Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ... custom AW "C" LiIon battery sleeve posted ...

A forum member commissioned me for a custom light for him. We spent a couple of weeks going back and forth on options, configurations, battery combinations, what driver (if any) to use, benefits of DD vs. true regulation, etc.. What resulted from those discussions is the custom light shown here

- 1xD Copper Maglight (done by yours truly - https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/210301 )
- P7 Emiter (DSW0J for DD with 3 or 4 AA's, or 1xLiIon, or 1xEmoli)
- D2Flex ( http://www.taskled.com/d2flex.html )
- P7 "D" heatsink from Britelumens ( https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/198785 )
- UCL glass ( http://www.flashlightlens.com/str/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=prodshow&ref=ucl_lens )


This light started as a standard 2D Copper Mag, that was cut and re-threaded:











Here are the basic parts for the project:

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

For the great drivers from George (TaskLED) the switch needs to be converted from normal "clickie" to a momentary switch. Here is that process, as a mini DIY/Tutorial:







These teeth in both of those parts are the ones we need to "remove":



first on one piece:





then the other:









and this is how they look like after they are ready:



Then we cut the tower:







Then proceed with modifying one of the electrical contacts, specifically the one that faces the "+" battery contact:







Then we drill a hole to carry the "+" battery towards the driver/LED (since this terminal is now disconnected from the main switch):





I normally use Teflon covered wires of 30 ga, but for this I am using 24 ga since this will carry about 3Amps:



We need to make a path for the "+" wire:







Now we need to modify the internal part of the switch to carry the momentary contacts as needed by our driver:





Since this is just a logical input to the uC, I am again using the thinner 30 ga wire:









We then insert into the outer housing (re-assemble the switch springs/parts first!):





Then solder the upper switch contact (again with thin wire):





We now work on the negative (Bat "-") contact:





Note that the lower switch contact is tied to ground:









And here the switch is ready

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Note that the driver has only 5 connections:

Three are inputs:
1) Battery "+"
2) Battery "-" (or Ground)
3) Switch (Normally Open - Ground when closed)

and two are outputs:
4) LED "+"
5) LED "-"




Now, note that the switch's "+" contact is actually recessed, which could be a problem with some "flat" top batteries:





so I placed the completed switch on my lathe to trim the outside edge:







This now looks better



Here is how the switch looks back in the host:



I then tested the switch to make sure it is working properly:



so when I press the switch, I basically get a short to Ground, which is what I wanted. The 0.316 ohms reading is basically the resistance of the probes (about 0.22-25 Ohms), plus maybe another 100 miliOhms from the switch and the wires:



I then got the P7 emiter, cut its wings:



and using two-part Thermal Epoxy, got it aligned to the heatsink:

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Measure the wires going to the LED (using 24ga again). My goal is for the wires to allow the driver board to be fairly flush with the bottom of the heatsink:


Solder the "+" and "-" wires (note that these "holders" are a MUST since you need your hands to hold the solder and the soldering iron):





Now, before we solder the wires to the LED, we MUST verify the LED's polarity, or we risk damaging our already-epoxied $30 LED!. I use two depleted AA batteries (so there is almost no current left in them - impossible to damage most LED's this way), and then mark the polarity with a marker (only need to mark one, so I pick GND):





Now that I know which side of the LED is "+" and "-", I proceed to position the drive where I want it. I need to them trim the wires going to the LED, but being very careful to only remove a tiny bit of the insulation - I don't want 3Amps to short circuit the heatsink!:





I still have a tiny bit too much:



so I trim it again until the wires are flush with the LED's terminals. Then solder each wire:





and this is how it looks on the other side (which we will soon wire to the switch in the body):



I am now preparing some epoxy to give the driver a solid mechanical connection with the heatsink. I am basically trying to prevent the driver to move/vibrate/touch anything it shouldn't. Note that you could also find a thermal path between the heatsink and the main uC for the built-in temp control feature, but since this is just ONE P7 (instead of 3 or 4 P7's), I am not doing that this time:





OK, now that the epoxy is fairly cured, we wire the led/heatsink/driver module to the switch/body:







Now we apply some thermal compound to the heatsink, to aid in the heat transfer to the body (and eventually your hand):







To test it, I again like to use a lower power option than the full/actual batteries, so I am using this el-cheapo (low cost is more PC?) 3xAA battery carrier with 3x AA NiMH cells:



And guess what, after all that work, IT IS ALIVE !!!!!



I am now using one of my metal MOP reflectors (and eventually UCL glass as well):







and here against the wall, just 18-20 inches away:



The light is definitely very nice and bright, and of course has several dimming levels, but I am not even using fully charged cells, nor a good LiIon cell - this should be even brighter with the actual cells and a high quality battery carrier.

EDIT: This battery pack provided only 0.7Amps

Stay tuned, some beamshots coming ...


EDIT: Nov 14, 2008
The new owner sent me a premium 4xAA battery holder for this project:



but initial check found that the overall OD of the pack/batteries was a "tad" too wide:



so after protecting the LED and body, I proceeded to "fix" this problem in my lathe:









and now the pack fits:





this is how the inside looks like now:





The best thing is that with this pack, I am getting about 2.5 to 2.7 Amps with batteries that sat for a couple of days. I hope to be able to do some additional night beamshots to see how this little puppy functions with a more adequate battery pack!


Edit: Nov 19, 2008
Adding an 18650 battery sleeve

Once of the goals for the project is for this light to be flexible in its power sources. Besides the 4xAA battery holder that drives the P7 at max levels, I also wanted to drive the light with AW's protected 18650 LiIon cells. Of course, on a "D" body, I needed to prevent rattling and need a way to keep the "thin" 18650 cell aligned with the "+" and "-" contacts on the host.

I used Delrin for the outer sleeve:



bore to allow cell to fit without too much play:





trim to length:





this is how it looks like so far:



Now, I need a way to keep everything aligned, so I created an Al "plug" for the side facing the spring/tailcap:





And these are the parts ready for "assembly" - the plug is pressure fitted to the sleeve - nothing rattles













Since the 18650 cell is significantly longer than the 4xAA holder, I had to trim the tailcap spring so that both battery options would work properly (OEM spring on the left):



Here is a side-by-side shot of my new 18650 battery sleeve against FM's premium 4xAA holder:



Next thing to work on is the "C" battery sleeve


Edit: Nov 21, 2008
Finished the AW "C" LiIon custom battery sleeve.

Here are some battery/holders for comparison size-wise. From top: "C" cell, FM 4xAA holder, WQ's custom 18650 LiIon holder, FM's 4x14670 holder:



So I proceeded to manufacture the sleeve for the AW "C" LiIon cell:







Target size per AW's specifications calls for an ID of 25.5mm:



After I used the largest drill bit that I have, proceed to manually bore the sleeve.





Create nice edge for plug's insertion later on:



Trim to length:





and guess what - I got lucky this time:



Then proceed to make the plug:









For the inner part of the plug, create a smaller dia post to clear the protective sleeve of the cell - this makes sure we got a solid electrical contact, while spreading the force to prevent a puncture on the cell:



Finish the spring battery of the plug:





Assembly the AW "C" battery holder:





Here is a size comparison of the 3 battery holders (top: WQ's 18650 holder, WQ's AW "C" holder, FM's 4xAA holder)



and here is how it looks on its 1xD Copper host:



Well, thanks for hanging in there folks. This concludes this custom 1xD light. I hope you enjoyed this long photographic saga

Will

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Nov 11, 2008 Initial beamshots

FujiFilm Camera - Finepix S100FS, manual exposure (F2.8, 1 sec, 28mm [full wide])

Surefire M6, with HDM6 Regulated/Rechargeable LiIon pack, MN21 bulb (approx 600 lumens):



Custom 1xD, MOP reflector, UCL glass, single 18650 LiIon cell (not fully charged - current draw measured about 1.5Amps), D2Flex on MAX:



I still have to try full current battery solutions (close to 3A), but this gives an idea of the potential for this light.

More to come ...


EDIT: Nov 14, 2008
New beamshots, with a charged 4xAA battery pack (open load voltage of 5.29Volts).
FujiFilm Camera - Finepix S100FS, manual exposure (F2.8, 1 sec, 28mm [full wide])

First against my next door neighbor's house. Control shot - no flashlights:



Surefire M6, with HDM6 Regulated/Rechargeable LiIon pack, MN21 bulb (approx 600 lumens):



Custom 1xD, MOP reflector, UCL glass, single 18650 LiIon cell (about 2.7-3 amps using 4xAA) D2Flex on MAX:



Custom P7 light on the right, Surefire M6 on the left:



Now against the pavement.
Surefire M6, with HDM6 Regulated/Rechargeable LiIon pack, MN21 bulb (approx 600 lumens):



Custom 1xD, MOP reflector, UCL glass, single 18650 LiIon cell (about 2.7-3 amps using 4xAA) D2Flex on MAX:



Lastly, against some trees. First control shot - no lights:



Surefire M6, with HDM6 Regulated/Rechargeable LiIon pack, MN21 bulb (approx 600 lumens):



Custom 1xD, MOP reflector, UCL glass, single 18650 LiIon cell (about 2.7-3 amps using 4xAA) D2Flex on MAX:



Just for fun, a standard, Maglight 3D OEM LED light, just to give you an idea of how powerful the M6 and the 1xD P7 are:


Will

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Very nice detailed work.

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Nice clean work Will, great pics!

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

great pictures...
makes my fingers itch

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

them's lots of photos. :thumbsup:

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Great work Will!

I like the factory switch in most single cell cutdown Mags.

-Michael

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Excellent work!

Thanks for sharing.:twothumbs

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Looking at this tutorial makes me want to attempt my
own build :thinking:

Great stuff Will

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Keep up the good work, this tread should be placed on treads of interest, it's very detailed!

AlexGT

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Very clean build!

I wish I had a lathe, I'd definitely go broke, and loose my family, because I'd be out in the shop building lights!!

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ...

Nice work as always but whats up with the hacksaw Throw the switch in the lathe it's easy
Mac

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ... its ALIVE!

Awesome tutorial with superp photos...:twothumbs:twothumbs

Many thanks for the sharing of the great job.
Tanasit

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ... its ALIVE!

Impressive work, Will :thumbsup:

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ... its ALIVE!

Thanks to all for the nice comments - if this helps just ONE person do their own P7 mod, then all of the extra work of taking the pictures at every step was worth doing

Mac - awesome and simply idea. To be honest, I have been cutting those posts since day one with a hacksaw (way before I had a lathe) so it never occurred to me to do the "simple" way with my lathe - thanks much dude

Will

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ... its ALIVE!

definitely a nice thorough tutorial. did you shorten the stroke of the switch? i remember somebody mentioning shortening their's by adding something internally.
a half push is all that's necessary for the contact of the switch.

i was thinking of putting washers stacked up around the outside of the switch around the button to limit the travel. i haven't gotten around to do it yet.

Re: Custom 1xD P7 with D2Flex ... its ALIVE!

nice, detailed tutorial!

by the way, you can mark the polarity of the LED BEFORE cutting the legs off, no risk at all that way