# Ol' *******: vintage Big Beam, modern Streamlight



## RacinPason (Dec 23, 2014)

So a few weeks ago a friend of mine dropped the coin on a Streamlight Fire Vulcan LED. I was automatically inpressed with the amount and quality of the light! It's amazing that that much light can come from such a small package. Long story short, I hate the orange, plastic housing :green:


I have an old Big Beam 211 that is in nearly mint condition, which makes it hard to cannibalize. I might look for another on in a bit rougher shape for this project. The Plan: gut the Vulcan and transplant the goods to the Big Beam!:shakehead I'm still waiting for the Vulcan to show up but as soon as it does, it's Frankshine Tyme!


Here are the donors:


Under all the dirt is a near flawless 211. It is really front heavy without a battery(the Vulcan battery is very light) I may swap to a BB 166's shorter frame. We'll see once I remove the guts and glass lense of the 211 light housing.








http://cdn.chiefsupply.com/media/ca...eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/4/4/44454SL_2.jpg

*See Rule #3 Do not Hot Link images. Please host on an image site, Imageshack or similar and repost – Thanks Norm*

Does anyone know if the aluminum LED mount in the FV is a heatsink? I haven't been able to look too closely at the FV my friend has to see if it is just a mount of a heatsink.


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## RacinPason (Dec 23, 2014)

Sorry for the hotlink Norm. I didn't see that rule.



This is the donor:


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## RacinPason (Dec 24, 2014)

This AshFlash light caught my eye. It has a tail light that could be utilized for the rear flashes on the SL Vulcan....hmmmmmm I really like the brass!








If the old British Eveready box lights were not so expensive and hard-for-me-to-distroy, I'd do one of these housings.


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## Illum (Dec 24, 2014)

I saw an old AshFlash at the flea market... and I made these 






In retrospect I should have bought rusty and restored her back up.


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## AndyF (Dec 24, 2014)

Illum said:


> I saw an old AshFlash at the flea market... and I made these
> 
> 
> 
> ...



These look interesting. Can you PM me with details?.


Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums


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## RacinPason (Dec 24, 2014)

Illum said:


> I saw an old AshFlash at the flea market... and I made these
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Very nice. I thought about this type of option also. I like the seales LED lights like you used. I really want something that looks old as dirt and might not even work. But, when you turn it on, it does work and work well!!


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## RacinPason (Dec 24, 2014)

Here is a picture of the LED mount. Is it also a heatsink? The LED is part of a thermal plastic looking strip and the strip is riveted to the aluminum mount. I will probably use the aluminum mount and just cut it down a bit to fit in the light housing.


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## RacinPason (Dec 27, 2014)

So my light finally came in and 2 seconds out of the box I had the charger apart to have a looksee. This board will have to be directly attached to the battery tray and enclosed in the main case of the light. 








It looks like what I thought was a heat sink is only a mount for the LED and battery. That makes it much easier to mount the LED to the new, old light's housing.







And one more of the light's circuit board. The only real mod here it to extent the leads to the LED for remote mounting. The leads to the switch might be long enough.


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## RacinPason (Dec 30, 2014)

It was snowing and cold all day so I was bored and decided to rename the project. I'll have this ethed on a peice of polished stainless and rivet it to the blank side of the light body!! That should look pretty good!! I found a perfect old donor in the form of a Big Beam 287ex in brass!! It'll be pretty sexy!


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## Bimmerboy (Dec 30, 2014)

"Frankenshein"... that is awesome! Why did I not think of that name?!?!  :hairpull:

Woulda' been *perfect* for a mongrel mod of transplanted parts that I've been wanting to get around to for years that was to be called MC-E Hammer. It needs a new name now that it will no longer be using MC-E's... lol.

Good luck with the build. Looking forward to the results!


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## RacinPason (Dec 30, 2014)

Bimmerboy said:


> "Frankenshein"... that is awesome! Why did I not think of that name?!?!  :hairpull:
> 
> Woulda' been *perfect* for a mongrel mod of transplanted parts that I've been wanting to get around to for years that was to be called MC-E Hammer. It needs a new name now that it will no longer be using MC-E's... lol.
> 
> Good luck with the build. Looking forward to the results!




Thanks!! I am still waiting for the new(old) brass 287 to show up but as soon as it does, it's game on! I contacted Big Beam today about a replacement lens and lens guard in brass. The have the lens for under $6 but the brass guard was "obsolete maybe decades ago" as the parts lady discribed it. She couldn't quite understand why I would want one!! I'll probably just build one. I have a chrome one for a pattern.


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## RacinPason (Dec 31, 2014)

Seeing as I can not find a 220B lens guard(brass, for the 287ex) I decided to make one. Easier said then done but we'll see!!


First I started with what I had laying around. Some 20-year-old .125" brass welding rod will work.







The flux that bad not been beat off of the rod from riding around in the tool box was removed quite easily with a wire wheel on the bench grinder. I used a piece of 2.375" pipe to form the inner ring of the guard. That was almost the perfect size!







I practiced a few times at brazing the rod ends together with much success. Then can time to braze the ends of the ring together. Oppps, too much heat for too long!








The second inner rings was much more successful!







Next came the supports. A piece of .125"X1.5" stainless strap worked perfect for this!







I didn't get any pictures of the outer ring but it was not easy to for the loops for the screw that secures it to the light. I also didnt have a piece of rod long enough and had to weld 2 pieces together.....Kids these days. But there was nothing open today so buying a piece was out. That leaves us with this:







Mind you, brazing the supports to the outer ring was not even close to being easy. I ruined the ring 3 times and fixed it 4 times! I may end up redoing the ring because it is not up to my standards but then again, this light needs to look used and abused to a point. This may just do the trick. I am not happy with my work on this guard but I think it will be perfect for the rustic look. You decide.

Brass on the bottom, factory BB guard on top.








The guard needs a bit of clean-up and such but I think it will look good. Not perfect though and that bothers me!


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## Illum (Jan 1, 2015)

:wow: :kewlpics:

Love it! Fantastic job


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## RacinPason (Jan 1, 2015)

Thank you! I keep forgetting my camera at home and end up with only my phone at the shop to take pictures! I'll try to get some better pictures later on in when the light gets here!


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## RacinPason (Jan 1, 2015)

I couldnt get over the goober gobber weld and splice on the first attempt. So I built a new one today. I have a different idea for the attachment point. You'll have to stay tuned to see that

I still need to clean a bit of solder off but it came out a bit better than the first attempt!


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## RacinPason (Jan 3, 2015)

A good start to a bad idea? Let's find out








Some delicate surgery commenced on the charger board, with precision tools of the modern age...ha!







Power leads and charger posts removed. This board will be installed in the lid of the new 287.








Now I have a question for the electrical experts: The main board has bare gold circuitry on the back where it was riveted to the steel(black part) battery mount. The battery mount is powder coated and no bare metal to ground to or anything. Is the board using the mount as a heat sink and does it need a piece reattached? 








Next question is: The led was riveted to the aluminum mount. It too, has bare gold circuitry on the back and has a bit of dielectric grease between it and the aluminum mount. Is the led using the aluminum as a heatsink and does it need a piece reattached to help cool it?








It still works!








Looks like we has the makings of a Hipster fish tank.


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## RacinPason (Jan 3, 2015)

Mind you, the charge posts on the light have a tamper-proof, 3-sided Philips head looking thing. Fun fun. I ended up grinding an small old flat head to fit. Not fun but eh,what else was I to do?

Sorry about the bad photos. I got a new photo yesterday that should take better photos!










I ordered up a handful of parts today. Some RC servo extensions(for the plugs mostly) a waterproof 12v cigarette socket and some copper wire, hardware and rivets!


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## RacinPason (Jan 6, 2015)

I got bored today and a few heatsinks, just in case. I never did find out if the main board and the LED needed to have a heatsink so I just did it anyways. I had a piece of .125" aluminum laying in the metal rack so that's what was used! A little dielectric grease and a few .125" aluminum rivets with the trick. If you do this typeof thing, be sure to use cheap aluminum rivets as they provide the right amount of clamping force but not enough to break the board.


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## RacinPason (Jan 10, 2015)

Look what finally showed up! It is a bit rougher than I had expected but overall in fine shape.

2 seconds out of the box:







Surprisingly that is not light coming from the bulb. The sun was shining at just the right angle. The reflector is brass with real silver plating. I can cut that one up! I only need a filler ring about .500" thick to adapt the new reflector to the old housing.








The lid is the worst of the parts. It has many cracks and a really messed up hinge. This will be easily fixed with a bit of silver solder.












First up was stripping the gold paint on the housing. It was thin and easily removed on the bench grinder with a wire wheel. Before:






After: I like the weird strip. It is just a different color of the brass. It's stripped bare. I will leave it just like this!








Next up was the handle which is cast zinc. I am not sure what finish this will get but the casting marks need to go. Mid way through.


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## RacinPason (Jan 13, 2015)

The case is just about done. Getting tired of waiting for parts that shipped 2 weeks ago! I am hoping Radio Shack has what I need tomorrow but I am not holding my breathe.


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## RacinPason (Jan 18, 2015)

It's done. It works. It looks great. The End


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## RacinPason (Jan 21, 2015)

So we have some super awesome problems. After working great for about 4 hours, the LED flickered blue a few times and now it does not turn on at all. I called the Streamlight service center and as near as were can figure the LED fried itself. I am getting a voltage oscillation from about 5.5vdc and 6.7vdc. at the LED. I tested an unmolested Vulcan LED and it is just under 3vdc. The only answer I got from the SL service center was to send it in for warranty.......well, that's probably void now  Oppps. 

My question is, what LED can I replace this one with that will handle 6vdc? I really don't know much about the circuitry of the C4 LED in the FV. Thanks for any help that can be provided! 

I was looking at something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cree-XLamp-...526?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae3a23d8e


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## RacinPason (Jan 21, 2015)

Now that I think about it, I wonder if the oscillation is due to the main light being in flash mode? I'll have to check that tomorrow but that still does not explain the higher than normal voltage unless that is due to the driver trying to "jump start" the LED?


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## Illum (Jan 24, 2015)

I'm surprised they lent you a hand in diagnosing problems after you fully disassembled their light


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## RacinPason (Jan 24, 2015)

The didn't lend anything. The guy at the local SL service center, which is an independent dealer, helped and that was probably out of morbid curiosity. SL themselves couldn't even tell me what voltage should be at the LED or even the voltage output of the battery. All those answers(or lack there of) came long before I let on what I had done to the light. Regardless of what I have done to this light, I have bought two of them....so I should get twice the support!!:twothumbs


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## nein166 (Jan 25, 2015)

My $0.02 is you need better heat sinking, believe me that aluminum mount was important. But it should be easy since the housing is metal and you could solder a round piece of brass/copper to the inside bottom of the head.
Mount a new LED star to that. 
The MT-G2 is a much higher current LED than the original luxeon rebel that fried, not a good choice. The Cree XP-G or XP-E are closer to the original LED specs
I think your getting 5-6v readings because theres no load on the driver circuit, put in another 3v LED with better heat path and you should be okay
This light looks great by the way nice job hope you get it running again


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## RacinPason (Jan 25, 2015)

Thanks for the reply. I went down to Home Depot, grabbed a Defiant 3C cell LED light and ripped it a part. I soldered the LED in to the space where the old LED once resided. It worked! The new LED reads 2.8-2.9vdc and has been working for a few days now. This new LED does put out a slight amount less light but does work. 

Thank you for the advice on the LEDs you mentioned. I will certainly look into those. Thank you very much. I appreciate the info, very much!


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