Infinity and the "black dot"

[BugLightGeek]

ok. I'm having trouble. I recently read on here about removing the "black dot" on the infinity head to improve brightness. But, I don't remember details and now I can't find ANY info on it at all?!?! When I search, nothing comes up.

I'd appreciate any info anyone has on how to remove the black dot and especially any photos of a before/after effect on the output of the light.

CPF links already answering this are appreciate too since I can't seem to find anything.

 

[brightnorm]

Originally posted by ChrisM:
ok. I'm having trouble. I recently read on here about removing the "black dot" on the infinity head to improve brightness. But, I don't remember details and now I can't find ANY info on it at all?!?! When I search, nothing comes up.

I'd appreciate any info anyone has on how to remove the black dot and especially any photos of a before/after effect on the output of the light.

CPF links already answering this are appreciate too since I can't seem to find anything.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">ChrisM

I used a single-edged razor, carefully scraping the black substance off until the underlying surface was fully exposed. It takes a few minutes and is very easy to do.

The result: Instead of having to screw the head very firmly into the body to achieve full contact (and full brightness because on the Infinity they are proportional, a kind of "poor man's brightness level adjustment) the light now came to full, unequivocal brightness immediately upon light contact.

No one seems to know whether this "adjustable brightness" feature was accidental or intentional.

Was it even brighter than using the old "full contact" method? I'm really not sure, but it significantly adds to the practical functioning of this light, unless of course you like the adjustable feature

Brightnorm

 

[ChrisA]

and that's the thread that got it all started...

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002385;p=1

 

[BugLightGeek]

Thanks for the info Brightnorm and Chris. They were just what I was hoping for. Now, all I have to do is read through that post and see if it answers all my questions.

 

[scott]

I scraped the "black dot" away with a knife. Very easy to do. I feel like I have a new light. It's much brighter...*ALMOST* as bright as my Arc AAA.

I also put a blob of solder on it so as to make a better contact but I don't think it added anything to the brightness level.

With the black dot removed, my Infinity went from being too dim to being a quite useable light!

Scott

 

[BugLightGeek]

Right on. That's what I like to hear. I think I'll do that today or tomorrow. Maybe I'll wait to Monday so I can take some beam shots of 'before' and 'after'.

 

[CiTY]

I would be interested in seeing the before and after shots. I've got 3 of them that I have as backups with lithiums in cars...

 

[scott]

As I said earlier, with the "black dot" removed, I feel like I have a new light. I'm not sure if II can justify buying an Ultra now that my old dim Infinity is so much brighter. It's *almost* as bright as my Arc AAA. I think the Ultra is supposed to be a tad brighter than the Arc AAA.

Anyone have both a turbo-charged Infinity and an Ultra? How much difference?

Scott

 

[Empath]

I have the turbo-charged, the Ultra, and an ArcFinity. The Ultra is brighter than the turbo-charged, and the beam on my Ultra is better. The Ultra is also brighter than the ArcFinity, even with the Arc's silverized reflector.

Of course that's the case with the ones I have. There may or may not be variations.

 

[Mr. Blue]

I really like the variable dimming aspect of the black dot...I bought the blue/green version and I can dim it like crazy for those times when fully adapted eyes dont need the "blast" of a fully tightened head.

 

[Wingerr]

Originally posted by Geoff in Philly:
I really like the variable dimming aspect of the black dot...I bought the blue/green version and I can dim it like crazy for those times when fully adapted eyes dont need the "blast" of a fully tightened head.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">"Blast" from an original Infinity?

Not sure I'd describe it that way, but the dimming IS helpful at times. Still, I've been converting all the Infinities I have to get the max output, just 'cause.

 

[schuster]

I see the Ultra does not have the black dot, so CMG must eventualy have decided against continued use.
I'd like to find the least destructive way to remove the black dot from my regular Infinity, so a solvent came to mind as the easiest thing to try.
Not so easy. I've tried lacquer thinner, acetone, xylene, and the like, and it does not budge. Seems like a resin. Any ideas besides scraping [ugh] it off?

 

[Wingerr]

Heat from a soldering iron melts it into a waxy consistency, which you can wipe off with little problem. I just needed to open up a small area in the center to apply the solder blob; no need to wipe it all away, because you only need a small contact area.

 

[BugLightGeek]

Originally posted by Wingerr:
...apply the solder blob

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Is that the official terminology?

Would the solder have stuck to the black dot area without melting it away?

 

[Wingerr]

No, solder doesn't stick to that resistive material; it has to be cleaned off down to the copper first-
When putting on the Blob, don't go overboard or you'll change the contact position too radically, and the head will be sticking out too much- Doesn't have to be a blob, really; the intent is more to protect the copper from wear than anything else. If you can just coat it lightly, so much the better.
Doing this has the added benefit of being better for the PCB, because you won't have the need to screw down as tightly to get the light up to required brightness. Having to do that tends to loosen up the ground connection over time-

 

[Lux Luthor]

Anyone know what that black dot material is, and where you could get some?

 

[PhilAlex]

Rats!

I SOLD ALL MY INFINITIES because I hated, HATED the black dot wearing away, the copper underneath wearing away.

I had no idea.

But who cares. I love my Arc.

PS: Is the Infinity REALLY as bright as an ARC AAA? I doubt it!

I couldn't go back to the "Black Chipped" infinity now that I'm spoiled by the HA ARC III

 

[brightnorm]

Originally posted by schuster:
...I'd like to find the least destructive way to remove the black dot from my regular Infinity, so a solvent came to mind as the easiest thing to try...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Schuster,

If you scrape carefully there really should be no "destructive" aspect to it unless you consider the removal of infinitesimally small bits of metal destructive.

I see your point that a solvent might remove only the dot material and leave the underlying metal (copper?) pristine, but I don't believe that scraping (yes, it does sound slightly barbaric!)really causes any measurable harm. Besides, you can always "blob" it.

BTW, after removing the dot I thought the Infinity was as bright as my AAA Le, but in a side by side comparison there was no contest; the ARC was distinctly brighter.

Brightnorm

 

[BugLightGeek]

I've also scraped my black dot off. I did notice (I think) a slight improvement although this is on a 2-3 month old Lithium AA.

I did take some beam shots but aren't sure I noticed any difference in them. I can post them if anyone cares to see if they can see any difference...

I should try it with a new Lithium AA to see if I notice any improvement now although it would be hard to tell if it was due to the new battery or if the scraping away really helped. And, since I only have one, I can't do any side-by-side...

 

[schuster]

OK, I bit the bullet and scraped off the black dot, and blobbed a thin coating of solder over the copper pad.
Yes, I was looking for a way to leave the copper pad as pristine as possible, but scraping does insure that it's shiny and rough and more apt to accept the solder.
Afterwards the light is indeed much brighter - but not quite the equal of my Arc AAA.