Is it possible to install a McClicky in a Solarforce S8 tailcap?
Solarforce S8 Tailcap
Is it as easy as twisting the gut out and installing the new one in?
or
Is machining and washer spacer required?
or
Is it impossible?
No, its not as simple as just “twisting the gut out”. Has the switch in your S8 failed? The McClicky is a top rated switch but it will take some work to exchange it in the S8. You might try doing a search on BLF and also on Candle Power Forum. I’m certain this question has come up before.
I want to upgrade my S8 tailcap. I saw forums talking about S7 and S9 tailcaps but not S8.
A few weeks ago, I successfully upgraded my Solarforce S8 tailcap with a McClicky.
Here is youtube video I made regarding the modification. Also in the channel is a clip of a 5.2A drop-in paired with a McClicky.
-These 2 webpages provided useful information when I researched components needed to power a high amp dropin:
PCC on The Bright Side
Vinhnguyen54 on CPF
-The plastic adapter that went between the boot and the switch didn’t have a large enough hole for the button to transverse. I had to drill a bigger hole. (My tailcap was a S8, not a S7 which had different internals).
-A brass McClicky adapter was not required.
Following Vinh’s McClicky/Solarforce mod tutorial, I used electrical tape (since I don’t have a soldering iron or shrink tube) to isolate the + and contact of the McClicky, since the washer that screws in to keep everything down was almost thick enough to gap them. There was an original o-ring that fit the inter diameter of the washer but it was too large.
-The height of the white plastic adapter was a little high, and I had to sink my thumb in the boot to hear the click. So, I sanded it down, but to my dismay, I over-grinded by 1/3 mm and now the forward clicky is too sensitive. If I apply just a little pressure, the light would come on. Since I carry the light around and require it to always turn on at high, I’ll need to add a washer to increase the adapter’s height again or just redo the procedure with a new one.
-The McClicky spring was pretty long. Fearing it might crush the battery or the stacks of microchips that protrude at the back of the drop-in, I shortened the spring. It scratched up the bottom of the battery before I know to sand down the edges.
-Update: Because I cut the McClicky spring too short, there was disconnections when the flashlight experienced forward impacts, causing it to switch level. I replaced it with another McClicky.
-Vinh’s McClicky supply (along with moonlight drivers) is currently out of stock until further notice. I had to order mine from Lighthound.com
-The pair of McClickies arrived a few days after the XML, so I had a chance to test Solarforce’s stock clicky that was rated at 3A max. It worked, but the spring blackened and deformed. I wasn’t not sure this was cause from prolong usage of Solarforce’s 820 lumen drop-in or a 5A drop-in (probably the former).
-I’m using the Solarforce’s standard rubber boot for the McClicky, but the press is a bit soft due to the weaker spring in the mechanic. It sounds muddy, and has a slight wet rubber squeak (I’m very sensitive and vulnerable to that frequency). The feel of the Solarforce clicky is far superior, since it requires a solid press, and the sound is loud and satisfying.
-The McClicky has a maximum recommended current of 5A. I think I heard a McClicky running at 5.6A-6A shortens its life, but it’ll melt at 7A. I don’t have solid references to back this up. A McClicky is only $7, but having it fried in the forest at night without camping gear means sleeping with a dirt pillow.