NovaTac 120P triple 219

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since I have done anything "fun", just plain old emitter swaps. Well that changed the other day when I got a PM from a fellow member about some mods. I liked the idea and took on the challenge.

First off, HUGE respect for you guys that build all the triple modules. It is very tedious work but very rewarding.

After taking lots of measurements I came up with a 0.6" diameter, 0.265" tall copper pedestal to fit in the head without any machining of the head in case the owner ever wants to return it to stock form.

Here is the NovaTac module stripped of it's emitter, the triple Nichia board, optic, teflon wire, copper slug and copper outer ring ready to start the process.



The wires soldered onto the modules output terminals and bent into position.




Module reinstalled into head with arctic silver for heat transfer and copper slug drilled for wire path.



Copper slug set in place with Arctic Alumina thermal epoxy.




Triple board wired in parallel (tedious) and 3/4" copper pipe used as outer ring for centering the board, taking up the extra space and for the GITD O-ring to seal to when bezel ring is tightened down.




Board installed with AA and all wired up.




Fully assembled frontal shot.




IT'S ALIVE! I am so loving this light, I hope it's owner will also like it as much as I do.




Well I guess that's about it, I hope it was interesting/helpful info.

Jamie

Great mod and great step by step guide ! :thumbsup:

I always loved all the possibilities offered by a Novatac (or older HDS BASIC and ULTIMATE...).

How would you describe the beam ? Throwy? Floodier ? Brighter?

Also, does the optic fit perfectly in the body or you have to sand it a bit ? I guess the LED module and the optic are the one sold by illumination supply ?

All I can say is WOW Jamie what an awesome job you have done here. This one will see alot of pocket carry for sure. For those who don't know Jamie's work is top notch and he is a super great member here. :twothumbs

derfyled said:

Great mod and great step by step guide ! :thumbsup:

I always loved all the possibilities offered by a Novatac (or older HDS BASIC and ULTIMATE...).

How would you describe the beam ? Throwy? Floodier ? Brighter?

Also, does the optic fit perfectly in the body or you have to sand it a bit ? I guess the LED module and the optic are the one sold by illumination supply ?

Click to expand...

I used a section of 3/4" copper plumbing pipe to fill the gap between the heads wall and the board/optic. The optic fit very snugly inside the pipe, the board had to be filed slightly. I used arctic silver between the copper ring and the head, the O ring sits nicely on the ring to seal it. Yes, the one from Illumination Supply. Not throwy but not all flood either. Brighter.......Oh yeah. If anyone has a NT modded to XM-L, imagine the same intensity hotspot but the spot is 3x as big. WALL OF LIGHT. This is my first time experiencing a triple and I'm hooked on them now.

blackbalsam said:

All I can say is WOW Jamie what an awesome job you have done here. This one will see alot of pocket carry for sure. For those who don't know Jamie's work is top notch and he is a super great member here. :twothumbs

Click to expand...

Robert,
Thanks for all the kind words.

I hope you enjoy it but if you get tired of it I could take it off your hands. :devil:

I have a dead 120P sitting in my bin waiting for the Lux-RC boards to become available again so I can do this mod to it also.

Excellent! This is why I keep all my Novatacs.... someday I'll have time.

My wife just informed me she thinks this "smiley face" is cute. I didn't see it until she mentioned it.

think2x said:

My wife just informed me she thinks this "smiley face" is cute. I didn't see it until she mentioned it.

Click to expand...

Jamie I thought you done that on purpose

What kind of runtime on max do you think would be had on this triple modded NT? Would be great if it could achieve the same as the original (30mins) but of course outputting far more than 120lumens.

What driver did you use? The stock one? I put an XML in my NT, but I've been thinking of doing this. Are the three LEDs in series? Thanks!

xevious said:

What kind of runtime on max do you think would be had on this triple modded NT? Would be great if it could achieve the same as the original (30mins) but of course outputting far more than 120lumens.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure on the runtime, blackbalsam will have to answer that one as it's his light.

maroast said:

What driver did you use? The stock one? I put an XML in my NT, but I've been thinking of doing this. Are the three LEDs in series? Thanks!

Click to expand...

Stock driver. emitters are parallel.

think2x said:

I'm not sure on the runtime, blackbalsam will have to answer that one as it's his light.

Click to expand...

It would be great if he could post some beam shots. I PM'ed him about it.

Stock driver. emitters are parallel.

Click to expand...

Is the Carclo 10.0 MM lens array used alone, or do you have the original glass in place over it? Was some trial and error involved in cutting the copper pipe and slug until you got it right, or did it work out the first time? Is the copper soft enough to cut with a hack saw, or do you need something more elaborate to cut it?

xevious said:

It would be great if he could post some beam shots. I PM'ed him about it.


Is the Carclo 10.0 MM lens array used alone, or do you have the original glass in place over it? Was some trial and error involved in cutting the copper pipe and slug until you got it right, or did it work out the first time? Is the copper soft enough to cut with a hack saw, or do you need something more elaborate to cut it?

Click to expand...

Hacksaw, file and sander is what i used. Factory lens is used. Lots of measuring with digital calipers.

think2x said:

Stock driver. emitters are parallel.

Click to expand...

hm... how many amps will the driver give to each LED?

Awesome! I've always liked the Novatac feel in the hand. Wonderful mod! A+++

Thanks a lot for this info. I've been thinking of doing this mod for a while...just ordered the parts this morning because of you write up!