Help me make my HDS EDC Ultimate 60 XR 18650 Compatible

moltenmag

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Hey guys. Moltenmag here. I recently purchased the necessary components to make my EDC Ultimate 60 take 18650s. I know there is a previous forum on this topic but all the pictures are gone. I have the brass bar, and the spring, tube, and AW 18650 battery (pics below). Appreciate any help on this. Pictures welcome. :)

axe81c.jpg

u5wg.jpg

2vx3ho5.jpg
 

thermal guy

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Toss the spring away you don't need that.ill try and find the post that hogo had

Well poop all pictures are gone.!!!
 
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thermal guy

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You have to cut the brass shim just right put a small bend on the bottom to go under the positive side of the battery but dont touch the positive part of the battery and it must be even with battery tube on negative side.

Looks like you might have it backwards but I can't tell 100 percent. But bent ends goes towards the light engine. Straight end towards the tail.
 
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pc_light

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Moltermag, keep in mind that the spring or in this case if you decide to use the brass bar, carries the signal and not actually battery current.

If the spring free floats around the battery, that should be all you need. However, sometimes the batteries are wide and bind with the spring, in which case the brass bar can be used.

Touch only the outside annular space at each end, stay away from battery terminal which would result in battery short.
 

thermal guy

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It impossible to run a 18650 with the spring. Trust me it will never fit. That is a 16650 tube. The brass shim is the only way. But good point about being careful with the battery and not short it out
 
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pc_light

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I had a 17650 tube (which looks a lot like the one in the photo) that I was able to use with 18650 batteries and a spring.

As you've already determined, the thickness of spring coils on both sides of a battery was too much to fit but a single coil thickness would fit.

So the hack I devised involved straightening a middle segment of the spring then flattening that segment such that it could freely slide up and down on one side of the battery. In essence the flatened segment is like your brass strip. While the remaining normally coiled spring at either end continue to work like a normal spring, freely adjusting to make contact.

I don't have a photo and sold the 18650 converted tube a while back but it looked something like a dumbell. Coil at one end, then the straight section, and coil at other end.

I hope this helps. Good luck with conversion.
 

thermal guy

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I have been trying to picture this in my head. Just got it. ya! That sounds like a great mod. I'll have to try that on.
 

pc_light

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I have been trying to picture this in my head. Just got it. ya! That sounds like a great mod. I'll have to try that on.
I made a crude Photoshop mock-up to help with visualization.
aSfsYT1.jpg



A brass bar of correct length and other alternatives probably work just as well, I can only share that this method worked for my tube picture here (before I sold it) which looks similar to yours.
DVADIzi.jpg
 

Hondo

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Hogo, I can fix them like I did the Shorty and Longman pics if you want. Just set me up like before.
 

Hondo

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Dan,

PM sent back, having problems accessing pics. Original thread found, ready to roll, though. Love this mod and use it a lot, got tubes for all of my old lights!
 

louie

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This would be sweet - but I have no idea how I'd shape the spring like that and have it look decent. Someone needs to make nice ones and sell them.
 

Hondo

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Well, that does look a bit involved. The brass bar is much easier to make, just need to sneak up on the length so it just gets compressed when the tailcap seats, and tweak the head end inward a little to hit the trace on the PCB, but not so far as to short on the inner positive trace. The only downside is it will be floating loose when you open the light to charge the battery, but that is not very often. I still don't see that spring mod working, though, as the 18650 can't get in through the coils on either end.
 
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