General Modding Advice

Well I didn't see a thread about this so I figured I'd start one.

The goal of this thread is to post errors that you have made while modding to help out the newbies.

So here goes:

If you do not know where to find every part you need locally, order extras.

Get some artic alumina(for luxeon modders especially.

Practice soldering with wires before you solder to a pcb.

Have a decent supply of solder at all times, this is usually what will define how much time a mod takes.

Read about similar mods to the one you are doing.

Make sure that the batteries/battery you are using can handle the current demands on it.

Be able to visuallize the end product.


Thats all for now, everybody feel free to add to this with whatever advice you have.

Jay

use solder flux
make sure you know which are the POS and NEG connectors (do this twice)
check for shorts
have spare parts available

Cheap tools are a poor economy. You'll probably end up replacing them anyway, so you'll be paying twice. Do it right the first time, and spend the money on good quality tools. It is cheaper in the long run, and they'll help you do a better job. They tend to hold up better, too.

General advice???

You need to design it before you build it. This will help you avoid buying parts that will not work together.

Decide on battery configuration and light output first. I frequently look at light output, then runtime and that determines the battery configuration and electronics.

When getting advice from a dozen people, use the most conservative advice if you want stable and long lasting. Use most radical if you want super bright.

You should only follow one set of advice at a time. example: You can get away with direct driveing a TWOL on certain battery configurations, but you had better make sure that you are using the right bin and the right battery.

A heat sink only moves heat, it does not eliminate it. You have to have a good connection from the heat sink to something that will get rid of the heat through your hand or the air.

When asking for advice, follow the maufacturer's advice before all others. They don't want you to send back a broken part.


Daniel

I hardly think I would be quailified to give advices here, but here are my 2 cents worth:

A) Reversibility. Any process that you undertake, think twice about whether it is a reversible process; if not, learn as much as you can before undertaking it. For ex, if you are just unscrewing a light engine from a light, that is totally reversible; while drilling open a reflector is not.

B) Ultilize the resources. I have met friends from CPF who had given me fair share of advices and ideas, instead of making an inreversible mistake, search/pm/post/ask about the mod--you can't go wrong by doing research/asking, but you can damage a valuable part if you don't know the details(which was a recent mistake of mine /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif).

C) Unless it has been posted many times before, post/share your knowledge. I believe what comes around, goes around--as much as I take from this forum, I would like to contribute some too if I can. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif Regardless whether it is a super-duper mod, or just a simple mod--share your joy/story, and someone might just get the benefit.

D) Have fun! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Good luck!