screw down a bit.
I had a few of these of various sizes (they came mixed up, the bags had SKU numbers but the contents were sort of random)
The copper gaskets I’d received vary a bit both inside and outside diameters.
So I found one with about 18mm inside diameter
I found I could press one of these FT rings into one of the copper gaskets.
(Just one of each happened to be close enough that they fit together, but a little filing or sanding would adjust others to fit more or less).
Either way, still need to add solder to make a ground path and hold the driver firmly in place.
You can use an adapter…search the forum for OSHPark projects…I know I made a 20mm adapter so did Wight (he also made a AWESOME DIY driver specifically for this light)
Much appreciated, I’ve already ordered the LD-25, but if building my own 22mm driver is going to be easier than installing the LD-25… LOL
I’ll definitely check out those projects
hm, I linked to the wrong FT ring there — the one that worked has a ‘step’ both on the inside diameter (to hold the 17mm driver) and on the outside diameter (that sits in the hole in the copper gasket without pushing through it).
Maybe it’s this one: https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10001999/1250000-copper-17mm-to-17mm-ring
The second link is one that worked for me; iit sits inside the copper washer — snug, press fit with a vise, can’t push through — and makes a regular inside ledge the 17mm driver sits on normally.
Still need to solder the driver to that ring, or else find a very thin copper washer —something like 16mm inside diameter, 18mm or more outside, and no more than 0.5mm or so thick.
That would fit under the threaded aluminum retaining ring and press nicely down on the driver at its edge.
(The threaded aluminum ring has an ID about 17mm, just slightly too big to be any use holding down a 17mm driver.
I do not own a Ultrafire F13, but this is what I usually do, instead of stripping the old driver. I bought all the different kinds Fasttech have, but all looked the same(strange…)… I do not have a lathe, they are all made of old plumbing parts. I drill a 18mm hole, push the brassring in, and then solder from the backside. Make sure you do not leave any solder where near the outer edge of the washer because otherwise it will not sit flat in the pill.
Same type pressed into the Supfire F3-L2 pill
This is also a solution if you for example have a copper/brass washer with a 17mm hole(maby slightly filed). Also here you need to solder, but if you lack solder skills this solution is a little safe beausce there is no risk of the battery pushing the driver and ring out of position into the pill. (I just took a steel washer for picture demonstration)
Guys, thanks for the great suggestions. Much appreciated.
I ordered some of those rings from FT and intl-outdoor that you linked, hope I can find a clean way to get this done.
Now I’m considering another mod: what if I was to sand off a couple of millimeters off the front bezel to keep it from blocking some of the light and improve flood a bit?
I would be sanding this much:
I’ve googled it and apparently a 200 grit would be good for the job, then a 600mm grit to finish it. I would then paint it black. Does this seem like a good idea? Is it doable without any extra tools? And what kind of paint should I use?
I’ve ordered some extra 37mm glass lenses I plan on sand-frosting, so that I can have both clear and frosted lenses that I can use depending on whether I want more throw or more flood. Is this going to block significantly more light than stippling the reflector?
