Joel
Newly Enlightened
My very first Mod! A big thanks to all who contribute to this forum, I've learned a lot in the last couple of months. Also a big thanks to Wayne Johnson of Elektolumens for making all the neat Mod parts available on his web site for all us neophytes to experiment with! The Smith and Wesson FL7 rechargeable was available at my local sporting goods store for the closeout price of $39.95 US. What Flashaholic could pass that up? It uses 3- Sub C Ni-MH batteries with an output of 4.5 volts. Using 30mm optics and a 1 watt 1 ohm resistor the FL7 became the perfect host for a 1 watt LS.
I don't have any fancy tools so I used epoxy to glue the 30mm optics to the FL7 front bezel. Inside the bezel is a rubber washer, which can be removed and fits perfectly over the optics and makes the perfect "bump guard."
There is just enough room for the resistor. I used three 1" diameter metal washers for the heat sink. I used Arctic Silver Thermal Adhesive to bond everything together. The three washers raise the LS to just the right height and the optics make perfect contact with the emitter when the bezel is screwed on.
The beam shots are from 10ft. away. As you can see the FL7 mod more than holds its ground. I haven't done any extended run-time tests but I have had the unit on for 6 hours straight and it was still nice and bright. It's my favorite flashlight now and I use it most every day. Thanks for looking!
Joel
I don't have any fancy tools so I used epoxy to glue the 30mm optics to the FL7 front bezel. Inside the bezel is a rubber washer, which can be removed and fits perfectly over the optics and makes the perfect "bump guard."
There is just enough room for the resistor. I used three 1" diameter metal washers for the heat sink. I used Arctic Silver Thermal Adhesive to bond everything together. The three washers raise the LS to just the right height and the optics make perfect contact with the emitter when the bezel is screwed on.
The beam shots are from 10ft. away. As you can see the FL7 mod more than holds its ground. I haven't done any extended run-time tests but I have had the unit on for 6 hours straight and it was still nice and bright. It's my favorite flashlight now and I use it most every day. Thanks for looking!
Joel
