Fun with Elzetta hi/low and SF6P host

Mikeg23

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I replaced my old "bored" 6P with an Overready bored HA 6P! I also ordered an Elzetta hi/low switch to see if I could make it work.
I made a battery spacer that's about 5/16 long and put the hi/low switch on my new 6P with Malkoff and an 18650. It made contact so I thought, "great I'll just cut a couple threads off the surefire to engage the o-ring. I back the hi/low switch off and didn't have "low". After playing with it for a while I realised the reason low doesn't work is because the host is bored and there isn't enough "lip" to contact the plunger.
Once I realised that I tried it on a light that hadn't been bored, 9P with lumens factory single mode and 3 primaries. On the un-bored light it worked as advertised.
My plan was if the switch didn't work on the 6P I would get an elzetta body and have it bored, but alas that most likly won't work either...
I will probably take the switch apart to see if I can make it work with an 18 mm tube, but it would seem that to use the high/low switch we are stuck with 17mm cells or primaries.

Edit: my theory about the bore is incorrect it was actually the anodizing on the interior of my overready tube that was creating the problem!
 
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S1LVA

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Sounds like a neat experiment.

I just picked up an Elzetta complete light. Very very solid!!

S1LVA
 

Mikeg23

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Well I pulled the head off and peered down the tube with elzetta tailcap in place... The plunger is in fact being depressed when tightened but it is riding on the anodizing rather than bare metal. I'll try sanding it off tomarrow if that works then I'll likely cut the 6P down a bit so the battery spacer isn't needed.

I didn't do a side by side but it seemed like the elzetta low is lower than the MD2 low?
 

S1LVA

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My Elzetta is a single mode so I dont know about the differences of the low modes. I do have plans to pick up the two mode Elzetta tail cap when I can afford it.

BTW I got a killer deal on the light. I was at the US Cavalry store across the street from Fort Campbell on Friday. I was browsing through the clearance section and saw the light, it was the only one. I paid $85 for the Elzetta including the M60!!!

Once I can get the two mode tail cap, then I can compare the two.

S1LVA
 

880arm

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BTW I got a killer deal on the light. I was at the US Cavalry store across the street from Fort Campbell on Friday. . . .
S1LVA

Nice catch. I drove past there last weekend and almost stopped. But then I thought to myself, "they never have any good deals when I stop anyway." :ohgeez:
 

Mikeg23

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BTW I got a killer deal on the light. I was at the US Cavalry store across the street from Fort Campbell on Friday. I was browsing through the clearance section and saw the light, it was the only one. I paid $85 for the Elzetta including the M60!!

Very cool! I've been there a couple times.. Got a few nice knives, going through there and the px you see all kinds of things that you never see in brick and motor stores.
 

jorn

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Can we get a pic of the inside of the Elzetta tailcap? Maybe someone here will have an idea how to make it work with a bored host.
I think it uses the same principle as the malkoff hi/lo ring. The difference is the hi/lo ring in the elzetta is the retention ring holding the switch. The elzetta is thick. With a thinner 18650 tube, they need to move the resistor further out to make fist contact when tailcap is loosesned. This "plunger" is insulated from the rest of the ring and connected to a resistor on the backside of the retaining ring. The current has to go trough the resistor when the tailcap is loosened and only this plunger toutches the tube. Tihgten it max, and the rest of the ring will meet the tube, and current will go the way with least resistance (not trough the resistor).

Maby a washer between the tailcap and tube will work. Just so big that it will fit all the way past the threading in the tailcap. and too big to be pushed inside the tube. But i think the tiny spring behind the plunger wont keep the wahser from ratteling when the tailcap is loosened. (might flicker between hi and lo).
 
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Mikeg23

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Yea I'll take some pics... I still haven't taken the time to pull some of the anodizing off the inside of my overready body. I think that is largely to problem.
 

Mikeg23

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Well I dremeled some of the anodizing off at the tail of my 6P and with a spacer installed the elzetta Hi/Low switch works great! I would guess based off output levels that elzetta uses the same resistor that Malkoff uses in the Hi/Low ring.

Frankly it's a little lower than I would like but I did find that I like the low I got when I put the guts from an L2 lumamax tail on there.

Now I just need to push the tail into a belt sander for a little bit to hopefully lose the spacer and engage the o-ring.

I took some pics of the inside of the tailcaps and even some "beamshots" but I will need to figure out how to post them. I haven't used photobucket for about three years so I'll find out if my account is still good?
 

Mikeg23

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I meant to try that but forgot... My guess is 3 modes as either of the lows would be the same. Not sure if "low-low" would actually work.
 

Mikeg23

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So originally the over ready tube was anodized on the inside.
anodized1.jpg

After scuffing up the anodizing the elzetta tail cap works fine.
anodized2.jpg

This is the temporary spacer that I had to use to make the Elzetta tailcap work.
spacer.jpg
 
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Mikeg23

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Can we get a pic of the inside of the Elzetta tailcap? Maybe someone here will have an idea how to make it work with a bored host.


Although the being bored turned out to not be the problem Ill post the pics that I took...

Elzetta tailcap
belzettahilow.jpg

Malkoff Hi/Low ring
malkoffhilowring2.jpg

malkoffhilowring1.jpg

Oveready bored 6P with Elzetta tail cap
SF6Pboredelzetta.jpg

Factory 9P with Elzetta tail cap
SF9Punboredelzetta.jpg
 

RI Chevy

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I realize this is an old thread, but does anyone know what the white plastic part does that is inside the tail cap and is around the spring?
 

Mikeg23

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Because it is a click type switch the plastic isolates the spring from the body for when in the off position.
 

dss_777

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Is that light designed to have the Malkoff hi-lo ring in the tail-cap? It's certainly too large to fit a 6P sized tail-cap.
 
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