Triple XPG2/Nichia+copper ConvoyS6/X-Power/Xiaozhi/D4 shorties

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

Wow, that title sounds like keyword spam, eh? :D

I got a bag full of... whatever these lights are today. They were listed as 'X-Power' brand, I guess because 'Xiaozhi' is a bit, well, awkward. But what was in the bag?

Convoy S6?!

After taking lots of measurements and poking at the calculator, it looks like the head can be shortened by .446", and that's with a real double-AR lens in front of the Carclo TIR (no o-ring, lens glued in with clear RTV - learned from previous experience the o-ring just gets pinched and squeezed out through the hole when assembled tight enough).

Stock overall length (OAL) is 4.612", with the shortened head OAL is 4.166". If the tailcap is converted to a twisty instead of clicky it can be shortened by another .405", for a OAL of 3.761". There's an extra .100" in the battery tube length if you use only unprotected cells, but that might be pushing things too far. It can be done though.

The unthreaded section in the front end of the head is .618", from the underside of the bezel/front face of the lens, back to where the threads begin. That can be filled in by adding a ~.130" thick aluminum disc to the top of the pill, and removing around half the pill threads, taking that area down to an OD that fits snug into the unthreaded bore above the threads (.810" ID). Still enough to move the heat, and yet keep the pill easily removable more or less like stock.

I'm still waiting on more parts to arrive, but I have enough here to complete 1 or 2, which is enough to start chopping them up into little pieces.

2

Wow, very nice! Every time I see your posts about these tube style 18650 with a triple, the more I want to build one.

Are you by any chance building these for people? I’d be interest in one.

3

Yes, I will keep one (the first test mule) and have 4 to get rid of (unless some parts don't survive my caveman-tech machining) - only one will probably be converted to super-short twisty, the others keeping the stock tailcap. I also have five TR-801s to build with the same guts. I have a fair selection of LEDs, some will be Nichias, some with XPG2 2B & 3D, and a whole bunch of 1As all of which I think will be de-domed and using modified TIRs (these don't seem to lose any output after dedoming unlike a reflector, dunno why, so there are no downsides) (all dedomed LEDs are protected with a ultra-thin layer of LEDSeal).

S6 is still stock length - S2 shortened is 4.2" (still uses stock clicky tailcap), TR-801 twisty is 3.69".

I like the S2 better, but it's a harder build. The unthreaded part of the head is deeper, so the pill is made from bar stock and is press fit in the unthreaded part, completely past where the threads stop. If I had a lathe it'd be a 15 minute job... but I don't. :_(

4

Oh, and they are getting special drivers, too. All will be revealed soon... :party:

5

No pics of the business ends? I really dig the one on the bottom :slight_smile:

-Jamie M.

6

Tons of pics of the build starting here and continuing for the next few pages, including lots of wall shots of experimentation with all the different optics on different LEDs. (spoiler alert: 4.2 amps & dedomed 1As with either the 10507, or the frosted 10511 with the frosting polished off, RAWKS!)

7

Holy hoebag nice work :slight_smile:

I’ve been looking for someone to build me 3 x Nichia 219 super super tiny light (1 x 18650). No optics (just bare LED’s, maybe de-domed tight behind AR glass), shortest possible length (if it means twisty, so be it), be nice if it had pocket clip (bezel up).

Let me know if you think it’s possible :slight_smile:

-Jamie M.

8

IF it's possible?!

Don't skip the optics, they are tiny (only adds 6mm) and you can get whatever beam profile you want. 10508 is EXTREMELY floody, 10511 is not a whole lot unlike a P60 with an OP reflector. The Nichias are pretty weak, not really my cup of tea. I do have 6 of them and they are cheap and I can get more in 2-4 days from Illumination Supply if there's more demand for them instead of the clearly superior XPG2s... ;)

9

I need a bandsaw, my arm's gonna fall off before this is done... :(

10

Nice. 6mm is a whole bunch! I think I’d just like the look of de-domed LED’s pressed up tight against some AR glass :smiley:

I’d go with your recommendation on LED’s. I figured the Nichia’s will be a little too warm when de-domed (and possibly be too dim considering they aren’t the brightest to start with). Anything with a warm tint when de-domed and some descent CRI and I’m game.

What are you thinking, 3.3amps to each LED, approx 10amps total? How long could you run that before things started melting? :slight_smile:

-Jamie M.

11

Nooo, at 4.2A total they get fire-hot in 3-4 minutes. The Nichias won't run at the same current as the XPG2s with the same driver, they have a higher forward voltage so the 4.2A turns into a max of 3.5A. I only today got some real hot rod cells, Samsung 20Rs, I need to test the Nichias with one of those and see if they do better with better cells. The XPG2 versions will pull the rated 4.2A (12x 7135s) from a conventional ICR cell.

Before this is all done, I'll get a bunch of pics for comparison of the different LEDs - I didn't have any of the 2Bs for my previous pics, and don't think I took any with the Nichias. I'm still waiting on the other half of the parts to get here, I need more of the 3XP boards to mount the various LEDs before I can put together a comprehensive comparison.

12

Whoa this is awesome! I’d definitely be interested in a nichia or xpg2 (neutral) triple tube clicky! How much you planning on selling these for?

13

… what he said. :stuck_out_tongue:

14

Looks good. :wink: Next, I want to see it’s beamshots.

15

Parts cost alone is high on these, around $40 depending on which LEDs (1As are $2.40 ea, 2B & 3D are $5.50 ea, Nichias are $3.50 ea) not counting supplies/small parts from the bin etc. And though the 1As are cheaper, there's always risk in dedoming, it's always possible not all of them will survive. This is just the build thread. I haven't completed one in the S6 yet so nothing is finalized.

The TR-801s are fairly easy to build, since the dimensions for the front of the pill and rear of the pill are separate due to the weird design with the pill acting as a coupler between the head & body. On the S6 changing the pill thickness or anything else means changing the head length to match, as the front face of the battery tube has to contact the rear face of the pill when assembled, and the head has to be exactly the right length to cover the components inside and not leave more than about .003" gap between head & tube on the outside.

Lots here: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/21336?page=6#comment-487411

But as I said, that doesn't show all the different tints I have here or in transit, mostly just a comparison of the different optics.

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17

Orsumly amazing. I luv your machining talent.

18

very inspiring that you do all that without a lathe, love the pictures, more please :-)

19

Depth to the rear surface of the pill:

And it only needs to be this deep:

So, about .445" of the head is no longer needed.

20

Comfy, that is some awesome work! I really want to see how you shorten the clicky rears to twisties. I will be following this thread. Great job!! 8)