AAAAhh Nooooo! Guy sent me a star instead of an emitter! Am I hosed?

KDOG3

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Aug 4, 2004
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I orderd a UX0K emitter from PhotonFanatic but got the star instead. I bought it to put in my G&P 3W drop in. Its kinda too big, looks like I would have to file the sides down a bit. I don't mind it being a star, as long as it will work. I thought I saw a guy here show how he put a star in one of these BOG drop ins.

It does look like the base will help with heatsinking a bit as well. Luckily I have some of the 2-part Arctic thermal adhesive left.

Can they emitter be taken off the star? Or is it best not to try?

Also, there are multiple positive and negative markings on the star. Does that mean that these are points that I can attatch the positive and negative wires to besides the leads that come off the emitter?

HELP!
 

greenLED

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KDOG3 said:
Can they emitter be taken off the star?
Easy. Get some solder wick and remove as much solder as you can. Then heat the remaining solder and, using a toothpick, lift one of the Lux's legs until it's free from the star base. Repeat with the other side. Grab the star from two opposit sides with 2 plyers and bend the star outwards. The Lux will fly (literally) out (it's good to have a soft rag in front of you to catch it). You'll need to polish the Lux's slug. Make note of which tabs are (+) and (-) before you take the Lux off the star.

I just remembered, look for AuroraLite's dummy guide to minimag modding - he's got a tutorial (with pics) on how to do this.
 

KDOG3

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Hmmm, how do you polish the slug? I'm a little leery of take pliers and bending the star like that.

Does anyone know if this will produce more heat than the stock SYxx bin emitter? If so, would it be better to put it in a aluminum light like a 6P? Would it work in a 9P with the 3 primaries? And would it be brighter or just the longer runtime? Sorry for asking these questions again, but I kinda need to know....
 

nikon

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Another time, another place.
KDOG3 said:
Hmmm, how do you polish the slug? I'm a little leery of take pliers and bending the star like that

The reason for polishing the back of the slug is to remove any old epoxy. I rub mine gently for a few strokes on a diamond knife sharpener. You don't want to remove any metal, just the epoxy.

Follow greenLED's directions. I removed a bunch of emitters this weekend with no problem. You really don't have to bend it very much before the emitter falls off. Here's a pic of how to hold the star...


45d9e957.jpg
 

greenLED

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I polish the slug with the finest sandpaper I have.

Nikon, :kewlpics:

KDOG, just make sure you don't clamp on the Lux's tabs when grabbing the star like that. I've never done that, of course... :whistle:
 

KDOG3

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Can my luck get any worse? I took off the old emitter from the base of the BOG 3W and one of the wires (the negative) slipped back down in the heatsink. What do I do now?
 

Illum

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Apr 29, 2006
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Hey, the guy sent you a free mount and heatsink for an emitter's cost, you should feel thankful that he was thinking ahead...

Now only if you can convince him that your not the typical modder...
 
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