True. Or leave the O-rings out completely, my lights never get wet. :P
I just took some measurements on my Convoy S7, seems to be possible to remove about 2cm while keeping the clicky and tailstand-ability. Would be 96mm. Too bad it will get an XML led.^^
The shorty AA MiniMag is 95mm in the off position, could be down to 88mm off if the tail cap has the button trimmed, could even put a clicky in it. Running an Efest IMR14500 it pulls 2.85A in direct drive for something in the neighborhood of 1000 lumens. Pretty slick trick it is, Thanks Dan!!!
Well, Fasttech has just updated the status on the $10 X-Power hosts to 'special order, ships in 7 days'. Is that 7 Chinese days (3 months)? Who knows! |(
2.5-3mm without glass, just the O-ring. At least on mine, I have it there now so I can hear how it rattles it’s really just a bit of spacer needed.
Yep I might use some dremel bit or use a normal drill bit or order some cheap end mill bit. That is if I cut it shorter.
S7 is the same or very similar to D4/Xiaozhi/X-Power I think, it’s just stainless steel so have fun cutting and drilling it lol. No no no, no stainless steel for me. Heavy and hard to work with. Although how deep the thread is cut on a S7 who knows. Such things may change even on the same model if not from the same factory or a different batch.
Might be because people don’t buy them much. From what I see everybody goes for Convoys for some reason, dunno why. I haven’t bought the host either and I asked them to list it J)
Would have, but got another light so I didn’t need to in the end.
7 days ain’t bad though. Probably just don’t hold it in stock or no stock currently so they have to get it from the factory that does their X-Power lights.
Good thinking with the silicone. Will it be ok to still make enough electric contact?
We have a drill stand but the garage is a total mess, but I’m looking to try get it working.
12x 7135 = 4300mA, “that’s not much” for 3 Nichias.
Current plan is to direct drive it. Got MOSFETs to mod Nanjg105c, got the layout, just need to do it.
We are already quite off topic here, so here is the Nanjg105c. board layout with SiR424DP 
Obviously without the cuts and drills needed.
Oh I think the S7 is very well possible to cut down. Stainless steel is no problem. The problem is.. I dont really need it. I have 2 triple Nichia lights already and I cant afford to put triples in everything. :D
It doesn't take much silicone to seal it up, certainly not so much that it would affect the threads. Just enough to seal the two parts at the joint, an even smaller volume of sealant that the original o-ring. Just a little spread around the surface the head contacts when tightened. Let it cure completely, then peel off any excess that squeezed out. Trying to clean it off before it cures is like herding cats.
The stainless S7 would work perfect if the threads in the head were 3mm further. That’s sad. 
Might have to order a D4 or X-power just for fun.
Just finished one with Nichias, and... well, I can see the appeal of the high CRI I guess, but they just ain't very bright, are they?
Not as bright as XPG2 but decent. About a third less lumens but higher Vf, so..
Ah yes, that's another mark against them. With a 12x 350mA driver they'll only pull around 3.55A. I stuck the exact same driver onto one of the XPG2 boards and it does a little over 4A, with the same cell and everything.
Yup, they are certainly not overly efficient, but the light quality is great.
Yes they cut down the tops to even out the output light quality thus lose output power.
That is always a tradeoff.
When I finally reprogram and make the direct drive I might build one extra light to wishes of somebody. Dunno if I will be able to cut down yet. But the costs go sky high for these triples, kind of inevitable with $17 being the cheapest XP-G2s, Nichias $18 + shipping 
$10 host
$17-$22 noctigon triple XP-G2 or Nichia
$3 Nanjg 105c + 7135s or direct drive
$2 lens +shipping coz Nichia and the lens = only one source is IS = bloody $6.8 shipping for me
+O-rings like GITD from what I already have
+modding the host: minifying switch assembly if needed, possibly cutting it shorter, creating spacer out of copper 2.9-11.6mm (1-4 layers of copper, soldered), tools
$35-40 just the parts + shipping of parts to me + hours of labor modding host and driver, reprogramming, …
That’s getting quite costy isn’t it.
So if anybody was thinking about building or buying one this is about the cost of parts I think comfychair’s $30-35 was a bit optimistic.
Normally with XM-L it costs $20, ready made in china without any customization.
Putting a triple in it basically doubles it just in parts costs.
Will see how it all goes. It’s going to be relevant when the first light is finished. So far it’s a waiting for parts or tools.
You can have a working triple board for just a bit over $10, the bare 3XP is $3 and FT has cool white 1A tint XPG2s for $2.40 ea. Illumination Supply has the Nichias on sale for $3.50 ea but I pay considerably less for shipping than you do. Any of the 'nicer' XPG2 tints are nearly double the cost if bought separately, it's cheaper to buy those pre-assembled on the 3XP boards from IOS.
Yes XP-G2 is best bought R5 3C already made from intl-outdoor (IO).
Yep shipping to EU is costy from IS $6.8 
Which is not terrible right, costs nearly the same to ship around here too, but still adds cost.
Nichia $3.5ea now, so I’m thinking on getting another package from there. Either make another triple light possibly or use them in a lamp.
XP-G2 on FT is cheap yes, but 1A tint, that hopefully nobody likes anymore
I was thinking on getting one but the tint :~
Nope nope nope. Haven’t seen more washed out output than that.
1A tint is great for dedoming. ;)
Funny thing about tint and the human eye, or my eyes anyway, I really don't notice the tint unless it's compared side by side with a different tint. Like, the XML2 1Cs that go slightly greenish when de-domed, I can't see it unless I compare it to a non-de-domed 1C, only then does it look icky. The 1A XPG2s just look really really bright instead of harsh until you put them side by side with another light using the 2Bs.
And comparing the 1A to the Nichia just makes the Nichia look like a hipster steampunk retro kerosene lantern... :bigsmile:
I notice, I can see when I’m missing green or red or the color is yellowish, like most Cree 3C tints are yellowish with a bit of green, although the rendering really depends on how well the reflectors works for Crees as their tint goes from one side to the other across the angle of output. Hotspot is nice but then the spill can be quite crap.
Pointing the light on wood usually shows how good or bad the light source is.
I’ve checked today and yesterday, the more powerful dremel does work, guess my last repair was successful, hate motors with brushes. And a drill press/stand works, just need to put a vice on it or something to hold things.
Well, the only difference I know that can influence the optical properties is that the Nichia has a rounder dome, perhaps more light is going sideways that way, but I can not really understand how that behaves so different in a TIR optic.
So you have a brighter but smaller hotspot with a polished frosted lens compared to the regular clear lens?
Maybe clear and frosted have different focal lengths. I've seen optics that would give you a square beam with a Nichia and a perfect beam with an XPG.. and the other way round. Its a matter of fractions of millimeters.
Beamshots, please-please-please!
I have 10507 and 10511 (narrow frosted) on hand. Just tryin’ to figure if I really should buy 10508 too.