The most likely danger is creating a short. Does this imply that the battery can explode, catch fire etc? I shorted a protected cell and all I saw was flickering and sudden shut off but would that have been as graceful ifni were to have shorted a unprotected cell?
Guess that just depends on how long you short it.
When i test a light after modding i do it by bridging the tube and negative end with something so that if i see it’s not turning on i can instantly cut power.
Can obviously use a voltmeter and test for continuity as well… but i’m lazy.
The one samsung 30q that i shorted a bunch of times for maybe a second every time is still fine.
Burning up stuff, including pants
Spending on equipment and parts
Wasting time on it
Spending hundreds of hours and not ending up with anything much better than you could have just bought 
(i’m not a modder, though i am an electrical engineer, just not interested
so far)
wle
I find this thread rather enlightening but also frightening to someone like myself who would love to try modding lights, but doesn’t know where to begin or where to get the info to begin. I often thought about starting a thread for novices like myself, but after reading this thread, it would seem that if you don’t know what you are doing it would safer to get started.
I just started modding a few days ago. When i realized the hidden dangers, I thought this would be a good forum to document what others experience so when you dive in, take all this stuff into consideration.
For example, a hidden danger on he convoy is shorting the battery as you put the reflector in. If your solder is a bit high, you run the risk of the solder touching the reflector. This is hidden and wouldn’t have been on any newcomers mind.
No one has mentioned any hidden dangers like overdrawing a battery that’s not designed for your setup. Not sure what the danger is there but I cant imagine it’s a good thing.
HaHa! Yep! :partying_face:
This is for you BUDDY ———- 1-800— HELP— FAST—- Sounds like you need an INTERVENTION
Thanks my friend. That came in the nick of time. :+1:
I called & talked a couple of hours with them. They said I sounded like a hoarder too possibly. Imagine that…… 
Asked if I be interested in a possible TV series they are about to do on the subject. I told them sure… they could probably devote at least a complete season between here & Orange Beach of me dealing with my ’stuff’.
Could be turning lemons into lemonade if it plays out…. 
Yeah this sounds about right.
And then you find yourself spending your time here on this forum when you should be working. 
I’ve done the majority of the ones mentioned, plus:
- Cracked lenses cause I think I can balance them upright on reflector while unscrewing bezel
- Metal shavings in thumb/hands from filing/sanding. You know, the kind too small to remove but annoying enough to cause bumps.
- E-switch wires are the devil sometimes
- Losing sleep trying to finish a mod at 1 or 2AM and going to bed defeated because one of the above 100 things happened
- Stripping retaining ring threads beyond repair
- Ruin a $15 tool trying to open an $8 light
All are so brutal. Here I am at 12am scared about inserting a vtca5 into a just built c8 with an xhp50.2. I need some electrical tape so I can put behind the reflector.