# Making my First Custom Maglite



## hk dave (Mar 7, 2010)

Hey guys!!! Been reading a lot about making custom lights. I think the time has finally arrived where I want to begin customizing my own lights...

I think my first project will be based on the sticky about a p7 in a 3D Maglite... i think i'd like to make 3 or 4 of them to give to family and friends.

Was hoping for some pointers. 

I'll get getting...

-3D Maglite (will be running NIHM D cells)
-This SSC P7 (Not sure if it's the right one, can someone point me to the right one if i'm looking at the wrong one?)
-P7 SSC HAIII Heatsink
-Arctic Alumina Thermal Adhesive (Any suggestions on the amount i should buy?)
-Artic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (Any suggestions on the amount i should buy?)
-22 gauge teflon wire
-UCL Lens - 52.1mm x 1.90mm
-A 30W Soldering Iron from Dealextreme
-0.6mm Solder Wire with 2% Flux from Deal Extreme

Does this sound like a complete list of what I'll need aside from actual basic tools such as allen wrenches and a dremel?

I'm really excited to try this!!! 

I believe this creates a "Direct Drive" flashlight that will dim as the battery energy gets expended? 

Should i be doing this first and then once I get the hang of it, get a "circuit board" or whatever the gizmo is that helps the light maintain a certain output continuously?

EXCITING!

Thanks for any responses!


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## ti-force (Mar 7, 2010)

hk dave said:


> -This SSC P7 (Not sure if it's the right one, can someone point me to the right one if i'm looking at the wrong one?)
> -P7 SSC HAIII Heatsink
> -Arctic Alumina Thermal Adhesive (Any suggestions on the amount i should buy?)
> -Artic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (Any suggestions on the amount i should buy?)
> ...


 


The SSC P7 you linked to is a BSYPI. The "B" is the bin code which represents luminous flux or emitter rated lumens. A "B" bin emitter is rated from 570-700 emitter lumens. The bins go up to an E bin which is rated from 900-1100 lumens.

The next three letters are the color bins. SYP is 9000K in color, so it would probably be very blue if not purple in color. Personally, I wouldn't go any higher than SXP color bin, which is 6700K and it's white with a little bit of a blue tint, but that's really just personal preference.

The last letter represents the voltage forward bin. You don't want to go any higher than an "I" bin for your setup, which is 3.25-3.50vf.

You're good on your emitter choice, but there may be better choices out there. Also, I'm not sure about the quality of those emitters from DX, but I'll have to let someone else comment on that.

The heatsinks you linked to are very good quality. I purchased four from Setapong. I would recommend that you get the HA111 coating, but you don't have to. It's just piece of mind that you won't short anything out.

The Arctic Alumina Adhesive comes in a part A and part B kit. 2.5 grams of each part is what a quick search turned up. I also have some of that and that's enough adhesive to do quite a few Mag builds. I wouldn't be scared to say it's enough to do 20 Mag mods.

I'd buy at least two of the Arctic Silver Compound 3.5 gram tubes because you will use a lot more of this for a Mag build than you will the adhesive, and if you're planning to do a few of these mods, you will need at least two of those tubes I think, but I may be wrong.

22ga teflon wire is an excellent choice; it will help reduce resistance in the light.

The UCL glass is a great addition, but I have seen the Borafloat glass recommended for durability reasons. I.E. the borafloat doesn't scratch as easily as the UCL. I personally haven't had any problems with my UCL glass, but I take good care of my lights so.... You could also look at the Acrylic lens. Personally I haven't tried these, but they claim scratch resistance so they probably are.

I use a 15watt soldering iron, but I'll let someone else comment on that.

Not sure about the solder either; I normally purchase mine locally at Radio Shack.

Maybe this info will help you get started, and if you have questions during your build, there are plenty of knowledgeable people on here who can help you.


Casey


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## ti-force (Mar 8, 2010)

*Here's some more info to help you while trying to choose which SSC P7 emitter to purchase:*




*Like I said in my previous post, the first letter represents what luminous flux bin the emitter is. Here's the corresponding chart:*















*Here's the corresponding chart for the next three letters, which represent the color bin of the emitter:*




















*And the corresponding chart for the last letter which represents what voltage forward (vf) the emitter is:*


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## 420light (Mar 8, 2010)

+1 one the things Ti-Force said. Also, if I was you I would save those graphs, I just did.

I too would recommend:

* a different P7 bin and color.
* a coated Heatsink

Newegg.com is the place where I get my Artic Alumnia stuff.

I am one of the persons that is using the Borafloat Lens. I had asked Casey about his UCL setup because it looks really good, but the Borafloat being a tad thicker sold it for me. I got it from the same place he got his (flashlightlens.com). I take good care of my Mags, but they do ride with me in my trucks everyday so.......

Are you in the US? If so, I would not get stuff like the solder and the soldering iron from DX or KD. I would be hitting the Radio Shack too. It is a good idea to support you local community stores, especially if the prices are not all that different (yes I know it is a national chain, but local people work there). I also think the quality would be better from RadioShack. That is just the way I feel about it though. 

Hope this helps some, okay So go Mod something.:nana:


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## hk dave (Mar 8, 2010)

Thank Ti-force, those charts are GREAT!!!

So I'm thinking I need an 

-A through C emitter for lumens
-SUN through SWN for color
-J for voltage since they'll be running off 3 NIHM batteries. (Will 3 alkalines fry the emitter? being that they run at 4.5v vs the NIHM at 3.6)?


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## hk dave (Mar 8, 2010)

420light said:


> +1 one the things Ti-Force said. Also, if I was you I would save those graphs, I just did.
> 
> I too would recommend:
> 
> ...



Thanks for your reply! 

Pardon my ignorant questions but...

You mentioned a coated heatsink? Coated how? As im anodized? Is the bare aluminum a bad thing?

I will look into the borafloat lenses... tougher is better for me. 

I am in the US. Orange County CA. Radio shack huh? Ok i'll go get the soldering iron and solder from there. I'm guessing solder with a bit of flux in it will make it sticky enough to stick? Don't need separate flux i hope.


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## ti-force (Mar 8, 2010)

Not trying to be sarcastic, but this came from post #2:





ti-force said:


> The heatsinks you linked to are very good quality. I purchased four from Setapong. I would recommend that you get the HA111 coating, but you don't have to. It's just piece of mind that you won't short anything out.


 
It's type 111 anodizing.

Casey


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## ti-force (Mar 8, 2010)

Some more reading on anodizing if you're interested:

Clicky


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## hk dave (Mar 8, 2010)

ti-force said:


> Not trying to be sarcastic, but this came from post #2:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sorry bout that, just re read your post and noticed the type III anodizing Thanks!

I never knew aluminum was very conductive... from what I've been reading, I gather that the anodizing makes it non conductive and would make it more reliable? I see lot of reason to get an anodized heatsink if the aluminum can short the light!


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## ti-force (Mar 8, 2010)

hk dave said:


> Sorry bout that, just re read your post and noticed the type III anodizing Thanks!
> 
> I never knew aluminum was very conductive... from what I've been reading, I gather that the anodizing makes it non conductive and would make it more reliable? I see lot of reason to get an anodized heatsink if the aluminum can short the light!


 

Yeah, it's a VERY good idea, especially when you're mounting a P7; the bottom of the P7 emitter (the slug) is also a positive terminal, so if you had a bare heatsink, and the slug of the P7 came in contact with the heatsink, and by chance the heatsink came into contact with a negative source. Not good.

Type 111 (HA111) anodizing is the best anodizing available I believe. It's thicker, and therefore tougher.


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## hk dave (Mar 8, 2010)

ti-force said:


> Yeah, it's a VERY good idea, especially when you're mounting a P7; the bottom of the P7 emitter (the slug) is also a positive terminal, so if you had a bare heatsink, and the slug of the P7 came in contact with the heatsink, and by chance the heatsink came into contact with a negative source. Not good.
> 
> Type 111 (HA111) anodizing is the best anodizing available I believe. It's thicker, and therefore tougher.



Got it thanks! I will be ordering Type III anodized heatsinks for sure. Now to decide what emitters I want and where to find them. hehe


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## hk dave (Mar 8, 2010)

hk dave said:


> Thank Ti-force, those charts are GREAT!!!
> 
> So I'm thinking I need an
> 
> ...



Anyone know the answer to the last part of this?

For a 3D NIHM cell host, I need a J emitter? Will running alkalines fry it?


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## 420light (Mar 8, 2010)

ti-force said:


> Not trying to be sarcastic, but this came from post #2:It's type 111 anodizing.Casey



It sure did. Casey said it first. I had just said I agreed with him, and that he made very good points in the first post.



hk dave said:


> Anyone know the answer to the last part of this?
> 
> For a 3D NIHM cell host, I need a J emitter? Will running alkalines fry it?



I really would say that you should use a driver. I would. It gives you the benefit of a better drain from the batteries, and 4.5 volts from the ALKS is no longer a problem.

Good places to get the P7 Tek-tite.com and amilite.co.kr.


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## ti-force (Mar 8, 2010)

hk dave said:


> Anyone know the answer to the last part of this?
> 
> For a 3D NIHM cell host, I need a J emitter? Will running alkalines fry it?


 

I know you would be fine with a J bin emitter as long as your planning to direct drive it. I think you would be fine with 3 D NiMH cells, direct driving an I bin emitter too, but maybe someone with more DD with NiMH experience than myself will comment on that. I agree with 420, a driver would be a better solution, so if you decide to go with, say a 7135 based driver setup in the future, a J bin emitter would be a very bad choice and you would need an I bin emitter.

Alkalines and high power just don't go together IMO. Alkalines suffer terribly from voltage sag, so they're just not a good choice for a light like this.



hk dave said:


> So I'm thinking I need an
> 
> -A through C emitter for lumens
> -SUN through SWN for color


 
According to the chart, an "A" bin will give you anywhere from 440 to 570 emitter lumens. A "C" bin will give you anywhere from 700 to 800 emitter lumens. A "D" bin may the highest available bin, but I'm not certain; they may have released the "E" bin emitters. A "D" bin will give you anywhere from 800 to 900 emitter lumens, so I guess it's up to you how bright you want the light to be. Personally, I want the highest luminous flux bin I can find.

As far as tint goes, I have a CSXPI emitter and I like the tint; it's not too blue for my likes, but I do prefer the whitest light I can get and if I'm not mistaken, 5700K is about as close to white as you can get. The lower the number, the more yellow the tint is. The higher up you go, the tint shifts from white to blue, from blue to purple and from purple to pink.


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## hk dave (Mar 8, 2010)

You guys rock! Thanks for taking time to teach a new guy like me. 

If you guys think it's a good idea to use a driver (i'm guessing the circuit board that regulates output?) then this new guy will most certainly be interested in learning about them and using them.

Do you know any links to some good reads on drivers?


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## ti-force (Mar 8, 2010)

420light said:


> Good places to get the P7 Tek-tite.com and amilite.co.kr.


 

Good find on those emitters. I wasn't really sure who sold them anymore. This is the one I would get if it were me, provided you like the tint:

Clicky


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## ti-force (Mar 8, 2010)

hk dave said:


> You guys rock! Thanks for taking time to teach a new guy like me.
> 
> If you guys think it's a good idea to use a driver (i'm guessing the circuit board that regulates output?) then this new guy will most certainly be interested in learning about them and using them.
> 
> Do you know any links to some good reads on drivers?


 
Some good reading on 7135 based drivers here.


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## ti-force (Mar 8, 2010)

The Shiningbeam 2.5A, 3-mode driver (www.shiningbeam.com) is probably the best and easiest driver solution for you. Unfortunately, they're out of stock right now, but Bryan at Shiningbeam said he will have some more in by the end of the month.


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## 420light (Mar 8, 2010)

ti-force said:


> Good find on those emitters. I wasn't really sure who sold them anymore.




Thanks.:naughty:


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## chew socks (Mar 8, 2010)

I just wanted to add in a piece of advice of my own. Make sure that you press the emitter down well until the epoxy sets (preferably press on the black parts around the dome). When i first made mine, the emitter broke loose slightly after a few days and this caused it to heat up to "angry blue" very fast during use.

Good luck and have fun!

Kirk


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## 420light (Mar 8, 2010)

chew socks said:


> I just wanted to add in a piece of advice of my own. Make sure that you press the emitter down well until the epoxy sets (preferably press on the black parts around the dome). When i first made mine, the emitter broke loose slightly after a few days and this caused it to heat up to "angry blue" very fast during use.Kirk



Good input. Also you do not want to use a lot of adhesive. It will only squeeze out the sides and look like crap.


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## hk dave (Mar 8, 2010)

Thanks so much for your comments and suggestions. This young grasshopper is eagerly learning!

I actually am planning on building 3 maglites with p7 emitters...

Once I learn how drivers work, I'll probably build two of the maglites with drivers... i'd like to be able to be able to drop in Alkalines during emergencies (as if i'd ever have one with my plethora of flashlights)

I do want to make 1 direct drive maglite... just out of sheer curiosity to see what unregulated does...

ti-force (Casey) mentioned I wouldn't want to go higher then "I" voltage for the p7. That part has me confused...

If 3-D NIHM batteries punch out 3.6V, wouldn't that burn out an "I" voltage led?

I thought a "J" would make more sense.

Can someone explain?


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## ti-force (Mar 8, 2010)

hk dave said:


> Thanks so much for your comments and suggestions. This young grasshopper is eagerly learning!
> 
> I actually am planning on building 3 maglites with p7 emitters...
> 
> ...


 

Well, I think an I bin would be best for a regulated setup of some type. You might be able to get by with an I bin for DD with 3xD NiMH, but I'm not certain about that (I've never used NiMH batteries, just Lithium) so maybe someone will chime in and help out. If you were to go with a 7135 driver setup, voltage in needs to be .12V above voltage forward to stay in regulation, if VI falls below that required voltage, you will be in DD.


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## ti-force (Mar 8, 2010)

Oh yeah, I forgot, you can still use alkalines in an emergency. The light will not be nearly as bright and the batteries will probably discharge quickly, but you can still use them if you need to.


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## chew socks (Mar 8, 2010)

hk dave said:


> ti-force (Casey) mentioned I wouldn't want to go higher then "I" voltage for the p7. That part has me confused...
> 
> If 3-D NIHM batteries punch out 3.6V, wouldn't that burn out an "I" voltage led?
> 
> ...




I cant really explain overdriving leds that well, but one thing you need to keep in mind is that under this high of a load you will be seeing a lot of voltage drop from resistance. For example my lithium ion D is 4.2 volts fully charged, but measured across the led leads, there is only about 3.8 volts (hence why it doesnt burn up)

Kirk


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## hk dave (Mar 9, 2010)

Hmm looks like I still have a lot to learn... never thought about resistance... perhaps i should do more reading before i invest all this money and create a non functional paper weight... X 3


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## hk dave (Mar 10, 2010)

ti-force said:


> The Shiningbeam 2.5A, 3-mode driver (www.shiningbeam.com) is probably the best and easiest driver solution for you. Unfortunately, they're out of stock right now, but Bryan at Shiningbeam said he will have some more in by the end of the month.



I've been reading up on drivers... the driver you suggested... is that all i need? Wire that in with a C or D bin I or J emitter and i'll have 3 modes and some protection for the emitter? Will it allow me to push out all 600-800 lumens from the NIMH batteries?


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## ti-force (Mar 10, 2010)

hk dave said:


> Hmm looks like I still have a lot to learn... never thought about resistance... perhaps i should do more reading before i invest all this money and create a non functional paper weight... X 3




See my SST-90 mag build right herehttps://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/262534

You can see a lot of resistance mods right there. Also, keep in mind, you want the least number of contact points you can get; each contact point is a parasitic loss. Keep all contact points clean with alcohol or deoxit cleaner.


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## ti-force (Mar 10, 2010)

hk dave said:


> I've been reading up on drivers... the driver you suggested... is that all i need? Wire that in with a C or D bin I or J emitter and i'll have 3 modes and some protection for the emitter? Will it allow me to push out all 600-800 lumens from the NIMH batteries?



Yes, but J bin has too high vf for those drivers, so you need an I bin. If you change out the led negative and led positive wires on the driver, using 24 gauge or larger wire, you should get about 2.8A at the tailcap instead of the rated 2.5A. This is due to reduced resistance of the larger gauge wire. A "D" bin should make more lumens than a "C" bin, but you probably wouldn't notice the difference with the naked eye, so it's up to you.


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## Fulgeo (Mar 10, 2010)

hk dave said:


> I've been reading up on drivers... the driver you suggested... is that all i need? Wire that in with a C or D bin I or J emitter and i'll have 3 modes and some protection for the emitter? Will it allow me to push out all 600-800 lumens from the NIMH batteries?



That driver is a good driver, just make sure to not use the supplied LED leads that come with it as tr-force mentioned. I have purchased 10 of those drivers. When I first experimented with them I was only getting 2.36 amps on high when using 3 D NiMH batteries. I replaced them with 24 gauge silver plated copper stranded wire and ran another test. I measured a constant 2.81 amps. As for forward voltage get the "I" 3.25 - 3.5 volt variety if you are going to use a driver. Get the "J" 3.5 - 3.75 volt variety if you are going to direct drive it with 3 NiMH cells. With 3 alkaline batteries you can use either variety since they just can not supply the amps. I have purchased 15 different SSC P7 "I" emitters of various tints and have observed a strange thing. Some of the C bin emitters put out more perceived lumens than the D bins when driven at the same amperage.:shrug: It could be that the warmer tints seem less bright. It could also be that some of the early lots of C bin emitters were more like today's D bins. Back in the day when the SSC P7s were first hitting the market there was some talk about this. Either way here is a link to an inexpensive C bin P7 that shines like a D bin. http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1761 I ordered two of them a while back and both of them rocked so I am pretty sure what I am experiencing is not a fluke. Be aware that this tint is cold white. Happy Mods!


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## hk dave (Mar 10, 2010)

ti-force said:


> See my SST-90 mag build right herehttps://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/262534
> 
> You can see a lot of resistance mods right there. Also, keep in mind, you want the least number of contact points you can get; each contact point is a parasitic loss. Keep all contact points clean with alcohol or deoxit cleaner.



That's pretty cool! I was trying to understand the reason for using multiple 7135 or not... that's the part im sort of hung up on... why use more then 1?

What is the difference between the 7135 and the 3 mode driver at www.shiningbeam.com?


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## hk dave (Mar 10, 2010)

On another note... of the 3 builds I was going to do, my wife just told me on her build, she'd prefer extended run time over pure brightness.

She thinks 200 lumens is more then enough and would be happy even with less provided the run time on 3D NIMH cells is pretty long...

Any suggestions?

(I'm guessing if I set it up with the shiningbeam.com 3 mode driver, she can have long runtime as well as ultra bright when she needs it? Anyone know what the shiningbeam.com 3 mode driver does with a D Bin p7 in terms of lumen output per mode?)


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## 420light (Mar 10, 2010)

hk dave said:


> What is the difference between the 7135 and the 3 mode driver at www.shiningbeam.com?



I do not understand what you mean here. 7135 is the CHIP on the board. There is 8 7135 chips on the board. Each chip provides 350mA.

8x350=2800 or 2.8mA. 

2.8mA = the max input current for the P7.




hk dave said:


> (I'm guessing if I set it up with the shiningbeam.com 3 mode driver, she can have long runtime as well as ultra bright when she needs it? Anyone know what the shiningbeam.com 3 mode driver does with a D Bin p7 in terms of lumen output per mode?)



Yes, the benefit of a 3 mode is that you have low,med,high. If she runs it on low it will last a long time. I do not know how bright in terms of lumens it is. I have made a 4 D mag with the ShiningBeam board. It is pretty bright on max. (read blinding).

Look at post #20.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/263781


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## ti-force (Mar 10, 2010)

hk dave said:


> That's pretty cool! I was trying to understand the reason for using multiple 7135 or not... that's the part im sort of hung up on... why use more then 1?
> 
> What is the difference between the 7135 and the 3 mode driver at www.shiningbeam.com?


 

420 pretty much summed it up here with a very good short answer. I'll only add one thing: If you go here, and read all the way to the last post, you should have a pretty solid understanding of how 7135 based drivers work after you've read the whole thread, I.E. the long answer.




hk dave said:


> (I'm guessing if I set it up with the shiningbeam.com 3 mode driver, she can have long runtime as well as ultra bright when she needs it? Anyone know what the shiningbeam.com 3 mode driver does with a D Bin p7 in terms of lumen output per mode?)


 

Yes, she would have very long runtime on medium, and extremely long runtime on low. The manufacturer states that a "D" bin P7 makes a minumum of 800 EMITTER lumens and a maximum of 900 emitter lumens at 2.8A. I think these figures should be a pretty close estimate of luminous flux on each level of brightness for a "D" bin emitter, using a Shiningbeam 3-mode driver. The minimum calculated 3-mode luminous flux: Low = 44.8, Med = 320 and High = 800. The maximum calculated 3-mode luminous flux: Low = 50.4, Med = 360 and High = 900.


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## hk dave (Mar 10, 2010)

420light said:


> I do not understand what you mean here. 7135 is the CHIP on the board. There is 8 7135 chips on the board. Each chip provides 350mA.
> 
> 8x350=2800 or 2.8mA.
> 
> ...



Haha pardon my lack of knowledge and thanks for being so patient 420light. 

OH IC! Finally it's becoming more clear!!! So the board you purchase at shiningbeam.com has 8 7135 chips to run the p7 to 2.8mA...

So you only need one board that has 8 7135 chips to run the p7! EUREKA!!!

I was confused because on ti-force's link, it showed 4 boards sandwiched together.... i'm guessing because he needed that many chips to push out enough mAs for the SST-90.


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## hk dave (Mar 10, 2010)

ti-force said:


> 420 pretty much summed it up here with a very good short answer. I'll only add one thing: If you go here, and read all the way to the last post, you should have a pretty solid understanding of how 7135 based drivers work after you've read the whole thread, I.E. the long answer.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



OOOH was posting then noticed your post ti-force!

Alright i'll check out that link! Thanks so much for helping me out! I will read all of it.

BTW thanx for your response on the mode lumens. 50 lumens is perfect for the low setting i think.


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## Fulgeo (Mar 10, 2010)

hk dave said:


> Haha pardon my lack of knowledge and thanks for being so patient 420light.
> 
> OH IC! Finally it's becoming more clear!!! So the board you purchase at shiningbeam.com has 8 7135 chips to run the p7 to 2.8mA...
> 
> ...


 

Also if you want to make your own 2.8 amp driver for a SSC P7 instead of purchasing the 3 mode shiningbeam driver you can just stack two 4 chip AMC7135 1.4 amp drivers together. This will give you only one mode, but is a very reliable build. If you want less lumens you could go with one 1.4 amp 4 chip AMC7135 board. If you want even less lumens just remove a chip to take 350 ma off the board or buy a 1.0 amp 3 chip AMC7135 board.

For the wife's 200 lumen build I would drive the SSC P7 at either 1.0 or 1.4 amps. This will give you about 350 lumens for the 1.0 amp or about 450 lumens for the 1.4 amp. Remember this is emitter lumens. Out the front lumens I would guess more in the range of 250 to 350. If it was me I would do the 1.4 amp. With fully charged 3 D Accupower NiMH 10,000 mAh cells you can expect run times in the 7+ hour range.

Here is a great link if you want to see how C and D bin SSC P7 emitters perform at different current levels. Heck this link is good for alot of different emitters. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/89607

Happy mods!


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## 420light (Mar 10, 2010)

Glad to be of help. Soon enough you will get the hang of it , then you will be able to figure out what you need faster in your head. It really helps to do a light first. The actual experience of soldering, gluing, cutting, etc...... Fun lies ahead....


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## irv_usc (Mar 11, 2010)

Dave, I know what you are going through with building these. I built several for my friends last year as Christmas presents.

If you want a simple flashlight with no levels you can just make a Direct drive 3D with a P7 and it will work. You don't need a driver. You can run it on alkys or nimh and you won't need to worry about blowing up the emitter.

My P7 was purchased from someone on cpfmarketplace, either photonfanatic or britelumens. For a soldering iron and solder, Fry's has a bunch of cheap irons you can choose from. Their solder selection is pretty good also. I think I have a 15w weller I got there. If you plan to mod a lot I would get an adjustable soldering station. 

I would recommend trying it out with a simple build, and then adding drivers and modding the switches as you get more comfortable. I would recommend getting a lightly orange peeled reflector from DX though, it makes a really nice beam.

I'm in Anaheim Hills if you haven't seen a P7 light in action.


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## hk dave (Mar 11, 2010)

Fulgeo said:


> Also if you want to make your own 2.8 amp driver for a SSC P7 instead of purchasing the 3 mode shiningbeam driver you can just stack two 4 chip AMC7135 1.4 amp drivers together. This will give you only one mode, but is a very reliable build. If you want less lumens you could go with one 1.4 amp 4 chip AMC7135 board. If you want even less lumens just remove a chip to take 350 ma off the board or buy a 1.0 amp 3 chip AMC7135 board.
> 
> For the wife's 200 lumen build I would drive the SSC P7 at either 1.0 or 1.4 amps. This will give you about 350 lumens for the 1.0 amp or about 450 lumens for the 1.4 amp. Remember this is emitter lumens. Out the front lumens I would guess more in the range of 250 to 350. If it was me I would do the 1.4 amp. With fully charged 3 D Accupower NiMH 10,000 mAh cells you can expect run times in the 7+ hour range.
> 
> ...



 Now that I figured out what a driver does... I'm going to do two builds with the 3 mode driver. When i explained to my wife she'd have the choice between 50, 300 and 800 lumens... she seemed quite happy with that idea. 

I'm also planning to do on build Direct Drive, just out of sheer curiosity.

What i wonder though with the builds i'm doing with drivers... does the driver have to be somehow stuck onto the heatsink or does it just sort of float around on the wires? Anyone know?



irv_usc said:


> Dave, I know what you are going through with building these. I built several for my friends last year as Christmas presents.
> 
> If you want a simple flashlight with no levels you can just make a Direct drive 3D with a P7 and it will work. You don't need a driver. You can run it on alkys or nimh and you won't need to worry about blowing up the emitter.
> 
> ...



You are answering the precise questions i have about Alkalines vs NIMH. Awesome! Oooh never thought of orange peel... yes def need to get that for my wife's build, she'd appreciate a really smooth light. Did you test orange peel vs non for throw? Was there a significant difference?

Oooh Anaheim Hills! I'm in Buena Park. We're practically neighbors! 

Oh yes and... FIGHT ON!!!!


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## ti-force (Mar 11, 2010)

hk dave said:


> What i wonder though with the builds i'm doing with drivers... does the driver have to be somehow stuck onto the heatsink or does it just sort of float around on the wires?



Some do, some don't. I don't, because I know my vi will never exceed 4.2v. The higher the voltage, the more 7135's have to burn off, and that's what creates heat.


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## Fulgeo (Mar 12, 2010)

hk dave said:


> What i wonder though with the builds i'm doing with drivers... does the driver have to be somehow stuck onto the heatsink or does it just sort of float around on the wires? Anyone know?
> 
> You are answering the precise questions i have about Alkalines vs NIMH. Awesome! Oooh never thought of orange peel... yes def need to get that for my wife's build, she'd appreciate a really smooth light. Did you test orange peel vs non for throw? Was there a significant difference?


 
Going to +1 tr-force in saying heat will not be much of an issue with AMC7135 based drivers if you do not drive it with more than 3 NiMH cells. That being said I would still glue it down to the bottom of the headsink just to keep it from moving at all. If you go for long walks or have the light in your car where it is gets jostled around alot methinks this could eventually lead to a stress failure. I do it out of principle. It doesn't hurt and could help.

Definite difference in throw if you go to an orange peel reflector. I would guess a perceivable loss of 25%-33% compared to a stock cutdown plastic reflector.

A good aluminum orange peel reflector will give you an artifact free beam very pleasing to the eye. It will generate a bit more spill also.

A cutdown plastic reflector will have artifacts but much better throw. I add a 250mm FL aspherical lens in place of the UCL lens to top off my builds. This removes a few more artifacts and shapes up the beam a bit.

Happy mods!


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## hk dave (Mar 12, 2010)

Fulgeo said:


> Going to +1 tr-force in saying heat will not be much of an issue with AMC7135 based drivers if you do not drive it with more than 3 NiMH cells. That being said I would still glue it down to the bottom of the headsink just to keep it from moving at all. If you go for long walks or have the light in your car where it is gets jostled around alot methinks this could eventually lead to a stress failure. I do it out of principle. It doesn't hurt and could help.
> 
> Definite difference in throw if you go to an orange peel reflector. I would guess a perceivable loss of 25%-33% compared to a stock cutdown plastic reflector.
> 
> ...



Sounds good. All the lights i'm building in the near future are 3D NIMH lights. 

I think i'll follow your advice and somehow stick the driver to the heatsink... just need to figure out the best way to do it.

I wonder if it would be possible to make a half Orange Peel half smooth reflector... in a way that focuses a sharp beam for throw but gives off smooth spill...

30% doesn't sound like all that much, I think i might actually prefer the Orange peel. 

Again, thanks everyone for your patience and help.


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## shdwkeeper (Mar 12, 2010)

Not sure you have seen my thread but this may help you:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/238641


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## irv_usc (Mar 12, 2010)

hk dave said:


> You are answering the precise questions i have about Alkalines vs NIMH. Awesome! Oooh never thought of orange peel... yes def need to get that for my wife's build, she'd appreciate a really smooth light. Did you test orange peel vs non for throw? Was there a significant difference?
> 
> Oooh Anaheim Hills! I'm in Buena Park. We're practically neighbors!
> 
> Oh yes and... FIGHT ON!!!!



hm yeah, i compared the regular mag reflector to the orange peeled one i bought from DX or kaidomain. The orange peel version makes a really smooth beam without a super distinct hotspot. the stock reflector gives you a stronger hotspot, so it would probably throw a bit further. however you will see a + shaped dark spot in the center because of the quad die spacing.

just a thought, have you considered a build with the newer luminus sst LEDs? the sst-50 would be similar to a P7, but slightly more efficient. also i would think the beam pattern would be easier to control since its a single die.


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## ti-force (Mar 12, 2010)

hk dave said:


> Sounds good. All the lights i'm building in the near future are 3D NIMH lights.
> 
> I think i'll follow your advice and somehow stick the driver to the heatsink... just need to figure out the best way to do it.
> 
> ...


 

I just went to Google and typed in: site:candlepowerforums.com and entered the key words (search words) "maglite reflectors", and this was the very first result. :thumbsup:


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## ti-force (Mar 12, 2010)

Some more good reading right here.


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## hk dave (Mar 12, 2010)

shdwkeeper said:


> Not sure you have seen my thread but this may help you:
> 
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/238641



LOL Shdwkeeper... my entire build... minus the use of a driver and all the advice from the wonderful people here, is based on your post. Thanks for taking the time to post it.


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## hk dave (Mar 12, 2010)

ti-force said:


> I just went to Google and typed in: site:candlepowerforums.com and entered the key words (search words) "maglite reflectors", and this was the very first result. :thumbsup:



That helps a lot thanks!!



ti-force said:


> Some more good reading right here.



THAT IS AWESOME. Thanks!


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## hk dave (Mar 12, 2010)

irv_usc said:


> hm yeah, i compared the regular mag reflector to the orange peeled one i bought from DX or kaidomain. The orange peel version makes a really smooth beam without a super distinct hotspot. the stock reflector gives you a stronger hotspot, so it would probably throw a bit further. however you will see a + shaped dark spot in the center because of the quad die spacing.
> 
> just a thought, have you considered a build with the newer luminus sst LEDs? the sst-50 would be similar to a P7, but slightly more efficient. also i would think the beam pattern would be easier to control since its a single die.



I'm already thinking about my build after these... I do like the idea of the SST-90 but I figured i'd learn with a P7 first since it's cheaper. 

I bet my next build will be an SST-50 or SST-90. I think i'll try to do a mag lite shorty and get some Li-ions going on!


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## 420light (Mar 12, 2010)

When I first did mine, I just cut the stock reflector and put it back in. Yes, it does throw better, but what it also throws is a donut hole. 

I broke out the clear coat and sputtered mine.

I would like to see how the new Rebel LED reflectors would look in a P7 Mag.

Has anyone done this yet?

hk dave, By the way have you gotten the batteries and a charger yet?


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## 420light (Mar 12, 2010)

Oh, and at shdwkeeper: I too, am one of the ones your build thread has helped A LOT. 

While I was doing my first build I had referred to your thread many times.

So many thanks.:twothumbs


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## hk dave (Mar 12, 2010)

420light said:


> When I first did mine, I just cut the stock reflector and put it back in. Yes, it does throw better, but what it also throws is a donut hole.
> 
> I broke out the clear coat and sputtered mine.
> 
> ...



The only things I haven't gotten yet are the batteries/charger and teflon wire... still learning about them and choosing the best one for the application. Seems there are different kinds.. some threaded some solid.

I do have an old energizer universal charger specifically made for NIMH... I used to use it to charge my energizer AA NIMHs for my old camera back in the day... but it would take like 8 hours. LOL I'm guessing it's time for a new one.


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## 420light (Mar 12, 2010)

hk dave said:


> LOL I'm guessing it's time for a new one.



Afraid so.


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## Fulgeo (Mar 12, 2010)

irv_usc said:


> just a thought, have you considered a build with the newer luminus sst LEDs? the sst-50 would be similar to a P7, but slightly more efficient. also i would think the beam pattern would be easier to control since its a single die.



I have found the SST-50 to be slightly less efficient at 2.8 amps than the SSC P7. I would guesstimate from my experience with both emitters that it takes about 3.5+ amps for the SST-50 to produce more lumens than a SSC P7 at 2.8 amps. At 4.0 amps the SST-50 starts to really shine. The major advantage of the SST-50 is since it is a single die it creates a nice relativity artifact free beam. The SST-50 also works very well with 33 mm-37 mm FL aspherical lens for ultimate throw.


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## Fulgeo (Mar 12, 2010)

420light said:


> When I first did mine, I just cut the stock reflector and put it back in. Yes, it does throw better, but what it also throws is a donut hole.



Where you using an incandescent stock reflector or a MAG LED stock reflector. I have no problem getting rid of the donut hole using a cut down incandescent stock reflector. Typically you just need to reposition your emitter's placement in regards to the reflector. Two of the heatsinks currently available on the forums have near perfect emitter position for the SSC P7 and work great with a cut down stock incandescent reflector.


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## hk dave (Mar 25, 2010)

All the parts are here minus one important component...

The 3 mode 2.8amp driver!

I hope they get some in at shiningbeam.com soon.  If not there, guess i better find something comparable for my 3D NIMH P7 builds. 

Oh yah... guess i need teflon wire too, but i'm guessing i can pick that up at the local frys. 

This is sooooo exciting!


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## hk dave (Apr 11, 2010)

Got all the necessary parts.... started gluing, cutting etc... when i realized...

I don't know where to attach the teflon wire to the shiningbeam board... anyone know?


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## ti-force (Apr 11, 2010)

On the top side of the driver, the red wire is led + and the black wire is led -

The picture below shows where + in and - in are on the back side.


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## hk dave (Apr 11, 2010)

I think i love you. :twothumbs


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## ti-force (Apr 11, 2010)

:kiss:

hahaha..... Seriously though, I'm just glad I could help.

Keep us updated on your build.


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## hk dave (Apr 11, 2010)

Eureka! Just finished the first one as a test... i must be doing something wrong...

I compared the output to my Fenix tk30.... the maglite is less bright for certain...

I figured the 900 lumen led would lose out to the fenix tk30s 630 lumen...

Maybe i did something wrong? Bad soldering?

I should put a light meter in front of these.


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## ti-force (Apr 11, 2010)

Did you change the led + and - wires with 22ga? Measure current at the tailcap and let us know what it is.


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## hk dave (Apr 11, 2010)

Ooooh how do i measure? I have a Multimeter.

What should i be getting?


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## ti-force (Apr 12, 2010)

I'm sure you're aware of the fact that the SB 2.5A board has 3 modes, but I've got to ask. The light is in high mode right? Anyway, to test current you need to make sure your meter can test up to at least 3A or 3000mA. Make sure the test leads are installed into the correct place on the meter for measuring DC current. If you changed the led + and - wires out with 22ga wire, you should get around 2.8A @ the tailcap on high. Make sure it's in high mode, then remove the tailcap, turn the meter on (to measure current), turn the flashlight switch to the on position and then touch the negative lead to the negative side of the battery that you see in the light and touch the positive lead to the bare metal at the rear of the flashlight tube. That's how you measure tailcap current in a Maglite.

Also, what meter do you have? Some meters aren't very accurate at measuring DC current because of introduced resistance.


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## hk dave (Apr 12, 2010)

HEhe yes I have it set to the highest.

I have a cheapie meter... when i measure... it fluctuates a lot and the light does not achieve full power. I'm guessing your resistance thing is correct.


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## ti-force (Apr 12, 2010)

If you plan to start modding more, it would probably be in your best interest to get one that's at least kinda accurate. I have one that's pretty accurate, but it costs about $150.00, and if you want a name brand meter with the same accuracy as mine, you can expect to pay twice that. I've seen a $60 Ideal meter recommended on here, but I don't remember the model number and you might be okay with a $20 Ideal.


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## hk dave (Apr 12, 2010)

Guess it's time for a new meter... my $7 china meter doesn't seem to be cutting it. haha


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## hk dave (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks for all your help... i'm starting to understand everything a bit better.

Built two maglites with shiningbeam 3 mode drivers along with D bin SSC P7s... I was surprised... i thought the lights would be way brighter... but i think my Fenix tk30 can easily go toe to toe with these maglites.

Then again... its not like that a little light.

It's still beautiful though. 

Thanks for all your help!!!


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## ti-force (Apr 18, 2010)

hk dave said:


> Thanks for all your help... i'm starting to understand everything a bit better.
> 
> Built two maglites with shiningbeam 3 mode drivers along with D bin SSC P7s... I was surprised... i thought the lights would be way brighter... but i think my Fenix tk30 can easily go toe to toe with these maglites.
> 
> ...




When you start getting into that lumen range, I think it takes a lot more to be able to say WOW! That light just blows this one away. I know that's what you're after; I am too, but it takes a lot more lumens to do that. I guess what I mean is, if your TK30 makes 500 OTF lumens (just an example) and your P7 Mag makes 600 OTF lumens, and you compare the two side by side, you might not notice a difference at all with the naked eye, and if you do, it will probably be barely noticeable.

I guess you could look at it like this. If you have a 100 OTF lumen light and you compare it next to a 200 OTF lumen light, you would notice a difference; that's 100% more OTF lumens. Now, if we compare the 500 OTF lumen light to the 600 OTF lumen light, we're only talking about a 20% difference. I've read on here somewhere that the general rule of thumb is, it takes 3 times as many lumens for one light to look 2 times as bright as the other. Of course you get into different tints and beam patterns which can make a light appear brighter when it's really not, but you see what I mean.


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## hk dave (Apr 19, 2010)

In that case, I'd likely go for 2000 lumens.


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## irv_usc (Apr 20, 2010)

what reflector did you end up going with? did you change out the front glass?

btw i thought the shiningbeam driver put out 2.5A?


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## ti-force (Apr 20, 2010)

irv_usc said:


> btw i thought the shiningbeam driver put out 2.5A?





ti-force said:


> If you change out the led negative and led positive wires on the driver, using 24 gauge or larger wire, you should get about 2.8A at the tailcap instead of the rated 2.5A. This is due to reduced resistance of the larger gauge wire.


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## irv_usc (Apr 20, 2010)

oops, i missed that memo...


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## ti-force (Apr 20, 2010)

No worries. It happens sometimes. The next person will have to miss it twice now


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