Bummer that C8 reflector doesn’t just drop in. That beam looks good. Looks just about right on focus too. I could be wrong because I have never studied wall shots.
Now I will be looking at my disappointing zoomies. Thank you for this thread ohaya.
Sorry. I think I forgot to 0 the calipers (I did say that I just got them :)!). Yes, outside edge of the P60 reflectors ~26.5 mm. Whew :)!
I’ll have to re-measure the zoomie again and will post back.
Correcting dimensions of the zoomie:
The ID of the bezel at the front is ~31.35 mm.
The depth, measured from the top lip of the pill, to the front edge of the bezel, when it’s fully extended, is ~27.17 mm.
Now I’m glad I didn’t buy that 27mm reflector :)!!
And, I gotta go find some new ones, plus an ~31+ mm lens.
Jim
And if you trim off the threaded base on the P60, it should be close to the right height, with the head/whatever we are calling it fully retracted. (only posted measurement of it fully extended up there^^^) Or at least seats the reflector between the inside of the head and the pill before it runs out of travel.
comfy,
I was thinking of something like that, using a full P60 pill in it, and I think that would work, but at this point, I am more interested in being able to re-use as much of the light as possible. FYI, for me, this “project” is more of a challenge/fun type thing.
Does that make sense?
Of course. You've seen the kind of crap I come up with! :p
Probably the best suggestion I can make, not specifically about this light, but in general: Think of lights as shiny LEGO. LEGO is boring if you only have a few pieces. Pick up as many interesting, random, cheap parts as you can, and just sit around and play with them. Cut them up. Figure out what can go where, especially making them do things they weren't meant to. You'll end up with a lot of scrap, but also a lot of new ideas and potential solutions when something pops up that needs fixin'.
That’s kind of what I’m going by. I don’t remember which thread it was, but somebody advised about figuring out how to mod some light, something to the effect of “stare at it, put it down, stare at it again, put it down again, etc.”.
That was the same here. I’ve had the light for a couple of months, literally sitting in a corner, after deciding that I didn’t care for zoomies, but it was in the pile of lights, and everytime I’d see it, I’d pick it up and go ‘Hmm…’“… End of (or maybe start of) story…
how did you do this?
Disabling the zoom is not really enough. At least on the light I have, the only “reflector” it has is this flat reflective cover that surrounds the emitter, kind of like one of those doughnut shaped insulators, but with a reflective surface. So, besides disabling the zoom, I want the light to have at least some throw, like a non-zoomie.
I ordered the parts from FastTech today, the reflectors, etc., so we shall see how that works. I’m thinking if this works, I may apply a similar mod to some other zoomies I have, including maybe even one of the SK68 clones :)…
The idea is to fully extend the head and the reflector will then hold everything in place like a non zoom light ..
I have a large ( well ) selection of spare parts , and one reflector was a drop in fit ...
So now the zoom light is a regular light .
You may need to glue the head so it wont slide if you cant find a reflector that takes out the play ..
Largest variable would be , does the head slide up and down , or does the LED base do so , but either way , use the reflector to take out the play ( sliding - zooming capability )
The reflector slides up and down. The pill actually screws into the body/tube, and it has a kind of rim that prevents the “bezel” (the part that moves) from being pulled out.
Are you saying you have/have found a reflector that would fit, without modification? I provided the measurements above, but I haven’t been able to find one with the right width. With the head extended all the way, it’d have to be a relatively deep reflector, almost a tube, with one end smaller?
If you can point me to a reflector that would fit, I’d take a look at it, definitely.
P60 reflectors with the threads clipped off, from front face to the base around the LED hole, usually come out to around 18-19mm tall.
It'd be best for the thermals if you can keep the original pill design that screws into the body (think you already figured that out, just wanted to confirm for ya).
Maybe I’m misunderstanding. A P60 reflector is SMALLER in width than the front of the bezel on the light:
so I know that it would “drop in” (more like “fall into”) the front of the light.
BUT, what I’m looking to do is have a reflector that is, at the widest, approx. the width of the front of the bezel, because if I use a P60 reflector, it’d be narrower that the front of the bezel. I guess I’m looking to get the biggest (widest) reflector that I can.
Jim
What about
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1208514
or
http://www.fasttech.com/products/1208505
On these, the absolute maximum you can shave off at the front end diameter (they both have threads on the OD, which you don't need) before you get into the plated surface leaves you with about 32.5mm width. If you shorten it some at the front face, that total OD dimension can come down some more.
On the SST-50 one, there's also a lip around the base that can be taken off, which reduces the overall height by about .045", for a total height from the flat base around the emitter to the front face of right at 1.20".
I have the first one you linked coming in on an order that I placed yesterday, among others. If all of those (I think I ordered 4 different ones) don’t work, I’ll try the SST one.
I had mentioned a question earlier: Would it be easier to chop a plastic one or an aluminum one? I don’t mean easier in the sense of how difficult to cut, but I’ve read that the surface coating inside (the most important part) might “peel” when trying to cut it down?
FYI, here’re the ones I ordered (more than 4 :laughing::
Use good files, and always file in the direction that leaves the least amount of flashing to clean up afterwards. Peeling isn't an issue unless you get them scorching hot. AL reflectors can be salvaged if you damage them (by sanding/scraping off the plating, & polishing), while a damaged plastic reflector is ruined, you either live with it or throw it away.
For selecting a reflector, you may also want to consider the inner diameter of the bezel opening that the light exits out of. Some bezels are pretty thick. Maybe the P60 might match that dimension.
EDIT: Also, some light will be coming out at an angle (spill) past the reflector. If the reflector is a little smaller than the bezel opening, you’ll have a bigger lit up area. You can get idea for how much the bezel will interfere with spill if you peer just over the edge of the bezel just to a point where you can see part of the emitter. If you do not see the reflector’s edge closest to you, the bezel is blocking some spill.
Hi,
I’m sorry that I haven’t posted back on this thread, but had some problems, including killing the emitter on this light.
I’ve now replaced the emitter with an XP-E that I had extra, and I think that I’ve come up with a way to do this.
I got some of these:
https://www.fasttech.com/p/1250300
and one of these lenses:
https://www.fasttech.com/p/1256401
And then proceeded as follow:
- Remove the aspheric lens from the bezel
- Replace it with the optical glass lens
- Place the optical condenser so it sits on top of the emitter PCB
- Screw the bezel back on the part that slides
- Slide that part in, trying to keep the condenser centered
And, that was it.
The hardest part is trying to keep the condenser centered as the bezel is screwed in and the sliding part is slid back. I need to figure out a more permanent way to do that, but anyway, if you’re careful, it works out ok.
I was really kind of worried about having to cut a reflector, but I was inspired by the DQG 18650, which uses a TIR lens, and this seems to work.
I now have converted the zoomie to a non-zoomie.
I’ll try to post some pics later.
Jim
Edit: Pics:
View looking into front (if you look at emitter, it’s still not quite centered):
View from side/angle:
Turned on:
White wall (about 1 meter):
Beam is ugly, because condenser is still not quite centered correctly.
Edit 2: A better white wall shot, condenser is centered better:
Edit 3: BTW, I just realized that the condenser is optimized for an XR-E, but the emitter I have is an XP-E because I don’t have an XR-E. I wonder if that’s why there’s the small dark spot at the center?
Yeah, the beam angle will be different as will the height that the lense sits above the LED die from XR-E to XP-E.
I would actually try the aspheric again now that you have an XP-E in there, you might like it more due to higher surface brightness. Have you measured tailcap current? If it’s under 1.2 amps you could de-dome that XP-E for even better throw.