what current is your modded Arc?

[bhds]

Another link.

Q3J 1W vs. TWAK Lux III

 

[cgpeanut]

yes! TWOJ much better!

 

[Billson]

I think the more important factor to consider here is the vf. If the vf is too high, it will not run in regulation for very long. I have a TWOK LS and I can't notice it when it drops out of regulation but my TWOH very noticeably goes very dim when dropping out of regulation. I will always choose lower vf against tint.

 

[Robocop]

I am fairly certain LitFuse said he would be using a TXOJ in this mod for me.That is a better vf I believe as it will allow a little more runtime.I have many spare 123 cells in my duty bag and also have room for a few on my person when on duty.I do not feel that a runtime issue will be a problem for me.I carried this light modded with a Q3J for a long time on duty and it did exactly what it was purchased for.I never used it for longer than a few seconds at a time and once or twice to approach a car on a stop.I always used my main light(Commander)however their were a few times when it had no charge due to my negligence of not charging it.This modded light always worked when I needed it and it is a good back up light.I would be satisfied if I could get 40 minutes of good light as even that would last me for a long time with such limited use.The biggest thing for me is that I have became spoiled over this tint issue.I was just fine until I saw this light compared directly with a Dorcy and also my factory ARC LSHP.The tint was so white it actually made my Q3J look yellow and more dim.Ever since then I have favored more white tinted beams and I also just always wanted a reflector...so I figured what the heck I might as well replace the emitter at the same time.I am happy to see that I have seen no bad beamshots of 3 watters in this thread.All of them looked nice and white and that is what I am seeking in this ARC mod.I know it must be my mind playing tricks on me as this Q3J was just fine for a long time.By itself it looks blazing white and then compared to almost all of my other luxeons it looks creamy and hazy yellow.It is brighter than many of these however doing the bounce test off of the ceiling so it must be just my eye thinking it is not as bright...very weird how these luxeons will trick your mind as far as tint.

 

[ufokillerz]

working on modding my arc4, its quite hard

 

[jtice]

[ QUOTE ]
LitFuse said:
It depends on how you're going to use your light. 667mA is fine for intermittent use, not so good for continuous use if battery life is a primary consideration. 500mA is a conservative overdrive that balances good brightness with good runtime. I've been doing quite a few lately at 611mA too, which is a bit brighter, but keeps the heat down a bit and should last a little longer per battery.

I don't know about the various runtimes, but you should get at least an hour per cell at 667mA.

For 667mA, you need two .15 resistors, for 500mA- a single .10

Check out the resistor calculator at the shoppe.

Peter

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you may have worded that alittle wrong,

To make a stock Arc LS board do 667mA, you ADD ONE 0.15 Ohm resistor.
To make it 500, you ADD ONE 0.1 Ohm Resistor.

There are 2 places for resistors on an LS board, only one is used, stock.

-John

 

[LitFuse]

Thanks John, post edited.

Peter

 

[markdi]

I noticed the extra set of pads for adding another resistor in parallel.
so I do not remove and replace I just add another resistor
on the 2nd set of pads.

 

[LitFuse]

You can do either. Remove and replace, or add a second R in parallel. For .5A you'd remove the .15 R and put in a .10 instead.

Peter

 

[markdi]

I understand

I was still waking up last time I posted.

 

[W4DIZ]

So,If I remove the r.12 that sits next to the r15,It would go back to stock current?

 

[cgpeanut]

W$dIZ,

Yes, if you remove r12 and leave r15 you will have 333mA which is the stock current.

 

[CalgaryGuy]

Found out how to remove the guts on of the LS on another thread. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Robocop]

OK I have my thermal epoxy now and a spare Q3J emitter for my spare ARC LS board.I went today to the only electrical place nearby(radio shack)to try and find a resistor to place on the board to increase current.The problem is that the only resistors here did not look anything like the ones on the board now.They are cylinder shape with a long lead wire on each end.The r15 on the ARC board is flat and very small.
Are these resistors on the Arc board some type of special make?The only thing I have here to salvage one from is a Dorcy AAA board and this is a 1 ohm resistor and according to the calculator will only have an increase to 383mA.
Any ideas of where I can get what I need locally?...I think I can get a resistor from the Dorcy AA board but I cant remember what size these are.I think they are the same as the AAA board.

 

[LitFuse]

Noel, you can get the resistors from the Shoppe. If you know what value you need, I can drop one in the mail to you.

Peter

 

[Robocop]

Hello Peter and thanks for the help as always....By the way I am still so excited about this 3 watt masterpiece you created for me.It is incredible and has better color and identical throw of my Pelican M6..incredible.
I think it is simply an r15 as I now think this will make the 667 mA figure I am looking for.I am about to try it with a factory setting and this Q3J just to see how well it works.I will be happy to just get it all put back together and I am also using the old optic and lens from my light you modded for me.If all goes well I will have a nice little spare ARC to play with....Thanks for the offer Peter however you have really done so much for me already.I will probably order some from the Shoppe and just get some other stuff while I am at it.I was also considering actually getting some 1 watt emitters in Cyan or even blue.I have toyed with the idea of making this light a 1 watt in a colored emitter...regardless I am having some great fun just playing around with it.

 

[Gransee]

Robocop, the small resistors are SMD (service mount device). They are available in all the standard resistance values. They are used in situations where space it as a premium and the resistor does not need to dissipate a lot of power. They are usually installed using special tools. You can buy them at Frys Electronics, circuit specs, digikey, mouser, etc.

Peter

 

[Connor]

Just a little correction:

SMD means "Surface Mounted Device". :-)

-Connor

 

[DaveT]

Hey cgpeanut, a bit off-topic question - your silver-bodied Arc from your photo - is that plain bare aluminum, or did you have it coated/anodized? What do folks recommend if you want to get away from standard natural HAIII color? (I'm beginning to favor the silver look).

 

[Robocop]

Thanks for all the help in this thread guys and hello Mr Gransee...man I have sure got my moneys worth out of these lights....great investment for me.
I have now safely opened my other spare Arc and will say that it was much harder to get into than the first one.I have found that if you try to actually tighten the lock ring it will sometimes move that way and then you can move it back and forth to further loosen it.
I am now looking for a resistor locally and I have torn up every old video game controller trying to find one to salvage.It seems that Gransee is correct cause where space is not an issue the big old resistors are used and I can find none that look like these SMD resistors.
I did replace the crushed emitter with the Q3J and I also replaced the lens and optic.It is now a Q3J with Fraen and factory current level.It is nice however a little yellow but still very good.I also replaced the other optic and scratched lens and I now have several working Arc Ls lights that look new....I have surely enjoyed this thread and these lights....Anyone think of maybe something that may have some of those SMD resistors inside to salvage??I have looked at the Dorcy AA board and it is also 1-OHM so not even worth using.I will keep looking or just get some later but for now all is working fine with these lights.