The light I am working on right now is an older T6 I will include a picture at the bottom. Here is my problem. The pill of thos model is much taller than any other and the leads pre-soldered to my board is not going to come close to reaching the noctigon. I do not have any silicone wire at all. Got some coming but probably 2 weeks at least. I could harvest the wire from the junk that came out but it looks about a full awg smaller. Feels soft enough to be silicone. Also that leaves me trying to hit the tiny spot on this board. Only other wire I have on hand in standard 18 awg. Options please? Would you maybe solder two together to add length. I have and extra board. Or harvest the pretty dismal wire that was already in it. Pic below.
See how tall the pill on the left is. lol I even emailed and asked if he was sure they were long enough.
And last the old wire beside new. I'm not thrilled about soldering a joint for length inside a pill but?
Is that an 8 x 7135 driver replacement? For modest currents thicker wire isn’t as much benefit. Splicing wires is an option if you make sure to insulate the joint.
Yes it is, from Mountain I love those I ordered like 8 of them now he is out…
I can normally solder a damn fine joint (pardon my language). What should I insulate with, No heat shrink here even close to that small. Surely not electrical tape, or am I wrong. Remember I am still new at some of these mods. The tech work is not usually a problem. But there are a lot of little nitches I am yet to learn.
I did email Mountain and asked after my first 3 arrived if the leads were long enough, he said easily, I reminded him they were not all for sk98’s at least 2 had pills a bit larger.
Out of both of these T6’s I removed the wires from the old boards. Both neg. Side wires just have too many scorch marks to feel good about but both positive side wires look okay. I am going to clean up and test both. If they test okay I can use them until my silicone coated arrives in a couple of weeks. That tiny spot on those new boards will take all the skill I have to do right. Need a slightly smaller tip.
One other thing. Centering the emitters. I thought the butterfly gaskets I ordered would fit these retaining rings but they are far smaller.
Hints or ideas on centering. I can tac them on place with just a tiny spot of solder can’t I. Or would that hurt they current? Anything helpful is much appreciated as all of the help you guys are.
I am a Novice and learning about modifying LED Flashlights and Silicone Wire (I would Hope it is more flexible than the 20 AWG Stranded wire)? I bought 3 small rolls in different colors, then found out that it was Not flexible enough to use in my small flashlight.
I have been working on my car and while at One auto parts store they had a Really Nice assortment pack of Shrink Tubing in Every Size, for under $4 IIRC? Ato Zone had it with the wire connectors if you want to try the splicing technique? It does make the wire harder to bend in tight spots, but works Great in a straight wire run.
Good luck with your project, and thanks for helping me Learn more about these things…
Well thank you very much for letting me know that. I finally decided to harvest the wires from the old board and star. I did have to take some of the length off where there were scorch marks from the original soldering. They looked very well when I was finished only problem is that positive ad negative are both colored red lol. I will of course change that as soon as my wire arrives. If you are going to be around a bit I am about to tac on the Noctigon leads and center the emitter and button it all up. I ma curious to find what the current is…
This is something I am still learning as well, I have been a technician most of my life so much of it such as soldering and how not to blow myself up I had a head start on but I learn more and more with each light I mod or even just upgrade. And the guys here. Tons and tons of knowledge…
I’ll toss this hint into the mix for you. Have any old USB or printer cables around? Cut them open and check for wire gauge size. I have a nice stash collected from old network cables, USB power connector cables, etc. Now, none are silicone, however some are I suspect, polyproplyene, very flexible.
It is very possible that I do but. I have come into a larger problem.
I just removed to wiring from the old board that I removed and am using it, only downfall is both wires are red. I checked and rechecked to be sure the polarity was/is correct.
Before turning the light on I wanted a current check, the meter read a current just above 2 but no light. I tried 3 or 4 more times and the same thing. The real catch is that the battery overheated very fast. I caught it before any damage occurred and I will check that battery later.
I have checked every connection and can’t see an issue.
I am going to try re-soldering all of my joints just to be sure they are all good and I am keeping the iron as close to the 361F melting point of my solder as I can…
You have a short on the positive side. Check all the springs as they can overheat and lose their temper in seconds. The copper disc might be the culprit.
I was thinking that. No clue if I was right. Also there is a copper ring around the edge of the bottom of the driver and the positive connection is about 2mm away. When I swapped the wires I noticed I got just a touch of solder on it.
Now I’m out in search of wire. I know Radio Shack does not sell the wire I need but they do sell tons of small parts for lights, CPU’s and so on that will have some of the correct type.
Throw any ideas for a part you know would use it out there and I will check while here.
I actually got some wire that will work at least for testing purposes. It is as close as I could find locally. Took 3 hours. I stripped it down totally removed all solder and an in the process of putting it back together now. I’m honestly not sure where I shorted. But I have 2 more after this one. Those shouldbe much easier. Biggest concern for now is the noctigon. I wish they had it 1mm larger. Pain to center. I cut myself one of the little plastic gaskets and will be adding a silicone circle under the retaineras well for added insurance.
Any other tips I may be overlooking please feel free to shout them right out.
I wish I could explain the difference in the current for this light and my sk98. It has never hit 3 with identical emitter and driver. Only difference is the wire in the light I just finished has wiring that we would normally only use if we had no other choice., such as today. I am cuious to see the readings after wire arrives and I change it.
I wish I could explain the difference in the current for this light and my sk98. It has never hit 3 with identical emitter and driver. Only difference is the wire in the light I just finished has wiring that we would normally only use if we had no other choice., such as today. I am cuious to see the readings after wire arrives and I change it.
