SureFire M1 Dissected

I've been turning the SureFire M1 into a Project-M light dubbed the M90-M1 Illuminator, for a while now. Someone pointed out that it might be of interest to snap a photo of the disassembled light in that few folks have ever seen the guts. Here it is!





Some quick notes... the window is polycarbonate and press-fit tightly against an O-ring... the little black dot is an IR filter... the circuit board is a resistored IR LED with a spring on the underside... the items from circuit board (left) to IR filter and O-ring (right) all fit inside the body shown above the parts... threading on the tail end is SureFire C Series compatible, and threading on the head end is incompatible with any part that I've ever encountered... seems to be specific to this light, which actually does make some sense given the light was probably designed to be robust, self-contained, and permanently sealed.

Note there's an O-ring seal between body and head that ensures weatherproofness.

Very neat - thanks for sharing :rock:

Will

I'm the "someone" who requested these pics. Thanks Scott! Very interesting, indeed. So the head is screwed on! And you're one of the first to UN-screw it!

Looks good. Thanks for showing us. They say ya learn somethin' every day.

an IR led only?

man... i was thinking of something way better.

Not surprising they use a puny 5mm LED. Probably comparable to what they use in remote controls. I tried one (bought at over $100 a year ago ) and was very disappointed. I ended up rolling a few of my own including this:

and this:


Both pumping out 44x what the M1 can put out using an Osram LED driven 1A constant current :nana: Yeah, the Osram emits a very very faint red glow but at well over 100 yards away (the range of this thing) the thing is invisible to the unaided eye.

The biasing circuit (resistor) is also no surprise since the M1 is extremely long in the tooth.

Now, show us what you can do with this dinosaur Milky.

I'm trying to figure out is a A19 reflector would fit in that head. Any measurements on the inner bore?

trivergata said:

I'm trying to figure out is a A19 reflector would fit in that head. Any measurements on the inner bore?

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No measurements at present of the head's inner bore, but I can tell you that I've slid a McR-19 reflector into the head and it seemed to fit nicely, though the bulkhead at the head end did obscure a fair amount of the wide end of the reflector.

CM said:

Not surprising they use a puny 5mm LED. Probably comparable to what they use in remote controls. I tried one (bought at over $100 a year ago ) and was very disappointed. I ended up rolling a few of my own including this:

and this:

Both pumping out 44x what the M1 can put out using an Osram LED driven 1A constant current :nana: Yeah, the Osram emits a very very faint red glow but at well over 100 yards away (the range of this thing) the thing is invisible to the unaided eye.

The biasing circuit (resistor) is also no surprise since the M1 is extremely long in the tooth.

Now, show us what you can do with this dinosaur Milky.

Click to expand...

CM, given that my night vision at present is my own two eyes, I don't know squat about what these toys can or can't do! On the other hand, I can walk from my house to the quarry in the dead of night, often with no lighting at all. :nana:


What can I do with this dinosaur? Plenty... uh, I think! Here's the standard photo collage plus a new one, for starters... eventually I'll probably break the mod part of the M1 into its own thread...

Initial Builds...







Yesterday's Builds...



Woohoo!

Thanks, milky - I'm going to have fun with this guy. Am I the only one interested in this one becasue of the ultra-cool look?

I doubt it..............

Josh

milkyspit said:

CM, given that my night vision at present is my own two eyes, I don't know squat about what these toys can or can't do! On the other hand, I can walk from my house to the quarry in the dead of night, often with no lighting at all. :nana:


What can I do with this dinosaur? Plenty... uh, I think! Here's the standard photo collage plus a new one, for starters... eventually I'll probably break the mod part of the M1 into its own thread...

Initial Builds...


Woohoo!

Click to expand...

Very cool...Are you planning on making a Cree based light?

very nice!

so how did you separate head without damage?

cy said:

very nice!

so how did you separate head without damage?

Click to expand...

He heats it to 750 degrees and twists it off.

Really? 750? Is that the magic number?

Guess I'll be getting into the furnace in the lab...............I love working for a university..............

If that was a joke, let me know before I have a puddle of molten surefire............seems the front lense wouldn't hold up to that, not to mention the electronics...............

Josh

Well, Dad's actually not kidding... but it's not quite that simple, and a bit of it is a Milky trade secret.

Some things to watch for...

The polycarbonate lens WILL melt if exposed to that sort of temps!

The body WON'T FREE if NOT exposed to that sort of temps!

The O-rings may or may not melt, but you'll probably need them for grip anyway.

Even at 750 degrees... or at least WAY hot enough to cause instant second or third degree burns, and to make wood smoke and possibly burst into flame (no kidding!), a piece of rubber won't help budge the thing, and in fact will probably start to melt as soon as it touches the head. Same with a silicone pad (won't melt but will probably rip into pieces). Oven mitt is too slippery, towel is too slippery...

Believe me, it's NOT easy! oo:

CM said:

Very cool...Are you planning on making a Cree based light?

Click to expand...

I want to say yes, but don't have any Cree emitters yet! Though I'm told there are a few inbound.

Anyone who wants to supply a nice Cree or two in the interest of science (as well as their own build)... well, please do!

I kinda figured it was a bit more than heat and go - doing a selective heat process, are we?

I figure a good boiling should get it working - worked on a KL1 and E1E, among others. Not anywhere near 750, but then again, it works, so.................I used leather and Vice grips to twist the KL1, but the E1E I just picked it up and twisted away after about 5 minutes on a really high boil..............wearing welding gloves, of course.

Josh

snap!


...well similar I managed to get my newly aquired M1(thanks Benighted :thumbsup: ) to pieces more easily than I thought. 10 minutes suspended in gently boiling water and it twisted of (with rubber for grip). Now I have to just wait for the rest of my supplies(seoul/driver/lens) to try and make something like Milky's creation.

any idea what I can clean the threads at the head/body off with? I guess its some kind of loctite/threadlock, but I don't wan't to wear the threads or coating off with a wire brush.

thanks, Ian

ian, it appears that yours has a delrin guarded tailcap. Haven't seen that version yet. The one in Milky's post has a metal clicky tailcap. Is yours a newer version?

I'd love a cree mod to one of my M1s! This is a great thread to see the "innerds" of the M1.

I'd love to have Milky for a neighbor!

arewethereyetdad said:

ian, it appears that yours has a delrin guarded tailcap. Haven't seen that version yet. The one in Milky's post has a metal clicky tailcap. Is yours a newer version?

Click to expand...

Looks a bit like the ones Nekomane makes, no ?

Awesome light btw !! Still for sale anywhere ?