Hey everyone!
Quick question. Been searching high and low for a tailcap for my 501b that is similar to the solarforce s1 raised tailswitch. Will the solarforce s1 work with the 501b?
They are similar but different. If you can pull the switch and boot out of the tailcap the top of the 501B cap could be filed down so that it worked similar to the Solarforce cap.
Doesn’t the 501B need a tailcap that is a “male”, i.e., aren’t the tailcap threads on the 501B body on the inside of the tube? Whereas the SF tailcaps themselves have threads on the inside?
Not on mine. Both caps have female threads but there are 7 million different manufacturers of 501B’s so anything would be possible.
So there’s no alternatives for the 501B?
Anyone have any recommendations for a 180 lumen 1” diameter light with a raised tailcap and is under $20?
For the sake of discussion, what is the official term for that type of tailcap?
The 501Bs all have female tail caps, it's the 502B that has the male tail cap (you can't screw the two lights together unfortunately, i tried)
The 501B tail threads have a different pitch to the Solarforce/Surefire tail threads as well as a different tailcap depth so they are completely incompatible unless you can re-thread one or the other parts (the 501B body tube would be the most sensible).
As for a light i would suggest a Solarforce L2, L2M or L2N host as these all have a non-shrouded tail and are the cheapest as they don't have a type III anodised coating.
You can use the same P60 drop-in from your 501B in the Solarforce host.
When you say a 1" light i assume you mean the body tube as both the 501B and the Solarforces have a 1" body but a 1 1/4" head diameter.
I agree with MRsDNF that you can grind/file your existing 501B tailpiece to expose the silicon switch cover (or ‘rubber boot’). Here is a $2.42 replacement to practice on!
The WF-501B won’t leggo with the Solarforce L2 series. Tailpiece diameters are similar, but lengths are improper. Trying to make them fit anyway, you’d find even the threads are pitched differently.
For $10.99, the high-quality Solarforce L2M comes with exposed switch cover. For some reason, the rubber OD is 16mm instead of the more common 14mm.
Here’s a side-by-side picture.
Didn’t even think about that. So I guess I could simply drop in my p60 from my 501 head into a solarforce L2(x) body. That should work right?
What I’m looking for is an exposed tailcap and/or the solarforce pts-3 tape switch to mount on my AR.
I would suggest having a look on here:
http://www.solarforceflashlight-sales.com/product.php?t=FA
They seem to have the cheapest prices i've seen for Solarforces and best of all they sell all the different components separately as well, so you can get exactly the host you want without wasting money on parts you will then replace.
For $20 (plus postage) you can get an L2P head and body with the L2T tailcap which is the type of exposed tailcap you're looking for. http://www.solarforceflashlight-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=FB&s=7&id=264 All the parts are even HA III coated.
However if you really want the Solarforce PTS-3 tape switch then that's $14, A L2P body is $7 and for the best looking lego possible i'd go for the L2T head for $7. It's not the cheapest head they sell but it's a cleaner shape than most, without the hex at the base, which makes it a better choice for mounting to a rifle (they also sell rail mounts)
I've ordered from that site before and i liked their shipping prices and decent delivery times (at least to the UK, can't comment on their shipping to the US).
Tofty -
Funny you should say that, I was thinking along the same lines as you.
L2P Body ($6.99) + L2P Tactical Head ($3.99) + PTS-3 Forward Clicky & Tape ($13.99) = $24.97 (not including shipping)
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I should be able to simply take and swap out my drop-in and 18650 from my 501B and I should be ready to go… right?
So long as your drop-in has the large outer spring then it will go straight into the Solarforce host.
There are lots of subtle problems that can arise with matching P60s and hosts due to the fact that nothing has been truly standardised, but your setup shouldn't have too many of these problems as the Solarforce cavity is larger than the original Surefire design which allows greater flexibility of non-standard drop-ins.
One problem might be that your drop-ins outer spring might not it to sit fully down into the host so the head won't screw on fully which leaves a gap. This is caused by the spring partially falling into the battery tube rather than compressing around the drop-in. This is because the bore on the Solarforce is larger than the original Surefires as it allows wider batteries. The cure is to bend the bottom of the spring out to increase it's diameter a little bit so it rests on the lip above the battery tube.
I would suggest wrapping your drop-in around the cylindrical part with the aluminium skin of a soft drink can, sanded down to expose bare metal on both sides. This is to fill the air gap between the drop-in and the wall of the cavity, otherwise there is almost no good thermal path to remove heat from the drop-in. Is it an XM-L? If so it can cook itself in a matter of minutes without the wrap. Cut strips so that they almost touch when wrapped the drop-in. Any overlapping creates an air gap which is bad. You may need two or three layers to fill the void. The drop-in should be a friction fit with the layers of aluminium around it. If it seems loose with a certain number of wraps and impossibly tight with one more than that then use some aluminium foil as the first layer to make up a half layer or so. Of course copper is better for wrapping but it's not always to hand.
Hope that helps, though i still think the L2T head is worth the extra money, but i suppose that's just me.
The light is an Ultrafire WF-501B CREE XPE-WCR5 1-mode 320lm.
Hey everyone -
Just got in all of my SolarForce parts in for my AR Tactical light. Just for giggles, I attempted to place the SolarForce PTS-3 tailcap and remote switch onto the back of my Ultrafire 501B light. I CAREFULLY cleaned the threads on both the tailcap and the host body. I GENTLY screwed it on and it went on smoothly and securely. Snug. No wiggle. Pressed both the tailcap button and the remote switch and WAHLA! It works fine!
Not to say that this is the case with ALL of the Ultrafire hosts, but it seemed to work for mine. I’ll feel a little better once I get a o-ring installed between the host and the tailcap.
BTW, am I looking for a 26mm o-ring?
Anyway any questions or comments are welcome.
^ Ultrafire 501B Host and SolarForce PTS-3 Switch.
^ Tailcap installed
^ Installed onto my ElZetta Light Mount on my AR.
^ Tape switch integrated with my vertical grip.
I'm glad to hear that the Solarforce remote pad switch worked on the 501B but that really surprises me, some of the Ultrafires must be made differently to others. Something to watch out for.