How doable is it to swap the SST-40 in a Nitecore MH10S with a SFT-40?
What are the pitfalls?
Thanks!
Is the bezel glued?
I guess yes, I’m asking the question here so that someone who’s done an emitter swap on a similar Nitecore can chime in and share his experience…
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Yes you can put an SFT-40 on the mcpcb that has the SST-40. The solder pad footprints are the same.
I have not swapped the LED in a Nitecore MH10S, but the process is probably the same as for other lights.
Here is an example showing some of the tools and supplies I used to change an LED in a similar light:
another example:
If you do not have tools and supplies, here is a shopping list
Thanks a lot! Exactly what I needed. On the “tools” side, I got what’s needed and probably more… I should be able to open even a loctited tube without damaging the finish, and in the event I did damage the bugger, I can cerakote it before reassembly.
It helps to heat the light, it softens the loctite… Heating can be accomplished by putting the light in the sun for an hour… or also by boiling water, pouring it into a cup, and dipping the tip of the bezel in the hot water for about 30 seconds.
to reduce the chance of damage from slipping strap wrenches, I sometimes put blue painters tape on the light first… my most aggressive tools are metal, I use leather to protect the light: (tape will not stop metal from biting through)
good luck w your project 
Thanks!
Another question, is it better to use an emitter already on a mcpcb, or a bare emitter?
Swapping this seems less involved than swapping just the emitter…
The possible differences between the Nitecore mcpcb and this one, as far as I can guess, are dimensional (diameter/thickness), thermal conductivity, wires connections. Nothing too difficult to deal with. The advantages would be that the emitter is already centered, and one doesn’t have to mess around with a hot plate and solder or thermal epoxy…
BTW… If Nitecore was making a MH10SE I wouldn’t need to go to that trouble. I had a MH12SE, loved the throw, but hated the tailswitch/side switch combo. The MH10S has a single switch, and can tailstand, great… But it lacks the throw, and I do need that.
The MH10 and MH12 series basically differ only in the switch interface, so, why no MH10SE? No problem, I’ll roll my own…
If you already has the tools and practice is always better to reflow on the original MCPCB. But you can easily transplant the emitter from one MCPCB to another anyway. Kaidomain had a good tint sft40 few days ago, but I’m not sure why they are not listed anymore.
I agree.
No harm buying the LED on an MCPCB, and if it does not fit, reflow the LED to the stock MCPCB
centering is based on the position of the mcpcb… not whether the LED is reflowed onto the stock mcpcb. There is no need to use thermal expoxy (a form of glue)… what reflowing requires is Solder Paste (a form of solder). In both cases you will need Thermal Paste between the shelf and the mcpcb.
if you want to try to avoid reflowing, no harm in trying… otoh, I always use the stock mcpcb if I have the option… reflowing is an essential tool for me… I do not buy LEDs preinstalled on an mcpcb because often the stock mcpcb has different cutouts, and may also be a different thickness.
recommended supplies for LED swaps
tacky flux (to help solder and resolder the wires) Amazon.com
solder (for the wires) Amazon.com
solder paste (goes on the mcpcb, under the LED for reflowing) Amazon.com
thermal paste (goes on the shelf of the light, under the mcpcb) Amazon.com
hotplate, fixed temp 260C Amazon.com
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Thanks, very helpful. Let me check what we have available in-country, because Amazon is a continent and an ocean away… 
When reflowing, how do you ensure that the emitter is centered?
In the end I’ll probably order a couple of mounted and a couple of unmounted emitters, the costs of shipping are much higher than the emitters themselves…
during reflow the LED centers onto the thermal pads of the mcpcb automatically… watch:
during installation of the mcpcb onto the shelf of the light, the centering is done by eye if the mcpcb is smaller diameter than stock… in the case of the stock mcpcb, it centers automatically because it fits closely to the perimeter of the body of the light… I still confirm by eye that it is sitting equidistant from the edges of the body. I also reverify that the LED is centered when I install the reflector… If it is not centered, I remove the reflector and nudge the mcpcb in the correct direction to get centered better. The mcpcb can slide on the thermal paste to allow adjustment.
The emitter centers automatically due to surface tension, like magic. Check this tutorial. The hotplate is not necessary, but good to have. I like to put some solder paste on wire pads during the reflow, it makes it easier when soldering the wires.
You need to test for shorts between the back of the MCPCB and wire pads before installing the MCPCB.
great info, I like to do that too.
There are a lot of different ways to do reflows. A hotplate is the best way. I’ve done dozens with a heat gun (the kind often marketed as for stripping paint). A heat gun also works great for softening bezel glue.
I think BLF should do a “reflow challenge” where we come up with the wackiest ways to reflow. Like using a hot rock from a fire, hot car engine, etc.
Great site, refreshing… Answers keep coming, and down the rabbit hole we go 
There are other more uptight sites where you feel like talking in the dark, you can end up with a big zero replies. Cold silence. Being a born tinkerer, it seems that I found the right spot for anything LED lights…
y’all!
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Use to use a cast iron skillet on a camping stove in my shop. Bought a cheap hot plate just a few month ago.
Correcting, it is available again.http://kaidomain.com/Luminus-SFT-40-Neutral-White-5000K-Long-Throw-SMD-5050-LED
What would be the most likely fit, the 20mm or the 16mm?
20mm I think. But you can remove the bezel to check.