Thanks for the update pictures. You have explained it perfectly. I reckon you will have inspired dozens to try their first build.
Excellent job!
If you are going to be fitting a high power emitter I would suggest putting a screw through the side of the tube to clamp the pill to the inside wall.
(Unless, of course anyone can come up with a better idea….)
You could use a small pointed punch, like a nail set punch and make a couple of dimples in the copper, where the pill is, to tighten it in place. Easier than a screw and keeps the surface looking smoother.
You could also use another piece of copper, like you used for the bezel, behind the penny and make it fit like you did on the front one, then take it out, solder it and slide it in to keep the penny in. Then you could drill through the body and that ring and use a small key chain style split ring, to keep it from shifting, while using the key chain ring to hook the lanyard to. Of course you would have to remove that ring, to access the battery, but you have to with the screw anyhow. 
Sorry, when I get going, I don't know when to shut up.
Flashaholic? Probably - thanks entirely to this forum! This is where I got MY inspiration.
Genius? No way (that made my wife laugh ’till she cried) - it looks easy because it IS easy.
But thanks for the ego boost anyway. :bigsmile:
That’s really nice!
Don’t apologise, that’s just what I wanted to hear: fresh ideas. Thanks for sharing.
The only problem with the punch idea for retaining the pill is it would be permanent. No way to get the pill out if the driver or emitter gave up the ghost.
I like your second idea, probably the best solution if you just wanted to stick with the original rubber tail cap.
Keep ’em coming!
Best use of a penny i’ve ever seen.
:bigsmile: They’re certainly not much use for anything else these days.
I remember a time when…………never mind 
They cost more than their value to make. :~ Maybe it’s time we retire them (and nickels, for the same reason)?
I decided that the Lancman PipeLight Mark II would be bit more DIY than the Mark I so as a start I made my own copper pill using yet another penny. It was only after I had soldered it all together and started grinding the Queen’s head off (sorry Ma’am) that I found out something else about UK pennies. Up to 1992 they were made of bronze (97% copper so good enough) but since then they have been made of copper plated steel! :Sp |(
So now I have to check the date on every penny I find or test it with a magnet. I am now hoarding all pre ’92 pennies I come across and have been officially classified barking mad by my wife.
I’m sure most of us can relate to that 
Woof, woof, (welcome to DIY). Now you see lights as we do, or actually, now you see the world as we do: parts that we can turn into lights.
:bigsmile: Every time I go to the recycling centre I look at all the scrap pipework and think “what a waste, imagine how many lights I could make from that lot.”
Anyway, PipeLight Mark II is finally completed. Looks much the same externally as Mark I but all the action has taken place inside. Nothing salvaged from another light this time.
Specs:
XP-G2 emitter
Aluminum Orange Peel Reflector
Home made copper pill
Nanjg AK 101 driver
Home made switch housing made from a modified P60 pill
Omten tail switch
As this one was destined for my daughter’s handbag rather than my toolbox I spent a bit more time on the finish. It’s still far from perfect, but it’s getting there. It’s a bit of a fingerprint magnet though.
Mark II ended up slightly shorter than Mark I thanks to the different internals. It is also a much better light all round. Much brighter, nicer warm tint, better beam profile. Almost too good to give away really. I can see I’m going to have to upgrade Mark I eventually. I knew I should have bought 2 of everything. 
Every time you do one you will try to improve over the last one. It’s what keeps the next model coming. It makes it very difficult to make two exactly alike.
True. I like the fact that each one is unique and nobody else has anything quite like them.