This flashlight doesn’t get any love from my and just sits collecting dust because I hate the sickly cool white beam. Replacing the XM-L2 with a 219C seems like a good way to rectify this. Is this emitter swap possible? Or am I going to end up with holes in the beam?
I plan to use a copper MCPCB for the 219C, but I’ve only seen 20mm and 16mm ones and the D40A has a 28mm aluminum star held down by screws. Any tips for centering and holding down the smaller copper MCPCB?
I figure I could thermal epoxy it making sure it’s centered before the epoxy sets, or make little “fingers” that extend over the MCPCB to hold it down from the factory screw holes.
*the 219C has a smaller die, so is throwier than the XM-L2. At the same current it has a considerably lower output than the XM-L2, but the Vf is lower so it may draw a bit more current (not sure how well current controlled the D40A is, my copy suggests no constant current or even direct drive on the highest setting and very constant current control on all other settings)
*I once tried to de-solder the ledwires and found that the solder melts at a higher temperature than the regular solder that I use. So expect to need a hot solder iron.
*glueing the board down may be the most stable way to do it but it is a one-way solution, I’d rather go for something removable, like the way you suggested. what I also understand what people do is applying two or three small dots of thermal epoxy at the edge of the board, and non-sticking thermal past under the rest of the board, and that way it is still possible to pry the board out undamaged if needed.
*or wait for a nice XM-L3 in 4000K 90CRI to be produced by Cree somewhere in the future, and use the stock board?
I have swapped the emitter in my D40a. I couldn’t stand the 1A tint either.
It was very simple. Bezel unscrews easy, and the reflector just pops out. The only issue I had was that I had to use a flat soldering tip at about 390 degrees to get the leads to unsolder from the stock MCPCB. Its really soldered on hardcore style.
I used a 20mm Noctigon with an XP-L V6 3D. The beam is lovely and smooth, and much warmer. Also, in theory, more lumen over the XM-L2 U2 that was in previously.
As long as you have a centering ring around your LED, that fits to hole size in the reflector, its easy to get the emitter to line up and provide a good beam.
You can get 28mm DTP MCPCBs - Banggood have one:
I find my 20mm Noctigon is fine.
I suppose an 219C will be a bit more throwy, but I have a diffuser on mine, and use it for lighting my tent when we go away etc.
I checked your output plots and they show just under 1100lm at 3A for a XM-L2 and 900lm at 3A for the 219C. The stock board in the D40a is aluminum and I don’t think it’s DTP either, so they might not really be too far off. Considering it’s just sitting unused now, a loss of light, even if noticeable is better than leaving it unused.
Seems like the 28mm MCPCB grayski74 linked to should make things easier though I might have to drill a hole or two in it.
That stock emitter tint is awful. Swapping it is totally necessary and massively upgrades the light. If I recall correctly, I just used a 20mm DTP base with thermal grease. The reflector is narrow at the bottom. So no potential shorting issues. If I remember correctly. I will try to look under the hood tonight to verify.
The beam in the light is very even. So the smaller die might not make a ringy beam if you're lucky.