Due to the discussion in the X8 thread I decided to take some pics of the pills and show the difference between them.
T13 pill is is really just part of the head. 23mm board with a depth of around 22mm available. It has a side switch to change modes. Driver is resistor moddable, mine has an XP-G2 dedomed drawing ~2.2Amps from two TF 18650’s.
T16 would be awesome for a host due to the 26650’s, but the pill is very shallow. 22mm diameter, roughly 12mm deep. Stock driver is resistor modded for ~2.3A from two TF 26650’s. I also penciled one of the caps so it always starts in Hi now. No blinkies unless I cycle past them. Compared to my Convoy M1, both have 20mm Noctigons with IS XML2 U2’s. M1 has a 4.5A KD3040 driver with NCR18650PD and copper braid on the springs. Both light have roughly the same ceiling bounce, ~115. My 4.5A XML2 U2 L2T is around 99 with an 18650PD. Not apples to apples, but that leads me to believe that the driver is not terribly inefficient with the increased current draw.
X8 clone has a large pill. 22mm diameter, with around 35mm depth. With a 2.67A current draw from my added resistors, it has roughly the same ceiling bounce as the T16, ~115. It has a Sinkpad mounted KD XML2 U2 which I pulled from a crappy single mode 3.5v-18v drop in. My guess is it is a T6, not a U2, but the tint is pleasant for a cool tint, there is no green/yellow hue.
Looks like a bit of aluminum rod needs to be pressed into that X8 pill. Does the heat have to travel all the way down that tall pill to the threads? Or is there something else pressing against it (e.g. aluminum reflector that rest of top of pill, etc.).
You don’t have to be a metal worker. If you’re located in the states, there is probably a Metal Supermarkets near you. That pill looks like it has a 3/4” diameter hollow area (Measure to be sure). Go to the Metal Supermarkets and buy some. They sell any length and it’s cheap. If you’re lucky, they may have some in a scraps bucket. That stuff they sell by the pound.
Cut the 3/4” (or whatever size you need) to the length you need. Round the leading edge so that it doesn’t scrape shavings while being pressed it. Then use a hammer and wooden dowel to knock it down into the pill.
EDIT: You want a snug fit. Too tight and you may damage the soft aluminum pill trying to drive in the aluminum rod.
Of course. I had no SMD resistors that were smaller than .5R, so I stacked them one at a time. I need to go measure LED current, but all I have is a cheap Harbor Freight dmm….
