Mod My TW4 ??

[Robocop]

After years of use I am thinking of changing the emitter out on my TW4. I am not sure the factory BIN of the old handpicked TW4 however the replacement emitter will be a very nice WXOS obtained in a recent trade. I know the WXOS will do just as good if not better due to the type tint I like and low VF however I am concerned as to opening the TW4. My goal is to have a better tint while keeping the ability to power from a single 123 cell just like the standard original TW4. I know many will say use an entirely different emitter such as a Seoul however I really like the wall of light from the old 5 watt so I am sticking to this combo.

I have good skills with tinkering and can open most anything I put my mind to but these SureFires are known to be very hard to crack without damage. So my question is will it even be worth the emitter swap and if so who these days is a good choice to mod my TW4? I simply cherish this old TW4 and wonder if any members are still able to open them without damage and perform my mod.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Contact CM. He has done many LED swaps with KL4, KL1, KL5,6.

Bill

 

[ROK]

To open the KL4 is much easier than KL1.
If you use strap wrench, you can do it without any damage.

 

[ttran97]

Milkyspit modded my TW4. I have more details regarding that in the link in my signature. He also does a different mod using an Acorn driver that will allow different brightness modes. Swapping out the emitter was the best thing that could have happened to my TW4!

 

[Robocop]

So can anyone take a guess at the BIN code most likely found on the handpicked TW4s from way back when? Mine runs very well on a standard 3v 123 and runs even better on the R123. I am not sure as to what the TW4 circuit is however as far as vf goes will the WXOS at least power as well as the factory emitter with the standard circuit and 3v 123?

 

[Robocop]

And ttran that is a very nice modded light however I am hoping to stay with the 5watt emitter. I have several Seoul emitter lights and yes they are very good performers but to me the beam shape of the 5watt is just great for what I use this light for....it is a back up light on duty and has served me well for years now.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

So can anyone take a guess at the BIN code most likely found on the handpicked TW4s from way back when? Mine runs very well on a standard 3v 123 and runs even better on the R123. I am not sure as to what the TW4 circuit is however as far as vf goes will the WXOS at least power as well as the factory emitter with the standard circuit and 3v 123?

I would guess that they used an S vf, and it would seem that that S is the appropriate vf for a light using a Lux V that powers on only two CR123's. This would give max runtime for the L4 (KL4). We are just lucky that a LiIon often works so well. There is a range for the S vf and some L's probably have the lowest vf S's.

Bill

 

[Robocop]

Well I finally got around to modding this light and believe it was worth the effort. I thought I had a WXOS when in fact I actually had a WWOS emitter. Regardless it turned out great and while the tint is almost identical it has a little more actual output total than the original version. It also runs great on a standard 123 cell and even better on a R123 cell. I do not know what the life is for the original TW4 emitter however it had been used a great deal during the last few years. If nothing else I have a little more brightness and a longer life emitter now.

On a side note I am not sure what type of alien glue SF uses on their lights but it is very strong. It took me several hours of clamping in a wood vise to get the bezel to move just a little.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

The KL4 runs a boost circuit, one of the reasons it is not well suited for mod to Seoul or Cree unless driver is switched out to a buck/boost, buck, or Fenix type circuit, or Acorn, etc. I personally think that the existing boost circuit is fine as well as the Lux V. It would be nice to have two levels though, for close up work and long term use without heat build up.

Bill

 

[Robocop]

I will say that of all my lights this one has been one that I never really wanted to change. It was perfect as is and did exactly what I wanted it to do. The only reason I made this swap was I got an almost free emitter that was brand new and the same VF as the original. The light had much usage on it on duty so I figured I may as well make the swap and start new with a fresh emitter and a little more output.

I have never really understood as to why one would change the 5 watt out for a Cree or even Seoul with a different emitter. I know many wanted different beam patterns or multi levels but there are many other hosts with this same size head and body. To me personally this little 5 watt is simply a beautiful and reliable light and the 5 watt wall of light is exactly why I carry it as a back up. When I did begin thinking of swapping I knew I wanted to keep the exact same beam qualities as before so to me another 5 watt emitter was the only way to go.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Robocop, I agree. People can mod the KL1 and have the same TW4 size. The beam pattern is what draws me to the KL4. I would rather people sold off their unappreciated KL4 on BST to KL4 lovers, and buy a KL1, or other similiar size head, to mod. If SF was to "better" the KL4 I think that a nice two light level KL4 would be excellent.

Bill

 

[ttran97]

Robocop, I agree. People can mod the KL1 and have the same TW4 size. The beam pattern is what draws me to the KL4. I would rather people sold off their unappreciated KL4 on BST to KL4 lovers, and buy a KL1, or other similiar size head, to mod. If SF was to "better" the KL4 I think that a nice two light level KL4 would be excellent.

Bill

The Seoul in my KL4 hasn't affected the beam. I compared my milkyspit modded TW4 to a stock one recently, and the biggest difference was that the modded one is way brighter. The Seoul does have a much smoother beam than the Crees.

You guys are probably hating me for having my TW4 modded. hehe. Mine's the very first TW4 combination, too! Blasphemous! Of course, it's not worth a whole lot except to true TW4 fans or collectors. The earliest picture that I have of it is March 2004...although I'm sure the TW4s were sold some time in the Summer of 2003.