Yezl Y3 - a picture breakdown

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

Update 10/04/14: some highlights found in this thread:

  • Post #96 is ROD911's impressions of a simple emitter swap to MT-G2 using stock driver, stock amps (post #114 is beamshots I can't view?)
  • Post #118 - some useful info on resistors
  • Post #126 - R100 result with a MT-G2, UCLp lens
  • Post #144 - details on DMM wire leads used to measure amps
  • Post #145 - aoeu's impressions/results on MT-G2, and grinding down the head (pic posted at post #184)
  • Post #166 - details on the MaxToch 26 MCPCB used in a Y3
  • Post #169 - fellfromtree's impressions, mods
  • Post #262 - grantman232 posted some nice beamshots featuring 2 mod'ed Y3's - de-domed XM-L2 and a MT-G2

Just want to add grantman321 and aw73 seem to be having a similar issue of measuring only about 2.05A at the tail on one cell (should be 2.45 - 2.52A or so). My gut says it's the measurement methodology, but aw73 seems to be using proper leads on his DMM. Really dunno - could be a driver issue as wight pointed out, buck drivers are tricky on single cells. Not sure if anyone else has similar experiences.

Update 9/27/14: Post #166 shows details on a Y3 mod using the new MaxToch 26 mm MCPCB

Following is a breakdown of the Yezl Y3 by pictures. Hope this answers some questions. First couple of pics are from a previous bought/sold Y3, most are new.

Shown with the classic HD2010:

Tailcap:

HD2010 on left, Y3 on right:

All my measurements were done more precisely than shown. I simply left the setting on the caliper and tried to show what I was measuring in the photo:

I.D. is what matters. Y3:

HD2010:

The front stack - the black o-ring is a little over sized, so you have to keep an eye on it wne re-assembling, that it doesn't squeeze out:

lens diameter:

Thickness:

Diameter of stock MCPCB:

shelf width:

Dab of grease used, stock:

Driver, battery side:

Driver diameter:

This is the shelf thickness (~). Measured at the LED wire holes using a tool, and marking where it's flush. It's nice and thick:

Stock driver:

Nice smooth shelf top, but is it really flat as it looks?

Inside of shelf top is not so flat - has an inny:

Tail assembly:

The switch is not typical rectangular, but looks more like a tactical (fwd) but really is a reverse clicky. It has not writing on it but appears to be good quality:

Ooops, maybe not so flat. I tried other flat surfaces besides this copper piece and all seem to indicate the same pattern. I also testes the copper piece on other flat surfaces and did not notice the unevenness as shown here. Hhmm - I did build a 5.7A Y3 before and didn't notice this, but I didn't look for it as I do now.

I can try sanding by hand, but don't think it will help much. If anyone has suggestions to get this flat, please post.

Update 08/03/2014:

Here it is after the sanding I did. Not much improvement:

I used quite a bit of thermal grease and didn't see any squeeze out, so thinking there's still a significant gap.

Modding the Yezl Y3

Stripped stock driver (hot air used, then cleaned up with solder wick and isop. alcohol):

Added a jumper (upper left) to ground one end of the e-switch, and bring grounds to extra pads on the stripped board:

Drilled a hole through the PCB to route a + 20 AWG wire through (avoid small traces on the stock board):

Here's the wire in place:

Soldered from below:

Soldered up to the LD-1:

Two ground connections and the e-switch wire added from a MCU pad on the original stock driver to the e-switch input of the LD-1 driver:

View of the 22 AWG wired up spring:

The XM-L2 U2 1D on a 20mm SinkPAD, drilled/tapped holes for screws, add copper sheet metal tabs to extend wires outward:

Wired up to the 20 AWG wires:

Stock one piece LED alignment piece. I cut out the sides to make room for the tabbed connections:

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Nice picture review!

It’s obviously not ideal, but I think thermal paste is enough to even that out.

3

Nice shots. Thank you Tom E.

I like using a flat stone (like the grinding wheels for dremels) with wet sandpaper. The stone is to have flat surface. Under a dripping tap or under water with a low grit paper to start you can flatten that out fairly fast.

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Hhmm - I gotta see that. Do you know where I can see and buy one? You know, hate to admit, but I got no clue bout wet sandpaper. Is it used wet? Watered down?

Yes - agree. Not really a big deal. Probably most lights I've modded have had issues like this. I use the back end of a metal chisel with sandpaper wrapped around it - start rough, under 300 GRIT and go up to 2500 GRIT. So might take it out, maybe not all or make it worse. I never really checked before/after on flatness. I really should do that.

Note: Updated OP - added pics of the lens and front end

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I will try to take a pic some time today. You can get wet sandpaper at all your local hardware stores. Water keeps the paper from clogging up. It also keeps down the heat and the dust. It's really the only way I sand aluminum.

Autobody shops use it too for the same reasons. So the automotive isle at Walmart probably has wet sandpaper too.

The grinding stone is just to provide a flat grabby surface to hold the sandpaper with.

6

Appreciate the pics, really shows what we need to know to get started on this one.

I’m wondering if a small resistor mod might be enough to leave the stock driver in this one. Do they ALL have to run at max amps? :slight_smile: I have some R070’s on the way, perhaps replacing that R180 with an R070 would be sufficient to bump output without messing up anything. Or an R068, hmmmm. Do you recall what amperage this driver is making in stock form?

Also have to ask how you went about figuring out where to access the switch when you piggybacked the FET. Did you cut any traces or just strip the driver?

That “inny” is a PITA. I like to add copper under the shelf but it would take some serious manual labor to level that off in order to get the most out added heat sinking material, copper or aluminum either one. Sure would be nice to have a lathe, would make things like this much easier. I wonder if I could mount a lathe chuck on my drill? :slight_smile: Being able to hold a piece is the biggest issue, if I could mount it then turning it to do the work would be the easy part. Dangit, gonna have to start allocating monies to a small lathe…

Does the beam profile stack up favorably to the HD2010? I would think the deeper/wider reflector might give a slightly tighter hot spot, looking forward to that one. I’m finding myself liking a well defined hot spot, whether it’s tight or not, with less of that aura immediately surround it. I don’t mind spill, in fact I like some peripheral area illuminated, but I do like a more concentrated center area with only 2 levels instead of the usual 3. The Courui does this pretty well, and impresses me. Hope this one is similar.

Hmmm, 8mm thick shelf is probably thick enough to bore it out, thread it, and use a threaded copper insert to screw in from the inside. If a smooth wall is left on this insert to touch the walls of the pill it could really make a massive difference in the available thermal path. This would put more heat in the area adjacent to the exposed fins and get that heat out to the air more efficiently. See? Need that dang lathe! lol

Thanks again for the photo work, I think….now I’ve got too many ideas! You’re gonna cost me a ton of coin! :slight_smile:

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Good point about the thickness of that shelf Dale. I will drill a hole and press in a copper plug in the center on mine.

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Stock amps is ~2.50A. Beam is bout the same as a HD2010 - think I took wall shots including the Y3, somewhere... But easier to center the LED. The Y3 pattern has a clover type style around the center hot spot, very much like a HD2010.

For the switch, like I always do, is strip all parts, clean up all pads, then hunt for continuity to the switch connections. On the Y3, one switch connection goes to pin #2 of the CPU, the other goes to pin #4. For our drivers, all you need is one wire to the Atmel, one to ground. The one going to pin #4 also goes to an R4 and R5 pad. You could always wire direct to the tab on the switch, but I try to avoid getting an iron that close to the plastic switch housing.

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Of course a cutout pill and copper replacement will be better, but I'm not too worried bout heat with this light. 8 mm is a huge thickness, thicker than many of my modded lights adding two pennies under the pill top, and the head threads are directly next to the pill top/shelf, and where the head screws on is where the big nice fins are. Almost perfect design. I use some good thermal grease on those threads (not electrical threaded connection) and it works great. So many lights have the fins above or below the LED - this one has them perfectly along side.

10

That does sound ideal, as long as an XM-L class emitter is being utilized.

I’m thinking of going with an MT-G2 at around 15A, changes the scheme of things considerably where heat is concerned. :wink:

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'Dale amps' - yes, 15A is a whole different realm there. The Y3's I've gotten have been 1 cell, so been using XM-L2's, but the one I ordered is the 2 cell version, so I'm thinking of MT-G2 also. 15A with an MT-G2 is bout as much heat as 5 XM-L2's would do at 6A each (30A x 3.xA vs. 15A x 6.xA).

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Lightly melt the end of a hot glue stick, glue it to the corner of a piece of sandpaper, trim off the excess sandpaper around the OD. Voila, instant sanding puck with a built-in handle.

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Sweet. I gotta remember that tip. Thanks CC.

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That’s IF the heat output can be interpolated in a linear fashion. The big MT-G2 at 15A is likely to be far less efficient than the 5 XM-L2’s at 6A. :wink:

(5x3A max vs 2x 3A max x5 / sq rt of n*Vf over c³)

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The theoretical equivalent of the mathematical formulation represented in my last post is purely conjecture based on a triple heaping serving of steaming hot mud.

(Edit: This thread has been edited to remove descriptive text representative of my stupid mathematical formula) Sorry if anyone found it offensive.

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I’ve been reading too many of ToyKeeper’s posts. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Oops! Not to imply any doubt as to the integrity of ToyKeeper’s posts, merely insinuating that I am too far gone mentally to even begin to comprehend the multi-level depths of her quoted theory and mathematical genius. (crawling back under my rock now)

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Was wondering where that science was coming from... Smile Pure speculation, but if a MT-G2 at 15A is less efficient than 5 XM-L2's running at the same power (ie watts), doesn't that mean more power gets converted to heat? So, maybe even worse? Think you got a room heater there, forget hand warmer.

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Winner in isle 5!

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Thanks Tom E. I appreciate the effort. Love the work bench cleanliness. Are the threads as others pointed out on the battery tubes the same on your samples?