Modified TN31

[Lucky Duck]

Sounds like you need to change your id to Sandblaster! :naughty:

 

[DHmtbykr]

Sounds like you need to change your id to Sandblaster! :naughty:

that made me lol

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

I know how eager you guys have been to get these shots so I am glad to finally get something up to make you guys happy. It took me 3 1/2 hours to do the photo shoot and it was no fun. Turns out the sprinklers were set to come on while I was there and me and my equipment got wet. I was going to get even longer beamshots but the conditions just did not allow. I was freezing cold and the camera and lights all kept fogging up. It was so humid that wiping off the lens did no good as it would just fog right back up. Will have to get those shots later.

Look what he does for us

No offense but why do the beam shots look so retro and dead? Is it the camera or is every thing really dry there?

In your mods have you added solder or improved the connections of the springs for the batteries and battery carriers?

I wonder if my TN31 has the resistance stuff? The top and bottom of the battery carrier are yellow/goldish but not brunt Ti/multi colored like in your pics... or silver like in thrunite's picks.

I wonder if the TN31 was putting to much power to the LED so they did that to bring it down? I also wonder if that could be a quick easy mod/fix, just sand the battery carrier and waalaa? But without your thermal mods it might overheat the LED?

 

[pounder]

So as some may know I had issues with the batch of TN31 I bought. Quite a few were flickering and not able to output at full power. Since a great deal of what I am doing with these lights is making them more robust and durable I was non too happy to find this issue. In investigating the issue I found a change that was made from the first unit I bought and this last batch. In a less than stellar move ThruNite decided to coat the aluminum parts on the battery carrier and internal contact point on the head with something that is drastically increasing the circuit resistance. So much so that in some cases no electricity would pass. I figured it was probably anodizing but the normal chemical processes to remove it did not work. I tried some other chemicals I had but they really didn't work too well. So I decided that a mechanical removal of this layer would be necessary. So I went last week and purchased a sandblasting gun. I have tested to make sure it works but I am not doing the full batch until I get the blast cabinet as it makes a terrible mess. Harbor Freight did not have the blast cabinet in stock and said it should be on the next shipment arriving today. I will not be able to get over there until tomorrow but wanted to share this update with everyone. I took some before/after pictures to show the difference.

Here it is as I received it. Extremely poor with high resistance.

Here it is after I sandblast and surface it.

I have to do this to three parts on the light just to get proper electrical conduction. Just goes to show one of the benefits of purchasing my lights. You can trust proper QC will be done.

I had flickering problems with my tn30 and I used a wire brush for my dremel after seeing your post..seems to have helped with the flickering..thanks!

did you do the head contact? if so how did you take it of..it has weird screws holding it in..

edit: was able to wire bush the head contact without removing anything..seems to run a lot better now..

 

[Marc85495]

...I have to do this to three parts on the light just to get proper electrical conduction. Just goes to show one of the benefits of purchasing my lights. You can trust proper QC will be done.

Just ordered my modified copy on your website saabluster, I think you're doing an awesome upgrade!!

 

[saabluster]

Sounds like you need to change your id to Sandblaster! :naughty:

Look what he does for us

No offense but why do the beam shots look so retro and dead? Is it the camera or is every thing really dry there?

In your mods have you added solder or improved the connections of the springs for the batteries and battery carriers?

I wonder if my TN31 has the resistance stuff? The top and bottom of the battery carrier are yellow/goldish but not brunt Ti/multi colored like in your pics... or silver like in thrunite's picks.

I wonder if the TN31 was putting to much power to the LED so they did that to bring it down? I also wonder if that could be a quick easy mod/fix, just sand the battery carrier and waalaa? But without your thermal mods it might overheat the LED?

It looks dry? I was soaked and you can see sprinklers going in the modified shot's inset. The water everywhere may be affecting the view of the ground. In fact if you look back behind the trees you see what looks like concrete but which is in fact grass covered by water droplets which are retroreflecting.

I have seen no need to improve the spring's solder joints.

Some of the aluminum parts look almost galvanized. Very strange. All that will be fixed shortly.

Just ordered my modified copy on your website saabluster, I think you're doing an awesome upgrade!!

Thank you

 

[saabluster]

Update!

I have now gotten my sandblasting cabinet set up and purchased blasting media.

Here it is.

All the battery carriers disassembled and ready to be blasted. A fair amount of work that I never planned on having to do to these.

 

[bc5000]

I'm trying to figure out how you would even hold the parts with the bulky gloves on while you blast them. Must be very tedious.

 

[jfl]

Saabluster, I wanted to commend you not only on your amazing quality control, but also on your willingness to test each light and provide a certificate with corresponding lux figure. Thank you so much!

Can I ask you, though: On those certificates, is it possible to give us a lux figure on the TN31 at 3 minutes (instead of at switch on, for example)?

The reason I ask is because selfbuilt said in his review of the stock TN31 that the light has a drop-down, but stabilizes after 69 seconds and remains perfectly stabilized throughout the remaining run on maximum output (which is awesome :thumbsup So, I figured that the lux figure at 2 or 3 minutes would be indicative of what we would see in real life.

What do you think?

 

[saabluster]

I'm trying to figure out how you would even hold the parts with the bulky gloves on while you blast them. Must be very tedious.

It's not too bad.

Saabluster, I wanted to commend you not only on your amazing quality control, but also on your willingness to test each light and provide a certificate with corresponding lux figure. Thank you so much!

Can I ask you, though: On those certificates, is it possible to give us a lux figure on the TN31 at 3 minutes (instead of at switch on, for example)?

The reason I ask is because selfbuilt said in his review of the stock TN31 that the light has a drop-down, but stabilizes after 69 seconds and remains perfectly stabilized throughout the remaining run on maximum output (which is awesome :thumbsup So, I figured that the lux figure at 2 or 3 minutes would be indicative of what we would see in real life.

What do you think?

The testing roughly follows ANSI spec. I do not take readings until after 30 seconds so they are not exactly at "switch on". After 30 seconds I continue for approximately another 30 seconds to hunt around for the peak reading. There needs to be consistency in testing so changing a test to conform with an individual light's peculiarities is a slippery slope. Add to that that the time required to test the lights all at 3 minutes adds a significant amount of time to the process and that time needs to be accounted for with $. Longer testing means more cost. Since my figures need to be directly comparable (as much as possible) with other manufacturers, following the accepted guidelines and standards (ANSI) seems the prudent approach. I have also already printed out the forms I use for the certification and unless I find a flaw there I'd really rather not do that again



Another Update.

I have now gotten the parts that are attached to the body done. This just leaves the battery carrier parts and reassembly left. I decided to go with a bead blast finish instead of the aluminum oxide. Here is how they turned out.

 

[laur]

saabluster

I am glad you took my idea and implemented it. Hurray for giving each light a certificate with the actual measured lumens and LUX (Not just the light output the manufacturer takes from the CREE data sheet). This proves your commitment to quality control for each individual light you sell. It also raises your status in the CPF community to "Uber Master Level" for thrower lights.

You are definitely "Da Man" to see for a well made, high powered and long throwing flashlight.

Waiting patiently for mine,
laur

 

[luceat lux vestra]

Sasbluster, I honestly do not think that your mods to the tn31 double the lux...... From the beamshots you posted I think it looks like almost three times the lux, the tint is so much better. And the fact that it is more reliable and durable is incredible, thanks for making a good light into an awesome light. The only problem is you must be the hardest person I know of on my wallet!

 

[luceat lux vestra]

saabluster

It also raises your status in the CPF community to "Uber Master Level" for thrower lights.

You are definitely "Da Man" to see for a well made, high powered and long throwing flashlight.

right on we need to think up a good name for the cpf king of throw

 

[hahoo]

modified tn 31

nobody got theres yet ?
cant wait to see a few more beamshots...
ill be pulling the trigger soon....

 

[DON KIDIK]

Re: modified tn 31

Gone a little on the quiet side.
Do we have any News ?

DON...

 

[Oztorchfreak]

Re: modified tn 31

nobody got theres yet ?
cant wait to see a few more beamshots...
ill be pulling the trigger soon....

I am still waiting for my modded TN31 ordered on 5th September, so I will have to make do with my original TN31 for now.



Cheers

 

[GeoBruin]

Re: modified tn 31

I was ready to pull the trigger on one of these based on the OSTS website description alone (and of course saabluster's reputation) but after reading this thread and seeing the kind of work and attention to detail that was put in to the modification/testing of this light, it's a no brainer.

 

[saabluster]

Re: modified tn 31

hmm. That's strange.:thinking: Somehow this thread walked out of my forum.

 

[Oztorchfreak]

Re: modified tn 31

hmm. That's strange.:thinking: Somehow this thread walked out of my forum.

What do you mean by that Michael?

You have me at a loss!


Cheers

 

[saabluster]

Re: modified tn 31

What do you mean by that Michael?

You have me at a loss!


Cheers

Yeah my statement doesn't make much sense now that the thread is back here. Somehow one of the mods moved this thread into the LED flashlight forum. Clearly it has been moved back so all is well now.