As you can see the Wildtrail battery tube is even larger than 21700 flashlights. TheOnlyDocc, can you request Wildtrail make a 21700 battery tube for this light? It would only be a very tiny bit longer but with much better runtimes and performance along the entire discharge curve.
I can ask about a 21700 tube. But i think they will only be interested if they can sell enough. They will most likely not start a production run for 50-100tubes. And at the moment my guess would be that they want to concentrate on a new light.
Jacky will talk to the factory in the next 2 days. Maybe i can give answeres then.
And the tube was smaller on the old D80. But to make space for a 20mm driver (only to give us more options to mod) we had to make it bigger. This was really only done for us. The driver would also be available in 17mm.
I never understood the need for a 20mm driver, but I must have said that before in this thread, 17mm drivers are more universal and fit the electronics for all common mods for a light this size.
But I still like how the V2 turned out, it still has the D80 feel to it.
I was going to bore one of my non-anodized tubes to fit 21700 but alas, the groove for the o-ring is too deep and would not allow it. 20700 perhaps? Cutting it close, as it were…
The Fireflies E07 battery tube is 0.3mm at the upper o-ring position, so apparently you can get away with very little meat (but I would not dare stepping on it)
I wanted to let you guys know that Jacky reduced the price on AE to 27.70$ at the moment. Because so many people had problems with the order prozess. So at the moment you can buy the light without message. . .
One question to all the mechanics here. I talked with Wildtrail about the option to not screw in a copper will into the head but to press it in. To get a better contact to the Aluminium Head.
But the factory is worried about the structural stability of of the head during the press operation. I think aslong the material has no weak spots in the design and they use a jig that fits the head (to take the press load right) this should not be a problem.
But they also said that they see maybe problems because the Aluminium and the Copper are simmilar from the hardness. This could make problems during the press operation and could make the pressfit a weak spot.
I think most of the time i know what i am doing and i have a bit of experiance. But pressfitted connections are not a thing i have much knowladge about.
So i hope to get some more input from you guys.
Just don’t do a cold, shear press fit. I have pressed fit a few copper pills into aluminum lights. All my Surefire 6P copper quad pills are press fit, TK61’s with huge copper plate press fit, Courui D01’s with chunky thick press fit copper pills to the top of the e-switch hole, no problems. But they were never pressed in COLD.
. Heat the aluminum up either by Induction or Convection the aluminum will expand, I limit my interference (press) fit to .0015- .002” maybe .003” at the most, which often results with a slight shear of the copper depending on the expansion of the host.
. More importantly the roundness of both the copper pill and the aluminum bore it is going into is critical for a clean, robust shrink/press fit after cooling. It might take a few tests depending of the material/thickness (rate of expansion) being used.
. I would start with a 0015-.002” Interference fit…Heat/Press/Cool and test…
