DIY drop in

While still a relative newbie to this forum, it seems like soldering together the components to make drop in upgrades just might be within my building ability.

Can anyone point me to a DIY step by step guide?

Thanks

What are you trying to mod?

Probably start with a Solarforce L2. Also I have some old collectable brass and chrome ( 2 D ) flashlights I've picked up at flea markets that i think would be fun to Upgrade to a Cree 5 or whatever is the latest led mod.

Hey - if someone would write an " Idiots Guide" to flashlight mods i think they could sell a million copies here.

If you want to upgrade an L2 pill, start by taking it apart. then do the reverse with the upgrade. I have upgrade a 60 pills driver, but haven't upgrade the emitter. I would imagine all you need to do is scrap it off, clean it up, and epoxy a new appropriately sized star with led upgrade(17mm?) on the pill and use the reflector to center. There is plenty of info already here to accomplish this. And yes, as a total newb myself, I agree that you have the ability to do it. Might not be the prettiest soldering, but you will only get better. My second mod was a direct driven MCE 2D mag that went well considering my lack of soldering skills.

JSO123 said:

While still a relative newbie to this forum, it seems like soldering together the components to make drop in upgrades just might be within my building ability.

Can anyone point me to a DIY step by step guide?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Yes - Pull it apart , even this could be tricky , so be prepared to kill it to learn .

Or head over to DX/KD and buy some parts ..

You can buy the pill assembly , a LED , and a driver .. And then put it together , its not hard . Would cost about $10USD

LED would need to be on a 16mm base or smaller , and driver Dia = 17mm

..

Thanks for the advice!

I think I'll begin by buying the new components and mounting them in an old 2 D light.

make sure your driver supports the electrical input you will be supplying (I.E. 2 Li-ion D-cells: max 4.2x2=8.4V) Modding drop-ins is a very good start, doesn't require metalwork or machining.

Hey - for a quick cheap easy start, do you think a Cree R2* drop in ($10) could be adapted to fit in the reflector of an old 2D? It seems to accept a wide voltage range. I would try an run it on 2 D lithium Ion cells.

Are there stock replacement reflectors that would save me from buthchering/ destroying an old "collectible" reflector?

Yeah - I'm in over my head, but it will be a learning experience...



*Cree R2 Drop-In 1-Mode LED Module (3.7V~18V / 26.5mm x 29mm)

dropins are meant to transfer heat to the body of the flashlight via a tight fit. So I dunno if putting one ina larger host is a good idea. I recommend saving up for a solarforce light that accepts p60 dropins. I bought the el-cheapo ultrafire C1, which accepts P60 dropins, but I wish I had just bought thesolarforce. It looks like better quality with not too much more money (C1 is like, $20, solarforce I dunno, but probalby around $50 max, right?)

If you plan on ordering empty reflector sets from DX, order them far enough in advance.

I'm currently on day 4 with an order status of "Waiting for Supplier".