Blackhawk Gladius Upgrade XML-L CREE T6

I have upgraded by Blackhawk Gladius to use a CREE XML-L T6 1000 lumen lamp. It involved fabricating a new spacer to be used to replace the stock parts. If anyone is interested in how to do it I can create a howto video. I performed the upgrade on both my Gladius and Gladius Maximus. This is the only flashlight I need to carry now!

I am very interesting, especially on the fabricated part.
And i will settle for just domensions

All you need is a shim under the XM-L, assuming that the XM-L is mounted on an 8mm diameter MCPCB, such as the one from datiLED or from Illumination Supply.

The stock Luxeon III LED has a die height of about 3.06mm. The bare XM-L/XM-L2 die height is about 0.73mm. The datiLED 8mm board is about 0.8mm thick, An Illumination Supply 8mm board is about 1mm thick. Thus, you need a shim that is another 0.06" thick (datiLED board) or 0.05" thick (Illumination Supply 8mm board).

See this thread, starting at post 29.

I basically used a drop in UltraFire CREE XML-L T6 replacement assembly. It include the LED, reflector and mini controller circuit all in one module. I removed the mini controller as the Gladius does all that for you. I cut an aluminum housing / spacer to hold the lamp with reflector just perfect above the stock Gladius board. Allowed me to get rid of many stock parts including that ball bearing that always gets lost. This light is incredibly bright now even brighter than my SureFire Lawman which is rated at 800 Lumens yet it retains all of the beloved Gladius functions.

Here is the Gladius apart with just the parts needed for the mod:


Here is the UltraFire LED assembly:




Here is the custom sleeve / spacer:


Here is the lamp assembly resting in the spacer housing:


I removed the controller PCB so we can just use the LED:




Next I soldered the connections for reliability:




Light fully assembled:





The housing comes together snug and fully closed for water tight operation.

Hi there,
wouldn't be easier to solder this instead?
http://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Power-LEDs-Cree/CREE-XM-Serie/CREE-XM-L2-U2-on-Star-LT-2079_120_170.html

Or it will fry the electronics?
I have a Gladius and I'm seeking for an upgrade.

glarobats said:

Hi there,
wouldn't be easier to solder this instead?
http://www.led-tech.de/en/High-Power-LEDs-Cree/CREE-XM-Serie/CREE-XM-L2-U2-on-Star-LT-2079_120_170.html

Or it will fry the electronics?
I have a Gladius and I'm seeking for an upgrade.

Click to expand...

It depends... In several of my upgrades just taking the light apart damages the ball bearing and the reflector housing which fubars the light anyways. I also like the newer reflector that comes with the XML-L drop in housing, it seems to throw farther with a tight spot and plenty of flood. There are many ways / parts to upgrade the Gladius and I have done many. This one I like the best, it lightens the light also by removing several unnecessary parts.

Well I have taken it apart, no damage done, until now. I'll order the led and hope everything goes well. If not, experiment, experiment, experiment...

Gladius Schematic / Parts List

Does anyone have or know of a schematic avail and or parts list for Gladius and Gladius Maximus flashlights? I have modded these before but now have one that has a problem that needs repair.

thanks in advance.

Gladius upgrade?

Hi everyone. I have an original Gladius and would like an upgrade to a higher powered LED. I love the UI of the light but many of my lights far exceed the (now puny) output of my favorite light. Can anyone help?
I am fumblefingered and do not wish to try this on my own.
Thanks

Re: Gladius upgrade?

I might be able to help you with this if I knew what LED the BlackHawk Gladius used. From there I can try finding either its upgraded version for you, or another version that fits the same physical mounting pad dimensions and has higher efficiency.

Re: Gladius upgrade?

Have you tried searching CPF?

Norm

Hello, I'm new to the forum and was surfing around when I noticed this post about the Gladius. I'm not a really handy kind guy and was wondering if anyone knows if there is a drop in upgrade for the Gladius. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Welcome to CPF. For your answer, read from the beginning of this thread,

Bill

Thank you so much Bill. Please forgive the noob question, but I'm curious about the shim. Is it just aluminum piping that I can purchase at a home improvement store and cut to fit?

Thanks again for any guidance you can provide.

-Dennis

I am very interested in having someone perform the above mod to my Gladius

looks just like a standard p60 host. how does the pill stay in place? With a screw-on or is it pressed on? I haven't come on much anymore, let alone, do any custom works to modify lights.

Interesting host you've got there. Two question comes to mind about that mod though. Is the reflector pressed into that cup? Is that pipe completely contacting the gut of the ID to dissipate heat? That's always my main concern when doing mods or custom work on lights.