Going to mod my Tikka XP and MYO XP

Getting two SSC stars from PhotonFanatic. Gonna screw up two nice headlamps! Do I need to use thermal paste? If so, aluminum or silver? Any help would be appreciated!

Keep us posted on the upgrade. My Tikka XP is pretty sad compared to my Rayovac Sportmans Extreme that cost one third the XP.

I have the ROV headlamp also. If it had a Seoul or Cree it would be even better! I will keep everyone posted. Should be an easy upgrade according to the posts on the forum. we'll see!!

whippoorwill said:

Getting two SSC stars from PhotonFanatic. Gonna screw up two nice headlamps! Do I need to use thermal paste? If so, aluminum or silver? Any help would be appreciated!

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Can't help you with the Myo XP, but I modded my Tikka XP just a while ago. It really is very easy, just be sure not to get the positive and negative wires mixed up after you unsolder the stock led. For instructions, see post #14 of this thread.

Thermal paste... Yes, I think you will need it. Don't know about the type, my local store only had one kind, so that's what I got and it works. Anyway, Tikka XP (probably Myo too) apparently has temperature protection. It probably doesn't need it in the normal modes, but it will cut off the boost when the LED gets too hot. So there's a heat sensor under the star, which you'll probably want to "paste" to the bottom of the SSC star so that it will work properly.

Fred(Photon Fanatic) recommended Ceramique for the heat paste. Anyone ever used that?

The original Tikka Xp star has a good helping of thermal past already on it. Just scrape it off and reuse it.
Here is a pic of the back of the orginal star. I wiped off half the thermal paste and their is plenty left.


And here is the new P4 in place:

Over in the bottom left corner is the spot for the catalyst pellet. It will fall out. Try not to lose it.

Finished my mod on the Tikka XP. It really is a 5 minute mod if you know what you are doing. I didn't so it took me a little longer. Will report on the results when it gets dark! But the light came on when I pushed the button! YEAH!!!!!

All functions seem to remain so I consider my first mod a success!!!

Ok, here's the scoop. Medium with the SSC looks like high on the stock, but the boost has some major throw. Ran the light on high for about 20 minutes and no major buildup of heat.

This is a worthwhile easy mod for this headlamp.

whippoorwill said:

This is a worthwhile easy mod for this headlamp.

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It sure is, I'm very happy with mine. Did you notice that without the diffuser, the beam is now round instead of square? And has some spill, too! Before the mod, I always used mine with the diffuser on, but now I like it both ways.

That is one edge Petzl has over the competition. The diffuser lens. I love having throw and flood in one package.

I tested mine Saturday night and I am here to tell you, this is one serious headlamp. I have not compared it to my PT Apex, but I can almost guarantee it will match it.

In the boost mode, it is really amazing!

You know I used to look down on the Petzl lamp because it wasn't regulated. But if you think about it, that is the ideal for a headlamp. It just doesn't shut down on you suddenly and leave you in the middle of nowhere without a light. You have the ability to change out the batteries before it goes. Assuming of course that you had enough sense to bring extras!

Great info on this thread! I also have a Tikka XP that I'm thinking about trying to mod, which would be my first.

I'm wondering about a couple of things...one, how do I know what kind of emitter will be compatible with the Tikka XP? I see the new Cree Q5's are out there...can one of those be put in? Is there an ideal emitter and star for this specific headlamp?

Also, I've noticed that Lithium rechargeables are warned against being used on the Petzl website. Would putting a new emitter make it more tolerant of the Lithiums, or is it the circuitry I should be worried about?

Hopefully these are valid questions, and haven't already been covered...I'm brand new to this!

Personally, I think either the SSC or the cree would work. Supposedly the SSC works better with reflectors, but the Tikka XP has a lens , so I think it would work with either one. I think that the issue with the Tikka XP and lithiums would be wth the circuitry.

I have done exactly one mod in my life, so take all this with a grain of salt!:shrug:

What is the reason for SSCs working better with reflectors? Is there a difference in the optics of the SSC and the Cree?

In my very limited mod experience (Tikka XP https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/154135 & LongBow Micra https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/168096&page=2) the SSC P4 is an easier fit because it is nearly identical in size, shape, etc. to the Lux emitters currently sitting in most of your existing older lights. The whole head of your light is designed to feed power to and position the LED correctly within the reflector or in relation to the optic being used. Replacing it with a brighter LED that has the same form factor is, I think, the quickest and easiest bang for the buck, especially when you're like me, and uncertain of all the details, equations, and specifications that actually went into the making of the original light.

Go to the LED manufacturer's websites and find the PDF spec sheets to see the dimensions firsthand (I think I got the right ones):

CREE http://www.cree.com, or here:http://www.cree.com/products/pdf/XLamp7090XR-E.pdf

LUMILEDS http://www.lumileds.com, or here:http://www.lumileds.com/pdfs/DS25.pdf

SEOUL http://seoulsemicon.co.kr, or here:http://www.seoulsemicon.co.kr/_homepage/home_kor/product/spec/X42180.pdf

To help toward answering two previous questions:

Thermal Pastes: as CaveDave said, you can reuse the ample paste from off the backside of the original star, or do like I did and use a bit of Silver 5 I had left over from a PC repair. I think the paste is only being used to transmit heat to the sensor (that little resistor looking thing behind the star attached to the two long silver wires) that Petzel uses on their lights to shut them off and protect them from overheating when used in boost mode. The three Arctic thermal pastes each have different properties for specific applications, but for the purposes of this modification I don't think it really matters … just don't slip up and get the epoxy unless you want your mod to be enshrined for all eternity!

SSC & Reflectors: until fairly recently most of our high powered lights have come with some sort of Lumileds (Lux) LED. The pattern of light distribution from the phosphor source, as well as its position within the well of the reflector or in relation to the optic, determines the characteristics of the beam shape, angle, hotspot, flood, transition, etc., that you see out the front end of your flashlight. I think that Cree LEDs work different in these respects and perhaps need the supporting hardware to be laid out different to match, while Lux and SSC are close enough to be quite compatible. There is enough difference between even the Lux and SSC emitters for manufacturers such as McGizmo to offer slightly different reflectors (ex. McR18 for Lux vs. McR18S for SSC), but if you're less than a perfectionist you can probably make do with either.

In the specific case of the Tikka XP (don't have the MYO) the original LED came on a star and the Seoul (SSC) comes on a star. The solder points, heat disbursement, front and rear holders that position the star/LED assembly, etc. were all designed around this specific size and shape device. Perhaps someone more innovative might take the time to fiddle a CREE into place and make it work, but I suspect the difference in effort is something akin to removing a splinter vs. performing surgery, and all for a negligible difference in output (see chart http://img529.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fluxvfig5.jpg for U bin SSC vs Q5 bin Cree)

There may be smaller, brighter LEDs out there, but for my time, effort, and knowledge level, going with the SSC just works out better. Take the easy road and feel good about your first mod … and feel free to correct any mistakes in my understanding of these subjects.

Be aware that with the Myo XP, the Seoul P4 LED has a thinner backing than the Luxeon. This is an issue because there are 4 plastic posts that position an aluminum heat sink againast the back of the star. This aluminum HS piece will not sit against the back of the star unless you push it down "past" the tiny built-in step on the post. You might have to widen the holes a tiny bit or thin the bottom of the post past the step (or just remove them as the HS paste should hold the lightweight aluminum hs pretty good). At least that's how my Myo XP was. I didn't use the original heat sink though and changed the battery power setup.

whippoorwill said:

......You have the ability to change out the batteries before it goes.......

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The Apex blinks / flashes as a warning of low battery. Switching to low then gives you hours of time.

Thanks for the good info, tnukels! I especially appreciate your thoughts on being the simplest, best choice and not just because it's the brightest.

Cave Dave: Do you know what the "catalyst pellet" does, and how it learned to move so fast?

Whippoorwill: Which "Heart of Dixie", there seem to be so many …

I'm thinking my old Petzl Tikka + needs some tender loving care about now. Any ideas on which Nichia 5mm LED would work best while retaining the functions? The Jupiters are a much as a dang SSC or LuxIII … gotta' be good for that kinda' money, eh?