I am a total newbie to this and would like to try begin modding. I think I would prefer to work on my 2 UltraFire SS-C8s first.
1- What is an easy mod that to do that I dont need parts for?
2- Both of these lights are White. Can I get Red and Green Drop in Modules? Where do I find them?
3- I have used 2 CR123A and single 18650 batteries. Is it common for most flashlights to work on 3.7- 7.4 Volts? Any advantages to using CR123As over 18650?
4- What is the reason for the spring soldered on the back of the LED module? One has broken off, yet works fine.
1) without any parts? cleaning threads.
1.b) with minor parts: spring bypass, new/different LED emitter
2) Not sure how this light looks on the inside, but you can replace the emitter for a different color (need soldering iron, skillet, or a hot air station)
3- I have used 2 CR123A and single 18650 batteries. Is it common for most flashlights to work on 3.7- 7.4 Volts? Any advantages to using CR123As over 18650?
Only if the driver supports this voltage range. There are drivers for 1S, 2S, … I personally prefer rechargeable batteries.
4) shock-resistance, typically. Light might work with/without spring. Some have brass pillars or similar parts for shorter/longer batteries. Spring is most common AFAIK.
2- Both of these lights are White. Can I get Red and Green Drop in Modules? Where do I find them?
Look for something called p60 drop in and see if they look close
3- I have used 2 CR123A and single 18650 batteries. Is it common for most flashlights to work on 3.7- 7.4 Volts? Any advantages to using CR123As over 18650?
Some LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) get cr123 from work everyone else uses (or if you dont want to charge batteries, 18650 (typically) P.S. 16340 is a rechargeable CR123 also known as RCR123
4- What is the reason for the spring soldered on the back of the LED module? One has broken off, yet works fine.
holds the cells at “proper length” and helps with vibration and shocks, but if your set up does not need them don’t worry about it.
As far as first mods often there is a dead flashlight that you can convert to a single direct drive working light by bypassing all the driver and just wire from the driver plate to the emitter shelf (bingo) a DD light.
Or emitter swaps are popular to get rid of the cat piss green tint or cool white colors
Spring by pass to make lower the resistance is also easy. bottom line if you want to tinker you need at least a cheap soldering iron, and a DMM digital multi meter is handy also.
1- Threads have been cleaned. I read about a ton of different lubes, what is the suggested lube for a budget light? I am setting up my solder station and will do the spring bypass once I get some wicking and flux. I have an iron and solder but have lost my flux and wicking.
2- This is where my newness gets me in trouble- It has a heat sink that screws into the bezel. I would like to try and figure out the size and threads and order some others that are different colors. Im not exactly sure what I need to search for? Is this a potted LED driver? Is it a driver and heatsink? I would like a 3 mode Green, a 3 mode Red and a 3 mode IR.
3- I used to have an endless supply of CR123s. Im liking these rechargable 18650s!
4 Since this is normally gun mounted, I will solder that spring back on once I have my solder kit set up!
The P60 is a little bit smaller. I will have to break out the micrometer and measure these. I am setting up my solder station soon and will get some flux and wicking. Did I see a video where the wicking itself was used to bypass the spring??