Brinkmann 2D 3 Watt Luxeon Flashlight Project

[HypnoticSilence]

Hello CPFers. I found your site because of some new found interest in flashlights.

I bought 2 Brinkmann 2D 3 Watt Luxeon flashlights from Woot. I plan on modding one of them.
They are the same flashlights reviewed here by ernsanada: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=187335

I do know that the LED can be replaced and that's about as far as I plan on going since I'm pretty new to this. As I gain more confidence and comfort in the area, I plan on doing more intense mods.

I purchased this item here (I wasn't sure if direct linking outside the website was allowed)

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1445

They are currently back-ordered so I know that I'll have time to learn what I'm doing before they arrive.

When I compare my Brinkmann to the photos taken from the review, there are 3 wires. A blue connected to the (-) a green connected to the (+) and an orange/yellow (I'm colorblind I think that's correct though) connected directly to the heatsink/base by that flange of metal screwed to it. It's fairly similar to that of the reviewer's picture.

So now, back to the question. Using the SSC P4 emitter on a star from Deal Extreme, would I be able to just re-solder the wires in the same way (taking into account polarity) or would I need to solder them differently.

Also, the reviewer mentioned that his heatsink didn't look to have any thermal compound. Mine appears to have some and I will most likely need to clean that up before proceeding correct?

 

[Lighthouse one]

Re: Newbie Looking For Some General Answers...

This should be a simple direct replacement if you are getting a star. The ssc p4 is a great led....but they are more sensetive to overheating if not heat sinked well. You will know if the led starts to turn blue after 30 seconds...quick turn it off!

 

[HypnoticSilence]

Re: Newbie Looking For Some General Answers...

Thanks for the quick reply.

Yeah I wasn't too sure about the wiring because I'm not very savvy with the electrical stuff, but from what it sounds like, I can just re-solder the blue and green wires and I should be good to go.

The reason I was worried is because I've read that there are some issues about electrically isolating the emitter, but it seems since it's on a star it's no problem.

Thanks again.

 

[DM51]

Re: Newbie Looking For Some General Answers...

Welcome to CPF, HypnoticSilence.

I'll move your thread to the Homemade & Modified Lights section, where I hope you'll receive some more helpful input.

 

[HypnoticSilence]

Thanks DM51. Any helpful tips on a first attempt would be great. I purposefully bought 2 in case I mess up or, if I'm successful, I can try a more serious attempt on the other one.

EDIT: In an effort not to double post, I was curious if anyone has figured out a way to remove the head. Ernsada mentions in his review that the head seems glued. I was wondering if anyone has managed to remove the head cleanly.

EDIT2: I changed the title of the main thread to be more specific.

 

[LilKevin715]

I've modified my Brinkmann 2D with the same SSC P4 U-bin star that you have ordered and can give you a few helpful pointers. Here are some step by step instructions so that you'll feel confident enough for the whole process to go smoothly.

You don't really need to remove the head in order to replace the star. There is a screw attached to a yellow wire on the retaining ring. Remove that screw and use something around 6" long like a screwdriver, pencil, etc. to push the heatsink and switch assembly out the back. Obviously be careful not to touch the led dome and push on the metal heatsink around the star.



Once you have the heatsink and switch assembly out you will have much easier access to the star. FYI on mine the blue wire was negative and yellow was positive; you can double-check with a multimeter before you disassemble the light. At this point you can use your soldering iron to unsolder the blue and yellow wires from the luxeon star. Remove the two screws that hold/guide the star to the heatsink.

The Luxeon star is attached to the heatsink with what appears to be weak thermal epoxy/thermal pad. Use a small flathead screwdriver and place it in between the edge of the star and the metal circle around it. You can wedge it out, it might take a little bit of force.



Once you have the luxeon star out you will notice that there is a 1mm thick metal shim/spacer that is permanently attached to the base of the star. The SSC P4 star does not have a metal shim attached to the base. You will need to use something like a metal washer with dimensions of approx 15mm in diameter and exactly 1mm thick in order to elevate the SSC4 star to the correct height. I used a brass washer size #14 from my local home improvement store.

Before you mount the new star you need to clean off the old thermal compound from the heatsink. Q-tips work well with isopropyl alcohol. If you are having a tough time getting the old thermal compound off with alcohol then goo gone might work better, but finish off with the isopropyl alcohol to remove the residue of the goo gone.



Now we can mount the metal washer to the heatsink. I used thermal paste that is commonly used with CPU heatsinks called arctic alumina. You can use thermal epoxy instead if you want to. First I lightly coated one side of the metal washer with thermal paste and placed it in the center of the heatsink. Next I filled up the center of the washer with thermal paste. Lastly I used a toothpick to lightly spread some thermal paste on the top of the washer.

Now you can mount the SSC P4 star to the washer/heatsink. I'd recommend cleaning the bottom of the star with a q-tip and isopropyl alcohol first. Place the star on top of the washer and secure it with the two screws.



For soldering the wires on the new star the traces/electrical paths are a little difficult to see, but they are the slightly raised paths that connect the solder pads to the emitter. In the picture shown above the two screws create a virtual line that separate the positive and negative solder pads; positive on the top side and negative on the bottom. Solder your yellow wire (+) to the positive solder pad, and the blue wire (-) to the negative solder pad.

Place the entire assembly back into the light and remember to screw the extra yellow wire back to the retaining ring. Put the flashlight back together, and prepare to smile

The stock luxeon III was approx 100-ish lumens. I'd say with the SSC P4 the output is at least 160+ lumens. Not bad at all for the price.