asdalton
Flashlight Enthusiast
I decided to make use of a burned-out MN01 lamp (thanks webster223 for sending me one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif) and one of the high flux white LEDs from the Sandwich Shoppe:
I filed down the LED lens so that it looks something like the LED in the Dorcy Cool Blue. This modification makes it act more like a HD Luxeon emitter for use with the E1e reflector. I then crushed the E1e lamp inside a plastic bag (warning: it is under pressure) and dug out the ceramic material that was used to cement the lamp in place. At this point, the MN01 base was ready for the addition of the LED.
The LED is held in place with epoxy. You don't need much, but be sure to clamp it well while the epoxy hardens. The LED leads are spot welded in place, in a similar manner to the original lamp wires. (I tried to use solder, but the metal parts of the MN01 base conducted heat away too quickly for my 15W soldering iron to keep up.) Just remember that the cathode lead goes to the outer rim while the anode lead goes to the center.
Here are two pictures of the modified light in action:
Here is a head-on view of the reflector.
In order to center the LED properly, I had to first shave off about 0.5-1 mm of plastic from the lamp "stalk" before epoxying the LED into place. This picture shows that the LED probably could still go a little lower, but the position is still very good.
This mod has the advantage of being completely non-destructive to the E1e itself. You can always put an incandescent MN01 back in.
The output on a new Surefire battery is about equal to three standard white LEDs. Its output matches my Peak Matterhorn 3-LED Hi-Power but with much better color. I should try using a Duracell 123A cell, since some people say that the Duracell brand has a little higher voltage.
I filed down the LED lens so that it looks something like the LED in the Dorcy Cool Blue. This modification makes it act more like a HD Luxeon emitter for use with the E1e reflector. I then crushed the E1e lamp inside a plastic bag (warning: it is under pressure) and dug out the ceramic material that was used to cement the lamp in place. At this point, the MN01 base was ready for the addition of the LED.
The LED is held in place with epoxy. You don't need much, but be sure to clamp it well while the epoxy hardens. The LED leads are spot welded in place, in a similar manner to the original lamp wires. (I tried to use solder, but the metal parts of the MN01 base conducted heat away too quickly for my 15W soldering iron to keep up.) Just remember that the cathode lead goes to the outer rim while the anode lead goes to the center.
Here are two pictures of the modified light in action:
Here is a head-on view of the reflector.
In order to center the LED properly, I had to first shave off about 0.5-1 mm of plastic from the lamp "stalk" before epoxying the LED into place. This picture shows that the LED probably could still go a little lower, but the position is still very good.
This mod has the advantage of being completely non-destructive to the E1e itself. You can always put an incandescent MN01 back in.
The output on a new Surefire battery is about equal to three standard white LEDs. Its output matches my Peak Matterhorn 3-LED Hi-Power but with much better color. I should try using a Duracell 123A cell, since some people say that the Duracell brand has a little higher voltage.
