S&W FL7 Pictures of Rechargeable 1W LS Mod

Joel

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 13, 2002
Messages
145
Location
Valley Village, CA
My very first Mod! A big thanks to all who contribute to this forum, I've learned a lot in the last couple of months. Also a big thanks to Wayne Johnson of Elektolumens for making all the neat Mod parts available on his web site for all us neophytes to experiment with! The Smith and Wesson FL7 rechargeable was available at my local sporting goods store for the closeout price of $39.95 US. What Flashaholic could pass that up? It uses 3- Sub C Ni-MH batteries with an output of 4.5 volts. Using 30mm optics and a 1 watt 1 ohm resistor the FL7 became the perfect host for a 1 watt LS.
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I don't have any fancy tools so I used epoxy to glue the 30mm optics to the FL7 front bezel. Inside the bezel is a rubber washer, which can be removed and fits perfectly over the optics and makes the perfect "bump guard."

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There is just enough room for the resistor. I used three 1" diameter metal washers for the heat sink. I used Arctic Silver Thermal Adhesive to bond everything together. The three washers raise the LS to just the right height and the optics make perfect contact with the emitter when the bezel is screwed on.
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The beam shots are from 10ft. away. As you can see the FL7 mod more than holds its ground. I haven't done any extended run-time tests but I have had the unit on for 6 hours straight and it was still nice and bright. It's my favorite flashlight now and I use it most every day. Thanks for looking!

Joel
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Rothrandir

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
7,795
Location
US
very nice man!

i've been wanting to try a rechargable 5w mod for sometime too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

IsaacHayes

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 30, 2003
Messages
5,876
Location
Missouri
Nice indeed. If only someone would make a recharable ~c sized luxeon light, it would be like the perfect light, size and all. Never have to buy anything for it, not batteries or bulbs!
Seems your led is brigther with a bigger corona than the BII has. Also looks like it's just about as bright as the stock bulb. BTW does anyone know the wattage of the stock FL7 & FL10 bulbs?
 
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