RIP: Just killed a TWAK

[MY]

There is a reason why I should leave the modding to the experts. In a feeble attempt to modify my ARC LSH with a reflector, UCL and replace the emitter with something of a more recent vintage, I have learned the hard way that modders earn their money. It has taken me several attempts at dissasembling the ARC head so that it can be reassembled. After many, many hours I have found that a combination of brute strength and finese is required to get the head apart. Now to take my T-bin emitter off the star to replace the emitter on the ARC board. Never having done this before, I did what I thought was logical. I desoldered the leads, took a small screw driver and tried to pry the emitter off the star. After a little pressure, it popped off, or I thought it did. What did come off was the lens, the emitter base was still securely held to the star. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/oops.gif Oh my, I just killed a Lux III TWAK! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif Evidently, there are a couple of micro wires that I severed when the lens went a'flying. I learned later that one needs to bend the star itself which will pop the star off.

Out of respect to my departed TWAK, I have decided to pay tribute to the fallen and take a day of rest and continue with my journey at a later time.

Please join me in giving condolences to my TWAK. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/au.gif

Regards.

 

[BVH]

RIP o departed TWAK!

 

[shiftd]

oh MY oh my

apparently you never read the thread "how to remove the emitter from a star"

there are multiple post showing you how to remove this safely.

well, you know better next time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

too bad for the TWAK /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[nexro]

Goodbye TWAK... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[MY]

I take pride in never having to read the "manual" for anything. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/stupid.gif

I will know next time to consult the experts on the board.

RIP TWAK.

Regards

 

[LitFuse]

RIP TWAK, we barely knew ye... *sniff*

Better the TWAK than the Arc board though I guess.

Unless you're planning on Li-ion use, you'd be better off with a "J" if you've got one MY. Lotsa folks using the "J" even with R123 too though.

Good luck with the rest of the mod, send me a PM if you need any help. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Peter

 

[evan9162]

I fried a TX1J not too long ago (oops!). Fused one of the bond wires open.

Then I repaired it with a strand of wire, and covered it in epoxy. It's now my test Luxeon.

 

[Chop]

MY,

One failure is no reason to quit trying. You wouldn't believe the thousands of dollars in lights and equipment that I've destroyed in the name of science.

Just a couple of points to keep in mind. When you are taking something apart and it is apparently threaded, it isn't hard to get apart because it is tight. It's hard to get apart because and epoxy type sealant has been used to seal the threads. In most cases heating the part to about 150 to 160 degrees will soften this material allowing the removal of parts. I use a toaster over to do this. I first preheat it to 150 degrees and then I bake the part for 10 minutes or so. This isn't got enough to destroy luxeons, converters, optics, or reflectors, but it works miracles on stubborn parts that don't want to come apart.

To date, the toughest mod I've done is the 4th gen KL1. That one was TIGHT and sealed. I had to cook it at 170 degrees, but it did come apart with out destroying anything.

When something gives you that much trouble, you can usually find the answer with a little bit of research on CPF. That's what it's here for. Well, that among other things.

 

[greenLED]

[ QUOTE ]
Chop said:
One failure is no reason to quit trying. You wouldn't believe the thousands of dollars in lights and equipment that I've destroyed in the name of science.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, what Chop said. So far, "five failures are no reason to quit trying". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Not anywhere near his thousands of dollars mark, but I'm hard at work. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

 

[BatteryCharger]

I killed a TWOK the other day. Guess they're not meant to take 16 volts... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

 

[Chop]

I'm talking about Surefires, luxeons, converters, man hours, lost limbs, etc. It's a disease and you HAVE to treat the symptoms.

OK, maybe it isn't thousands. I just did some quick math and I can figure about $1800 in L4s, L1s, A2s, KL1s, KL3s, M3 heads, M4 heads, an M6, blah, blah, blah. Of course all of them were salvageable to an extent and wound up being something that was never planned for.

 

[KevinL]

I don't feel so bad about the mess I made of a SLA spotlight the other night /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif (it was $25 anyway) I was trying to get a 7AH battery in there and did a bit more damage to the plastic innards than I figured I should have /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Remember when prying the LED off, pry below the plastic collar which is an integral part of the emitter. Not between the collar and the dome.

I haven't killed any LEDs yet (touch wood) but I've sent many an incan bulb to its untimely demise /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[MR Bulk]

MY,

Sooooooo...killed a Luxeon, did ya?

"Karma works in mysterious ways..."/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

(just kidding, hope ya learned somethin'!)

 

[B@rt]

 

[MY]

Thanks for the kind words. It makes me feel better that all you supers out there are human and started out like me . . . except for that Mr. Bulky, I think his superhuman modding skills are the result of some interbreeding with aliens . . .

Regards

 

[HaulinLow]

Swing low, sweet chariot. . . /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif

 

[bajaiman]

Don't feel so bad, experience is a high price to pay...well at least for me. I've destroyed 1 TWOH, 4 TWOLs and 1 Q3H /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif

 

[MY]

Bajaiman, you are only saying that to make me feel good - it worked! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Regards.

 

[HarryN]

Oh - you only killed ONE ? That is not so bad - actually, that is just the start of life in CPF.

I read that post on removing emitters from stars = good plan - I cannot do it either.

Just buy an emitter (I have killed these rather well also, but maybe it has something to do with running several amps with no heat sink testing /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[MY]

HarryN. I am one of the oldies on CPF. After over four years on the board, I attempted my first serious mod and failed miserably. But I will continue and I am sure it will only get better from here!

Regards.