I’m new to the flashlight modding world. I ordered two SRKs from eBay and some 46mm driver boards and some XL-L2s on copper MCPCPBs LEDs from Mountain Electronics. However, when I gutted the SRK to take out the LEDs I found that mine looks quite different from pictures I’ve seen on the forum. Instead of having a platform to thermal paste the LEDs into the body of the flashlight, mine had a large aluminum circuit board that had 3 LEDs mounted to it. The body of the flashlight is essentially just a tube instead of having a place to thermal paste an LED.
I don’t think there is any way to use the SRKs that I currently have. I don’t think the heat sinking is at all effective with that aluminum circuit board. I ran the SRK stock and it started smoking after a few minutes. So it looks like I have two flashlights that are of no real use to me. :Sp
So I guess my question is, is there a seller that has SRKs from somewhere that makes it with the platform for mounting the LEDs that I have?
Are there any alternative hosts that utilize a 46mm driver?
Or perhaps there is a way to make the SRK’s that I have work that I haven’t thought of?
Standard issue with cheap mass produced SRKs, they were good before everyone started to make them and lowering the price by significantly reducing quality. If you have someone that owns a lathe I am sure you can DIY something.
Is the aluminum piece that the emitters set on large enough to fit on the shelf or is it just hanging in the air? If it’s large enough to actually sit on the rim it’s an easy fix really. Just turn it into a shelf using some thermal epoxy. I use JB weld mixed with silicone carbide. Then take some copper or aluminum and epoxy that to the back of the shelf making it larger and so that it has good contact with the outside of the light. To get rid of the plastic on the aluminum piece heat it up and peal it off then sand it down. Although it’s still going to be better to put your emitters on the back of it that is already flat. So just turn it upside down.
Don't count yourself out. You could approach a machine shop and ask them to cut you a piece out 1/8" scrap aluminum or if there is a school nearby that teaches shop ask them. Worst case scenario is to find a piece of 1/8" aluminum, draw a circle, and find a repair shop with a grinder. I do not have any SRK's but you may even be able to use 1/4" aluminum. Just some thoughts.
Yeah, it's a real bummer. I've started to see this more and more over the past year. I have had several customers send me lights to modify that I couldn't really do much with because they didn't have the shelf, and it wasn't worth the money to pay me to try and fabricate something for them. I have even had a few who have had the leads desolder themselves from the MCPCB because they got too hot--even in stock form. They probably wouldn't overheat with the "5000 mAh" Ultrafires in there, but with four good cells even some of the stock lights will overheat badly
I had some gold SRK clones that had the good JB driver and a decent thread in shelf, but those are gone now and I'm not going to even try and get more. Even the "Securitying" branded lights started to get hit-or-miss, and I had to reject several shipments of 30-50 lights. It was a huge waste of time and money.
The M6 is so much better than even the "good" SRKs were that I don't bother any more. The stock driver can be easily modified for serious amps (with NO audible PWM noise), the stock driver has a nice thick contact ring, and the heat sinking is much better. Best of all--the quality is consistent.
Yeah, I’m using some decent Panasonic cells so the one light started smoking. The “LED chip” does have a little lip that it sits on to make contact with the body of the flashlight. I’m not sure if I can flip it over and paste the LEDs that I do have to the back off that aluminum chip. It might be an option that I had not previously thought of.
Would would you happen to know if the Supfire M6 can take a 46mm driver or if that’s would even be worth replacing the driver in a supfire M6?
Suppose I do get an aluminum piece cut to fit my current host, do I just use thermal paste to attach it to the body of the flashlight? I think I might know someone who might be able to cut something for me.
The M6 will take a 46mm driver, but the preferred method, in my opinion, is to use the stock driver and piggyback an attiny driver to provide the PWM and updated modes. If you've already got one it might be worth a try. If you haven't used it yet I'll take back the one I built for you.
The "LED chip" is called an MCPCB (metal core printed circuit board).
Ideally you would want the spacer to fit tight enough so that the lens assembly presses it fairly tightly into the body. You can put a little thermal paste in there to improve transfer a little bit, but you want the main transfer to come through physical contact and pressure.
I’ve actually got two 46mm drivers that I purchased from you. One SRK 32x 7135 and one SRK FET driver. If possible, I would like to return them both and get a Supfire M6.
I remember purchasing 6 XM-L2s in various tints, two different SRK drivers, and some wires. I was planning on making a tint mixed SRK, but my plan didn’t quite work out.
Would it be possible for me to send the the unused drivers and the 3 LEDs that I intended to tint mix back to you for a Supfire M6 with the tint mixed XM-L2s installed? I’d pay for the difference in cost, installation, and shipping?