Eagletac P20A2 / P20C2 / T20C2 MKII LED Module Disassembly

Disclaimer: Modifying your Eagletac LED module will void your warranty! Don't blame me if you ruin your module!

Inspired by kreisler's post of taking apart his T20C2 MKII XM-L module... boredom and curiosity got the better of me and I decided to disassemble my old unused module. I've upgraded my P20A2 MKII to a XM-L NW module, so my old original XP-G CW R5 module was sitting unused. The P20A2 MKII and the P20C2 MKII modules are the same size, the only difference is the driver used. The T20C2 MKII is slightly different as it is physically larger, but the overall construction is very similar. Now on to the good stuff...

The first step is to get some clear packaging tape to protect the reflector.



Next up is to remove the C-ring and the spring.



Grab two wrenches with grip teeth, strap wrenches probably wont provide a good enough grip. Make sure that the wrench used to grip the lower portion of the module is skinny enough so that you do not grip onto the threads! Turn the reflector to the right to start the process...



On my module there was red loctite on the threads... grrrr!



Finally we have access to the LED. Eagletac used a centering shim to help center the LED in the reflector.:thumbsup:
For those that are curious the pill can take a mcpcb up to 14mm in diameter. The XP-G mcpcb measured 12.75mm in diameter and 1.7mm in thickness.



I tried to pry out/loose the LED mcpcb with a flat-head screwdriver and sadly it wouldn't budge. It appears Eagletac used a thermal epoxy, possibly Arctic Alumina, to secure the LED mcpcb to the pill. I really tried as hard as I could without making a dent into the threads on the pill. I wanted to swap the XP-G R5 out for a XP-G2, I guess it won't happen on this particular module.:mecry:To be fair to Eagletac they probably didn't design their LED modules to be dissasembled.

Update: I managed to remove the mcpcb, see post #3 for details.
Update #2: I've finished modding the P20A2 module, see post #7 for details.

The LED couldn't be removed on my module, but the driver was pretty easy to take out. Just use a small screwdriver to pry out the driver (friction/press fit).




Update: I've disassembled a T20C2 MKII module, see post #6 for details.

Thats about it for now. After going through the disassembly process would I recommend it? Probably not unless you have very specific modding needs/goals. The modules themselves aren't that expensive considering the convenience you get with them. However for the DIY'er I do have to admit it is fun taking them apart. I do have future plans for my T20C2 MKII... How does a XP-G2 R5 LED with a XM-L driver (2.1A turbo boost, 1.5A after) sound ?:devil:

Sometimes it's easier to "Push" an LED mcpcb up out of a pill rather than prying and digging. Since you have the driver unstuck, look in from behind where the wires go through to the LED. If there is a little sliver of mcpcb overlapping the wire hole (You might have to clip the wire and pull it out of the hole to be able to see) you can push on it with a sturdy straight probe or tiny screwdriver/ awl. If necessary stick it in the freezer or boil it in water and try again. You can do this! don't let the pill win.

Thanks for the tip Quest:thumbsup:, the freezer trick worked. I've originally intended to use a XP-G2 to replace the old XP-G, but now I'm thinking of possibly putting a Nichia 219 in there instead... Hmmm go for more throw & lumens with the XP-G2 or less output in exchange for higher CRI with the nichia 219. Tough decisions...

Edit: Since I got the LED mcpcb out I measured both the pill and the mcpcb with my digital caliper. I've edited the first post with the new measurements.

Very interesting. I bought my P20A2 with a cool white XM-L and while it'sd great output for 2xAA, the tint is much too blue.

So then I ordered an XP-G2 which has a nice tint, but my supplier accidentally sent me the P20C2 version. After contacting my supplier, he admitted that he mistakenly sent me the wrong one and asked me if I wanted to send it back for an exchange, but I asked him to just also sell me the other one so I can use the P20C2 version with 14500's and have some flexibility.

Meanwhile, that leaves me with an XM-L module that I probably won't be using. Perhaps someone can mod that into something more fun, perhaps even a hi cri option.

Thanks for the tip Quest:thumbsup:, the freezer trick worked. I've originally intended to use a XP-G2 to replace the old XP-G, but now I'm thinking of possibly putting a Nichia 219 in there instead... Hmmm go for more throw & lumens with the XP-G2 or less output in exchange for higher CRI with the nichia 219. Tough decisions...

Edit: Since I got the LED mcpcb out I measured both the pill and the mcpcb with my digital caliper. I've edited the first post with the new measurements.

Click to expand...

Good job Kevin. I would rather break it and have to fix it than admit defeat! Let us know which emitter you decide on.

Quest

I got bored again and decided to have some fun with my T20C2 MKII modules. The disassembly process is the same as the P20A2/P20C2 MKII so I wont provide a step by step overview.

My newly acquired XP-G2 R5 (CW, SMO reflector) module and a XM-L T6 (CW, VLOP) module (old).



These modules had green loctite on the threads, still a pain in the you know what to unscrew. On these modules the LED mcpcb's are not held in place with thermal epoxy:twothumbs; thermal paste is used between the mcpcb and the pill. The mcpcb is securely held in place by the reflector being screwed in all the way to push the mcpcb down agains't the pill. Due to no thermal epoxy being used this makes it much easier to modify...(oops gave away the hint already).

Now its time for some more fun:devil:. I obtained the XP-G2 module because I prefer more throw vs the floody nature of the XM-L module. The XP-G2 module easily out-throws the XM-L module due to the smaller emitter and higher surface brightness. I could have gone with a XR-E R2 module for throw but I didn't want the "tunnel vision" effect. So what shall I do? How about swap the driver from the XM-L module into the XP-G2 module:devil:? FYI the XM-L module's driver outputs 2.1A on turbo boost (first 3 minutes), and then 1.5A regular turbo aka high thereafter. The stock XP-G2 driver outputs 1.5A on turbo boost (first 3 minutes), and then steps down lower (trying to obtain the drive current from Eagletac). I've successfully driven XP-G2's in my Solarforce P60's in the 1.9A range (5 x 380ma AMC7135), so a little more current within reason shouldn't hurt.

Since the mcpcb isn't epoxied to the pill its was pretty easy to take out the mcpcb and prepare for the mod. FYI I replaced the stock wire with 24 gauge stranded silver-coated Teflon wire. I also used Ceramique to replace the stock thermal paste. The XP-G2 mcpcb measures 14.5 x 1.57mm (diameter x thickness) while the XM-L mcpcb measures 14.3 x 1.68mm.



Pics of the XM-L driver after soldering the emitter wires to the driver.



Here are some quick beamshots. I wouldn't be too critical of the tint as the white balance on my camera isn't the greatest. Camera settings are f/3.4 and 1/1000s.

Solarforce P60 XP-G2 R5 3D tint (~5000k) @ 1.9A, Solarforce SMO reflector
Eagletac XP-G S2 CW @ 1.5A, LOP reflector, borrowed from a friend, slight donut
Eagletac XP-G2 R5 CW @ 1.5A, SMO reflector
Eagletac XP-G2 R5 CW @ 2.1A, SMO reflector
Eagletac XM-L T6 CW @ 2.1A, VLOP reflector, very slight donut

After doing the driver swap I can definately tell the difference in person. Brighter to my eyes via ceiling bounce test and hotspot lux is noticeably higher. Sorry no hotspot lux or integrating sphere measurements. For a hotspot lux comparison the Eagletac XP-G2 @ 2.1A can't out-throw my P60 XR-E SMO Q5 EZ900 @ 1A, but is very close if not the same to my eyes as a Solarforce M3 (XM-L U2 @ 3A, turbo head for P60 lights).

Eagletac rates the XP-G2 R5 @ 530 emitter lumens/418 lumens ANSI. According to saabluster's XP-G2 testing at 1.5A a XP-G2 R5 should output around 513 lumens at the emitter. The numbers aren't too far off and I'll stick with his numbers. So with the XP-G2 now being driven at 2.1A turbo boost for 3 minutes I should be getting around 650 emitter lumens/520 lumens OTF. Not bad at all...:rock: After the three minutes of turbo boost at 2.1A the light was lukewarm to the touch. IMO Eagletac should have used the XM-L driver for their XP-G2's. Of course I do understand that not all XP-G2's can be over-driven to the same levels reliably.

After thinking for a bit I decided to go with a XP-G2 R5 for my P20A2 MKII. The driver used on the XP-G R5 module outputs 800ma on Turbo mode; significantly under driven compared to options found on the P20C2 / T20C2. This isn't suprising as the boost driver would have to pull more amps due to a lower battery voltage. The original XP-G R5 module outputs ~290 emitter lumens / 230 lumens OTF. A XP-G2 R5 at 0.8A would output ~332 emitter lumens / 265 lumens OTF; a decent improvement. A Nichia 219 B10 bin at 0.8A would output around 227 emitter lumens / 182 lumens OTF (see foxtrot824's testing); a significant difference from the XP-G2.

FYI if you do decide to mod your LED module you will need to use the mcpcb that eagletac uses, or one with similar dimensions. The mcpcb eagletac used for the XP-G R5 measures 12.75mm in diameter and 1.7mm in thickness. I had to reflow the new XP-G2 R5 onto the original mcpcb. I had some spare 1.05mm thick mcpcb's but they wouldn't work properly due to the reduced height the emitter is at (not properly focused).

1.05mm thick mcpcb (Nichia 219) vs original 1.7mm thick mcpcb (XP-G2)



I wont bother doing comparison beamshots as the ~35 lumen improvement wont be hugely noticeable. Hotspot lux to my eyes is slightly improved, but is barely perceiveable. However I definately like the tint of the XP-G2 R5 3D (~5000k) emitter I chose to replace the original cool white emitter. Since the emitter is being under driven the color temperature will be slightly warmer, in this case closer to neutral. I'll finish up with a picture of the finished modded module. The shiny silver sticker that surrounds the emitter didn't need to be cut/widened for the XP-G2 as the dome isn't that much wider compared to the original XP-G and was a prefect fit.



The flexibility of the P20A2 / P20C2 / T20C2 MKII series is wonderful as the ability to easily swap out the LED modules makes them very appealing. It's not quite as flexible as a P60 setup, but its far from a dead end in terms of upgradeability. Since the LED modules are easily removeable by design, they can be easily modified as well.