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Sold/Expired Wanted: Someone to mod my A2 from incan to Cree
- Thread starter CDI
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Phredd
Enlightened
bombelman said:
Is this a reversable mod? I might be interested, too. Do you have photos?
Thanks,
Phredd
Valpo Hawkeye
Flashlight Enthusiast
Huh, seems like kind of a waste to me. Defeats the purpose of the A2. Wouldn't a Kroma be easier?
>> Huh, seems like kind of a waste to me. Defeats the purpose of the A2.
Depends on the personal preference and purpose for a flashlight...
>>Wouldn't a Kroma be easier?
Yes, it would. But then you would have to be able to afford anothe 300 smacks...
Depends on the personal preference and purpose for a flashlight...
>>Wouldn't a Kroma be easier?
Yes, it would. But then you would have to be able to afford anothe 300 smacks...
greenstuffs
Banned
Kromas are going fairly low in the BST now i'm sure you can pick up a great deal last one sold for $185.
bombelman said:
Valpo Hawkeye
Flashlight Enthusiast
CDI said:
Won't you have to mod the regulator circuitry to increase the runtime, then? A "simply" emitter swap wouldn't do the trick, it would simply change the characteristics of the 2nd-stage beam.
DM51
Flashaholic
As a matter of interest, why do you want to do that? For increased run-time? I doubt the Cree will be significantly brighter than the MA02 incan - the SF rating of 50 lumens is very conservative.
The initeresting thing about the A2 is that the low level has a different beam distribution than the hight level ... which is not th ecase for the Kroma.
Also the A2 is considerably smaller.
That said ... how would one be able to fit a LED in that small space there ... and how would the A2's driver do with a LED?
This is *very* interesting.
bernie
Also the A2 is considerably smaller.
That said ... how would one be able to fit a LED in that small space there ... and how would the A2's driver do with a LED?
This is *very* interesting.
bernie
Kiessling said:
Space issues, as well as the reliability of the LED over an incan, are my other drivers. The Kroma is just too big (IMO) except to carry on my plate carrier, whereas the A2 can just ride in my pocket. And, I have blown several SureFire incans (though not the one in the A2) by dropping them while they are on.
I MAY be going to Iraq in December, and I'm trying to minimize my need to carry spare incan lamps as well.
Valpo Hawkeye said:Won't you have to mod the regulator circuitry to increase the runtime, then? A "simply" emitter swap wouldn't do the trick, it would simply change the characteristics of the 2nd-stage beam.
I don't know. That's why I'm asking for someone who knows what they're doing to do it
... I just know what I want it to do.>> A "simply" emitter swap wouldn't do the trick
True. But this is no "simple" emitter swap either.
I know someone who can see what a board is doing only by looking at it.
Should it be a problem, the light will be returned in the same condition as received.
E-mail replied. Cheers !
True. But this is no "simple" emitter swap either.
I know someone who can see what a board is doing only by looking at it.
Should it be a problem, the light will be returned in the same condition as received.
E-mail replied. Cheers !
Atomic_Chicken
Enlightened
Greetings!
bombelman, what you are proposing is a VERY difficult mod, I hope you know that! The driver circuit for the incandescent bulb is not a straightforward voltage source, but a PWM regulated circuit that actually dynamically changes it's timing based on the current flow to the bulb, as the bulb heats up its resistance changes, causing the PWM circuit to react by decreasing the amount of power delivered to the bulb (shorter FET turnon pulses). To "trick this out" and make the PWM regulator still think it's looking at a bulb, and deliver enough power to run a CREE is possible... but I have serious reservations about whether or not you could fit the circuitry in the small space alotted for the bulb assembly.
Now... I'm nobody to speak here about the difficulty of cramming a lot of circuitry in a small space, having done the near-impossible with the Aviatrix mods, but the level of circuitry required for what I did is fairly simplistic compared to what I think you'll need to pull off a CREE retrofit - I'm watching this mod with GREAT interest!
Wishing you luck!
Bawko
bombelman, what you are proposing is a VERY difficult mod, I hope you know that! The driver circuit for the incandescent bulb is not a straightforward voltage source, but a PWM regulated circuit that actually dynamically changes it's timing based on the current flow to the bulb, as the bulb heats up its resistance changes, causing the PWM circuit to react by decreasing the amount of power delivered to the bulb (shorter FET turnon pulses). To "trick this out" and make the PWM regulator still think it's looking at a bulb, and deliver enough power to run a CREE is possible... but I have serious reservations about whether or not you could fit the circuitry in the small space alotted for the bulb assembly.
Now... I'm nobody to speak here about the difficulty of cramming a lot of circuitry in a small space, having done the near-impossible with the Aviatrix mods, but the level of circuitry required for what I did is fairly simplistic compared to what I think you'll need to pull off a CREE retrofit - I'm watching this mod with GREAT interest!
Wishing you luck!
Bawko
js
Flashlight Enthusiast
What Bawko said.
There's a reason that the SF L2 is noticeably longer than the SF A2, even though both are 2 cell lights.
I don't think people realize how compact and efficient the Willie Hunt LVR3L PWM regulator (made especially for the A2) actually is. This is only possible because the thermal mass of the filament acts as a "fly wheel" so to speak, and smooths things out. In other words, no matter what the current/voltage is doing, the filament will continue to radiate as long as it is hot. So if the switching time is short compared to the thermal time constant of the filament, you won't notice all the crazy on/off stuff the voltage and current are doing.
As-is, the LVR regulator would probably fry any LED you tried to drive with it. milkyspit tried to use one of my M6-R packs to drive an LED and he fried it more or less instantly.
I'll second Bawko here: I won't say what you want is impossible, but I will say that it's going to be a real challenge unless you go for some kind of direct-drive solution but you actually CAN'T go for some kind of direct-drive solution, because . . .
. . . the regulator circuit must be able to SENSE when there is an extra ten ohm resistor in circuit, because there IS ONLY ONE CIRCUIT PATH, not two. So you have to pull the usual trick of the extra resistance knocking the regulator out of regulation, or turning it off due to insufficient voltage.
What's wrong with a SF L2, anyway? Actually, nevermind . . . I don't need to know. I'm sure you've already checked out the L2 and rejected it for some reason or other.
So, anyway, good luck!
There's a reason that the SF L2 is noticeably longer than the SF A2, even though both are 2 cell lights.
I don't think people realize how compact and efficient the Willie Hunt LVR3L PWM regulator (made especially for the A2) actually is. This is only possible because the thermal mass of the filament acts as a "fly wheel" so to speak, and smooths things out. In other words, no matter what the current/voltage is doing, the filament will continue to radiate as long as it is hot. So if the switching time is short compared to the thermal time constant of the filament, you won't notice all the crazy on/off stuff the voltage and current are doing.
As-is, the LVR regulator would probably fry any LED you tried to drive with it. milkyspit tried to use one of my M6-R packs to drive an LED and he fried it more or less instantly.
I'll second Bawko here: I won't say what you want is impossible, but I will say that it's going to be a real challenge unless you go for some kind of direct-drive solution but you actually CAN'T go for some kind of direct-drive solution, because . . .
. . . the regulator circuit must be able to SENSE when there is an extra ten ohm resistor in circuit, because there IS ONLY ONE CIRCUIT PATH, not two. So you have to pull the usual trick of the extra resistance knocking the regulator out of regulation, or turning it off due to insufficient voltage.
What's wrong with a SF L2, anyway? Actually, nevermind . . . I don't need to know. I'm sure you've already checked out the L2 and rejected it for some reason or other.
So, anyway, good luck!
Valpo Hawkeye said:
If this mod can actually be pulled off I don't think it's a waste. The Kroma doesn't carry as nicely as the A2 and the cree is going to be a 100% inprovement in output. I thinks it a neat concept if it works. This should be a fun thread to track.
I say sell A2 and buy Milky L1 or a used HDS, even I was able to swap to a SSC P4 on that.
