Will this WF-502B DIY build work? Am I missing anything?

I am looking at parts for a P60 flashlight. I really want a good clip on it, so the Ultrafire WF-502B seems an obvious choice. I also want to keep cost reasonable, but would like the most up to date both powerful and efficient light with 3 non-blinky modes, so I have tried to piece it together as per below. I am a total newbie, so would appreciate any input.


Specifically, will the empty drop in module which is meant for XM-L work with the XM-L2 emitter?

Am I missing any parts? Baseplates? (Yes, I know I will need a battery..)

What about the glow in the dark tailcap, will that fit as well?

Thanks!

Ur choices of driver, MCPCB & dropin are suitable.
Ur host will come with a tail cap & boot as well, so u don't exactly have to buy unless u specifically want the GITD

Thanks! Do you think it will be a decent light at $15?

Also, I was looking at the driver and there is no mention of hard undervoltage protection, only the visual feedback and also no mention of overheat protection. Wondering what will happen is the light is accidentally turned on while buried deep inside a bag?? Should I be looking for a safer driver part?

Make sure you get some thermal compound/grease or something to mount the LED emitter board to the copper with. This helps the heat transfer from the led to the copper properly. Very important step. I have built a few of these. Everything else looks good. Have fun. Also get a quality battery to run it with.

FYI: I also do a braided wire that is soldered on the tail cap. Makes a slight improvement.

Thanks - my concern is what happens if I have the good heat transfer to the case, and the light is left in a bag of clothes (synthetic bike jerseys..) and turned on accidentally. I guess if there is no thermal protection either the electronics will melt down or the clothes catch fire. I guess probably the electronics would go first, but either way I don't much fancy either outcome. Does anyone have a lead on a driver with thermal protection or a circuit that can be added?

Also, seeing as this driver doesn't seem to (??) have a hard undervoltage protection, is there any problem with running a protected cell in the 502B host?

If accidental turning on of this light is a concern, hit Oveready for a hardpress button. Will only activate with determined pressure. I use thermal adhesive instead of thermal grease, but both will work. You might also consider some copper adhesive tape to make sure the dropin fits nice and tight in the light to ensure good thermal transfer away from the LED. Look for those small silicone squares, I like to place them between the driver and the pill (the brass part). This will shunt heat away from the driver, into the pill and out to the body.
~D

LOL, I looked t hat up and that button is $22, or $7 more than all the rest of the parts together(!) Are you saying with P60 parts, there is no way to build a high power light with thermal protection?

AceOne said:

Thanks! Do you think it will be a decent light at $15?

Also, I was looking at the driver and there is no mention of hard undervoltage protection, only the visual feedback and also no mention of overheat protection. Wondering what will happen is the light is accidentally turned on while buried deep inside a bag?? Should I be looking for a safer driver part?

Click to expand...

Hmmm, there is a low voltage blinking before it cutoff after dropping below a certain level.. But there isn't a over heat protection.

Btw the thermal grease that was mentioned is to hold/stick the MCPCB on the pill. It is to allow proper heat transfer from the LED to the pill & not on the driver's capabilities.

And if u are worried about the driver not having low voltage cutoff, a protected cell will definitely solve the problem since the cell's protection circuit will cut off after dropping below a certain voltage.