New style HDS EDC XP-G tint swap

Here's a warranty voiding and time consuming way to swap the XP-G on the new style HDS EDC lights if you'd like a different tint.
My first attempt on a Golden Dragon based board failed miserably but I learned from that adventure. This method would probably also work on the GD boards if anyone knows where to find some neutral GDs. (please post a link if you do!)

Before proceeding I'd recommend using some type of hobby vise and a magnifying lamp.
If you have great vision you can skip the lamp, but a vise is great for keeping things from getting away from you.





The board has some compound around the perimeter and over the screws, this comes off easy with a stylus or other soft-tipped pointy thing.




Sharpened a paper clip and bent the end to get under one of the edges then slowly worked the board up and out by moving the iron between the 3 solder points. I didn't have any luck getting the solder out with my normal methods as the solder points are TINY and the board does a great job of drawing heat away to the head.



All traces of solder have to be removed from the holes in the board on from the pins that go in them as there is very little slop and the board won't go back on unless both the pins and the holes are solder-free.





Slap your favorite tinted emitter on, a dab of thermal paste below the emitter, carefully put the board back on, (you might need to adjust the posts to go in the holes), solder the 3 points and you're done.

Awesome work bansuri. If you don't mind me asking, which emitter did you end up using? R4 neutral or warm I'd imagine. Did swapping to a less efficient emitter effect the lower output modes at all? I have noticed that I will lose some of the lower output modes after switching to a less efficient emitter.

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Hi, that is great work, I look up to people like you to rip your $200 light apart not knowing what could go wrong.

Do you think an XM-L could be swapped instead of an XP-G.

Also, how is the emitter attached to the board, solder in place using an iron or flowed?

Flucero28 said:

Awesome work bansuri. If you don't mind me asking, which emitter did you end up using? R4 neutral or warm I'd imagine. Did swapping to a less efficient emitter effect the lower output modes at all? I have noticed that I will lose some of the lower output modes after switching to a less efficient emitter.

Click to expand...

Thanks! It was an R4 5C neutral. I don't have any means of measuring output, and I didn't have 2 for side-by-side comparisons, but I suppose there was a loss of output.

abarth_1200 said:

Hi, that is great work, I look up to people like you to rip your $200 light apart not knowing what could go wrong.

Do you think an XM-L could be swapped instead of an XP-G.

Also, how is the emitter attached to the board, solder in place using an iron or flowed?

Click to expand...

Abarth, it wasn't my light!! It was a CPFer's that I'd done some work for who got the tint bug. I had a little experience with the new style board, so there wasn't too much risk. Henry makes these lights so darn tough!

No reason to swap an XM-L into this light when you can get the $100 EDC 120 with a Golden Dragon and drop one in. It never hits the XM-L's full potential, but the output is beautiful and much brighter than stock. The new EDC 120 is freakin awesome.

Gotta say that the 200 definitely puts a bit more current to emitter compared to the 120. The 200 was super-bright even with the reduced output of the R4.

Emitter came off easy enough and used an iron underneath to reflow the new one.
The owner still enjoys it and the light's running strong.

abarth_1200 said:

Hi, that is great work, I look up to people like you to rip your $200 light apart not knowing what could go wrong.

Click to expand...

I could not agree more, in fact after reading this thread I am very tempted to mod my Rotary
but I do not think I can remove the board without causing any damage.

Wondering why theres 3 pins. The two middles ones connect to the two outer pads of the emitter (+ and -ve) however there is also the third pin, which connects to the what appears to the the "ground plane" of the PCB, and is connected to the centre heatsink pad of the emitter..

What purpose does this connection serve? I didn't think the led had any connection to this pad except as a thermal pathway, unless there is something that can be measured from this pad? maybe a thermal status of the emitter?

I couldn't find any documentation to indicate any official functionality behind the the central tab.

Question is, if I emitter swap this, and use my own MPCB, what functionality will I lose.

There is no connection to the center pad, the pin connection at the edge of the board on the (-) side is the ground for the driver. It connects to one of the screw holes.
You will see this in all HDS lights as a wire that comes out of the driver compartment and is normally attached to a small Phillips screw.
Here's how I dealt with the ground when doing a mod as you're suggesting.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?313290-New-Version-HDS-EDC-Emitter-Solution

Ah right, I think I've worked it out now.

The third wire is just a electrical connection between the driver ground plane and the metal body of the torch, via the ground plane/screws to the head.

The fact that it IS connected to the heatsink plane of the emitter is not really relevant to the emitter electrically, it's just an assured connection to the battery tube.

Thermally though I can see it working, as the PCB relies on the bias for heat transfer, then this top copper ground plane will transfer heat to the vias, and so accordingly these can be conveniently continued to use all of the copper available on the PCB and also use the mounting screws. Its electrical isolation from the emitter permits this use.


In which case, its just a matter of soldering a wire to the screw itself just as you have done.

Thanks for the reply, its helped me to work out whats happening.

bansuri said:

to swap the XP-G on the new style HDS EDC lights

Click to expand...

Thank you bansuri!
Your photos and instructions are excellent!

I have a 2011 Rotary 200 with XPG, just like the one in your post.
I plan to have it modded to N219b.

I believe the LED swap instructions in this thread applies to ALL HDS models with ACME threads, because afaik the LED board design and mounting has not changed in the last 7 years.