Spacer Ideas for CR2 Nekomane Body

[jag-engr]

I have a Nekomane CR2 trit body for the the original Fenix L1T/L2T.

Currently, the light only works on the lower mode. The top on the tube has been deanodized to make the secondary contact for high, but the front part of the tube is just not long enough. I need a spacer that I can secure against the head of the light to close the path.

I have considered solder, but I would like the spacer to be removable so that I can switch back and forth with the 2XAA body. Perhaps I could solder a lip on the front of the CR2 tube, but I don't know how well this would hold.

I think that my best idea so far would be to use one of the retainer rings from a tail switch and just grind it down to the thickness that that I need and screw it in behind the head.

Any other ideas? Perhaps a feasible screw-in spacer of a better material?

 

[Blindasabat]

Let me get this straight as I have all the Nekomane Fenix tubes he made. I even tested & evaluated Nekomane's prototype RCR123 tube that was never taken past prototype stage, though the protos are floating around.

What I don't understand is that I don't recall Nekomane made a CR2 body for the L1T, just for the L2P. He said he didn't sell the quantity of CR2 tubes for the L2P as he did of CR123 tubes, so he didn't bother making it for the L1T. If you are using the L2P CR2 body on the L1T, then no, you will probably not access high. Are the threads on the head end anodized? Has the ano there been removed? You would have to do that to activate low through the threads. A picture of the tube would help to make sure I know what the problem is.

Using a metal screw-in retainer like you propose would maintain contact to high contact pad through the threads all the time, so you would lose low. The spacer has to be attached to the battery tube to enable high and low via twist.
To get the tube to reach, you could solder a wire of the appropriate diameter around the top edge of the CR2 tube. I think somebody did that before. Just make sure the wire reaches in towards the center to touch the pad the original AA body touches to activate high. I could measure with calipers when I get home to see how far you have to go, but the CR2 tube should be thick enough it won't be a problem. It was a problem adapting the original L2P CR123 tube to work on the L1T due to the thin wall of the CR123 tube. To this day, I still have an L2P using the CR123 tube or the CR2 tube (alternating) and the L1T using the CR123 tube.

 

[jag-engr]

What I don't understand is that I don't recall Nekomane made a CR2 body for the L1T, just for the L2P. He said he didn't sell the quantity of CR2 tubes for the L2P as he did of CR123 tubes, so he didn't bother making it for the L1T. If you are using the L2P CR2 body on the L1T, then no, you will probably not access high. Are the threads on the head end anodized? Has the ano there been removed? You would have to do that to activate low through the threads.

You are probably correct. It is one of the knurled CR2 tubes with three green trits around the barrel. It seems like I recall reading that it was, in fact, designed for the L2P. It has been deanodized on the front end to allow contact with the threads on an L1T/L2T.

A picture of the tube would help to make sure I know what the problem is.

I am currently not able to take a picture that would be helpful.

Using a metal screw-in retainer like you propose would maintain contact to high contact pad through the threads all the time, so you would lose low. The spacer has to be attached to the battery tube to enable high and low via twist.

Somehow in trying to think of a way to make the connect between the tube and the head I had forgotten that the connection would need to be isolated. :thinking: Thank you for the reality check.

To get the tube to reach, you could solder a wire of the appropriate diameter around the top edge of the CR2 tube. I think somebody did that before. Just make sure the wire reaches in towards the center to touch the pad the original AA body touches to activate high.

I think this idea could work...

I could measure with calipers when I get home to see how far you have to go...

You've never seen me solder! :laughing: It's not going to be anywhere that precise an undertaking. Seriously, though, I will just compare it to the L2T body cinched down for the second connection. Thank you for your offer, though.

 

[jag-engr]

Any other ideas out there?

I'm sure that someone else has come up with a solution to this problem.

I am considering grinding the bezel down on the head of the light to shorten it enough that the head can reach the back of the circuit board. I may have to shorten the spring if I do this, though.

Any tips on the best way to grind down the bezel?