kz1000s1
Enlightened
If you hate the sensitive "hair trigger" switch on your Energizer 1xAA
Cree or Luxeon light (the one from Target), I have a mod that
increases the momentary switch travel before the light comes on
and the button pressure. This is not the same mod posted in the
LED forum 2 months ago. That one helped, but didn't cure the problem.
After this mod the switch feels more like a Surefire Z57 clicky.
I've done this on a number of recent production Cree version lights
and they all had the same switch design. I haven't tried this on the
earlier Luxeon version, so I don't know if the switch is the same.
Like any
1. Remove the tail cap
2. On the outside edges of the switch, you will see two holes.
Using a pair of snap-ring pliers (or an improvised equivalent),unscrew the
switch assembly counter-clockwise out of the tailcap.
3. The switch body is made of two plastic halves pressed together. The
switches I've seen so far are not glued together.
4. With a small flat screwdriver or razor blade, slowly pry the switch halves
apart. As you remove one of the halves, keep pressure on the large silver
spring so it stays in the other half. The top and bottom ends of the switch
are seated in grooves and won't come flying out as long as the spring is held
in the half.
5. Slowly pull the end cap of the switch that has the button on it out of
it's groove in the switch half. Once it's out of the groove relieve the
tension on the springs and take out the button end cap. Try to keep the
button facing down toward the table so the clicky parts inside the cap don't
fall out.
6. The upper switch contact looks like a little metal hat. The smallest
plastic part to the left of it with a small nipple that went into the hat,
and larger nipple that went into the clicky is what we will be modifying.
The object is to make the center section of it narrower (as you are looking
at it from the side) to increase the distance the upper contact travels
before it touches the lower contact.
7. Now for the fun part. Take a utility knife or exacto knife and trim the
center section to narrow to about half of it's original width. Keep the sides
perpendicular. If the cut slopes up toward the middle, the metal contact
won't seat on it all the way. Don't cut off nipple. Go slow. It's a soft
nylon/plastic. Then shorten the end of the nipple to keep it from bottoming
out inside the metal contact.
This is the way I have been doing it, but I just realized it may also work if
you narrow from the side of the large nipple. The cut won't have to be as
deep then. I haven't tried this though. Also, there will be a point were
narrowing more won't have any effect because the upper contact will bottom
out on a shoulder in the switch cap.
8. Next, pull out the small, inside spring and stretch it a little bit to
increase the momentary switch pressure. This spring has an open end an a
closed end. The open end goes over the top of the hat shaped upped contact.
The large spring is for the clickie pressure and you shouldn't need to so anything to it.
9. Reassemble the switch. Before you put it back in the tailcap, hold the
switch halves together and try out the switch action. You can also check
where the switch turns on with an ohm meter.
This shows the assembly order of the parts.
If you don't feel comfortable doing this yourself, I can do this for a nominal fee. See this thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2942483#post2942483
Cree or Luxeon light (the one from Target), I have a mod that
increases the momentary switch travel before the light comes on
and the button pressure. This is not the same mod posted in the
LED forum 2 months ago. That one helped, but didn't cure the problem.
After this mod the switch feels more like a Surefire Z57 clicky.
I've done this on a number of recent production Cree version lights
and they all had the same switch design. I haven't tried this on the
earlier Luxeon version, so I don't know if the switch is the same.
Like any
1. Remove the tail cap
2. On the outside edges of the switch, you will see two holes.
Using a pair of snap-ring pliers (or an improvised equivalent),unscrew the
switch assembly counter-clockwise out of the tailcap.
3. The switch body is made of two plastic halves pressed together. The
switches I've seen so far are not glued together.
4. With a small flat screwdriver or razor blade, slowly pry the switch halves
apart. As you remove one of the halves, keep pressure on the large silver
spring so it stays in the other half. The top and bottom ends of the switch
are seated in grooves and won't come flying out as long as the spring is held
in the half.
5. Slowly pull the end cap of the switch that has the button on it out of
it's groove in the switch half. Once it's out of the groove relieve the
tension on the springs and take out the button end cap. Try to keep the
button facing down toward the table so the clicky parts inside the cap don't
fall out.
6. The upper switch contact looks like a little metal hat. The smallest
plastic part to the left of it with a small nipple that went into the hat,
and larger nipple that went into the clicky is what we will be modifying.
The object is to make the center section of it narrower (as you are looking
at it from the side) to increase the distance the upper contact travels
before it touches the lower contact.
7. Now for the fun part. Take a utility knife or exacto knife and trim the
center section to narrow to about half of it's original width. Keep the sides
perpendicular. If the cut slopes up toward the middle, the metal contact
won't seat on it all the way. Don't cut off nipple. Go slow. It's a soft
nylon/plastic. Then shorten the end of the nipple to keep it from bottoming
out inside the metal contact.
This is the way I have been doing it, but I just realized it may also work if
you narrow from the side of the large nipple. The cut won't have to be as
deep then. I haven't tried this though. Also, there will be a point were
narrowing more won't have any effect because the upper contact will bottom
out on a shoulder in the switch cap.
8. Next, pull out the small, inside spring and stretch it a little bit to
increase the momentary switch pressure. This spring has an open end an a
closed end. The open end goes over the top of the hat shaped upped contact.
The large spring is for the clickie pressure and you shouldn't need to so anything to it.
9. Reassemble the switch. Before you put it back in the tailcap, hold the
switch halves together and try out the switch action. You can also check
where the switch turns on with an ohm meter.
This shows the assembly order of the parts.
If you don't feel comfortable doing this yourself, I can do this for a nominal fee. See this thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2942483#post2942483
