KL1Rs with McTC McE2S

[gunga]

Manoloco, what resistance value do you have?

I have what I believe is a 22 ohm (just came today). It works quite nicely. I have a couple orings on the McClicky just below the shroud, and that makes twisting a lot easier. Push operation is very stiff (even when lubed). Let me know if you find a solution.

I love the McClicky operation, but the McE2s is nice so I can finally have a low mode!

I need to find a standard Aleph tailcap! Perferably in black since I have a couple Black Aleph bodies.

Will try to take some pix at some point...


:wave:

 

[manoloco]

Right now im using a 22 Ohm resistor, Brizz also sent me a 30 Ohm resistor PCB, but the 22 one is a good choice, i have tried both and so far i like the 22 better.

About the stiff switch, i hear you, its a pity such a good switch has this weakness, but it seems to be manageable, didnt have time to try the washer thing today and im pretty sure shortening the main spring would help, but i will order a couple of extra springs when i buy things on the shoppe (ah the so needed paycheck is closer!) so i can experiment.

when i get to try the other stuff i will definitely post it here immediately.

man we need your pics ;)

Brizz got me into trouble in a good way when i got this light, its addicting to tinker with it! and he did such a great work to begin with, it has been a real pleasure putting some minutes of the day to tweak and add stuff

 

[gunga]

Well, if you don't end up using the 30 ohm, I'll gladly take it off your hands!

:D


BTW, I dunno if pictures would enlighten you. My light looks about the same as yours.

I had some issues with my McClicky cap, so I'm not using it and I'm ordering a standard ALeph cap when they come on board (in the next day or two. I can let you know if you like.).

For the moment, I;m using a modded Z57. I found a rubber sink washer, and cut it down, and also opened up the hole a bit. It's kinda ugly but it allows me to use my Z57 (and McClicky boot) with the McE2s.

 

[gunga]

Here ya go!

Hope you like em. IN the Z57, I'm using the rubber washer, boot, and then the aluminum lock ring. I will use the Jam nut when I get an Aleph cap.

 

[Blindasabat]

...About the stiff switch, i hear you, its a pity such a good switch has this weakness, but it seems to be manageable, didnt have time to try the washer thing today and im pretty sure shortening the main spring would help,...

I'm still not sure what washer thing you are talking about, but I swapped the spring for a shorter, thinner wired, non-tapered one I had in my collection of small springs and parts (junk). It has a definite improvement in push force. I then got the low pressure - low travel "flat" McE2S and like it except that it is too recessed for me and harder to reach, so it it effectively no easier to push since it is more akward ergonomically. I keep thinking about gluing a rubber pad on the flat boot, but I can't be sure it will stay. I may try a short fenix boot with small washer or rubber pad under it. Hmm, I did that for my McClicky to take up some slop (it is very sensitive now), so why didn't I think of that for the flat McE2s until just now?

Speaking of the McClicky with a McTC tailcap, I put it on an E1 body with stock KX2a (two-stage) bezel for another stab at the multilevel E1L size RCR compatible light and I like it too. I get two stages without having to twist the McTC, but the UI is not as nice as the L1/McE2s and I can't use CR123 primaries. I think I will get a new short L1 cree body, bore out the tube so RCR fit and mod the tailcap to 20-30 ohms (stock is 10 ohm). I can use it as an L1, or rip out the driver and use the KX2 on it. I have an old L1 bored and stroked to fit a 17500 with stock bezel in direct drive. I can also put the KX2 (or E2DL) on it to good effect.

...then I may consider having Milky mod the UI to be like the Arc6 and Nightcore PD to have a low with soft press, then medium hard press, but then a high if pressed through low quickly. If the Acorn board can sense low voltage (L1 soft press 10 ohm) then time that press to decide to go to med (longer press) or high (very short press), then that would be a killer UI.

OK, I'm totally rambling and getting off topic, but I'm on to something.

 

[gunga]

Small update: I have replaced the rubber washer in the tail with an o-ring (why didn't I do that in the first place?) and now the switch engages quite a bit better in the Z57.

I was getting some binding on the rubber washer as the hole was not quite large enough.

I may still try sanding the post down a bit to shorten the travel from low to high, but we'll see...

 

[manoloco]

Gunga dont shorten the travel from low to high, it will be too unpredictable, i have done the same thing as Blindasabat, i found (after opening every battery operated thing in my house) a soft spring and shortened it, it was close to the diameter of the McE2s one so i just had to widen it a couple of mm.

it works good, but i would like it to be this soft (with my newfound softer spring) with a longer travel, the problem with the McE2s for me at least even more than the stiffness is how easy it disengages, and that is partially because of the short travel of the switch, that problem makes it unreliable to a certain degree, and the softer spring helps but its not definitive to me, the L1 switch is a prime example of how this UI should work, it has those points covered almost perfectly.

what you did to make the twist work better is really good (oring on the McTC) right now i only have 2 NDI spare orings that are clear and too thin but they were enough to prove a ticker Oring would make it work so much better

Blindasabat: i have been fiddling to about filling the gap between the button and the rubber boot, thats another issue that helps the stiffness, as you guys can see i dont have many spare parts to try stuff, but i have been toying with the idea of covering that part of the button with silicon so it doesnt fall out of place, maybe latex could work too

 

[manoloco]

Ok guys after trying more stuff i may be able to rate things we have done/can do to improve the McE2s, this i do in reference with the L1 switch that practically love:

1.- softer boot (its amazing the difference this makes)
2.- filling the gap between button and boot
3.- softer spring

i will take pictures of what i did and edit this post, man i cant believe with mods this 2 stage switch can get so close to the comfort of operation the L1 switch has, and retaining good feedback which is ESSENTIAL.

 

[gunga]

Thanks. I have a few ideas for the softer boot (at least for my Z57) but I'm not sure what you did for the softer spring.

Did you replace the battery spring or the spring inside the switch? I was going to trying and soften the one in the switch, but I'm not sure I feel comfortable cutting it down yet.

 

[manoloco]

I replaced the boot with the Nitecore defender infinity spare i have, its a lot softer, to fill the gap i cut the McE2S boot to fit inside the NDI boot, as the McE2S boot has the inside made to fit the button perfectly it was all a perfect match.

about the spring i meant the spring that goes to the battery, the spring in the switch i wouldnt recommend to fiddle with because that would make it too sensible to go from low to high, and you will be accidentaly hitting high very often, but thats what i gather from playing and looking how the switch works, havent tried it myself.

i pulled out a spring from a tailcap of a winchester kypton bulb flashlight i have lying around, this spring is less stiff and is thinner, plus its less of a cone and more of a cylinder shape (i did cut it a bit though). i put it to replace the one on the McE2S, i can always switch it back but i for sure dont find a reason to hehehe.

dont have the camera handy, so i will try post pics during the day, the result has been awesome, its a much better switch now, it has a bit less travel than the L1 but for sure has good feedback and sensitivity.

a bit less travel is good thing in the McTC or any flared tailcap that covers the switch, because the tailcap limits the movement of your thumb, and the shorter travel compensates.


now i just need a trim tailcap to be available at the shoppe! i will also buy another McE2S, if anyone knows of a good SOFT boot that fits on this switch please let us know.

what should we call this formula? McL1 F (flood) sounds good, this is a formula some have done before but it was never named (and its a pita to refer to it as KL1R+McE2S), if someone keeps the optics on the KL1 we can call it McL1 T (throw).

 

[gunga]

Hmm, I tred a few spare boots and while they make the push button operation better, they stretch too much when used as a twisty. The high mode spring actually stretches out the boot!

I tried a softer spring on the main part, but realize that my issue was with the low to high mode. Off to low is fine.

I tried a washer in the tailcap, and it did not improve things. So I'm back to square one.

Twisty operation is good (but it takes just over 1/2 a turn to get from low to high, hence I'd like to reduce this a bit). Push button to low is fine. Push from low to high from off is a real pain in the thumb.

So, I'll search out an allen key and try to find a softer spring for the low-high on this switch. I'm loving having a low mode on the KL1-R tho!

 

[manoloco]

maybe they stretch because you took the oring out of the button, try putting it back and see what happens, it should make enough resistance so the button doesnt go further back.

without filling the gap left between the boot and the button, the switch felt finnicky, but when i cut the McE2S boot and fit that little round piece in there it worked great!

dang i need that camera, im waiting for it to take pics to show you what i did, it really feels like a wee bit shorter travel L1, which can be better to use than the L1 if you are using a switch with a guard.

the end result look almost the same outside, but with a slightly bigger boot that has a little bit of a tit in the middle, which in turn helps too

and man check your PMs!! i have an urgent one for you there!

 

[manoloco]

here are the pics:

all the parts from left to right:

softer and thinner cylindrical spring
McE2S with 22 Ohm resistor
jam nut
top cut from the McE2S boot
nitecore NDI boot
McTC

now notice how perfectly the McE2S top cut fits perfectly inside the NDI boot, and its not perfectly cut even:

differences with regular McE2S silver plated spring (left), and cylindrical longer softer and thinner spring:

lets start putting it together, the NDI boot fitted with the McE2S top cut fits perfectly inside the McTC

finally, the NDI boot protrudes a little bit more than the provided boot and the button with the cut top make a little tit, like the one on the L1 but shallower

its also closer to the edge of the tailguard which further improves its operation

its very easy to activate low, and very easy to activate high, still has good feedback and very importantly, its easy to hold low and easy to hold high, like an L1

 

[gunga]

Great pix! Thanks for the PM!

:twothumbs

 

[gunga]

Another small update.

I tried the other boots again, but they stretch too much when using the light as a twisy (I end up needing a full turn to get to high!).

I am back to the normal McE2s boot, which is stiffer and more positive.

I decided to try sanding down the post a tiny bit. I took off many be 0.5 mm or less. It was pretty subtle. It did help quite a bit. The travel is just a touch less. Still need almost 1/2 a turn from low to high, but it feels more positive and it's a bit easier to use on momentary high.

I could shorten some more, but I think slightly weakening the high mode spring would help a lot. I don't have a spare part and don't want to cut this one down in case I mess it up, so I'll live with it for now.

Overall, action is improved. I am looking foward to getting my standard Aleph tailcap though. THis will allow good Cigar grip and will balance the light better.

I'll post pix when the tailcap comes in.

 

[manoloco]

my boots dont stretch at all, neither the soft one or the McE2S one, like i said it might be because i kept the oring on the button part, i looked at your pics and the button (domed part) doesnt have the oring in the groove

It only takes me a bit more than quarter of a turn to go from low to high, which is really neat, thats the part that i prefer over the L1 switch, on the L1 switch it takes me almost 2 turns to go to high!!

About what you say that high needs more tweaking, filling the gap between the button and the boot is your best bet, and makes for a more positive feedback, but thats with the softer boot and softer spring.

and believe me the softer cylindrical not conical spring makes a world of difference, it makes the action definitely more linear: same strenght to travel more distance, the conical one has too much progressive resistance, and its a lot stiffer

 

[gunga]

Oh, so your new spring is stiffer then the stock conical one?

Also, it is possible that Brizzler already modded your switch for short travel. MIne was unmodded so longer travel.

In any case. I did put the retaining o-ring back and it still stretches.
Maybe your boot in a boot trick is the solution. I don't have any space between my boot and the switch.

In any case, I'm reasonably satisfied now. Tried to reflector mod my KX2 too but the bottom half came off, not the top.

:ohgeez:

Guess I have to find a vice and some wood to get the top off. Blast...

:duh2:

 

[manoloco]

The other way around (corrected my post), my new spring is softer, thinner, and cylindrical, i had to stretch it a bit and cut it a little too

You might be right, Brizz might have sanded the post already, if he did, he did a great job, i can only confirm when my other McE2S arrives.

I read somewhere to put the head on a ziplock bag and throwing it into boiling water (no air in the bag) then take it out and quickly try to open it

I can only say McE2S s NEED to be tweaked, but after you do, they are DEFINITELY worth it :twothumbs

 

[gunga]

Manoloco.

I just had my :sick2: oops moment.

All the problems I've been having are due to the fact I was trying to use a Z57 as host for the McE2s switch.

I decided to take the McClicky tailcap off my other light and use that as a host again. It seems the shoppe is out of standard Aleph caps, so the McClicky is the only large shrouded cap I can get.

Now that I have switched, all the problems went away!

I am using a softer glow boot from DX (btw, almost all the boots from DX are 14 mm and fit McClickies/Aleph caps fine) and it does not stretch too much. I now get very positive action from off to low to high. I did not mod the spring, but did sand the switch inner tower down a touch.

High is now just over a quarter turn from low. Overall I'm MUCH happier switching to a new tailcap. I get great action using cigar grip, decent action using overhand grip and pretty good twisty action. Note, I do have orings on the McClicky cap to aid in grip.

I'll try to take more pictures later, but this setup is much better.
Thanks for all your information!

 

[manoloco]

I took some pics with an Aleph trim tailcap, and i like the way it works, its a bit stiffer (the other boot doesnt fit right here) just by a little bit, but the twisting action is much better, and the knurling is in the perfect place for me: on the far end, away from the clip, and it also covers a generous wide band.

this tailcap is a good compromise, and imo cigar hold works ok and reliably too.

Gunga please share your opinions and pics if you have time, will be very interesting since you have a very similar setup!, this is becoming very addictive, i bought another KL1 so i can try a P4 U2, but this time, keeping the optics :D