Anybody able to open up a NiteRider MiNewt USB Yet?

[shuffles]

i just bought one, and it's a great light, but I'd like to upgrade the emitter in it to a P4, if possible.

The MiNewt USB, unlike the regular and x2 MiNewts, seems to be glued together.

Any ideas for getting it open without destroying it?

Thanks!

 

[Wicho]

Maybe you could boil it for a bit (in a sealed, waterproof bag) or heat it up with a hair dryer to soften up the glue.

It's the way we used to open up the old Nuwai Q3's to upgrade them to a (Gasp!) Lux III TWOJ.

Let us know if you're successful. I have a Minewt USB light too I'd like to upgrade.

 

[shuffles]

OK, so I received the new SSC P4 U bin LED from DX yesterday; that thing's really small. I'm gonna have to use some reading glasses to solder it in.

I'm going to try to hit the MiNewt with a hairdryer for a few minutes, and then try to pull the head apart. I'll let you know how it goes.

On another subject, what do you recommend for camera settings to do beamshots for comparison? I have an older Nikon digital that does not do manual exposure settings, as well as a Nikon D90 film camera. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[shuffles]

OK, so I got it done last night. Opening the case was much easier than I thought, I didn't even heat it. Just put the back end in a vice covered with leather, and gripped the front end in channel lock pliers, also covered in leather. Facing the front of the light, it just takes a slight clockwise turn (maybe 1/8 inch) of the front half of the MiNewt to release the glue holding it in the slot/channel. In fact, it came open so fast that the lens, reflector, and o-rings came out before I was ready. I though I'd broken it, but it turns out that's the way the head goes together.

It was a very easy solder job, a little super glue on the channel, and twist it back together. Voila.

I had an opportunity to do it while it was still daylight, so I didn't get before and after beamshots. <- stupid, I know. But I think it's brighter than it was, although it may have more of a hot spot in the center than it did before. That may be because I didn't get the reflector in the right place? (But I can't figure out how else it might go together)

Back of light after opening. You can kind of see the channel that the tab in the front half slips into:

Here is another view (sorry about the crappy focus on my old Nikon digital):

Here is the board the emitter is mounted on after slipping it out of the back end of the head:

And here is the inside of teh front half of the head. Again, you can sort of see the tabs (there are three) that slip into the back end of the head:

I really do wish that I would have been more patient and gotten beamshots before and after, but ...