What did you mod today?

MascaratumB · 2020-02-12T09:14:53.000Z

I guess that the AliExpress store of EAGTAC has them, but you need to confirm!

sandro · 2020-02-12T09:24:47.000Z

Look there:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000469017875.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000013.7.1e882a45DOapda&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller&scm=1007.14977.129071.0&scm_id=1007.14977.129071.0&scm-url=1007.14977.129071.0&pvid=b277a43e-4270-4fae-ae81-ad34105d8522&\_t=gps-id:pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller,scm-url:1007.14977.129071.0,pvid:b277a43e-4270-4fae-ae81-ad34105d8522,tpp_buckets:668%230%23131923%2318_668%23808%234094%23449_668%23888%233325%2313

Nachtfeuerzeug · 2020-02-12T10:23:46.000Z

MascaratumB:

I guess that the AliExpress store of EAGTAC has them, but you need to confirm!

Wow, I never knew they had an AE store!

Nachtfeuerzeug · 2020-02-12T10:29:05.000Z

sandro:

Look there:

Thank you Sandro!

MascaratumB · 2020-02-12T10:32:49.000Z

Nachtfeuerzeug:

MascaratumB:

I guess that the AliExpress store of EAGTAC has them, but you need to confirm!

Wow, I never knew they had an AE store!

I guess it is relatively recent there, maybe from last year, but it has lights, clips, batteries and accessories ! And your search gave me some ideas as well concerning the clips

BTW, some time ago I did something alike to get a less pretty result, compared to yours

Rayoui · 2020-02-14T01:21:20.000Z

I recently picked up an Olight S1R Baton II to use at work because I like the tiny form factor and the magnetic charger is great for quick top-offs when I swing by the desk. I work in a semiconductor fab and the overhead lights have UV filters on them to protect the wafers during the photolithography process. This makes the ambient light look very yellow. The S1RII’s cool white low CRI emitter looks positively horrid in these lighting conditions, so I decided to swap it.

I swapped in a 3000K 90+ CRI XM-L2 (XMLBWT-00-0000-000UT20E7) and was very pleased and surprised to see that this is one of the most beautifully tinted emitters I’ve seen. I measured it with a color meter and the tint measures almost exactly the same as a sw45k. I wasn’t expecting that but it looks absolutely lovely. I want to order a few more but I’m afraid they’ll end up being from a different tint bin.

White balance @ 4000K

SKV89 · 2020-02-14T02:19:59.000Z

That XM-L2 looks excellent and it is the brightest 90CRI bin for the XM-L2 Thanks for the heads up!

JaredM · 2020-02-14T04:02:37.000Z

Rayoui, where did you get that emitter and when? Mouser? Interested as I have a few lights with picky reflectors that only seen to like doomed XML2s… never found a non-80/85cri tint I liked in this emitter… found the answer in another thread.

And I did some stuff as well. Modded my FW3A with an S21A reflector that I machined down to clearance the head. I’ve been trying to source one of these reflectors for so long and finally broke down and bought a host from MTN. Turns out I really like the s21a as well, but it’s going to turn into a long runtime LH351d triple/quad soon enough.

Convoy s21a reflector in fw3a Convoy s21a reflector in fw3a - Album on Imgur

djozz · 2020-02-14T06:55:00.000Z

Convoy makes reflectors that make excellent beams, good idea!

SKV89 · 2020-02-16T18:54:06.000Z

Rayoui:

I recently picked up an Olight S1R Baton II to use at work because I like the tiny form factor and the magnetic charger is great for quick top-offs when I swing by the desk. I work in a semiconductor fab and the overhead lights have UV filters on them to protect the wafers during the photolithography process. This makes the ambient light look very yellow. The S1RII’s cool white low CRI emitter looks positively horrid in these lighting conditions, so I decided to swap it.

I swapped in a 3000K 90+ CRI XM-L2 (XMLBWT-00-0000-000UT20E7) and was very pleased and surprised to see that this is one of the most beautifully tinted emitters I’ve seen. I measured it with a color meter and the tint measures almost exactly the same as a sw45k. I wasn’t expecting that but it looks absolutely lovely. I want to order a few more but I’m afraid they’ll end up being from a different tint bin.

White balance @ 4000K

I just realized the FW3A doesn’t have a SST-20 3000K option. Did you do an emitter swap on that one? If so, was that from Kaidomain?

Scallywag · 2020-02-16T20:33:17.000Z

Mike C:

Hurray! I’ve finally built a firmware testing light where I can flash firmware for my drivers with a USB cable. I needed a small light to carry, USB port, usable on a bike, dual switch and lighted E-switch. The S42 fits all that except dual switch but fortunately the S41 tailswitch works fine. I’ve had a previous attempt at making a driver for this light but screwed up the USB port part of the driver. Now I got it (almost) right. Had to file down some internals in the host to fit the wires without squishing them.

Custom driver with holes for the original driver “poles”:

Driver assembled with a custom slave board with micro USB connector and charger chip (MCP73831). Really finicky to put together because the wires I used where too fat:

The flashing kit. The photo was taken while I flashed a light by USB cable for the first time ever

So here it is, my dual switch EDC firmware tester. The first light I’ve built in ages. I burned up the red LED on the switch but that doesn’t matter because I made a mistake in the driver design and only have one channel for a switch LED. At least the green one is working

The only thing I don’t like about this light is the beam profile. I’m in no way a beam snob but this thing is horrendous! :confounded: I know carclo quad optics don’t fit, is there any other option that does?

Mike, you just made a new requirement for the next BLF light
USB-flashing!

djozz:

Made a D80V2-SBT-90.2 today.

I had a 5700K Luminus SBT-90.2 from Neal that I did an output test on and it needed a host. Of course a big head thrower is the obvious way to go but I have a FT03 with this same led coming in the mail (some day it arrives) so that is already taken care of. So I went with the best 18650 host on the market (thanks to TheOnlyDocc :+1: who worked together with LuckySun, Lexel and BLF to make this finetuned version), the Wildtrail D80-V2. DBCustom beat me putting this led in a small host (he used a X6), but I think it is more than worth the trouble.

The challenge was to fit the led in the reflector that was never made for this fat led, and get it focused. I hoped that when the reflector hole was reamed so that it fitted flush around the black frame on the led that holds the glass window, so sitting on the led base, that the focus was ok too. And luckily that was quite right. With that hole size a thin edge of the reflector base remained and that was all that was needed to make it work. I slightly sanded that edge and then put a layer of Kapton tape on the edge, and also a layer of Kapton tape around the black frame on the led. This was needed because there are a couple of conducting dots in the corners on the led.

After this, this mod only needed two spring bypasses (18AWG at the tail, 20AWG at the driver) and the light was good to go. The stock 20mm Lexel driver is a fine FET+5+1 type, and the stock switch is a nice fat Omten one.

It took me 2 hours to do this mod (but the led was already reflowed). I’m not good with dust as you can see in the pics, dust does not affect performance but I should do a better job cleaning the reflector from the metal shavings that were formed when reaming the hole.

The performance is just great. With a fresh VTC6 and a clamp meter on the tail I measured 19 A. The output at startup is 4300 lumen (corrected to maukka calibration), at 30 seconds the output is 3950 lumen (just 8% drop) and the throw 118 kcd. After 2 minutes the head becomes really hot and a stepdown is desired.
It is refreshing to have a compact light with so much output that is not a flooder but a potent thrower . Only the SBT-90.2 could make this possible

Mmm, that is tempting. My Z1 already satisfies the “compact thrower” thing, but it has less than 25% of the output of this monster…

Rayoui · 2020-02-17T02:21:10.000Z

SKV89:

Rayoui:

I recently picked up an Olight S1R Baton II to use at work because I like the tiny form factor and the magnetic charger is great for quick top-offs when I swing by the desk. I work in a semiconductor fab and the overhead lights have UV filters on them to protect the wafers during the photolithography process. This makes the ambient light look very yellow. The S1RII’s cool white low CRI emitter looks positively horrid in these lighting conditions, so I decided to swap it.

I swapped in a 3000K 90+ CRI XM-L2 (XMLBWT-00-0000-000UT20E7) and was very pleased and surprised to see that this is one of the most beautifully tinted emitters I’ve seen. I measured it with a color meter and the tint measures almost exactly the same as a sw45k. I wasn’t expecting that but it looks absolutely lovely. I want to order a few more but I’m afraid they’ll end up being from a different tint bin.

I just realized the FW3A doesn’t have a SST-20 3000K option. Did you do an emitter swap on that one? If so, was that from Kaidomain?

It’s a pre-soldered Noctigon star from Intl-outdoor. HB4 I believe.

SKV89 · 2020-02-17T02:53:40.000Z

HB4 is above the BBL. No wonder why it’s so green. KD used to sell a HD2 bin that was somewhat rosy. I was assuming it was the HD2 bin because it’s more popular so I was surprised how the XM-L2 appeared that much rosier.

Rayoui · 2020-02-17T07:38:21.000Z

Even without comparing it next to another light, this particular XM is one of the pinkest LEDs I’ve seen. It measures about the same tint as my sw45k lights. I can take a comparison photo with some slightly rosy XP-L HI in 3000K when I get home from work.

djozz · 2020-02-17T13:25:34.000Z

What failed to mod today.

I had a nice project in mind today, hotrodding a ToolAA 2.0 with a 15mm BLF-A6 driver and LH351D. But instead I spent an hour getting the pill screwed out, with brute force, and heatinh the head up with a blowtorch. While applying more and more force and heat, I first broke out the stock driver, then damaged the led shelf, then after a particularly intense heating session, the reflector coating started peeling. The pill never moved.

So that was one ToolAA down, a very rare occasion that I was not able to get a glued part loose. (this used to be a smooth reflector)

Henk4U2 · 2020-02-17T13:31:06.000Z

Maybe a silly question, but did you try anti-clockwise?

gchart · 2020-02-17T13:41:02.000Z

I hope so… Tool AAs are counter-clockwise and I don’t think I’ve run into any glue on them.

I did the same thing a few months back, learned my lesson (on a Tool AA) the hard way

andychrist · 2020-02-17T13:42:06.000Z

Using Aluminized Copper Reflectors as Secondary Heatsinks

Was wondering why aluminized copper reflectors are always thermally isolated from the emitter star, when their composition and construction might so conveniently lend them to use as secondary heatsinks. Yeah the base gasket does help keep the reflector centered correctly around the emitter and isolates it electrically, but the lamp barrel holds it in place anyway and on a large star with + and - solder points nearer to the star’s edges risk of contact with the reflector is basically nonexistent. Thinking if the gasket is replaced with a well trimmed thermal pad and the reflector rim is similarly treated with paste, then heat from the emitter could travel unimpeded through the reflector all the way to end of the lamp barrel and into the bezel.

Anyway as proof-of concept unscrewed the bezel on a Sofrin SP33 V3.0 and removed the reflector and base gasket from the lamp body. Next (because my .5mm thermal pads have not yet arrived) applied some no-name thermal grease to both the base and rim of the reflector, lowered the lamp body back down around it, then flipped everything back up. Before rescrewing the bezel with its O-rings and cover glass, fired up the Sofirn on Turbo to see if I could feel any heat in the reflector this way. And boy did it get hot! So screwed everything back in place and let the flashlight cool down against the window while readying my second SP33 for comparison. Turned both units on in Turbo simultaneously while clasping them in two hands. Thermally modified Sofirn got so hot around the bezel I couldn’t hold it long. Unmodified unit got hot too but not as painfully so. Thus I declare the experiment a success.

Now, none of the reflectorized flashlights or bike lights in my possession have any problem whatsoever with thermal regulation/step down, so this mod is not all that useful to me. Then again my Kaidomain BL70S XHP70.2 4000K bike light doesn’t get hot at all on its highest setting of 3000lm — but maybe it should? So once I get the .5mm thermal pads will see if they make any difference with thermal transfer in that lamp. JKK36R has similar build so might be useful there too (though I’ve never used turbo on that flashlight for more than a couple of minutes, out in the cold.)

Agro · 2020-02-17T13:48:15.000Z

andychrist:

Using Aluminized Copper Reflectors as Secondary Heatsinks

Was wondering why aluminized copper reflectors are always thermally isolated from the emitter star, when their composition and construction might so conveniently lend them to use as secondary heatsinks. Yeah the base gasket does help keep the reflector centered correctly around the emitter and isolates it electrically, but the lamp barrel holds it in place anyway and on a large star with + and - solder points nearer to the star’s edges risk of contact with the reflector is basically nonexistent. Thinking if the gasket is replaced with a well trimmed thermal pad and the reflector rim is similarly treated with paste, then heat from the emitter could travel unimpeded through the reflector all the way to end of the lamp barrel and into the bezel.

Anyway as proof-of concept unscrewed the bezel on a Sofrin SP33 V3.0 and removed the reflector and base gasket from the lamp body. Next (because my .5mm thermal pads have not yet arrived) applied some no-name thermal grease to both the base and rim of the reflector, lowered the lamp body back down around it, then flipped everything back up. Before rescrewing the bezel with its O-rings and cover glass, fired up the Sofirn on Turbo to see if I could feel any heat in the reflector this way. And boy did it get hot! So screwed everything back in place and let the flashlight cool down against the window while readying my second SP33 for comparison. Turned both units on in Turbo simultaneously while clasping them in two hands. Thermally modified Sofirn got so hot around the bezel I couldn’t hold it long. Unmodified unit got hot too but not as painfully so. Thus I declare the experiment a success.

Now, none of the reflectorized flashlights or bike lights in my possession have any problem whatsoever with thermal regulation/step down, so this mod is not all that useful to me. Then again my Kaidomain BL70S XHP70.2 4000K bike light doesn’t get hot at all on its highest setting of 3000lm — but maybe it should? So once I get the .5mm thermal pads will see if they make any difference with thermal transfer in that lamp. JKK36R has similar build so might be useful there too (though I’ve never used turbo on that flashlight for more than a couple of minutes, out in the cold.)

Yes, this is a significant untapped source of thermal capacity. To my knowledge Armytek does it already but I haven’t seen that elsewhere…until today…thank you for sharing.

djozz · 2020-02-17T14:16:23.000Z

Henk4U2:

Maybe a silly question, but did you try anti-clockwise?

gchart:

I hope so… Tool AAs are counter-clockwise and I don’t think I’ve run into any glue on them.

I did the same thing a few months back, learned my lesson (on a Tool AA) the hard way

Thanks :weary: , but not sure if I wanted to know that at this point, not much to rescue anymore :person_facepalming: