McArc

Hey guys,

A friend of mine sent me his Arc to mod. I don't know what bias the Arc is running now, all I know is that I pretty much doubled the current to the LED by cutting the sense resistance in half. I also swapped the existing emitter for a TXOJ Lux III. I was getting ready to put the thing back together when I noticed the NX05 optic. I just thought, "man, that's got to go."

I whacked 100/1000ths off of the front of a McR20 reflector and it dropped right in. The plastic retaining ring for the NX05 fit as though it were made for the McR20.

Some pics...





An, of course, a beam shot taken 20' from a white wall. The beam on the left is coming from an Aleph II with a TXOK Lux III that is getting 800mA. The Arc is on the right and I'm going to guess that it's Lux is getting something between 600-700mA.



As you can see, you do loose a bit whacking material off of the front of the McR (the Aleph is also running at a higher current level though). I think it's still a worth while mod. It beats the heck out of an NX05 and it will out perform and IMS 17mm reflector.

Thanks for looking,

As always, he does it again! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/clap.gif

Great, thats really the ultimate ARC reflector. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

How much would it cost if I wanted my Arc LSH-P modded like this?

I can only do this on the newer LSs. The ones with the one piece bezel. I guess it would be about $75, to include the reflector and priority shipping. TheMcRs are expensive.

Great mod. I really worthwhile addition, I always prefer a reflector over a optic.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

Will a Badboy Nexgen driver fit in a modded light?

I did do a LE type of mod on an Arc once. I also used a NexGen driver, but it did result in a bit more of and opening between the body and head. I understand that this is normal for Arcs to varying degrees, so it may not be an issue. The cleanest mod is to use the stock converter.

Tony,

Will you sell the modded reflector alone? How much will you charge for it?

I was thinking that since I know how to disassemble my light, there would be no point in sending it all the way to you just for this retrofit. It's just a drop in, isn't it?

Billson,

Believe it or not, that was the first Arc that I've modded in a while and I've done half a dozen mods since I did the Arc. I really don't remember, but I do believe that it did drop right in without having to move any spacers or anything around.

The reflectors themselves are $14 each and I figure that $10 to turn it would be fair. These things are delicate and turning them down is a little tricky. I suppose that $24 plus shipping would be good for me, but from your perspective, that might be too much for just a reflector.

Of course, it may well be worth it to you. On the other hand, I've also put 17mm IMS reflectors into Arcs and that is a 100% drop in mod. It's also more cost effective. The beam won't be that of the McR, but it will be a vast improvement over the optic.

Tony,

I already have the 17mm reflector installed but it seems the manufacturing process still has a lot to be desired. I had to try out 3 of them before I could get the beam to focus correctly. I've noticed that most of them couldn't get the reflector to sit correctly on the lux.

I tried cutting down the IMS 20mm reflector once but couldn't cut it properly because I had to do it all just by hand and a file. The result was the lip wasn't completely flat so the lux wouldn't fit flush into the hole for the led resulting in a weird hotspot.

The price is ok with me but like you said I still have to convince myself if the upgrade is worth it. I could live with the beam of the 17mm but obviously we all want the light to be perfect if possible. I'll let you know if I decide to take the plunge.

Thanks.