LEDmodMan
Flashaholic*
Class 3: TWAKnFlex (lots o\' pics)
Introducing the TWAKnFlex. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif It is a TWAK Lux III emitter mounted on an O-sink in a Pewter mag 3D cell body, driven by a Georges80 nFlex converter powered by a rechargeable 4Ah 6.0v NiMh aeronimh.com custom battery pack.
The most challenging part of this mod was getting the nFlex converter mounted into the bulb post housing. Also, modifying the stock mag switch to be a pure momentary switch took some thinking to do.
Here you see an exploded view of all of the mag D cell switch components. From left to right, switch spring, switch rotary contact, rotary ratchet part "A", rotary ratchet part "B", rotary ratchet housing, and above and below the housing are the switch contacts. The large blue piece in the picture is the switch body.
To modify the switch to make its operation purely momentary for this mod, I removed about half of the "fins" from the rotary ratchet part "A".
The rotary ratchet housing has full-depth grooves that match these fins (these grooves can be seen in the exploded view). However, every other groove is only half as wide as the ratchet, which holds the rotary pieces of the switch back and prevents them from sliding all the way down (on position). This ratchet assembly is what causes the tactile "double-click" you feel and hear when operating the mag switch. The first click as you push the switch in is the rotary ratchet turning, and the second click as you release the switch is the fins on part "A" engaging the grooves in the housing.
Another way to modify the switch would be to clear the filled grooves in the ratchet housing. As the housing is a glass-filled plastic (harder to work) and it is hard to get tools into that tiny space, it was much easier to trim the fins from the rotary ratchet part "A" instead because it is just plain plastic and quite was easy to do with an Exacto knife.
I cut the switch contacts down to get them recessed inside of the switch and to prevent them from making contact with the positive battery contact.
I then soldered my switch wires to the trimmed contacts, which will get soldered into the SWA and SWB holes in the nFlex board (also, the nFlex's onboard micro switch was removed). The mag's negative power contact was trimmed and a wire soldered to it to be used for the nFlex's negative power input. The bulb post housing was cut to match the components of the nflex. A razor knive was used for the lengthwise cuts, and a file was used to relieve spots for the programming header, the input capacitor, and the inductor.Two holes were drilled through the blue plastic switch body to pass the positive battery wire and the lower switch wire through up to the nFlex.
Here are some pics of the switch being assembled:
Here you see the switch assembled and the nFlex board in place in the bulb post housing, along with the TWAK Lux III emitter stuck to the Yaesumofo O-sink heatsink using arctic alumina epoxy.
Lastly, I used some heatshrink tubing to hold the nFlex in place and to make sure nothing would come loose after the light was assembled.
Here is the heatsink pressed into the mag body after the switch assembly was replaced into the mag body and the Lux III was hooked up.
Next are the five 4Ah aeronimh rechargeable 1/2D cells.
Assembled into a 6.0v stick:
The modified mag reflector:
After charging the battery, I tried the light. Unfortunately, it didn't work. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
I had to take the heatsink off of the light, and then desolder the Lux III and remove the switch assembly. After a bit of troubleshooting on my own, I couldn't find any problem. I the traced problem down to something on the nFlex. I contacted georges80, and after about 25 minutes on the phone with him and testing various voltages on the board, we decided that the micro controller on the nflex wasn't executing its code. Neither of us are sure why, and I don't believe I could have done anything to hurt it as I only soldered six wires to the board (nothing got too warm).
Anyway, he's sending me a new board, and the problem one is going back to him for troubleshooting.
Due to this problem, I'm not exactly sure if this really qualifies for the mod contest, but I'll enter it anyway. The light should be working within minutes of getting the new nFlex, so I'll leave my fate in the hands of the CPF community (please go easy on me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif). I could have left this part out and nobody would have been the wiser, but of course that wouldn't be honest or in the CPF spirit. Also, I wanted to share this with everyone anyway, if for no other reason but to show the mag switch and how I made it momentary. Hopefully I'll receive the new nFlex Monday, and can finish the mod and get it working before midnight to make it official. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Thanks for looking! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif
Introducing the TWAKnFlex. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif It is a TWAK Lux III emitter mounted on an O-sink in a Pewter mag 3D cell body, driven by a Georges80 nFlex converter powered by a rechargeable 4Ah 6.0v NiMh aeronimh.com custom battery pack.
The most challenging part of this mod was getting the nFlex converter mounted into the bulb post housing. Also, modifying the stock mag switch to be a pure momentary switch took some thinking to do.
Here you see an exploded view of all of the mag D cell switch components. From left to right, switch spring, switch rotary contact, rotary ratchet part "A", rotary ratchet part "B", rotary ratchet housing, and above and below the housing are the switch contacts. The large blue piece in the picture is the switch body.
To modify the switch to make its operation purely momentary for this mod, I removed about half of the "fins" from the rotary ratchet part "A".
The rotary ratchet housing has full-depth grooves that match these fins (these grooves can be seen in the exploded view). However, every other groove is only half as wide as the ratchet, which holds the rotary pieces of the switch back and prevents them from sliding all the way down (on position). This ratchet assembly is what causes the tactile "double-click" you feel and hear when operating the mag switch. The first click as you push the switch in is the rotary ratchet turning, and the second click as you release the switch is the fins on part "A" engaging the grooves in the housing.
Another way to modify the switch would be to clear the filled grooves in the ratchet housing. As the housing is a glass-filled plastic (harder to work) and it is hard to get tools into that tiny space, it was much easier to trim the fins from the rotary ratchet part "A" instead because it is just plain plastic and quite was easy to do with an Exacto knife.
I cut the switch contacts down to get them recessed inside of the switch and to prevent them from making contact with the positive battery contact.
I then soldered my switch wires to the trimmed contacts, which will get soldered into the SWA and SWB holes in the nFlex board (also, the nFlex's onboard micro switch was removed). The mag's negative power contact was trimmed and a wire soldered to it to be used for the nFlex's negative power input. The bulb post housing was cut to match the components of the nflex. A razor knive was used for the lengthwise cuts, and a file was used to relieve spots for the programming header, the input capacitor, and the inductor.Two holes were drilled through the blue plastic switch body to pass the positive battery wire and the lower switch wire through up to the nFlex.
Here are some pics of the switch being assembled:
Here you see the switch assembled and the nFlex board in place in the bulb post housing, along with the TWAK Lux III emitter stuck to the Yaesumofo O-sink heatsink using arctic alumina epoxy.
Lastly, I used some heatshrink tubing to hold the nFlex in place and to make sure nothing would come loose after the light was assembled.
Here is the heatsink pressed into the mag body after the switch assembly was replaced into the mag body and the Lux III was hooked up.
Next are the five 4Ah aeronimh rechargeable 1/2D cells.
Assembled into a 6.0v stick:
The modified mag reflector:
After charging the battery, I tried the light. Unfortunately, it didn't work. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
I had to take the heatsink off of the light, and then desolder the Lux III and remove the switch assembly. After a bit of troubleshooting on my own, I couldn't find any problem. I the traced problem down to something on the nFlex. I contacted georges80, and after about 25 minutes on the phone with him and testing various voltages on the board, we decided that the micro controller on the nflex wasn't executing its code. Neither of us are sure why, and I don't believe I could have done anything to hurt it as I only soldered six wires to the board (nothing got too warm).
Anyway, he's sending me a new board, and the problem one is going back to him for troubleshooting.
Due to this problem, I'm not exactly sure if this really qualifies for the mod contest, but I'll enter it anyway. The light should be working within minutes of getting the new nFlex, so I'll leave my fate in the hands of the CPF community (please go easy on me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif). I could have left this part out and nobody would have been the wiser, but of course that wouldn't be honest or in the CPF spirit. Also, I wanted to share this with everyone anyway, if for no other reason but to show the mag switch and how I made it momentary. Hopefully I'll receive the new nFlex Monday, and can finish the mod and get it working before midnight to make it official. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Thanks for looking! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif
