So i have been reading the forums for a bit and finally decided to join and say hello. So…“Hello!”. Now that that is out of the way i just wanna say that all of the modding is very interesting and very confusing, lol. I really have no background in electronics and really have no idea where to start. I’m pretty handy (can run a soldering iron a bit) and can do a lot but just don’t know where to begin. I understand the drop in thing for the most part but i pretty much hit the deer in the headlight mode after that. I was looking at the deals section and bought a couple of the Autozone Duramax flashlights as they looked like a good place to start but i need a bit more input. If some of you more experienced peeps could give me a little nudge in the right direction i would appreciate it greatly.
Either way, just wanted to say thanks in advance and that this seems like a pretty good place so far with friendly people who aren’t going to jump down a noobs throat for asking a question (like other places to remain unnamed).
Welcome to the BLF .
Welcome to BLF bsfollows, but I hope it doesn’t. :bigsmile:
Welcome to the forum bsfollows. I understand where you're coming from. There is a lot more to a flashlight than meets the eye and it can be overwhelming at times. Since you sound like you're a fairly handy person with some transferable skills, the best approach would probably be to just jump right in and get your feet wet. I find I learn way more doing than reading alone. You need something straight forward and cheap so you won't feel too bad if you break anything. If you give a little more info, I think someone will have a good simple build recipe for you. Can you give any info on the following:
- Do you have any experience with or the knowledge to safely handle rechargable lithium batteries?
- Is there a type of light you don't currently have that you would like to have?
- Info like what you would use the light for, what size you would like it to be, etc is another way to answer this question.
I'll leave you with this thread link. Several new people have successfully modded the light in it. Try searching New 612.
Welcome again.
Hello and welcome.
Make yourself at home, bsfollows!
Welcome to the forum. There’s plenty to learn and keep you mystified occupied. LEDs are most frequently run with a driver (small circuit board) that closely controls the current to the led and can also provide dimming control as well as strobe /SOS modes but LEDs can also be run “direct drive” with just a switch and battery(s) if the voltage provided is in the right range. A good driver to start fooling with both because they’re cheap and also because they’re easy to understand are the 7135 based drivers. Called this because the common element is a small chip(amc7135) that feeds a known current that can be increased simply by increasing the number of chips used. This is a great forum for newbies because so many members are willing to answer questions quickly. Go ahead and poke around, do searches but don’t hesitate to ask if you get stumped. No such thing as a thread that’s too old here.
+1. I read and read and read some more and still don’t understand much.
Welcome to BLF!
What is that light? Looks like a branded one while I have not own any branded light yet. 
That is the Balder SE-1.
Welcome to BLF.
The first hurdle for new modders is learning how to solder, so you’re ahead of the curve already.
After that, the fastest way to learn to mod is to completely disassemble and then reassemble a light. That includes completely taking apart the pill/driver/emitter assembly.
You’ll probably learn more by doing that than by just reading.
Welcome to BLF! Jump right in and don't be afraid to post and ask questions! I agree - it's best to just dive in and start tearing a light apart, or possibly buying parts and building one. There are many "host" kits you can start with, or cheap lights that make good hosts (like ImA mentioned the New 612). BTW, ImA4Wheelr, I'm gonna call you "ImA" for short from now on, is that ok? I get tired of figuring out how to type your name correctly (and having to scroll back and forth to see it).
The Flashlight Wiki is a great place to read up on some basics.
-Garry
Welcome to BLF!
Hope you enjoy your stay here. 
garrybunk wrote:
BTW, ImA4Wheelr, I'm gonna call you "ImA" for short from now on, is that ok? I get tired of figuring out how to type your name correctly (and having to scroll back and forth to see it).
Of course, no prob. Any shortened version of it is fine.
Well you have all been a lot of help so far and it seems i have a lot (more) of reading to do. Oh, and some experimenting, lol. I think my first thing is that i want a small hand held light that has a great throw. Still want some battery life so it doesn’t need to melt the paint off of whatever it hits, lol. I guess a hundred yards seems pretty good but let me know if that’s a lot.
I do have one other question though….can any of you turn me on to a good place for supplies? Probably gonna need another multimeter too. Damn, here goes the money! It’s all starting to spiral and i haven’t even started.
Oh, well, thanks again everyone.
I’m new to this myself but came up with this, maybe it’ll help.
I’m sure it will be corrected if I’ve got anything wrong.
I’d start by buying the cheapest p60 drop-in that you can find, take it apart. - 3-8v range
Buy the cheapest p60 host that you can find, take it apart. Would do fine.
2x3v 123A cells - these will do.
I’ve just done a quick search of FastTech and come up with that lot for about $15
The batteries are not rechargeable but the drop-in only needs 3-8.4v and you’ll be feeding it 6v, quite adequate.
Taking the host and drop-in apart, after making sure everything works, and putting it back together will give you practice for when you build your own from scratch.
Me, I’m happy enough buying hosts and drop-ins and have no need to mod anything.
Buying a good quality charger and batteries is probably the next step, but that’s up to you whichever way you want to go.
Fasttech for the more common parts.
Illumination Supply for more specialized parts or if you just want it faster.
Lots of information on meters around here. Beware though that more than likely you'll have to make your own thick wired leads (12ga wire with banana plugs on one end is what I use). Many meters will be ok (many times meters are accurate enough but come with junk leads), just stay away from the low end stuff.
Two US sources I've used for soldering/ test equipment supplies are MCM Electronics and Parts Express (both in Ohio). MCM especially will run email / print ad specials with lower prices or shipping discounts. I've been eyeing up some of the Tenma DMM's (there is one currently backordered for $29.99 - think web shows $34.99) but I've no experience with them. MCM also carries a "936" clone soldering station that is frequently $19.99 with a discount code.
FastTech will be your best bet for flashlight related & some electrical supplies.
-Garry
Well being impatient i went ahead and gutted a probably less than ideal specimen for my first kill, lol. It’s a Rayovac Indestructable (not anymore!) 3C. I’d rather do something new to it instead of putting it back together stock. better throw would rock. Now i’m not really sure what i’m working with here as far as the driver and emitter go so does anyone else wanna chime in on what i may have here or where to proceed from this point? 
and…
Thanks everyone!
Hi BS follows. Welcome to our lovely BLF forum.