Nichia high-CRI Zebralight mod? Anyone done it?

Mooreshire

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As far as I know it is impossible to dissasamble zebralights.

I believe you might be able to open up a ZL using a jewelers tool (or set of tools) made for opening waterproof watch cases. The main device I think you'd need is sometimes called a Jaxa Wrench, and while you can get them for $25 I've heard that you shouldn't pay less than $80 if you want a quality one. The wrench grips even the faintest (inner or outer) edge of something from three or more angles/sides so you can get enough grip to unscrew it. I think you'd first need to try and grab and unscrew the stainless bezel that holds the lens and reflector in place, or perhaps the bezel around the switch. I also believe that opening it would only be the first difficulty - I'm sure all the components are mounted in place quite securely and far from accessible even with the case opened up.

I'm eager to see a ZL disassembled and/or modded, but don't have the courage to try cracking mine open. Someone do it and post photos! :grin2:
 

stp

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I may be wrong but I believe that the stainless bezels are not screwed in but press fitted.
 

stp

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Yep. I was really thinking about it because I would like to have that stainless bezel threaded. Because the ring would need to be replaced anyway I was thinking about milling it out in few places around the ring with very small bit on a press drill and prying the rest of the ring out. But the glass is very close, the rings curvature will not help you - you need to have everything very rigid to not slip from that ring. I also still use my ZL and don't have access to tools so all in all I decided to wait for now :)
I just hope that sooner or later ZL will hear us, look at what Spark is doing and offer some way to mount accessories to the head.
 

Bolster

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I'd gotten the idea that ZLs were press-fit and epoxy throughout. Very difficult to disassemble.

STP, I'm sure you know that drill presses aren't designed for side loads, so milling with them isn't good for the machine. Depending, you can add runout to your press that way pretty easily. I own an actual mill, and I'd still not try it, because the bezel is stainless steel, and I haven't the high-end cutters for it. You'd very likely sacrifice both the ring and the lens, and probably have to face off the aluminum, too. Doable? Yes, by a talented machinist. Worth it? Not for one. UNLESS: You made this a cottage industry, and were able to offer a "threaded bezel" package for ZLs, and were willing to find people who'd pay more than the light costs for the upgrade.

I've thought about a threaded bezel too, and I think the easiest way to get that is to epoxy on a female threaded ring, that would sit to the outside of the existing SS bezel. That would still leave you with the challenge of making your own filters. At this point the Sparks become very attractive, since they come with threaded bezels already.
 
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stp

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STP, I'm sure you know that drill presses aren't designed for side loads, so milling with them isn't good for the machine. Depending, you can add runout to your press that way pretty easily. I own an actual mill, and I'd still not try it, because the bezel is stainless steel, and I haven't the high-end cutters for it. You'd very likely sacrifice both the ring and the lens, and probably have to face off the aluminum, too. Doable? Yes, by a talented machinist. Worth it? Not for one. UNLESS: You made this a cottage industry, and were able to offer a "threaded bezel" package for ZLs, and were willing to find people who'd pay more than the light costs for the upgrade.

I've thought about a threaded bezel too, and I think the easiest way to get that is to epoxy on a female threaded ring, that would sit to the outside of the existing SS bezel. That would still leave you with the challenge of making your own filters. At this point the Sparks become very attractive, since they come with threaded bezels already.

I know about side loads but I'm not machinist and I don't own/had to pay for a drill press so probably I'm looking at it with lots of ignorance but...I was thinking about doing it for myself so just one ZL, doing it with machinist two way vise very slowly and not milling entire ring around but just in few places around it with small diamond bit just enough to separate the ring into few pieces with prybar. As I said I don't have experience so I don't know if it is doable and how risky for the press-drill it would be.

Yes epoxy is the easiest way but it's my EDC so I would prefer it to stay streamlined and pleasant visually ;-) that can be hard with epoxy.
Another possible solution could be drilling few small holes around bezel end epoxying cylinder shaped neodymium magnets. But I'm not even sure if magnets that small (1-2 mm in diameter) are available.

I prefer the form factor of the ZL and its interface over current Spark models so this is not solution for me.
 
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Match

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Somebody try it and let us know. :)

Ok.

H51 disassembled:

IMAG0257.jpg


H51 with new nichia219 reflowed and awaiting final reassembly:

IMAG0261.jpg


Fully assembled H51 but now with more CRI goodness (bad phone photo, the lens/reflector are not cloudy):

IMAG0263-1-1.jpg


Please disregard the shape of my poor H51. It saw a lot of rough use before the swap, and none of that damage was caused by the mod.

A few things to note:
- The bezel is press fit.
- The stock emitter pcb is screwed down to the head.
- The reflector is also press fit, but comes out easily enough with a few gentle taps.
- The lens dimensions are 18mm x 1mm
- The nichia219 was reflowed onto the stock pcb.

As with most xpg to nichia mods, the hotspot is now slightly more diffuse - which most may find that to be a good thing. Output is less and of course the color rendition and tint speak for themselves.
 

jorn

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Nice job!
Easy to buy one with a hi cri :) I can't see the difference between the 219 and the rebel anyway.
Zebra always say they mount the led on a one pice body for better heatsinking. How is it mounted? On top of a "tower" from the back wall?
 

rojos

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Ok.

H51 disassembled

Match gets a standing ovation from me for having the balls to even try this.

Bravo!

A few things to note:
- The bezel is press fit.
- The stock emitter pcb is screwed down to the head.
- The reflector is also press fit, but comes out easily enough with a few gentle taps.
- The lens dimensions are 18mm x 1mm

After seeing how the pieces fit together, I won't be buying any more Zebralights until they improve the bezel design. It's obvious now why they have leakage problems. All they would need to do is thread that stupid bezel and their reliability problems would be solved. And it would finally give owners the ability to easily swap emitters, swap lenses, swap switches... basically, perform self repair without having to go through Zebralight's slow-as-molasses customer service.

Is there a legit engineering reason why they couldn't just beef up the lens and switch openings a little and add threads? That would solve so many problems for them.
 
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dj:litestick

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Very nice job on the press fit Match. There was a member on here awhile back who replaced the lens on a Zebralight and said it was press fit. But your sir get the cake. Thanks for the pics and description.
 

lampeDépêche

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Great job, Match!

But wait--how exactly *did* you get the bezel out without scarring it?

That's the really important question, to my mind!
 

DIΩDΣ

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Maybe he did just rip it out... and got a replacement bezel to put it back together with? Nothing so special about that.
 

stp

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DIΩDΣ;4093655 said:
Maybe he did just rip it out... and got a replacement bezel to put it back together with? Nothing so special about that.

If you will zoom the last picture you should see two things:
-the bezel have some very small nicks/dents in two places so it isn't new.
-There are 2 bigger dents on the flashlight body near the bezel.

He also pointed lens dimension so I'm guessing that he broke the original glass and used something to lever the bezel out (and doing it he did the damage to the ZL body on the opposite side of the place where he put something under bezel because he used that place as a point of leverage)
After breaking the glass he probably removed the rubber o-ring first. Maybe even the reflector but I doubt that it's small enough to remove it trough the bezel. Anyway it should give enough space under the bezel to push it out.
 

Bolster

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Would it be easier to disassemble if it spent some time in the freezer first? Then a dental pick between the bezel and the lens to pry the bezel up, working around in a circle?
 
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