TrueBlue
Flashlight Enthusiast
You saw the Pelican HA 'SuperBird' mod that was made by the two craftsmen of lights, ARC mania and Katokichi. ARC and Katokichi are known best for the Katokichi Ichishiki (KI) and the Katokichi Ichishiki- Tactical (KI-T) lights. Under ARC mania's belt is the Super Flashlight III and many great DC/DC converters. The Pelican SuperBird light has a buck converter, the SDC1000, and an overachieving Lux III, TW0H, emitter. Another mod was made using the same converter, an overachieving TV1H (my favorite tint) and installed into a smaller Surefire KL4 head. The Surefire L4 is smaller and the reflector is smaller but has just as much beam output and run time as the bigger Pelican SuperBird. This is a bright mod anyone could like.
Attached to a Surefire L4 body the modded head it looks like a standard Surefire KL4 light. The modded light really looks like the same heavy duty Surefire L4 that we know and love. The well designed, sturdy body is the same. The aggressive knurling and the thick anodize coat look the same. Even the reflector is the same. If you really look down deep into the head you might notice a smaller than normal emitter die in the head. On the outside that is the only indicator that something is different about the light. Everything is normal until the light is turned on. The beam on this modded KL4 head is different. This is ARC mania's KL4 modded light so you know it is going to be different. The expected flood of light from a standard KL4 has been replaced with a bright and intense beam with a little less spill but an intense throw.
The little KL4 head mod has the same converter that ARC mania places in his Pelican 'SuperBird' mod, the SDC1000, a buck converter. The converter runs 3 to 6 volts at 1000mA very effectively. I've successfully run one and two CR123A primary cells and single Pila 150/168S rechargeable cells with this modded head. In the usual fashion ARC mania has lovingly crafted the converter to integrate seamlessly into the KL4 head. It is a clean, very clean, mod. I'll even dare to say the 'brain transplant' looks more professionally built and installed than the standard converter. The converter is firmly attached to the KL4 head to draw excess heat from the emitter. This heat is quickly drawn to the head of the light. The precisely centered converter emitter is an overachieving TV1H with a yellow biased white tint but a more neutral overachieving TW0H emitter tint is also available on this modded head. I have three SF heads and each act differently. One is a SF stock Lux V, one is the ARC mania mod and the third is a Lux I, RY0J emitter. Each head has their own personality.
The mod is bright and is versatile when it comes to battery configurations. Any option that will fit a Surefire E series light will work with this mod. If you like this light but want it smaller than that is no problem. I've run the light with a Vital Gear FB1, FB2, Balrog and Aleph bodies. I suppose a Surefire single cell E series body would work too but I don't have one to try. If you get a McGizmo two stage switch then you can have too brightness levels in a super bright light that would fit in the palm of your hand.
Using a Pila 168S cell the light has flat run time of 78 minutes (1 hour, 18 minutes.) That converts to 1077mAH converter current draw.
For testing here is something a little different. I don't know if anyone has tried this before. I have a nice little, variable, power supply that has simultaneous and continueous readouts in voltage and current. I tested both the stock KL4 head and the modified KL4 head at different voltages to see what the milliamp output is.
Stock Surefire KL4 head V/mA:
2.5V = 0mA
2.6V = 0mA
2.7V = 100mA
2.9V = 330mA
3.0V = 730mA
3.5V = 1680mA
4.0V = 1400mA
4.2V = 1310mA
4.5V = 1200mA
6.0V = 840mA
ARC mania KL4+ head V/mA:
2.4V = 0mA
2.5V = 0mA
2.6V = 100mA
3.0V = 200mA
3.5V = 770mA
4.0V = 880mA
4.2V = 880mA
4.5V = 880mA
6.0V = 920mA
What I find interesting and good for us flashaholics is that the converters in both heads shut down before a Li-ion cell is drained to the point of ruining a cell. In the Surefire KL4 head it shuts down below 2.7V while the ARC mania modified head turns off below 2.6V. In theory the ARC mania converter would be able to squeeze more power out of a Li-ion cell safely. Either converter is safe to use with a Li-ion rechargeable cell. If it were possible to use 2xAA, which I can by using a UBH adapter, both of the converters work poorly with 2xAA NiMH and work fairly with 2xAA primary batteries. Between the two modules the KL4 head is far brighter. The KL4 head comes to life at 3.0V and the modded KL4 head at 3.5V. This is not to slight ARC mania's converter because they are doing opposite jobs. The Surefire module is built to boost lower voltage for a power hungry Lux V emitter while the ARC mania converter is designed to buck voltage to a useable Lux III voltage. The stock KL4 converter is built to push lower voltage up to a Lux V useable level and needs to draw more power sooner since the Lux V emitter needs double the voltage and current draw of a Lux III emitter. The ARC mania converter is the opposite. It takes a higher voltage and drops it to a useable Lux III level.
Life looks bright for ARC mania and this KL4 head mod. The modded KL4 head has a nice throw. The light has approximately 50% less spill light but makes up for it by having a greater throw light. This mods shows what happens when you use the same reflector but change the emitter from a Lux V to a Lux III. Again ARC mania show us what a first class mod can do to give a light a completely different character. I really like to use this professional looking mod. Thanks for the great build, ARC mania.
ARC mania does have a couple of extra of this mod that he can put together. He has told me that because of the varying tolerances of each KL4 head that each of the KL4 head mods must be custom made to each head. There won't be a lot of the mods so only a few people will get to enjoy this rare Surefire L4+ mod.
Attached to a Surefire L4 body the modded head it looks like a standard Surefire KL4 light. The modded light really looks like the same heavy duty Surefire L4 that we know and love. The well designed, sturdy body is the same. The aggressive knurling and the thick anodize coat look the same. Even the reflector is the same. If you really look down deep into the head you might notice a smaller than normal emitter die in the head. On the outside that is the only indicator that something is different about the light. Everything is normal until the light is turned on. The beam on this modded KL4 head is different. This is ARC mania's KL4 modded light so you know it is going to be different. The expected flood of light from a standard KL4 has been replaced with a bright and intense beam with a little less spill but an intense throw.
The little KL4 head mod has the same converter that ARC mania places in his Pelican 'SuperBird' mod, the SDC1000, a buck converter. The converter runs 3 to 6 volts at 1000mA very effectively. I've successfully run one and two CR123A primary cells and single Pila 150/168S rechargeable cells with this modded head. In the usual fashion ARC mania has lovingly crafted the converter to integrate seamlessly into the KL4 head. It is a clean, very clean, mod. I'll even dare to say the 'brain transplant' looks more professionally built and installed than the standard converter. The converter is firmly attached to the KL4 head to draw excess heat from the emitter. This heat is quickly drawn to the head of the light. The precisely centered converter emitter is an overachieving TV1H with a yellow biased white tint but a more neutral overachieving TW0H emitter tint is also available on this modded head. I have three SF heads and each act differently. One is a SF stock Lux V, one is the ARC mania mod and the third is a Lux I, RY0J emitter. Each head has their own personality.
The mod is bright and is versatile when it comes to battery configurations. Any option that will fit a Surefire E series light will work with this mod. If you like this light but want it smaller than that is no problem. I've run the light with a Vital Gear FB1, FB2, Balrog and Aleph bodies. I suppose a Surefire single cell E series body would work too but I don't have one to try. If you get a McGizmo two stage switch then you can have too brightness levels in a super bright light that would fit in the palm of your hand.
Using a Pila 168S cell the light has flat run time of 78 minutes (1 hour, 18 minutes.) That converts to 1077mAH converter current draw.
For testing here is something a little different. I don't know if anyone has tried this before. I have a nice little, variable, power supply that has simultaneous and continueous readouts in voltage and current. I tested both the stock KL4 head and the modified KL4 head at different voltages to see what the milliamp output is.
Stock Surefire KL4 head V/mA:
2.5V = 0mA
2.6V = 0mA
2.7V = 100mA
2.9V = 330mA
3.0V = 730mA
3.5V = 1680mA
4.0V = 1400mA
4.2V = 1310mA
4.5V = 1200mA
6.0V = 840mA
ARC mania KL4+ head V/mA:
2.4V = 0mA
2.5V = 0mA
2.6V = 100mA
3.0V = 200mA
3.5V = 770mA
4.0V = 880mA
4.2V = 880mA
4.5V = 880mA
6.0V = 920mA
What I find interesting and good for us flashaholics is that the converters in both heads shut down before a Li-ion cell is drained to the point of ruining a cell. In the Surefire KL4 head it shuts down below 2.7V while the ARC mania modified head turns off below 2.6V. In theory the ARC mania converter would be able to squeeze more power out of a Li-ion cell safely. Either converter is safe to use with a Li-ion rechargeable cell. If it were possible to use 2xAA, which I can by using a UBH adapter, both of the converters work poorly with 2xAA NiMH and work fairly with 2xAA primary batteries. Between the two modules the KL4 head is far brighter. The KL4 head comes to life at 3.0V and the modded KL4 head at 3.5V. This is not to slight ARC mania's converter because they are doing opposite jobs. The Surefire module is built to boost lower voltage for a power hungry Lux V emitter while the ARC mania converter is designed to buck voltage to a useable Lux III voltage. The stock KL4 converter is built to push lower voltage up to a Lux V useable level and needs to draw more power sooner since the Lux V emitter needs double the voltage and current draw of a Lux III emitter. The ARC mania converter is the opposite. It takes a higher voltage and drops it to a useable Lux III level.
Life looks bright for ARC mania and this KL4 head mod. The modded KL4 head has a nice throw. The light has approximately 50% less spill light but makes up for it by having a greater throw light. This mods shows what happens when you use the same reflector but change the emitter from a Lux V to a Lux III. Again ARC mania show us what a first class mod can do to give a light a completely different character. I really like to use this professional looking mod. Thanks for the great build, ARC mania.
ARC mania does have a couple of extra of this mod that he can put together. He has told me that because of the varying tolerances of each KL4 head that each of the KL4 head mods must be custom made to each head. There won't be a lot of the mods so only a few people will get to enjoy this rare Surefire L4+ mod.
