Samuel
Enlightened
Follow up to this post:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2325322&postcount=9
Here is how I put a Q5 in a Gladius. I won't get into too much detail regarding LED swaps and such. I'll assume that you're already familiar enough with the Gladius to know that you might need a strap wrench/heat to take the bezel/head off and that there is a small ball bearing underneath the bezel/head that keeps the LED/heat sink from turning (once loose, unscrew the head gently and slowly and expect the BB to pop out and roll on you).
The parts I used:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2394
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5937
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5955
I'm not sure what the difference is between 5937 and 5955. I think I've used both.
The parts - the reflector comes in a kit, you only need the reflector itself. The DX star has a pretty thin board - maybe a little more than half the thickness of a luxeon board. If you have a thick board, you will need to cut your reflector even more, or live with a bigger gap.
You'll need to cut down the reflector. Modded reflector on the left. Stock on the right. Bottom of the housing is ground to the same level as the bottom of the reflector small opening. In this picture, the Q5 is already in the Gladius and one shim in place.
Comparison of modded DX, stock Gladius/IMS reflector and housing, and stock DX reflectors. You will not be using any part of the stock Gladius reflector/housing.
Cutting shims out of gloss photopaper (I use glossy side towards LED). You can trace around the bottom of the reflector and then fine tune from there. One of my Gladii took 3 pieces, another took 2. YMMV.
Shims. You can also see how far the reflector is ground. Don't lose that BB!
The reflector sits inside the heat sink, directly on top of the LED/board - another reason you'll need the shims. After you install the Q5, you'll see that the reflector will sit at an angle due to the wires. You can just add small piece(s) of shim on one side to build it up even. If you've never opened up the head of a Gladius, if you look carefully in this shot, you can see the little recess where the BB sits.
Prying out the Seoul that came with the Gladius (purchased it from another CPF member already modded with the Seoul).
Cree on left. Seoul on right.
TLR with Seoul, modded by CM. The output from the Seoul TLR and Seoul Gladius were virtually the same to my eye.
Here is the gap I was talking about (on the left). Out of the 3 Cree'd Gladii that I have, that one has the largest gap - the other two gaps are a hair or two smaller. If you want to reduce the gap, you will have to shorten the overall height of the reflector. BTW, the Gladius on the right is attached to a Safariland RLS light mount...
Screw the stock Gladius bezel/head back on - I snug it hand tight until the gap is about 1mm. Put batteries and tailcap back on and check operation and focus. Shim as desired.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2325322&postcount=9
Here is how I put a Q5 in a Gladius. I won't get into too much detail regarding LED swaps and such. I'll assume that you're already familiar enough with the Gladius to know that you might need a strap wrench/heat to take the bezel/head off and that there is a small ball bearing underneath the bezel/head that keeps the LED/heat sink from turning (once loose, unscrew the head gently and slowly and expect the BB to pop out and roll on you).
The parts I used:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2394
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5937
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5955
I'm not sure what the difference is between 5937 and 5955. I think I've used both.
The parts - the reflector comes in a kit, you only need the reflector itself. The DX star has a pretty thin board - maybe a little more than half the thickness of a luxeon board. If you have a thick board, you will need to cut your reflector even more, or live with a bigger gap.
You'll need to cut down the reflector. Modded reflector on the left. Stock on the right. Bottom of the housing is ground to the same level as the bottom of the reflector small opening. In this picture, the Q5 is already in the Gladius and one shim in place.
Comparison of modded DX, stock Gladius/IMS reflector and housing, and stock DX reflectors. You will not be using any part of the stock Gladius reflector/housing.
Cutting shims out of gloss photopaper (I use glossy side towards LED). You can trace around the bottom of the reflector and then fine tune from there. One of my Gladii took 3 pieces, another took 2. YMMV.
Shims. You can also see how far the reflector is ground. Don't lose that BB!
The reflector sits inside the heat sink, directly on top of the LED/board - another reason you'll need the shims. After you install the Q5, you'll see that the reflector will sit at an angle due to the wires. You can just add small piece(s) of shim on one side to build it up even. If you've never opened up the head of a Gladius, if you look carefully in this shot, you can see the little recess where the BB sits.
Prying out the Seoul that came with the Gladius (purchased it from another CPF member already modded with the Seoul).
Cree on left. Seoul on right.
TLR with Seoul, modded by CM. The output from the Seoul TLR and Seoul Gladius were virtually the same to my eye.
Here is the gap I was talking about (on the left). Out of the 3 Cree'd Gladii that I have, that one has the largest gap - the other two gaps are a hair or two smaller. If you want to reduce the gap, you will have to shorten the overall height of the reflector. BTW, the Gladius on the right is attached to a Safariland RLS light mount...
Screw the stock Gladius bezel/head back on - I snug it hand tight until the gap is about 1mm. Put batteries and tailcap back on and check operation and focus. Shim as desired.
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