What did you mod today?

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
9221

Simple mod:
Replaced the XML2 U3 1A on the On The Road 311 for a Luxeon V2 4000K on led4power MCPCB.

BEFORE > AFTER

9222

Love the “after”.

9223

Ahah, thank you :wink:
I also prefer the after, this led and tint in particular are great :wink:

BTW, when I pointed it - before and after - to the lux meter, the Luxeon V2 gave me slightly higher results. Is that normal? Can it be related to the more intense hotspot?

9224

Yes, that’s exactly it. If lumens were the same (and they are likely higher with Luxeon V2), it’s a smaller emitter so it’ll be a bit throwier.

9225

Thanks MtnDon for that info :+1:
.
I tried using one of these cheap hot plates with no luck, temp control lets it get too cold and then too hot. I may try fixing it or trashing it.
.

.

9226

Thanks for confirming it Scallywag! :+1:
Even in “ultralow” mode it seems brighter, so the tighter hotspot will definitely play a role here !!

Now…I’ll have to order a driver to make it “perfect” :smiley: (even though I actually like a bit the current driver / configuration)

9227

Yeh, lotta those use thermostats, not actual temperature control. I still have a space-heater with clicky-type mechanical thermostat with at least a 5° hysteresis. So it’ll go full-tilt ’til the room gets too hot, then by the time air on the back end cools down enough to let it turn on again, the rest of the room is quite chilly. So you sweat, then shiver, then sweat, then shiver, etc.

One of the best heaters I had was a Pelonis with 4 discs. Problem is those discs crack, and when loose, spark(!), and at one point blew white smoke like one of those old-timey bubblegum cigarettes.

The control module was a thing of beauty, though. It would regulate heat by adjusting fan speed from nothing (ie, let the discs just sit there at a low simmer) to full-tilt and there’d be blazing heat coming out. And adaptive, so no on/off, just perfectly proportional.

Anyhoo, if you can bypass the thermostat, you might use a “dimmer” type switch, and an IR thermometer to tweak what temperature you want and how fast to get there. It’s more manual than automatic, but it’d work.

9228

converted a 2008 vintage task force 2c to 219c 4000k and 1 26650.
back then these were all the rage.
single mode.
took out the boost converter and added a .5 2w resistor for about 1.3a on a fresh cell.
a spacer made from dowel rod finishes the job.
makes for a simple,reliable,pwm and rfi free light.
due to the spring loaded emitter plate these will never be flamethrowers due to heat.
its fine at this level.

9229

Skilhunt E3A LED swap and LH351C slice

Stock Cool White is 102 lumens, just under 6000K CCT and above BBL. Looks mostly white but a slight light blue hue to beam. Not my taste but I didn’t really care cause it was getting removed no matter what.

The anodizing and machining is excellent, definitely the best i’ve seen on an AAA light ever. One thing I dont like is the threads are stiff. It’s very hard to operate one handed. Since it only has one mode maybe it’s OK. It seems like it uses the same TIRs you can find on the Yaji aliexpress store but I didn’t confirm this yet.

Mod time, liberal use of kapton tape just to keep stuff from falling off:

Fail #1: Try to channel heat through brass button. Nothing bad happened but I gave up when the heater was around 215-220. Not sure if heat path wasn’t good or if they used lead free.

Fail #2: (not pictured) try to use soldering iron on brass button from the bottom. Duh, brass button wants to come off instantly, had to re-center it after it slid.

Success: Preheat from the bottom, used the hemostats to keep it in place and keep everything pressed on the brass button and then I used hot air from the top. I dont think I ruined the LED but it definitely took more heat than I expected.

I ended up slicing a LH351*C* 4000K 90 CRI. Since it was sliced it already had some 60/40 solder on it and I put a liberal amount of flux paste between the old Skilhunt solder and my 60/40 tinned and sliced LED. It went on much easier. I’m not certain the original solder on the pad fully melted but at the very least it’s flowed on top of their solder if not completely re-flowed. Oh well it’s <250 mA and I’ll redo it if it fails.

Now it’s >90 CRI and 63.5lm - bigger drop in output than I thought but it makes sense going to NW+sliced+high CRI

9230

Two mods today:

Mod 1: swapped the XPL HI 5000K in my previously modded Wowtac A6 for a 4000K one from a Convoy S2+. The mod was easy with no issues.

Mod 2: swapped the cool-white XPG2 in my Wowtac W1 for a 4000K Nichia 219C 90 CRI originally from an EDC18. This mod was hard because the W1’s bezel was held on with red threadlocker. That sucker just didn’t want to come off. I finally got it off with a table vise, some pliers, safety walk tape, and a lot of elbow grease. Unfortunately, in doing so the pliers scraped up the bezel and top of the head.

9231

Oh no :frowning: I recently did an emitter swap in a W1 for mbp and there was no sign of threadlocker. So I bought one for myself with intentions of modding it. Just came in today. Yup, mine is glued tight. Ugh. Me and this bezel are about to do battle! :smiling_imp:

Edit: got it with channel locks using leather welding gloves to protect the Wowtac W1 which came away unscathed.

Driver details: linear regulator is a OCX OC7141. MCU is a PIC (SOIC8 footprint). Charging controller is a TP4067.

9232

Received two Sunwayman V11r w NW XM-L
modded the left one to sw45k

on 16340
stock xml makes 350 lumens
sw45k makes 270 lumens,
minimum is 0.03 lumens

sw45k has 23% less lumens, but 30% more CRI Ra

sw45k hotspot is 67% brighter on target

sw45k has 400% more CRI R9 (Red)

9233

Try to add some thermal mass between heater and pcb. Even 50gr copper spacer makes difference.

9234

CNCman, or use an ordinary pan and maybe some (very thin layer) thermal grease. I’m always recycling the grease from the MCPCB. Check temperatur with IR thermometer and watch solder after 180 or 220 °C to not miss the melting point by too much time. After unsoldering the MCPCB you’ll know if solder is leadfree or nice.

9235

You must have quite a collection of rotaries by now!

9236

Looking Sharp Wim!

9237

yes, I was actually a bit suprised when I grouped them up and realized the value in this small Pelican case.

I either need another case, or to adopt out some of the lights to good homes.

The V11r I just modded to sw45k is available for adoption.

9238

I’d immediately apply if it weren’t for the shipping cost and VAT :weary: .

9239

Not so much a “mod” as maybe a helpful tip.

I got my Opus from GB only it was the European version on sale, and GB back then was nice enough to throw in a US-to-EU adapter for the included wall-wart. Problem is, the EU wall-wart would already stick up about an inch above the adapter, and with the adapter for that going into the power-strip, would be sticking up maybe 3” in mid-air, and so loosely that you’d just look at it wrong and it’d drop out either from the power strip or the adapter.

I needed a rubberband to hold the adapter to the wall-wart, and then another one wrapped from around/behind the power-strip to keep that frankenmess from falling out. What a nightmare, especially if doing a capacity test on a big honkin’ cell.

So I just bought a 5A 12V power-brick (Ledmo, offa Amazon), which works fine’n’dandy, and everything’s nice and secure all around. And it even fits in the Opus’s box, too.

Maybe I can use that come-with 3A wall-wart for an LED strip or something… after hacking away at the AC prongs.

9240

These cheap buck power supplies with the amp/volt screen and pots for voltage current are good use for it.

I hacked up a 90W laptop adapter and use it for mine.

I got this one but they have ones for half the price for your smaller PS
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KYJ4L48/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8WYjFbB2AR4TQ