l2p Upgrade - what parts fit / how to mod

[arjag]

Hi,

I have a ld01ss and it is fantastic. I love the shape and fuctionality (except the whine when in low and med, but i can live with that)

I would like to have a flashlight that is its big brother. From looking around a l2p v2.0 is as close to looking and feeling like the ld01's big brother. I really like the straight sided feel.

Is it possible to put a l2d CE professional or l2t v2.0 head on the l2p v2.0 or is there a led/reflector/driver mod that will boost to the performance to similar to l2d?

I would kind of like to go the mod direction to save building one from two.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[arjag]

I have been searching and searching, this mod seems like a good idea.

l2p to ssc conversion.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=160692

I was thinking a SSC P4 Z LED Emitter W42180 - U2 would be ideal.

It seems to be for a l2p (v1) and not the l2p v2.0

Are there any differences in performing the mod as the head will be different due to the inclusion of hi/lo?

 

[Gunner12]

I've never heard of a L2D professional. Also, the newer one is the LD20, I think the L2D is out of production. The old L2T head fits the L2P body, but the newer L2T V2.0 head doesn't and neither does the L2D's head or LD20's head.

The mode changing is done by the driver, not the LED. Changing the LED does nothing to the modes. All the L2Ps used a Luxeon LED, which can be swapped out for a Seoul P4. I don't think there will be a difference in the mod, as long as you can get the head open.

 

[arjag]

Thanks for the reply Gunner12.

It seems simply swapping heads is not the way to go. Cost and compatibility not on my side.
( think i meant to say premium and not professional for the l2d )

I understand the led has nothing to do with the hi/lo, I was hoping to find more information on how it actuates and how to dis-assemble it.


I just picked up a l2p v2.0 online (about USD$45 delivered), just waiting for arrival. Seems to be quite a few still available around the place.

I also ordered a SSC P4 Z LED Emitter W42180 - U2 (about USD$5.50 delivered)

I understand that the ssc requires insulation from the heatsink. I am planning to use a round piece from silicon insulator for a t220 ic package.

looking at this post;
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=146173

It seems I have to shim the ssc approx 0.76-1.27mm (0.03-0.05") and possibly mod the reflector a bit.

If the shim is too small, the hotspot will be spread too far right?
If i understand this correctly, the thicker the shim, the smaller the hotspot, until the beam begins to cross over itself and the hotspot will start to get bigger.

So the sensible way to go is start off with a thiner shim and gradually increase until the hotspot is optimum.

Does this shound like I am on the right track?

Thanks.

 

[Gunner12]

A little bit off with the shim will still give you a nice hotspot. Most people seem to use the 0.03" shim, but there are some with the 0.05" shim. I'd say go with a 0.04" shim so you are in between. It'll be better to start thicker and gradually thin the shim to what you want.

If the LED is not at the focal point, the hotspot will start to diverge and eventually be a ring, like when a maglite is defocused.

 

[arjag]

Hi,

Thanks for the info. While I am awaiting delivery I will search around for some copper suitable for a spacer 0.04" thick which is luckily very close to 1mm.

I have managed to clear up my shed enough to have a workbench for the soldering iron and my magnifier/lamp to do work at.

I will take some pics of my progress for anyone that is interested to view.

Sit tight, I expect at least another week for delivery of l2p and ssc p4.



P.S. As my first high quality LED light, I am still astounded by how good my LD01SS is.

 

[gswitter]

The L2P v2.0 was my favorite of the Luxeon-based Fenix lights. I too really preferred the straight sides of the L2P body to that of the L2T/L2S. I'm about to do an emitter swap on mine as well - just waiting for the XP-G's to arrive.

 

[Gunner12]

I'm glad you like the LD01.

Glad to be of help, and good luck with the mod!

 

[Hack On Wheels]

I understand that the ssc requires insulation from the heatsink. I am planning to use a round piece from silicon insulator for a t220 ic package.

Silicon insulator? How good would that be at conducting heat away from the LED? I'm looking at modding an LxP, but I was hoping to avoid the more permanent use of AA Adhesive. I'm not really familiar with other methods of insulating LEDs though.

 

[arjag]

Hack,

This is my first real plan to mod a torch. (as we call them here in Australia

I have played around with a bit of electonics on a hobby level, but not with any of the new LED emitters, for blinking leds and pretty effects etc modern 5mm LED are more than adequate.

For T220 package transistors I have some silicone heatsink insulators that are similar to these;
http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=HP1155&keywords=220+heatsink&form=KEYWORD

"Silicon impregnated rubber washers Stop using messy silicon grease. These washers are made from silicon rubber and are as effective as mica and grease."

I would expect the would do the job just as well as most solutions, and from anecdotal evidence, the SSC p4's don't get too hot anyways, and the l2p isn't going to be over driving too much. From what I have read somewhere around 400-450 ma. I cant remember where i read this, could be inaccurate.

The only issue I see with the silicone insulator is if it has enough mechanical pressure as t220 transistors are typically fastened with a screw or bolt.

I have also read a thread somewhere on CP forums about applying a thin coat of nail polish to the bottom of the SSC leds (and others with conductive base) to insulate which also seems ok to me. But like I said, I am new to using modern high power emitters.

 

[Gunner12]

A high power LED by itself doesn't have enough heatsink to keep cool. Even 350 mA will kill it in the long run if it is not heatsinked. A Seoul P4 will turn blue if it is overheatsing enough. That's why you should use a copper shim to transmit heat.

Some people have applied a very thin layer of thermal epoxy on both sides of the shim (which is electronically insulative but transmits enough heat) and pressing it down in the place where the LED should go with enough force so the epoxy cures tight, but not too much so the metal pieces are in contact.

 

[arjag]

gswitter-

I did a bit of research on the new xp-g which seems to be an incredible bit of gear.

Are you getting yours on some sort of small board or do you have the skill to deal with the bare emitter?

The main reason I went for the ssc p4 is that the soldering appears easier to deal with, especially since my fine tiped solder station seems to be on the fritz.

Are you planing on using an alternative reflector for the cree?

Thanks

 

[gswitter]

Are you getting yours on some sort of small board or do you have the skill to deal with the bare emitter?

I ordered a few on 10mm round boards. I definitely don't have the skill to work with bare XP-G's.

Are you planing on using an alternative reflector for the cree?

I've been impressed with the XP-G and smooth reflectors, so I've been combing through my old Lux I/III lights looking for good mod hosts. I'm hoping I can get an XP-G focused with the stock L2P reflector. I'm not sure if the L2P will be first in the mod queue (I've got a few others in mind, as well), but I hope to get to it soon.

 

[arjag]

I received my l2p today. I thought I would add some info on dis-assembly etc.

The V2.0 is of course very easy to get the head off, and I made an old pair of pointy nose pliers into a special service tool. I just used a file, this probably only worked due to the low quality of the pliers. Higher quality ones may require a grinder.

I filed the tip to fit the slots in the module in the head.

The notches can be seen in on the edges of the module. The special tool i made worked very well.

I cleaned up all the threads with a cotton bud soaked in carby cleaner.

There are many more images, including high res versions here;
http://y42.biz/torches

:twothumbs

 

[arjag]

just an update, I am still waiting for my led's to arrive.

On the way is the SSC P4 Z LED Emitter W42180 - U2 mentioned earlier
as well as a Cree XP-G R5 as I could not get over how good the specs looked.

Will prob try both.

 

[AlexGT]

I plan to do the same mod I already have a SSC on my L2P, the beam is more floddy but has more brightness than the luxeon it originally had, I hope the XP-G R4 has even more brightness than the SSC it will be replacing.

I ordered the XP-G R4 mounted on a 8 mm board from nailbender.

Will post when mod is complete.

AlexGT

 

[nanotech17]

K2 TVOD will be much more brighter.

 

[arjag]

K2 TVOD will be much more brighter.

nanotech17:

K2, as in Luxeon K2?
I searched for a while, what is TVOD?

Spec wise I would expect K2 is close to SSC P4 - U but XP-G R5 should be considerably better. Real world experience may paint a different picture...

Please explain the advantage of K2 TVOD

Thanks

 

[nanotech17]

you can get some info about the K2 TFFC TVOD here - http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=227066

and here - http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=244853

K2 TFFC TVOD - http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=190729

 

[arjag]

K2 TVOD will be much more brighter.

I think I see, after scratching my head for a while

Luxeon K2 TFFC Emitters -- LXK2-PWC4-0200, Bin TV0D

bin info
L X K 2 A B C D E F G for LUXEON K2 Emitter
A — designates radiation pattern (value P for Lambertian)
B — designates color (see Philips Lumileds AB21)
C — designates color variant (1 for direct colors and Cool White, N for Neutral White, and W for Warm White
D — designates test current (value 2 for 350 mA, value 4 for 1000 mA)
E — designates minimum flux bin for LUXEON K2 Emitter

followed by bin
ABCD

A = Flux bin (G, H, J, K, etc.)
B and C = Color bin (V0, X0, W0, etc.)
D = VF bin (E, F, G, etc.)

T = 200 - 220 lm (luminous flux)
V0 = 5300K (colour)
D = 3.03 - 3.27 V (forward voltage)

I assume the low forward voltage is where the advantage of the TV0D comes from.

the XP-G R5 datasheet is far less specific but @1000ma should be about 250% of 139lm = ~340lm with a vf of approx 3.35v (approx as the datasheet only has graphs and for some reason i think there is a loss of efficiency at higher amps)

What Am I missing?