Surefire 8X/8AX/8AN to CREE LED?

Can a surefire x80 lamp from the surefire 8 series lights be "converted" to a CREE LED and still use the Surefire rechargable B90 batteries? What would the burn time be (the X80 lamp goes approx 50 mins)


I am a Police Officer and I have been carrying a Surefire 8X rechargable light for about ten years now.....I love the light, but it seems my little Fenix P2D puts out more light......I would like to keep using my 8X - I just want to make it a LOT brighter and whiter!!!

Does anyone know of a CREE bulb that will drop in the Surefire 8 series flashlights? Maybe someone who can mod the lamp to a good LED? The X80 lamp is a different size than the P60 lamp....

Thanks,

Hunduh

Oh I wish it had been that simple. If a P60 bulb will fit in a 8X then you can do it with a Cree Drop-in
But in my 8AX I made my own Seoul based LED module have a look here
The total cost ran about $60 not including a broken X80 I stole the spring from.

as nein's example shows, there is way enough space inside the head to put whatever in
(I have made it another way by using a large sink pressing in from the rear part of the head).
Problem is to somehow include on the 2 contact springs (instead of the more easy body-as-negative used at other lights).

So far there are no aftermarket drop-ins I am aware of.

Runtime might be about 3.5 hours
(three cells = (almost) no losses = current from batt = current to led = roughly 3.5 hours with a 4000 mAh Batt stick)

Wow - this is waaaay to complicated for me....I dont speak electronics....If you need a carburator rebuilt or something shot up, I can help.......Let me try a different approach to this....what would it cost me to have someone make up an LED to replace my X80 reflector? What do I tell this person to make for me...Cree, XRE...Lux III, IMS20?? I have no idea what the difference is...All I know is that I want a much brighter and whiter 8X


Hunduh

Hunduh I'll break down the parts and costs for you.

Bought parts:
Seoul Semiconductor P4 ~$10 PhotonFanatic
Arctic Alumina Epoxy ~$6.75 PhotonFanatic
IMS 27mm Reflector $5 PhotonFanatic
-or-
McR27 Reflector $20 Sandwich Shoppe
GD750 driver $21.75 Sandwich Shoppe


Other parts:
Used X80 for the spring
3/4" OD Brass pipe ~3/8" long
Flat copper plate
Wire

The SSC P4 led is like the Cree XR-E in output but has a different dome and works with different reflectors. A Cree wouldn't work with any reflector I found that fits in the 8X.
Also if you have the stock B90 NiCd stick you'll only get around 1800 mAh and I'd guess 1 1/2 hours runtime. My batteries are an upgraded NiMH that the 8X charger can't handle. If the charger blinks green when the B90 is left on after the steady green its ok to charge a NiMH stick.

Battery upgrade:
Sub-C batteries $3.60 each = $10.80 Amondotech
Old B90 to disassemble for parts

From $55-75 in ordered parts depending on the reflector, plus ~$10 shipping. Then whatever the labor is and your probably looking at $125 for the upgrade.

P.S. - Don't post the same thing in different threads its not nessecary, keep it in one thread, it might be against the rules (see #7).

i see a chance that You could easily mod one of the inserts
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4296 to fit into
(but without having one here, I cant make any measurements).

The outer spring has to be bent smaller (no problem) and, if the body is too wide, possibly the hole inside the 8X head might have to be widened.

(there surely are also "just on/off" inserts available)

PS: I have just taken some data from an 8X LA and am pretty sure such an insert will need making the hole inside the 8X head bigger, but except from that its possible.
If there is still enough material present to press against that angeled part of both Light Assemblys (which I am pretty sure now), that mod is easily done + removable.

I didn't want to drill my head but yes that is the cheap and dirty way.
It will press against the glass but move side to side. IIRC the X80 is 32mm diameter and rests inside the head off the glass. The 27mm reflector sits on the glass but cant shift.

An on/off would be better.

Mine is removable too

sorry, maybe I was not specific enough? :thinking:

Sure this mod is removable and sure the reflector is centered and fixed, no wobbling at all,
thats the "joke" with making the hole inside the head a bit wider, so that the bigger body of the insert just fits in.
The original LA still has its seat at the head, as well as the insert
(thats what I mean with the "angeled" part (maybe "cylindrical" is better?))

but its right, the insert might have to be pressed in by the glass (or, even more realistic, the modder has to make himself a round "ring" extension from some sheet material. To cover the shorter lenght of the insert. Might be positive because then the ring wont push against the glass but against the bezel interior, like the original LA)

Still an easy mod imho

Yeah I understood you fine :naughty:

yellow said:

sorry, maybe I was not specific enough? :thinking:

Click to expand...

wouldnt it be easier and a better fit to just fir an LED into the original X80 reflector/lamp housing? It would be a matter of opening up the hole in the center of the reflector to fit the LED. If you can fit an LED to the factory X80 reflector, then it wouldnt move around at all.....it would be held in place like the original......Is this mod really worth it? Will it produce more light, or just whiter light? Am I better off just buying a newer or better flashlight?




Hunduh

hunduh said:

wouldnt it be easier and a better fit to just fir an LED into the original X80 reflector/lamp housing? It would be a matter of opening up the hole in the center of the reflector to fit the LED. If you can fit an LED to the factory X80 reflector, then it wouldnt move around at all.....it would be held in place like the original......Is this mod really worth it? Will it produce more light, or just whiter light? Am I better off just buying a newer or better flashlight?




Hunduh

Click to expand...

Well yes it might be better to get a new light that will meet your needs.
Wolf Eyes lights seem to get good reviews and are a similar size.
Not sure if they are a rechargable package.
You already got your money out of the 8X over 10 years.
The question is are you really attached to it or not?

I don't believe the X80 reflector will put out a decent beam from a LED its made for a incandescent bulb with a side emitting filament. I know it doesn't work well with a Lux III.
If you don't mind my asking how many of those X80 have you gone thru approximately?

The problem here seems to be that I am attached to my 8x.....I have no problem laying out another 100-200 bucks for a light that will possibly save my life one day. I just like my 8X.....in 10 years, it hasnt let me down. I keep a spare B90 in my gear bag in case in dies in the middle of a tour.


As for the x80 Lamp......what if I told you that its the original lamp that came in the flashlight? I bought 2 spare x80's that are still in the sealed plastic. Well, I think I am going to have to open one now....LOL


Last night I disassembled an X80 lamp. I broke the pressurized gas "bulb" trying to get it out. I wanted to see if I could modify and use the x80 reflector with a CREE LED p60 drop in that I bought on Ebay...... I think it will work.......The reflector screws right off the Cree drop in, leaving me with an (aluminum?) threaded base that I am going to have to mate to the x80 reflector. As for the x80 reflector, I am going to have to shorten it a bit and open up the hole to fit the dome LED through......I will use some kind of epoxy to hold the base and the reflector together....The reason that I want to stick with the x80 refllector is that it has a lip around the top that locks it in place in the flashlight, so it will not float or move around in any way.


One question......can someone help me ID the actual LED?? The actual LED plastic? dome is .190 across and mounted in a metal rim that is .268 across.....The LED is mounted to a green and silver board that is rectangular in shape and measures .364 on the long sides and .275 on the short sides....That board seems to be mounted on a bigger board that is black in color and has a round notch taken off on each side. The actual LED dome is clear, but it is yellow inside, and produces a very clean, white light. ALso, on the black board, the + and - sides are maked in silver....

Hey you may have a winner here, is it this one?
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1343

The threaded LED module is .74" that should fit in the throat of the 8X head. I hadn't realized those modules came apart.
Be careful not to get finger prints in the reflector it can mess up the fragile reflective coating. I put a couple layers of masking tape over the end when cutting reflectors to size.
Best of luck

Thats not the exact one, but close....but looking around that website, I did find the exact one......what I have is a Cree XR-E P4 with 13mm base.....


Is this LED good start for what Im doing or should I start with a better or brighter LED? Also, I put a hairline scratch inside the reflector when I was forcing the old incand... bulb out.....will this make a big difference? I think I will build this lamp as is, and if it works out, Ill just do another reflector. Thanks for that website.......gives me other ideas...


I tried the Cree XR-E p4 with the b90 battery, and it lit up. Do you anticipate any other problems?

its a nice 1st mod, there should not be any problems
(except for the "usual" direct drive cons, that more experienced modders might notice - unstable output and such).

... but I thought You dont want to enter this heavier stage of modding
(because when You do, You do have to take care for the No 1 problem: bad heatsinking (and I wont give You my thought on the heatsinking of this mod)). This is rather difficult inside the 8X, therefore my example with the insert.

as for the reflector: it has been commonly noticed, with broader beam led, that any good reflector gives impressive results (no matter what kind of bulb it was originally made for) - if one can mod it for the led to be seated nicely
(= when looking into reflector, it should show the yellow glow powder all over).

BUT
thats not the case with Cree emitters
- these need much smaller and deeper reflectors to give good results
(this is a find I not only read in here, I leared this by doing)
Get a Seoul led instead.

(PS: I like the color of my Crees more than my Seouls', and would change the reflector because of this)

I have 2 8NX's that I would like to mod. With the "N" meaning Nitrolon (plastic/polymer) I guess heat will be even more of an issue. And the B90's are not that great? I spent a bunch of cash on these, it kind of bums me out...

GLOCKshooter said:

I have 2 8NX's that I would like to mod. With the "N" meaning Nitrolon (plastic/polymer) I guess heat will be even more of an issue. And the B90's are not that great? I spent a bunch of cash on these, it kind of bums me out...

Click to expand...

Well you can upgrade them to a longer running LED module. As for heatsinking the Nitrolon will let heat out just as well as aluminum. So if you drive the LED at lower milliamps there will be less heat to deal with. Surefire is developing a G2L so I say wait to see what they do to heatsink this kind of material.

I did make a G2 into a LED light running at 520ma it gets warm after 30 minutes alas I don't have instruments to gauge output over time and heat.
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=155611

Can anyone advise a few more websites like dealextreme.com?? I would like to see what other parts are out there for me to use.

Also, where can I get a seoul LED (if it is better) for my mod? How bright and white is the seoul LED versus the Cree XR-E p4? Im having trouble finding seoul LED's....do they go by another name?


Lastly, what is a good way to bond 2 pieces of aluminum together (the reflector and threded LED base/housing)?

nein166 said:

Hunduh I'll break down the parts and costs for you.

Bought parts:
Seoul Semiconductor P4 ~$10 PhotonFanatic
Arctic Alumina Epoxy ~$6.75 PhotonFanatic
IMS 27mm Reflector $5 PhotonFanatic
-or-
McR27 Reflector $20 Sandwich Shoppe
GD750 driver $21.75 Sandwich Shoppe

Click to expand...

PhotonFanatic has it all! Check out the links next to my listed items
The Seoul and the Arctic Alumina Epoxy.
You could use any epoxy to join aluminum though AAE is made to transfer heat. Thats why we use it to bond emitters to heatsinks.

Seoul P4 "U"-bin on star:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1445

(but be careful: at Cree XR-E the P4 is an indicator of brightness, at Seoul P4 is a model description (like XR-E with Cree) and the bin is the brightness (U being the brightest offered at dealextreme))

I use normal 2-component Epoxy for everything (UHU Plus), except if its 2 flat aluminium pieces with enough space to use screws (then some thermal paste in between + press together + screws)