modamag
Flashlight Enthusiast
Previous, I have shown you guys about the 30 minute $$$ 10 $$$ CR2-Ion XRE Upgrade.
Well this time I decided to step up the ante a little bit to a 3 hrs $$$ 20 $$$ XRE Upgrade
So here goes.
Step 1. Completely disassemble the light, first off by removing the retaining ring, pill, LE can, reflector etc. [5 minutes]
Step 2. Apply a small amount of solder to the center trace, with a needle nose plier you should be able to remove the exist Cree X-Lamp 7090. Fire up your oven & preheat to 300F. Apply a small amount of solder paste, align your new Cree XRE Q3 and drop them in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove it from the oven and let it cool. [15 minutes]
Step 3. Turn down any McR-XR reflector to size. 0.530" OD & 0.420" length (not including alignment ring). [30 minutes]
Step 4. Bore the LE insert to hold the reflector. [30 minutes]
a) 29/64 thru drill
b) Bore a shoulder 0.532" ID & 0.205" deep
Yeah I kapton mine. The OD was mirrored polished and chrome I didn't want to leave any marks there.
This is what you get after 2 hrs of prepping and machining. Worth it? Prolly not!
Step 5. Reinstall the head/oring/lens/reflector/LE [10 minutes]
Do not tighten down the head just yet. Just screw it in enough so the oring is barely compressed.
Using a small jewler's flathead screwdriver push the oring inward. Why the H@!! do I have to do this? Well because the oring is undersize, the ID should have been 1.5mm larger. So you're stretching it and hidding it when you poke it with the screwdriver.
Step 6. At this point insert the pill (converter/can) and reinstall the retaining ring. You should have a perfectly aligned phosphor layer (thanx McGizmo). [10 minutes]
Step 7. Finally tighten down the LE vs head. Make sure the retaining ring on the other end is not pushed out. The LE head is now ready for action. [5 minutes]
Step 8. Well install some batteries, Krytox lube the threads & orings and the the puppy rocks! :rock: [5 minutes]
So after three hours of work and $20 of parts (reflector/$13, XRE emitter/$7), the ION is back in commission and able to pump out just as much lumens as the next guys around the block.
Now sending the light back to the original owner
:ironic: it's so so hard. ... 
Can this be improved upon? Yes, but leave that to the final ION mod chapter. TBD at a later time and place :lolsign:
ENJOY EVERYONE! :buddies:
Well this time I decided to step up the ante a little bit to a 3 hrs $$$ 20 $$$ XRE Upgrade
So here goes.
Step 1. Completely disassemble the light, first off by removing the retaining ring, pill, LE can, reflector etc. [5 minutes]
Step 2. Apply a small amount of solder to the center trace, with a needle nose plier you should be able to remove the exist Cree X-Lamp 7090. Fire up your oven & preheat to 300F. Apply a small amount of solder paste, align your new Cree XRE Q3 and drop them in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove it from the oven and let it cool. [15 minutes]
Step 3. Turn down any McR-XR reflector to size. 0.530" OD & 0.420" length (not including alignment ring). [30 minutes]
Step 4. Bore the LE insert to hold the reflector. [30 minutes]
a) 29/64 thru drill
b) Bore a shoulder 0.532" ID & 0.205" deep
Yeah I kapton mine. The OD was mirrored polished and chrome I didn't want to leave any marks there.
This is what you get after 2 hrs of prepping and machining. Worth it? Prolly not!
Step 5. Reinstall the head/oring/lens/reflector/LE [10 minutes]
Do not tighten down the head just yet. Just screw it in enough so the oring is barely compressed.
Using a small jewler's flathead screwdriver push the oring inward. Why the H@!! do I have to do this? Well because the oring is undersize, the ID should have been 1.5mm larger. So you're stretching it and hidding it when you poke it with the screwdriver.
Step 6. At this point insert the pill (converter/can) and reinstall the retaining ring. You should have a perfectly aligned phosphor layer (thanx McGizmo). [10 minutes]
Step 7. Finally tighten down the LE vs head. Make sure the retaining ring on the other end is not pushed out. The LE head is now ready for action. [5 minutes]
Step 8. Well install some batteries, Krytox lube the threads & orings and the the puppy rocks! :rock: [5 minutes]
So after three hours of work and $20 of parts (reflector/$13, XRE emitter/$7), the ION is back in commission and able to pump out just as much lumens as the next guys around the block.
Now sending the light back to the original owner
:ironic: it's so so hard. ... Can this be improved upon? Yes, but leave that to the final ION mod chapter. TBD at a later time and place
:lolsign: ENJOY EVERYONE! :buddies:
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