Hi I just compleated this mod and thought I should share it. I picked up a 2D cell Rayovac Industrial flashlight at walmart for under $5.00 with 2 cheep D cells. I have also been playing with the booster board from a Dorcy 1AAA also at Walmart for under $6.00 if you can find them in stock. The tools needed were rather basic. A Dremel, drill, and soldering iron. Other materials were Epoxy, wire, a sheet of aluminum, thermal conductive epoxy or tape (i used and prefer the tape), and a Luxeon emiter (I used a low dome because that is what I had laying around).
First off I cut a piece of aluminum from a 1/8" sheet for my heat sink. I also cut a nother small square about the same size as the emiter whitch I used as a pedistool for my emiter. All were adheared toghther and the emiter atatched using thermal conductive tape which is commonly used to adhear computer processors to the heat sink. The silver epoxy may transfer the heat a little bit better but this mod was not going to generate mutch heat and tape is easier to work with, no waiting for it to cure. I drilled 2 small holes for my wires. All of this may be avoidable if you used a Luxeon that was atatched to the star board and you cut the reflector down more so that the LED would be at the focal point.
Next I cut down the back of the reflector using a Dremel tool and a Roto Zip bit. I like these bitts a lott, but you have to be carefull not tear up your hand or project with it, as they can get out of controle verry easily. I kept cuting it down untill the reflective coating was starting to show on the back side of the reflector. Keep testing the LED and cutting in order to reach the focal point of the reflector. When satisfied I used 5 minut epoxy and adjusted the emiter around untill I was centered and then just held it a few minuts till the epoxy was somewhat hardened.
Then I took the converter board from a Dorcy 1AAA and soldered it to the flashlight and the LED. I shorted acrost the 1 Ohm resistor and was geting a reading of 230mA to the LED. Next I added a 47uF capacitor acrost the output and that pushed it up to 250mA.
I think that this will be a happy medium between direct drive and strict regulation. It will have the longer run time with output slowly fading to nothing. But a substantial amount more light than you would be able to get from 2 Alkaline or rechargable cells. This regulator will still give of a glow with less than .1V but if you turn it off you will needing around .6V to get it startedon again.
It was a fairly simple mod taking about an hour and costing under $25.00. It is not extreemly bright but it has a fairly tight hot spot that will throw a wase while still having som periferial light. The hot spot is the exact size as my Inova X1 but perhaps twice as bright.
I know The spelling is terable but hay it takes a really creative person to spell a word more than one way, Right?
First off I cut a piece of aluminum from a 1/8" sheet for my heat sink. I also cut a nother small square about the same size as the emiter whitch I used as a pedistool for my emiter. All were adheared toghther and the emiter atatched using thermal conductive tape which is commonly used to adhear computer processors to the heat sink. The silver epoxy may transfer the heat a little bit better but this mod was not going to generate mutch heat and tape is easier to work with, no waiting for it to cure. I drilled 2 small holes for my wires. All of this may be avoidable if you used a Luxeon that was atatched to the star board and you cut the reflector down more so that the LED would be at the focal point.
Next I cut down the back of the reflector using a Dremel tool and a Roto Zip bit. I like these bitts a lott, but you have to be carefull not tear up your hand or project with it, as they can get out of controle verry easily. I kept cuting it down untill the reflective coating was starting to show on the back side of the reflector. Keep testing the LED and cutting in order to reach the focal point of the reflector. When satisfied I used 5 minut epoxy and adjusted the emiter around untill I was centered and then just held it a few minuts till the epoxy was somewhat hardened.
Then I took the converter board from a Dorcy 1AAA and soldered it to the flashlight and the LED. I shorted acrost the 1 Ohm resistor and was geting a reading of 230mA to the LED. Next I added a 47uF capacitor acrost the output and that pushed it up to 250mA.
I think that this will be a happy medium between direct drive and strict regulation. It will have the longer run time with output slowly fading to nothing. But a substantial amount more light than you would be able to get from 2 Alkaline or rechargable cells. This regulator will still give of a glow with less than .1V but if you turn it off you will needing around .6V to get it startedon again.
It was a fairly simple mod taking about an hour and costing under $25.00. It is not extreemly bright but it has a fairly tight hot spot that will throw a wase while still having som periferial light. The hot spot is the exact size as my Inova X1 but perhaps twice as bright.
I know The spelling is terable but hay it takes a really creative person to spell a word more than one way, Right?
