Hey, thats no rocket science!
if someone is interrested in a led-solution, I can take a few pics of a crude-but-working "insert" I built quite some years ago.
Its with a luxeon, mounted on a thermal/mounting aluminium "block", with driver and springs, inserted from the back end and an optic for focusing, kept in place by the bezel ( and inserted from the front end)
All done with a vise and some files as tools, + maybe a drill or dremel ...
but to be honest ... there is a reason it is with a Luxeon
(= very old):
about that time the 18650 wave "exploded" and especially the 8X never was really good
(if one also had the much better and more versatile 9N)
and it is
really bad when it comes to led upgrading ...
and the 9N is not much better here ...
solution:
Put it on the shelf, get a 1*18650 (multimode) led light and be much better off:
* brutally smaller and lighter
* more "useful"
* more powerful (the modded 18650 light (with an XR-E) which replaced my 8X and 9N already gave the impression of being brighter)
PS: did You try to make a "normal"
P60 insert fit?
I just checked the 8X with a few of the inserts I have here and there only seems to be necesary to widen the inner hole a tiny bit.
The inserts all are a bit shorter than the original LA (so they will fit in length) and the outer springs are about the suitable diameter (If not change/bend the spring)
Even when the inner hole is wider by 1-2 mm, the original bulb will still be mountable --> a "removable mod" ...
:thinking: Somehow I am thinking that this solution should be obvious :thinking: