Taking apart Nitecore SR3

[nekomane]

I tried several times to figure out how to get the ring off of the SR3.
...puzzled over the piece, turning it over and over like an idiot, even tried pouring in alchohol to see if it seeped through to reveal any cracks or some hidden threads.

Each time, I would give up and put it aside. This time, it was time to get rough :D

First, the sleeve where the logo is printed was trimmed down.
Hopefully, the ring would just slide off.
No luck.

Next, I dug deeper where the sleeve touches the ring with a parting tool.
The thing on the right is a live centre.
The tool tip broke through without going further than expected, revealing some hidden space.
Could this be a mangled C-ring? The SF U2 uses one. So was this it? No, it was just a big burr :(

Looking closer, what do I see but the familiar pink goo. So there are threads somewhere!

After applying nail polish remover and waiting 5 minutes or so for it to soften the thread locker, back to the vise and belt wrench.

Voila!

There is a tiny pin keeping the ring from turning more than approx 350degrees (the red stuff is not grease but a generous ammount of thread locker.)..

..and a plunger to get the click for each level.

Conclusion: Taking apart the head of a SR3 is not difficult once you know where the pieces come apart.

- Note the position of the ring, and how the magnets are placed (there are 4 magnets, and 4 dummies) before taking apart. You will need to know this when reassembling.

- Use acetone to soften the thread locker. Let it seep in from just below the adjusting ring, and/or from just inside the area which mates with the body. Take a careful look at the above pics. Heating may work too.

-Clamp the head just under the SS bezel, and use a belt wrench where the Nitecore logo is CCW. Careful not to put force on the adjusting ring. Use rubber bands or something similar so as not to ruin the finish.

Hope this helps anyone thinking of modding/relubing, or like me, just curious :p

 

[euroken]

Thank you nekomane!

I've actually asked for this in another thread wanting to make the 'click' of the selector ring more defined.

How is the plunger set? Does the plunger just simply fall out revealing the spring behind it?

Now, if I ever get enough guts take the light apart, maybe I'll try it!

Thank you again!

 

[nekomane]

Hi euroken :wave:

I just took a closer look at the click mechanism.
I assume the metal part is a ball bearing instead of a plunger because it rolls around. There should be a spring underneath.

I tried sticking a sharp pin into the palstic to dig it out, but it's wedged in rather tightly. I'm not ready to risk ruining the part at the moment. 1 destroyed piece is enough right now :sweat:

 

[euroken]

No worries. If I find out something I'll be sure to post it here.

 

[DimeRazorback]

Wow!

That's really cool!!

Thanks for posting the process, it's very interesting to see how it works!

:thumbsup:

 

[Haz]

Wow... I can't believe you destroyed a flashlight just to show us how to take it apart!!!...

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

I'll bet a Ti replacement for the part you destroyed taking it apart would look great on that light. :naughty:

 

[euroken]

Oh man, Ti version of SR3? I'm going to have to sell some furnitures to start funding this....

 

[nekomane]

Wow... I can't believe you destroyed a flashlight just to show us how to take it apart!!!...

It needs a new collar to be machined, but fortunately, nothing else was broken :)

 

[berry580]

do u guys thing the SR-3 is really worth $120?

 

[Haz]

do u guys thing the SR-3 is really worth $120?

Not many lights I know with selector rings, so it's good if you like that type of functionality. It's more complicated to design and make compared to other lights so there is a premium to that.

 

[nekomane]

With the flood of cheap and bright lights, $120 may sound expensive.

But a few years ago, many of the high powered LED lights with just 1 or 2 levels (and not as bright) cost more than $100, so I don't feel the price is bad.

Also, like Haz says, the SR3 is unique. There are no other single celled lights with 8 levels of brightness and such a simple UI.
The closest I can think of is the SF U2 (adjusting ring, 2 cell, 6 levels) which costs significantly more.

As you can see from the innards, a decent ammount of effort was put into designing the light, and I feel the excitement of the people involved. Machining and finish is very nice too.

Personally, I do not like the heavy SS bezel nor the tactical grip and aggressive looks. Some units (including mine) have glitches which sends the light into strobe mode, but this dosen't bother me.

Price is relevant to each person. I now manage to fund my addiction by only buying the few lights that truly interest me. This light was worth it :)

 

[Henk_Lu]

Personally, I do not like the heavy SS bezel nor the tactical grip and aggressive looks. Some units (including mine) have glitches which sends the light into strobe mode, but this dosen't bother me.

While I like the ss bezel and the tactical grip, I just cand stand the strobing issue.

I used the light yesterday to find out why my receiver doesn't switch to dolby digital with the sat-receiver, the selection ring was very usefull to change the brightness depending on how near or how far the different connectors and cables between all that technical stuff and the wall were. The tactical grip was usefull to hold the light securely with one hand and to move the stuff with the other one.

During the whole (useless) operation, I didn't need to switch to high of course, I would be blid now, but afterwards I could't help it to rotate the ring as long until it first strobed. In fact, I saw the strobing coming when it switched to high for a glance between L4 and L5. While the light served well before, it disappointed me once more when it strobed during testing...

Is there a way to learn to ignore such misbehaving? Probably not, because I don't need DD on the sat either, but I spent 3 hours to find out why the receiver doesn't do what it should... :sick2:

If I could ignore it, the light would be worth the money, the built quality is very high, the beam is good, very bright for 1 cell, great throw as well, very versatile thanks to the selection ring.

Zen..........

 

[Paul6ppca]

nitecore SR3 led

Does anyone have a picture of an SR3 disasembled down to bare led?
IE with the 2 screws removed from the plastic coveing the led.

 

[Paul6ppca]

Wow ,nice job on taking apart, Do you have a picture of the led? I want to get rid of the cree XR rings.Any suggestions on led upgrades for better beam(no rings) and brighter? XPG or K2??:poke:

 

[DM51]

Re: nitecore SR3 led

Paul6ppca... right next to your thread in the list is another thread covering the topic of taking this light apart. It would have been better if you had posted in that thread rather than starting a new one. I'm merging them.

 

[Blindasabat]

Re: nitecore SR3 led

I took mine apart recently. All that is under the screwed on plate is a round pocket for a 15mm LED board. It is a very simple setup and should be easy to mod if you stay with an XR-E. I want to put an XP-E in it at some point, but the plate over the LED needs to be there for the reflector to press down on to put pressure on the LE or it won't turn on. You may have to make a new flatter/lower plate to change the LED to something other than XR-E, but then it will move the LE toward the bezel as much as you lower the plate, which MAY have an impact on how it works. I think that is it is too complicated for my short term plans for this light so I will just replace it with a Q4 Neutral XR-E for now. I will look at it again when I do that to see what it will take to eventually put an R2 XP-E in it. I want to maintain throw so not XP-G in mine.

 

[Blindasabat]

XP-G will reduce throw and make it more floody - a waste of the big reflector IMHO. Other lights would benefit from XP-G much more than this one.
I have not measured current, but only if it is over 1.3 to 1.5 Amps will the K2 possibly increase output. Possibly. Much better chance the higher the current, but I doubt it is driven over 1A. So K2 would only improve the tint and remove rings, but that may be worth it for you. I'm not sure how it would effect throw, but I guess it would be similar.

...Any suggestions on led upgrades for better beam(no rings) and brighter? XPG or K2??

 

[nekomane]

Here you go :)
The LED has been isolated from the board so you don't see any wires.
Note the o-ring around the base of the LED. It pops off easily.

 

[Paul6ppca]

Thanks nekomane and Blindasabat,great info! But im still stuck trying to find a 15 mm pcb and which led to upread.
It doesnt seem as thought many have modded this lght