Broke my XLamp (+ more pics)

Well, this was another expensive lesson. I was trying to remove some excess solder on my new blue Cree Xlamp chip. I was holding it, rather gently I might add, in a pair of forceps when I heard a "click" sound. Upon close examination, I found that I separated the top led cover from the base exposing everything. Interesting, but painful. The following picture is of poor quality, but should give you the idea. The top half including the lens is a hard convex shell, but it's actually filled with a soft silicone gel type material (that would be the interesting part). Also interesting is that the chip still works, but doesn't seem as bright without the lens. The learning curve on the whole flashlight mod thing is getting a tad expensive. I may have to leave the mod part to the pros.

Re: Broke my XLamp

hmm. interesting, gell just like luxeons. Yeah I only use forceps/tweasers/pliars for holding wires as I solder. Tape for everything else!!

Re: Broke my XLamp

This is helpful info. What kind of tape?

Re: Broke my XLamp

The fast that it still works is a glimmer of hope. I noticed that when my white cree cane apart, the bonding wires seemed more rugged. If I wasnt able to reattach (smach the dome back on) it, I would have been happy with the blue. Nice pic.
Jeff

Re: Broke my XLamp

Actually, the whole lens is glass, it isn't a shell.

The glue that holds the body gets weak when it is up at soldering temperatures and a fella shouldn't hang on to it at all.

Re: Broke my XLamp

Charley, I use masking tape when experimenting with soldering to luxeon stars. When using emitters the only time I solder on them is after they have been arctic alumina epoxied down... Masking tape will leave a residue sometimes if you leave it on too long or it gets hot...

Re: Broke my XLamp

I mostly use "Tak" now. It's that white (or black, or blue) sticky stuff that people use to put posters on walls, etc. It's great for holding stuff in place when soldering, etc. I also use masking tape here and there, mostly for covering bare contacts on boards when testing. Finally, I have a set of small plastic clamps" that I'll use to hold stuff down with some pressure.

Re: Broke my XLamp

See, that's what makes this forum so great. I have the accumulated knowledge and experience of several people guiding my hand so I screw up fewer projects and make the world a brighter place. Thanks and I stand corrected. While there is a gel inside I think, the dome is not a half shell, but solid. My rushed analysis was based on glance and picking off the goo. It is actually solid contrary to its appearance.

Re: Broke my XLamp + another pic

For those of you that like the pictures, this is as close as I can get. Notice the wires are flat rather than round like the center lead.

Re: Broke my XLamp + another pic

Nice photo, so that's a white correct? Seems they use the same type of wires as a Red/amber luxeon, instead of the grill that the white luxeons do...

Re: Broke my XLamp + another pic

Isaac, It WAS a blue, but yes, the UV and the blue (and I am sure the others) have the star pattern and the clear conductive top layer.
Jeff

Re: Broke my XLamp + another pic

Nope. Blue. I assume the white would look the same, but Id' rather not break another to find out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif The dam thing still works too. I'm just not sure what to do wit it yet since I can't find the other half.

Re: Broke my XLamp

[ QUOTE ]
greenLED said:
I mostly use "Tak" now. It's that white (or black, or blue) sticky stuff that people use to put posters on walls, etc. It's great for holding stuff in place when soldering, etc. I also use masking tape here and there, mostly for covering bare contacts on boards when testing. Finally, I have a set of small plastic clamps" that I'll use to hold stuff down with some pressure.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't put pressure on the lens. Also don't put tape on the Cree lens. Be very careful of the lens.

Re: Broke my XLamp

I bet the lens is sapphire, it is WAY harder than glass. I was not so lucky when mine came apart, the center wire broke off.

Les

Re: Broke my XLamp

While I don't have the skill for the slik mods and customs project I here, I can contribute some unusual stuff once and a while. Today it's back to the cree blue. Still broken, but worked. Since I fried one of my UV's I tore the top off and, thanks to the little gel inside, pasted it on the aforementioned blue chip (which I really liked). Inspired by Tritium's thread I had already ordered the ebay blue MXDL (link) and I really wanted to see it work. Well it still does,though I must say, I was real lucky.

Re: Broke my XLamp

Really cool! seems to put out A LOT of lumens! Are you running it DD or did you use some resistance?

Re: Broke my XLamp

I would love to tell you I did something fancy, but all I did was pull the existing LED and HC and pressed in the Cree per Tritium's thread. The only resistance was thermal when the soldering iron stuck a finger on my left hand. There may be some resister in the tail switch, but it's DD from the battery forward. The reflector could be a bit tighter around the LED lens, but I'm going to play with some reflector options now that it works. Though the pics don't show it, I twisted the LED dome when replacing it on the busted blue chip base and gave the little gel inside sort of a twist. So the actual beam looks like a satellite photo of a hurricane - kind of swirl. That Cree HS is an exact drop in fit, and the blues match nicely.

Re: Broke my XLamp

Cool, hurricane effect. It's a blue hurricane light!
You may be overdriving the LED. Make sure it's Heatsinked good and doesn't fry!!

Re: Broke my XLamp

I like to think of it as my KBLS (Kmart Blue Light Special)