Super Duper Dim Low - A simple Pacifc mod

[MWClint]

I've been searching for a really low _single level_ light that wasnt a 5mm led.
nada.

In the meantime, the Pacific SP's became my most used lights that I wasnt
EDC'ing. So i thought i'd try a Pacific XLR version.. it's only 50cp on AA. I
beleive it registered ~70ma coming out of the battery. Turned out it was still
brighter than the EX10 on low(~6lumens). pacific xlr eyeballs to be about 13-15 lumens(it's a very useable indoor light as is)

Anyway while adjusting the internal spring screw plug in the keychain body, i
thought of replacing it with a resistor to limit the current. there's plenty of space in the keychain bodies.


a 10ohm 1/4 watt resistor worked perfectly. wound one lead around the body
of the resistor and pushed it snugly inside the brass plug and twisted the other lead into a spring shape. screwed it back into the body.


so now i have a single level Seoul P4 "SDDL" (super duper dim low). :naughty:
current doesnt even register on my meter..i wonder how long a fresh eneloop will last at this level.

The light...

Left: EX10 on low+rcr Right: original Pacific XLR

Left: EX10 on low+rcr Right:10ohm modded Pacific XLR

Closeup of the resistored Pacific's beam.. flawless!

the mod: pulled spring out of brass plug and replaced with coiled up resistor.
Nice tight fit, dont even need to solder.

compared to an HP Matterhorn. :twothumbs

With the 2 levels of threads in the tail of the body, it would be really
easy to fit a logarithmic pot and a knob back there for an infinitly adjustable
light. might have to order another peak!

My search for a low light is complete. i can sleep easy now.

 

[MWClint]

ran it for 12 hours straight.

slightly used aa eneloop battery started at 1.31v and is now reading 1.28v.
Cant tell what the running current is as my meter reports it as 0..it wont
read anything under 10ma. resistor probably drains more current than the
led. haha.
so, a drain of .3v in 12hrs. or .6v per day...at this rate it'll last at least 7 days continuous on a freshly charged eneloop. 1.41->1.0v i'm not sure what
the minimum voltage of the peak driver is..if it can go down to 0.9v, probably
looking at a 200+hour runtime, which would be a current draw of just under
10ma.

i guess it sounds right, but i never would have guessed you could drive a p4
at such a low current? anyway i'm glad it works.

 

[skcheng]

Hey,

I just took apart my keychain body on my Pacific SP, but there is no spring? Just a screw in plug? Am I missing something here?

skcheng

 

[MWClint]

Hey,

I just took apart my keychain body on my Pacific SP, but there is no spring? Just a screw in plug? Am I missing something here?

skcheng

the screw in plug consists of 3 parts. the threaded plug itself, a tiny spring and a brass insert that sits on top of the spring. on yours maybe the insert
is jammed into the plug.. if you crank down on the head, the battery might squish the insert into the plug and make it stick in there. maybe try to pry it
back apart using a micro screwdriver.

the resistor i used was a 10ohm 1/4 watt from a bulk resistor pack from radio shack. you get about 250 assorted resistors for 9$. i tried a few different
values until i obtained the desired output. one resistor fits perfectly inside
the plug.

 

[arty]

My Pacifics all have an extra ring outside of the main beam. I suspect that this comes from the lens retaining ring. I suspect this because I recently got two Glacier Bays in Seoul P4. One is in HA and the second is in brass. The HA version does not have this extra ring of light, but the brass one does. The difference is in the retaining ring - it is beveled in the HA version.

Anyone else have this extra ring of light?

 

[MWClint]

My Pacifics all have an extra ring outside of the main beam. I suspect that this comes from the lens retaining ring. I suspect this because I recently got two Glacier Bays in Seoul P4. One is in HA and the second is in brass. The HA version does not have this extra ring of light, but the brass one does. The difference is in the retaining ring - it is beveled in the HA version.

Anyone else have this extra ring of light?

yep, my pacific brass sp's have that ring in the output, the xlr doesnt project the ring(probably because i dont have much light coming out of it)

 

[Blindasabat]

I once made a two stage drop-in pill for CR123 Peaks that worked in a couple of other lights too (I have it in a Fenix P1 CE now) that used a CR2 or RCR2 plus the 6.5mm long pill with a resistor and leaf springs inside that turned on low (through the resistor) with a small twist, and then high (bypassing the resistor) to run as usual for full brightness. In a Peak with the momentary switch (I have the Rainier P4 and a McKinley) it works just like a tiny Surefire L1 : press some for low and press harder for high.

I had a thread and sold them too:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=118179

I sent an email with a short vid to Peak but the email would not go through (?)

 

[MWClint]

very nice blindasabat. if you dont mind, i'll have to try this out.


edit: thought of a way to retain use of a rcr123 and have dual modes.
here goes:

step 1:
take the spring and plug out of the momentary clicky..and replace with
1/4watt 10ohm resistor, similar to what ive done with the pacific plug in my
first post.

step 2:
take one of these mag D switch spring caps, and drop it down over
the rubber spacer in the base of the peak. cut it shorter(if needed) so that
while at rest, the cap doesnt hit the base of the body, but long enough so it
doesnt hit the resistored momentary clicky when the head is screwed down.

high: screw down head.
low: just use momentary.




(one of these caps from mag d switch..or any other metal cup of this size)

double edit: WOW it worked!...will post a howto in a new thread.