Modding my Tikka XP-First Time

[johnarthur39]

I have a couple of Tikka XPs that I would like to upgrade. It will be my first attempt at doing so. I have searched for and found the past posts describing how to do so. (Thanks by the way.)

My question involves the choice of emitter. The general consensus of opinion is to go with a Seoul SSC P4 mounted on a star. I am afraid that I don't understand the designations and bin references. Which one should I go with? Any recommendations on where to purchase them on line. Thanks in advance.

 

[d1337]

I'm not sure that the seoul is still the best way to go. It might be but the new cree XP-E is awesome. They seem to be a good improvement in efficency and have a much better beam than the cold crees. The I don't know the best place to by emmitters but I bought my last one through DealsExtreme. They have worked out okay for me but usually take a couple of weeks to get items to me. Have you tried the CPF Marketplace? That is a great place to find dealers for all kinds of flashlight stuff.

 

[johnarthur39]

I understand that there may be somewhat better LED choices in terms of output and light quality but the star mounted Seoul P4 is similar in size and shapte to the original LED in the Tikka XP. It is a more direct swap which is what I want for my first attempt.

 

[tnuckels]

I think the SSC P4 is still the way to go.

I did this mod a long time back and it was quite simple, especially if you stick with a P4 star as it only requires de-soldering two wires from the old LED, transferring to thermal goop from the old star to the new one, and re-soldering the two wires to the new LED. The hardest bit for me was finding a Torx bit small enough.

I think the bin/flux codes that will work best for the swap are U2SW0H, where:
U2 = 100-118.5 lumens @ 350mA … most recent LED available
SW0 = more pink/yellow vs the sometimes greenish SX0 … see tint chart HERE
H = vF @ 350mA = 3.00-3.25 ... I'm not sure what the implications of going to I are

The Tikka XP works great with the P4 swap. Size of the LED, star, and light pattern of the emitter are compatible. For fun I tried a K2 star, and while it worked after making some extra room for the bigger LED package, the optic/emitter combination produced a butt-ugly beam pattern. I can only imagine the Cree would be a problem as well as its emission pattern is different from that of the LuxI-III/SSC LEDs. Besides, U2 is just a few lumens shy of K2 or Cree R2, so it's not worth the bother.

Check B/S/T forums for sellers, or PM me if unsuccessful.

Happy to answer any mod questions.

Good Luck … you're gonna' love your "new" headlamps!

 

[codypop]

I can't recommend photonfanatic enough. Fred is very prompt and has stock of what he sells.

 

[candlelight001]

I think the SSC P4 is still the way to go.

I did this mod a long time back and it was quite simple, especially if you stick with a P4 star as it only requires de-soldering two wires from the old LED, transferring to thermal goop from the old star to the new one, and re-soldering the two wires to the new LED. The hardest bit for me was finding a Torx bit small enough.

I'm interested in doing this mod too. how did you transfer the "thermal goop"? And where did you find the right torx bit? thx!

 

[Szemhazai]

candlelight001, you only have to resolder the wires, torx is T6 - you can find it in every tool / Castorama / Walmart shop...

 

[johnarthur39]

Transferred the goop with my finger. Found a small torx set at Office Depot for $5.00.

 

[tnuckels]

Transferring the thermal paste my not be necessary, but I did it just to be consistent with the original design and intent of the light. I'm assuming the paste transfers the heat from the backside of the star to the small redish electronic device (?) which is used to tell the light when to shut down in boost mode. I thought it best to be safe rather than sorry and didn't try and circumvent this arrangement. Simply scrape the paste off one star with a toothpick and apply to the new star. When re-assembled the electronic thing-a-ma-bob should be resting in the paste.

I also lost my little black pellet some time back, finding it later crushed and unusable. There are some theories as to what this pellet is/does, most notable that it absorbs off gasses from the batteries. So far I haven't had any problems running the light with this missing. My next of kin will send notice if & when my luck runs out.

 

[tnuckels]

I did this mod just last night on one of the two Tikka XP HAZLOCs I bought the other day. I still haven't got round to finding a small enough Torx bit, but used an Alllen wrench of suitable size to get the three screws out. Steps follow:

• Pushed the lights internals out by pressing on the front lens
• Removed the optic and black positioning ring over the LED
• De-solder red (+) and brown (-) lead wires and remove LED
• Transfer white thermal paste from center of old LED to center new LED
• Position LED with (+) & (-) in correct orientation and re-solder lead wires
• Replace black positioning ring with long legs in star's cutouts and snap in place under retaining shoulders
• Replace optic
• Replace internals making sure switches slide into place
• Replace 3 screws making sure to rotate CCW till thread ends "snap" into place, thereby ensuring I am using the original plastic thread tracks and not cutting new ones, then CW till screws are tight
• Replace batteries and cover
• Viola, more light

The back battery cover of the HAZLOC has a small 3 hole vent, covered on the inside with a tight fabric mesh. Venting? Pressurization? Who can say? Also the circuit board is noticeable coated with a clear finish.

I'm not worried about hazardous locations, as I've probably voided both the warrantee and safety factors, but was more interested in the functionality I've grown used to and dug the yellow and black color scheme that matches all my DeWalt tools. Crazy what makes some folks happy … :sick2::naughty::green: