I know some of you have made really cool modifications, but how do you do it?
I think that the easiest mod is running them on 10440 batteries (i think), but would doing that ruin
my Led Lenser P3 AFS?
And what other mods would you suggest?
I have an Led Lenser P3 AFS P that I modded.
First thing I did after verifying the light worked with AAA is swap in an Efest 10440. The light is MUCH brighter on 10440, but running it at that voltage damaged something in the driver. Now it barely lights on AAA. So it's basically a 10440 only now.
I also swapped the stock emitter for a Nichia 219C. I estimate it outputs around 500 lumens on a fresh cell. Runtime is really short though.
Incidentally, emitter swapping the P3 AFS P is actually pretty easy. I just placed the tip of my 40w soldering iron on top of the star adjacent to the LED. After a minute or two the LED came right off and it was time to reflow a new one on.
I've modded dozens of flashlights. Typically mods include things like swapping in a different emitter and copper star or installing a new driver. Sometimes I get more ambitious with my mods, such as shortening the length of a light by 1" or more and installing a side-switch.
Modding flashlights is a great hobby and lots of fun. If you're interested in learning more you can check out the "Homemade and Modified Flashlight Discussion" subforum for a little more info, or goto BLF for a lot more info.
Tools needed for basic modding:
* Soldering Iron and basic soldering skills
* tweezers
* solder or solder paste
* table vise
If you're interested in learning to mod lights I recommend starting with simple mods on cheap budget lights to learn the skills, then working your way up to more ambitious mods. Your first mod probably shouldn't be on an expensive light.
Also, when ordering parts online for your mods, try to always order a spare if possible. It sucks to be working on a mod and then find that the part you have isn't working and you need to put the mod on hold for several weeks while you order a replacement.
