Interesting! I wonder if this TIR can work with smaller LES like the SFT40? I have an SFT40 M21A that I wanted to put a TIR in for a long time but I can’t find a suitable one. I want a 3 degree clear with good size. Your TIR might work and I can polish the front surface with rubbing compound, but it might show artifacts.
Has anyone modded an Acebeam Tac AA with a different driver?
This comment is not letting me go…
Could you give me any details about how that would be done?
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It’s not a thrower like an IF22a or TS11 that’s for sure, but it’s not pure flood either. It’s probably easier if I just take some pics tonight and post those.
There’s actually a couple of 5° Iris optics. FCA12077_IRIS optimized for XP-E and FCA12104_IRIS optimized for XM-L
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I saw a FB post where they put in a convoy 8A Buck so I tried it with a 17mm 5A Buck. The mod is permanent. The stock driver is screwed in. After removing the driver you’ll need to grind down the screw posts in the pill so the components clears on the convoy driver. Also had to sand the driver diameter to get it to fit into the pill. Finally, removed the spring from the driver.
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So, I’m having a hard time finding the information in 1 place.
This is the best post I could find in regards to modifying the firmware to add Aux:
Basically we remove the unused Optic Nerve feature and convert it to be Aux +.
There’s a unused capacitor and resistor right above the T85 chip that you remove and you use the resistor pad for Aux + and I typically solder the Aux - to the FET.
Edit: I found my Imgur post with pictures of the mod
Thank you!
Hmmm. I’m going to have to look into the details of this. I assume I need one of Lexel’s AUX boards for this. Where would I get hold of one so many years after he made them? Or would it also work with the lume1 AUX board, just hooking up one of the colours?
Great, then I’m going to try it.
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Thank you! Good to know.
Honestly I found that way too much effort. Just solder the aux LED + to pin 7 of the MCU.
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I solder directly on the MCU on the FWAA drivers, but mostly because they don’t have the additional pad.
Here’s a beam shot of my M21A w/ TIR (1st pic) with a comparison shot of my M21B with sliced 5700K XHP70.3 HD, 8A driver, Ledil Olga S TIR and Zircon 803 minus green. The trees that are just barely visible in the M21A pic are about 170yds away.
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Sliced a LH351D. First time for a slicing, dedoming, etc. Well, it didn’t go as expected as the beam is actually less focused than some 519A domed emitters, all in S21As. Oh well.
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I’ve never sliced a LH351D, but have with SST-20s, 519As, and 219Bs.
With SST-20 and 519A, the tint became noticeably rosier along with more throw. With 219B, the tint seemed to be the same, but the throw increased.
Did you notice any change in the tint with the LH351D?
I was looking at that but it doesn’t seem so. Something I do notice is the hotspot isa little less defined in the original S21A reflector. I tried a narrow pebbled TIR but prefer the reflector.
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Slicing can change the focus. You may need to sand down the gasket.
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About 2 weeks ago, when I swapped the high CRI XH-P50 into a bigger host, I put the original buck driver (not used in a long while) that came with my L2 in an S21A. It’s barely a 3A driver but I held on to it just for some setup like this. And I can use the 21700s, 18350s and 18650s with the added efficiency benefits of a buck driver. It runs an SST40 with a sanded Carclo TIR.
A short while ago, I tried a lume1 driver transplant into my FW3S, but managed to damage the pads on the driver for connecting to an AUX board, so that the light had a new driver, but no AUX.
I wasn’t happy, though, as my plan had been to upgrade the light with AUX, so I sourced another FW3X for the lume1 driver and had another go.
I don’t know how many hours and how many failed attempts I’ve spent on this. If I had any hair, I’d have torn it out. One time I thought I was done, the AUX lights were on and working, but as soon as I screwed down the bezel, the contacts were broken and the only colour I had was green - the wires I had used were too thick, it seems, and the pressure from the optic broke the solder joints. Many times I’d think I had things in place, only for one wire to come loose and then all the others to come off while trying to fix the first, then the tinning would come off, the wires would splay, short and make a complete mess. Thin, solid core wire for the AUX connections turns out to be the secret…
Every failure meant taking the driver back out, removing the wires I’d wrecked, cleaning up the driver and starting from scratch again.
Finally, this evening, I am done and I have a FW3S with a lume1 driver and AUX. It’s not up there with some of you people’s masterpieces, but after all of that, I’m quite proud of myself. I swear I won’t put myself through that again, however I’m also thinking about my next mod…
Some pics:
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Nice work! Those aux wires can be a pain.