Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax (Updated again - more pictures)

[ja10]

Hi everyone.

I have spent the last few days searching and reading as many threads as I can on the Seoul P4, and the light I intend to modify - the L1 Lumamax. I think I have it figured out for the most part, but I wanted to run my thoughts by you guys and make sure I'm not about to ruin my light. This must be painful for a lot of you guys, and I'm sorry to ask questions similiar to ones that have been asked before, but I want to be sure before I go forward.

First, I plan on keeping the TIR optic in place. I like the throw, and I when I want a flood I use the beam shaper or my U2. However, if I can bump up the output with the P4, the light will be all the more useful.

I also do not plan on changing the electronics - at least yet. I like the runtime, and seeing as though this is my first mod, I'd rather just screw up and have to find a new head than a whole new light.

So, to start, I plan on ordering a P4 from PhotonFanatic, as well as Arctic Alumina Epoxy.

My understanding is that I use vice grips + an old belt and heat to open the head. Once open, I desolder the LuxIII and pry/scrape it off. I remove any epoxy that is left, and solder the leads to the P4. Then I use AA and epoxy the new LED on to the heatsink. After that, I test fit the head, and use a dremel to shave anything back that might be in the way. If everything fits, I screw the head back on and I'm set.

So ... am I close? I apologize again for the basic level of these questions.

 

[ja10]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

Any thoughts?

Sorry for the bump, but I really want to some input before I try this. I'd hate to ruin the light, only to find out that this could never work

 

[ROVER]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

You're on the right track. Two things I'll add though, which I've learned the hard way: one is before you spend money on parts, make certain you can open the mod host. Some lights are quite stubborn and break before they seperate. The other is it may be best to thermal epoxy your led, and quickly fine tune the centering of it in relation to the optic or reflector before using solder on the leads. If you solder the wires first, they may keep pulling your led to one side before the epoxy sets.

 

[ja10]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

What you said makes sense. As long as I know I'm not way off base, I'll give it a try.

Thanks!

 

[Valpo Hawkeye]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

That L1 head is a very tough head to open. Don't tighten the visegrips too tight as I've seen a KL1 with a cracked lens from the pressure. Pick up some strap wrenches; almost every success story I've heard involved strap wrenches. Let us know when/if you get it open...

 

[ja10]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

I was going to give vice grips a try, and then the strap wrenches, but maybe I'll try those first. I don't own any, but I should be able to pick them up at Sears, right?

Also, should I follow the usual process of boiling the head in water while in a ziplock bag? I may also pick up some acetone and see if that does anything.

 

[Valpo Hawkeye]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

Don't use acetone. It eats gaskets and can mar some finishes. As for the head, use a hair dryer or heat gun, or you can boil it like you said.

 

[ja10]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

I was able to remove the ring that the body screws into. Now I have to remove the base where the LED is mounted from the part of the head that holds the optic. I thought these heads were two peice, but I guess there are three.

The first part came off okay after boiling the head and using a pair of vice grips and a strap wrench. The second part will be more difficult, since it is threaded and I don't have a good surface to grip.

Before I wrench on it too hard, can anyone confirm that that inner piece is standard or reverse threaded? I absolutely could not get it to budge, so it made me wonder if that part might be reverse threaded.

 

[Valpo Hawkeye]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

If the L1 head is like the KL1 head, you can use a set of snap ring pliers to grip the threaded side. As for the threading, I have no idea, but I know Milkyspit has gotten one apart. Do a search for the ML1 (or ML-1) information thread and you will see a pic of the head taken apart. If all else fails, PM him the question.

 

[ja10]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

Thanks. I found the picture of the L1 he took apart, but I can't see the threads. I would assume that it is threaded normally, but I figured I'd ask.

I'll try a couple more times, and then PM milky.

 

[ja10]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

I got it open!

It took about 45 minutes, but I finally got the rest of my L1 head open. I would have given myself 5 to 1 odds in favor of sratching it up bad or breaking the optic, but it looks like I got it done without a mark.

For those who want to know, this is how I did it:

I bought a pack of two strap wrenches at Sears for $12.99, and a new set of vice grips that had more of a curve to the jaw. Those were also about $12. I don't know if this is the type that others used, but after hearing about people breaking the optic, I figured these might work a little better. In the first 5 minutes, I broke the smaller strap wrench. In the pictures below, the rubber I used with the vice grips was from the small strap wrench.

To remove the collar from the head (the part of the head that screws onto the body), I wrapped the rubber strap around the collar, and tightened the vice grips down. I placed the head/vice grips in a ziplock bag and let it soak in boiling water for about 10 minutes. I did this because once the head was hot, I seemed to have trouble positioning the vice grips right. Once hot enough, I put the larger strap wrench around the front of the head and twisted. It came off without too much fuss. I had to try a couple different times, but that was because I did not let the head heat up enough.



Once the collar was off, I was stuck. With the collar gone, I was left with only threads to grip onto to try to remove the heatsink/emitter. I tried once, but the threads cut into the rubber too quickly. There is also a notch (1/8" wide) on the base of the heatsink. That seemed like the only way to do it, but I didn't have anything that fit well that would give me leverage. I went out to Home Depot though, and found a Husky 1/8" x 4" flat head screw driver that had a square shaft. It happened to fix exactly. The strap wrench kept getting in the way, so I used the vice grips again on the head, and used the shaft of the flat head screw driver to remove the heat sink. I had to try several times, each time slightly tightening the vice grips. On the last try, I let the head soak for a good 20 minutes, and I was just able to back the heat sink out. I bent the screw driver a bit, but it worked.

I'm not sure I did a very good job explaning, but hopefully from the pictures below you can follow what I did. It might not be obvious in the picture, but the screw driver is sitting in the notch in the heatsink. After looking back on all of my methods, that was definitely the best way for me to apply enough force to get it to budge.






Now I'll order the SSC, and see what happens.

 

[Icarus]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

Thanks for sharing! :thumbsup:

 

[ja10]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

I got the Seoul yesterday from PhotonFanatic, and got it in my L1 today. I was amazed at how easy it was to do. This is my first emitter swap, so I had no idea what to expect, but the Seoul fits PERFECTLY. The L1 heat sink had a spot for the LuxIII to fit snugly in place, and I figured I'd have to use the dremel to get the SSC to fit. It must be the identical size though, because it slid firmly into place. I didn't have to do anything with the stock optic either. I was confident that this would be harder to do than I thought, but it ended up being quite a bit easier.

First impression (keep in mind, all I have to compare to is what my L1 used to look like, and my stock U2):

1) The tint is slightly blue in the middle and then fades to warm white. I'm not sure if this is the emitter or optic, since the LuxIII was more white in the middle, and the outer edge was blueish. The variation is noticable on a while wall if you are looking for it, but I don't think it's too obvious. I didn't notice it until I compared beams to my U2.

2) The beam is a perfect circle now. That is one thing that annoyed me about the stock L1, so I was happy to see the square beam went away.

3) It is definitely brighter. When comparing to my U2 on high, the L1 looks like a cutout of the middle 60% of the U2 beam. The dead center of the U2 might be slightly brighter, but the hotspot on the L1 is twice as wide.

4) The Low seems to be a touch brighter, but it's hard to say. It is still dimmer than my U2 on low, so that is all I care about.

Overall I'm really pleased. The beam is brighter and the shape is better. Everything is only hand fit right now, so I need to go through and blow out any dust, clean the lenses, and reassemble with blue locktite (is that what you guys would use?).

I will post beam shots when I get a chance in a couple of days.

Thanks for your help! If anyone is thinking of trying this, I would definitely recommend it. Just be sure you have the right tools to get that head open

 

[ja10]

Re: Question about Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax

These pictures aren't that great, but they show the relative brightness of my upgraded L1 pretty well. The aperature and shutter speed where the same for all shots, so at least it makes for a decent comparison.

As you look at them, know that a) the flashlights weren't quite centered on the camera, so the hotspots are a little off center, and b) the wall is cream colored, so the beam color appears much more yellow than it is.

Seoul L1 on low:


Seoul L1 on high:


U2 on low:


U2 on high:

 

[ROVER]

Re: Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax (Updated with beam shots)

Congratulations. Way to go perservering opening that head. Now if only I could open my favorite Fenix head...

Good job.

 

[milkyspit]

Re: Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax (Updated with beam shots)

Terrific work... you did a great job! :thumbsup:

Those new-style L1 heads can be a royal pain to open, eh?

Congratulations on some fine work!

 

[ja10]

Re: Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax (Updated with beam shots)

Thanks. I couldn't believe how hard it was to get that head open. I think I could do it again now that I have tools that seem to work, but I'd rather not . When I do this again with another light, I'll be sure to use the rubber off of those strap wrenches. It's extremely durable, but still has plenty of grip. I think it ends up working a lot better than layers of inner tube rubber or leather.

 

[ja10]

Re: Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax (Updated with beam shots)

Now that I have had time to play with this in complete darkness, I've noticed that I've got a couple rings of light around corona. It's not a big problem, but it has me looking at other optics to see if I can fix the problem. I see that the Khatod KEPL19806 10 degree optic is designed for the Seoul LEDs, but I need to figure out now if it will fit. The diameter of the optic is 19.79mm (which I think works), but the depth 9.63mm. I need to take my head apart and see, but I have suspicion that 9.63 would work great in the old short L1 head, but not in my new L1.

I might just order one and see what happens.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Re: Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax (Updated with beam shots)

Try the Fraen LP optic. CM modded my VIP with Seoul P4, and the Fraen centers better with Seoul than the Lux III, and the beam is very center weighted.

Bill

 

[ja10]

Re: Seoul P4 in an L1 Lumamax (Updated with beam shots)

Thanks a lot. I'll search around and find a link. Do you know of any sponsors off the top of your head that carry them?