Fenix HP11 hack

[bif]

Had a hack at Fenix HP11, as a couple of things about it don't really suit me.

Ive removed about 1/2" from the length of the metal bezel at the front (note how much shorter it is). Ive inserted a triple xpg in a warm tint with a nice smooth soft focus/ flood optic.... no where near as spotty as the original reflector. Logically I probably should have just left the single xpg and fitted an optic to it, but I had a triple warm laying around. As it still runs at the same power settings, each LED runs at approx. 1/3, so it's mildly more lumens than a single LED, but equally a few lumens less, cause its a warm tint xpg replacing a v.cold xpg. Also, cut off the annoying cover plates that sit over switch, shortend the cable a whisker, and fitted a Petzl Duo headband as the fenix one was dire.


It wasn't particularly difficult to do, took a couple of hours, if anyone else fancies having a go at one, and wants any more info, just ask.

(equally if anyone can tell me what the heck Im doing wrong with image posting !!!! its beyond me ......)

 

[degarb]

Had a hack at Fenix HP11, as a couple of things about it don't really suit me.

Ive removed about 1/2" from the length of the metal bezel at the front (note how much shorter it is). Ive inserted a triple xpg in a warm tint with a nice smooth soft focus/ flood optic.... no where near as spotty as the original reflector. Logically I probably should have just left the single xpg and fitted an optic to it, but I had a triple warm laying around. As it still runs at the same power settings, each LED runs at approx. 1/3, so it's mildly more lumens than a single LED, but equally a few lumens less, cause its a warm tint xpg replacing a v.cold xpg. Also, cut off the annoying cover plates that sit over switch, shortend the cable a whisker, and fitted a Petzl Duo headband as the fenix one was dire.


It wasn't particularly difficult to do, took a couple of hours, if anyone else fancies having a go at one, and wants any more info, just ask.

(equally if anyone can tell me what the heck Im doing wrong with image posting !!!! its beyond me ......)

I work close range. I have concluded you need 1000 candela minimum for arm length, quadruple that for 6 foot inspection. Over 8-10 hours. 4000 candela is about perfect for arm length work, since you can now step back and look things over with confidence. The hp11 offers roughly 4000 candela for over 9 hours (with good cells, like my 2450 lsds or 2500xx). --Navigating or looking for something, you want flood. Looking at something, you need throw (for detail, texture, etc.). It ain't about distance/proximity.

I wanted closer to 300 lumens for 8 hours. The warmest of my hp11, well it's battery pack was becoming flakey. I replaced with a 2 18650 pack--cheap dual bannana plug from DX and velcro pack to rear or anywhere (like reading on pillow off rear of head). I still wouldn't give up the hp11 throw until it could achieve 8 hours on 277 lumens--still not likely with only two 2300 18650s. (With higher runtime, then you can step up to the current draw of turbo for 8-10 hours, and drop the top candela from 8000 to 4000 for a wider inspection field. You cannot simply widen it out without dramatically shortening battery life for a useful lux. You must also beef up the battery supply, when wideing out, to keep the lights usefulness as a tool. ) My tidy modded dual 18650 hp11 is now about as inertial as a 3 AA. I do have the single 18650 option for the future; maybe if I take up jogging.

I wouldn't mind soldering in an xp-g2. But worry about breaking the light. Looks like you just hack sawed it (the "bezel") in half.

If I were really brave, I would add an external emitter for flood (xte?) add a (either/or) switch, and let the stock driver drive either the center thrower or the added flood. Do the hp25 thing correctly, with more efficient emmiters, the hp11's better chosen drive levels based on runtime (rather than testosterone), and an either/or slider between flood/throw.

 

[bif]

Thanks for ideas Degarb. I only spent about an hour on it, rather than throwing it in the bin. I wasn't really planning on dedicating any more time to it, but your ideas are very nice. Im not sure if there is much chance of me splitting this apart again, and trying to change driver circuits, switching, and add two LEDs .... but nice ideas all the same. Im curious though, do you think one could actually notice the minimal difference if you chopped out an xpg for an xpg2?

The triple LED was only because I happened to have one, and also a nice little 'medium' optic for it, in my play bits box. A single would have done much the same thing, as power settings have not been altered. In reality, it wasn’t really worth chopping out the original xpg, could have just removed reflector and stuck a little optic on this; though you might argue that sharing the light over a triple 3 led arrangement is less harsh on the eye of others. The warm is nice for what I might use it for, and the original tight flashlight spot didnt suit me, and is loads better now, for me....

Try not to get to hung up on lumens, lux, intensity, etc etc. It's fairly simple, a given LED will provide an amount of lumens at a power level, and one can decide how you might want this distributed for your application. I chose wider for the HP11 mod, as it’s far more useful to me than chasing a dot on a wall a mile away. As you say, if this is then not enough intensity for you, and you need to illuminate a whole wall a mile away, then you might need to up your battery capacity and LED output and heatsinking capability, ..... and ultimately weight and size.

Would love to see your HP11 2x18650 mod. Sounds like a nice bit of work. A single 18650 wouldnt run light any longer than the AAs though, a bit lighter I suppose. Could you post a photo, maybe? I'm sorry about photos in above post. Im struggling with getting images to display properly. Im sure Ive done it right, but obviously not....... Maybe one of the moderator folk might sort them out, pretty please.

Yes, your are right. I did just hacksaw 10mm or so out of the middle of the bezel and stuck it back together afterwards with chemical metal. This seemed to be the quickest solution, as I couldn't immediately see how to get inside of it, and didn’t want to waste much time on this lamp; and ultimately I didn't much care if it all ended up in the bin. With a decent Petzl headband now fitted and a couple of other tweeks, I would agree that it is still not a great lamp by any means, but Im sure that I wouldn't swap it for a HP25.