asdalton
Flashlight Enthusiast
I recently picked up one of the new Garrity LED flashlights discussed here. I liked the switching system (which includes PWM dimming as in the Eternalights) but found the original beam to be poorly centered and full of artifacts to a distracting degree. Also, the original light is just too big for having only one LED.
The solution? Give it FOUR:
I obtained the four LEDs by cannibalizing a Dorcy 4AA that I had sitting around but which I rarely used. Those LEDs are already attached to a circuit board. The main task is to join together the cathode leads, which are originally laid out in a cross-shaped arrangement in order to conduct electricity and heat to the barrel of the flashlight. (The anode leads are already joined in the center of the board.) I pried these leads free and soldered them to a single piece of paperclip bent into the shape of a horseshoe. The LED board was then ready for the attachment of two wires.
Before those wires could be attached, the original LED in the Garrity had to go. It is easiest to clip this LED off at its base, leaving its leads as convenient points to attach new wires. Yes, this makes the old LED useless, but it wasn't that good to begin with.
To attach the LED board to these leads, you need connecting wires that are flexible, but also thick enough to take the relatively high current that will be passing to the LEDs. They can't be too long, either. I made all of the solder connections first, and then carefully bent the wires in order to bring the LED board into position. The last step was to epoxy the LED board to the circuit/battery unit. It may be easier to first attach the wires to the old LED leads, glue the LED board into position, and then make the last connections on the LED board. Either way, it will be delicate work.
Here is the completed circuit from two different angles:
The resulting LED/battery unit is too long to accommodate the original bezel, which contains a crappy reflector and focusing lens anyway. I cut these out using a heated knife blade, which was quite difficult. The idea is to avoid damaging the original bezel ring. Once the major pieces are cut out in the center, you can break away the remaining sections of lens and reflector using pliers. There appears to be a sonic-welded joint there, so the break is pretty clean.
To protect the LEDs and extend the length of the bezel, I added a rubber grommet inside the bezel ring. I may add a glass lens later, to further protect the LEDs. Here are the completed, disassembled parts of the modified flashlight:
Here is a picture of the beam:
The modified Garrity is 4x as bright as the original when run on full power. This means that the 25% brightness mode in the modified light is as bright as the 100% brightness mode in the original light.
This light is my first real mod (not including my Brinkmann Legend w/ Badboy), and I found it to be surprisingly easy.
I also recommend the Garrity light to the other modders. The original flashlight is already set up to run LEDs, but it's just underutilized. This light could take seven LEDs or a Luxeon without too much difficulty. The major limitation is the power source: three AAA batteries.
The solution? Give it FOUR:
I obtained the four LEDs by cannibalizing a Dorcy 4AA that I had sitting around but which I rarely used. Those LEDs are already attached to a circuit board. The main task is to join together the cathode leads, which are originally laid out in a cross-shaped arrangement in order to conduct electricity and heat to the barrel of the flashlight. (The anode leads are already joined in the center of the board.) I pried these leads free and soldered them to a single piece of paperclip bent into the shape of a horseshoe. The LED board was then ready for the attachment of two wires.
Before those wires could be attached, the original LED in the Garrity had to go. It is easiest to clip this LED off at its base, leaving its leads as convenient points to attach new wires. Yes, this makes the old LED useless, but it wasn't that good to begin with.
To attach the LED board to these leads, you need connecting wires that are flexible, but also thick enough to take the relatively high current that will be passing to the LEDs. They can't be too long, either. I made all of the solder connections first, and then carefully bent the wires in order to bring the LED board into position. The last step was to epoxy the LED board to the circuit/battery unit. It may be easier to first attach the wires to the old LED leads, glue the LED board into position, and then make the last connections on the LED board. Either way, it will be delicate work.
Here is the completed circuit from two different angles:
The resulting LED/battery unit is too long to accommodate the original bezel, which contains a crappy reflector and focusing lens anyway. I cut these out using a heated knife blade, which was quite difficult. The idea is to avoid damaging the original bezel ring. Once the major pieces are cut out in the center, you can break away the remaining sections of lens and reflector using pliers. There appears to be a sonic-welded joint there, so the break is pretty clean.
To protect the LEDs and extend the length of the bezel, I added a rubber grommet inside the bezel ring. I may add a glass lens later, to further protect the LEDs. Here are the completed, disassembled parts of the modified flashlight:
Here is a picture of the beam:
The modified Garrity is 4x as bright as the original when run on full power. This means that the 25% brightness mode in the modified light is as bright as the 100% brightness mode in the original light.
This light is my first real mod (not including my Brinkmann Legend w/ Badboy), and I found it to be surprisingly easy.
I also recommend the Garrity light to the other modders. The original flashlight is already set up to run LEDs, but it's just underutilized. This light could take seven LEDs or a Luxeon without too much difficulty. The major limitation is the power source: three AAA batteries.
